For the alchemists, working with the metals was a step deeper into the mysteries of matter. Remember, while we think of plants as "living" and rocks and minerals as "dead," the alchemists believed all matter was alive with the spirit of its creator. The minerals represented the first created substances with the most powerful archetypal energies, and were therefore, closer to the divine imprint than plants and animals. As the essence of minerals, the metals carry the strongest expression of the divine or archetypal energy of any material with which the alchemist works.