Alchemy is and isn’t Freemasonry. Think of it like this: a long time ago, well before the Enlightenment, possibly even all the way back before the beginnings of civilization itself, Man had been perfecting a singular craft. This Ancient Craft, even and Art or a Science if you will, was called “Believe Everything I Tell You To, Or I’ll Poke You With This Pokey Thing.”
A tool we learn early on in Freemasonry is the Common Gavel, which we use as a reminder that we always have to break off the corners of our rough stones. Put more plainly, you always needs to work on improving themselves by fighting their own personal bad habits, character flaws, and personality traits that hold them back from being who you really are. Because you are not your flaws or unnecessary excesses. You don’t need your pain; doesn’t make you who you are. The various pains you have, the issues that could fill a magazine rack, they’re nothing but excess flack, covering your true self. Like Michelangelo said, the masterpiece already lives within the stone; just remove the superfluous pieces.
Practical Freemasonry 