One who has attained to proficiency in any art or science. It may be said of a skilled astrologer who, through spiritual development, has attained to superior powers and transcendental knowledge concerning the origins and destiny of mankind. Formerly said of an alchemist who had attained the 'great secret' - presumably that concerning the 'transmutation of metals'. Its modern application is to the transmutation of unfavorable cosmic stimuli and the baser emotions into nobler impulses - thereby achieving the triumph of mind over matter, and of the spiritual over the carnal.
ASTROLABE ENCYCLOPEDIA
