| The first process of Calcination exists in the situation of the artist being motivated to produce ART. |
An artist, in order to produce art, must first desire to do so. Art is not an automatic process that all human beings inherently possess. It does not sustain physical existence in the way that breathing does. Art is the resulting product of the desire to create and recreate reality.
Without the desire, the product could not be executed. Where the desire originates is a metaphysical question; as such it cannot effectively, or in a definitive way, be answered. The important point is that it does originate and exist, and it is the necessary first step in the procedure to create art. The absence of desire is apathy; and if apathy exists, there would be no purpose in producing art.
This desire of which I speak is not simply a wish to possess art. Rather, it implies a deep seated need, a mental libido to acquire the fulfilling pleasure that only art can provide.
There is a need for the striving artist~to~be to carefully consider his/her desire to produce art. It involves a period of contemplation into the very seriousness of his/her endeavor. A moderate heat of meditation is necessary in order for the artist to discover whether his/her desires are just and founded. By undertaking the process of Calcination, the artist might succeed in removing the qualities of apathy which would tend to dissuade him/her from the Grand Task or hinder the effectiveness of the end result: the acquisition of a knowledge of ART.
