After passing through the 'alchemical fire' Kasyan and Gouri receive their first alchemical initiation from Admiral, one of Master G's oldest disciples. This initiation opens the mysteries of the alchemical stage of Nigredo for them. The description of the astralized space of this stage is the very subject of the present book.
In order to follow the alchemical Path of Master G further, the light Path of ascension, they have to undergo the next alchemical stage, which is the stage of purification called Albedo. This stage and its various techniques for the purification of the soul and the sublimation of perception are described in the books of the series called 'Alchemical Teachings', 'Inner Light' and 'Inner Christianity'.
'…Six years have passed, many things have changed in Kasyan's life. He managed to leave behind the city where he lived, together with all that kept him busy there and move to the city where the Master lived. He spent a long time together with G and underwent many 'teaching situations', which G had been arranging every day. However everything which was happening in the company of the Master remained for him still evasively-mysterious and incomprehensible. The Great Unknown had been hiding Itself like a swift shadow from Kasyan's direct, unceremonious glances. Neither teaching nor Master had become more understandable for Kasyan after all these long years. On the contrary, from time to time some kind of black mountain torrent of undigested 'teaching situations' would bury Kasyan, depriving him of subtle perception and obscuring his consciousness. These regular blows of heavy energy had been wiping off completely the understanding of already familiar spiritual truths and the skills of solving the problems. Yet again he would not be able to distinguish between the illusion and the Truth and to keep himself in the state of 'here and now'. Kasyan didn't know how to rid his soul of this still growing heaviness. He stopped practising Kriya technique and meditations, which was his constant pursuit from the days of his youth, because he started to believe that he would reach enlightenment by following the teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky. 'I must have become an utter idiot,' he thought sometimes bitterly to himself…'
