But there is tremendous wisdom to be found within this obscure, archaic philosophy.Contrary to popular belief, alchemy is not about transmuting base metals into gold – instead, it’s the secret science of illumination and inner liberation. What is Spiritual Alchemy? (Definition)Aurum Nostrum Non Est Aurum Vulgi: Our gold is not common gold. – Alchemist sayingWhether you understand Alchemy as a science or as a instrument, alchemy is ultimately concerned with transformation and change.While physical alchemy is concerned with altering and transforming the properties within matter, spiritual alchemy is concerned with freeing your spiritual self which is trapped within you by the unrefined parts of yourself (e.g., your fears, personal beliefs, etc.). Spiritual alchemy is vastly more multi-faceted.Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of spiritual alchemy is its objective: to free you from your core wounds, and other personality structures in order for you to live freely and unobstructed.Existing in “pure being,” or soulful awareness is the ultimate state of transformation – the gold – of spiritual alchemy. It attempts to restructure your personality and the various levels of attachment, avoidance, and identification you possess.These days, we can thank famous psychiatrist C. Jung for the continued interest in alchemy.

In an exhibit at the Brown University Library, “ Alchemical Symbols as a Secret Code,” a manuscript descriptions reads, “ For centuries, mysticism and the occult were an integral part of alchemy and its secrets. The symbols were rendered into allegorical writings and magical invocations which obscured the recipes that led to perfection, the Philosopher’s Stone.”. Following game – Alchemy Game, is perfect solution for those who are searching for complicated, mind, puzzle games. This game is pretty hard and also requires from you a lot of thinking, placing all these different runes in a correct way needs some logical thinking. The settlers iv gold.

Much of his theory is heavily steeped in the rich symbolism of alchemy, creating a colorful and sophisticated roadmap by which we can learn to get ourselves “out of our own way,” stop being our own enemies and allow our fullest potential to unfold. Famous Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung is commonly recognized as the main advocate and promoter of alchemy. He argued that he had noticed many of the symbols found in alchemy texts mysteriously showing up in the dreams of his patients – most of whom had no prior knowledge of Alchemy.He concluded that alchemy was a superb expression of the universal symbols of life, and was, therefore, a highly effective tool for psychological insight. Materia Prima, The Philosophers Stone, and Gold are the most commonly known symbols relating to Alchemy.Materia Prima (or “first matter”), is an Alchemic symbol that reflects the notion that all the universe originated from a primitive, formless base.

The idea of a “Materia Prima” can be traced back to Aristotle who understood that there is a force that holds all other forms in existence together but is itself invisible – these days, we call it “Spirit.” This invisible womb or unseen force is a field of pure potential that can only come into existence when it is embodied within a “form.”In Alchemy, the “Materia Prima” or primal material is that which is left over after we have reduced matter into its purest essence. This is a powerful psychological symbol because it describes the internal process of arriving at a “core realization,” or in other words becoming aware of the root cause of a belief or trauma within us. The 7 Stages of Spiritual AlchemySolve et coagula: Dissolve and coagulate. Calcination is the process of heating and decomposing raw matter – or in other words, breaking down parts of ourselves that are in the way of our own happiness. Often we’d rather be right or fulfill an idea of “perfection” than be truly happy, so we continue neglecting the exploration of ourselves.The stage of Calcination represents the stage in our lives where we begin breaking down our, self-doubt, stubbornness, self-sabotaging behavior, pride, and arrogance, and put it aside so we can find out what is underneath. Once we have broken down all of our personality characteristics that were in the way, we are left with the process of dissolution which is the beginning of feeling less identification with our false. Once we are free from our pride or self-doubt, we can take one step back and truly observe our positive and negative qualities.In this stage, our inability to take responsibility for our many faults, our avoidance of traumatizing memories, and other inner tensions rise to the surface, causing us to become aware of how our behavior might be affecting others.

This is the beginning of spiritual maturity and the process. Sometimes this stage of transformation is brought about accidentally by illnesses and misfortunes in our lives that cause us to really pay attention to what we’re doing, shocking us out of our avoidance patterns (such as workaholism, drugs and TV watching). Separation is the stage where we make our thoughts and emotions more defined by isolating them from other thoughts and emotions. A simple example is our attempt to free our heart from resentment while trying to forgive someone.The process of separation involves truly becoming aware of our authentic feelings for a person, or for ourselves. In this stage, we choose to experience our anger, frustration, or disappointment towards another or ourselves, rather than reverting back to the old habit of dutifully trying to “forgive” or “forget” because it is the “right” or comfortable thing to do.Separation is closely entwined with in that we must allow all feelings and thoughts within us to surface side by side.

This helps us to isolate particular elements of our character in order to honestly see and assess them. After the purification and clarification of the first three stages, we must properly combine the remaining elements within us through the process of “Conjunction.”While in the previous step we separated and learned to distinguish all the separate feelings and thoughts within us, Conjunction provides the inner space – the simmering – that is required for us to truly and honestly accept all the parts of our authentic self. When we experience this stage of spiritual alchemy, all of our unconscious thoughts and feelings bubble up to the surface and into the light of conscious awareness.In this stage, introspection, and meditation are particularly useful. Fermentation is the beginning of our process of rebirth. This stage can be compared to the death of a grape, which then becomes the birth of wine. While the first four stages involved working with aspects of our old personality, in the stage of Fermentation we begin to experience moments of our more “refined” self.Fermentation occurs in two parts: Putrefaction and Spiritization.

Putrefaction is the decomposition of our former selves; the process of inner death by which the old elements of our conscious and unconscious minds are allowed to rot and decompose. (Some call this stage, as it can be followed by troublesome mental states such as depression.)On the other hand, Spiritization is the stage in which we begin to look at the world in a new light. With the right guidance and with solid, Spiritization involves of all the aspects of ourselves and our lives that don’t serve or contribute to our spiritual transformation. This is when we taste moments of great inner peace and stillness.

Once we begin our Spiritization we must find a way to continue to integrate all of these spiritual realizations into our lives in order to allow them to become permanent. Distillation is the level of further purification.One example of Distillation is finding ways to live from a daily place of inner peace – even in the most mundane circumstances. With enough repeated practice of constantly dying and being reborn in the present moment without entering again into the habits, identifications, and cycles of the mind, we experience a strong and profound inner transformation. In the East, this is what is mostly defined as or “enlightenment.”Certain practices such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and self-inquiry are useful in this stage. The Awakened Empath eBook:Written for the highly sensitive and empathic people of life, Awakened Empath is a comprehensive map for helping you to develop physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance on every level.The meeting point between two opposites such as the spiritual self and raw matter, heaven and hell, and life and death, is the point where existence becomes self-aware. This is the moment when our lives are without duality; when matter becomes Spirit – or Spirit is manifested in material form.In the stage of Coagulation, the physical universe is not separate from the mind or spiritual reality; it is a reflection of it.Alchemy’s greatest achievement is to create an interrelationship between mind and matter, between self and world. It embodies and points to the union of opposites, the transcendence of division, and the of all beings.I hope this article has helped to explain this mysterious topic more in-depth and illuminate your understanding.

What are your thoughts about spiritual alchemy? I’d love to hear below! Hi, I totally love this article for it’s allowing me to learn and understand so much.So i learned that I’m going through the process of Fermentation.I recently passed the stage of Putrefaction ( decomposition of my former self) I experienced as it described, the troublesome of mental states like anxiety and depression. Right now I’m going through Spiritization stage for I’m starting to look at the world in a new light.

I let go of my past traumas that was blocking me from seeing the real meaning of living. I am tasting the great moment of inner Peace and Stillness.So now that I’ve learned that I am beginning my Spiritization I’m going to continue to integrate all of the Spiritual realizations into my life in order to allow them to become permanent so I can pass to the next stage. Distillation.Thank you so much for sharing this article and your experiences to all of us who needs to understand ourselves on a different levels that we couldn’t find nowhere else. Blessings.Can’t thank you enough.PEACE. I believe that the idea that there is some ‘uncarved block’ version of us that we should work towards is a fantasy that has been peddled for millenia. And being unattainable it leaves us with the impression that it is us that are at fault in our attempts to achieve it and we should therefore devote ourselves to ever more bizarre rituals with ever more bizarre gurus who are nothing more than illusionists with charisma and therefore quite false in what they ultimately promise.Everything that matters happens in the real world inhabited by everyone. Apart from fate the only things that differentiate the junkie from the genius are our manifest qualities such as intelligence and drive and our spiritual sensibilities which inspire those qualities.

Of themselves our spiritual sensibilities cannot exist on their own any more than our shadow can. So to pursue an ever-finer sensibility for its own sake – our materia prima or whatever you want to call it – is pointless and illusory.

It is the very essence of life itself but to us it is always unknowable.But to pursue it so as to improve it as a source of inspiration it is everything as we strive to realise our full potential in the real world of politics, engineering, child-rearing etc. That, for me, is the real transmutation rather than what happens at some exotic level of awareness.Consciousness is simple really; it’s only self-serving charismats that want us to believe it’s complicated. Thank you for a good piece – the insights should come in handy, although a simpler and more pungent term than alchemy would provide far reaching cues. I agree with the stages, and there are obvious limitations on how far the article can go with respect to various stages. INSIGHT is key, it is sadly diverted by relativism, evanescent -medico-religious- and pecuniary motives.

Change and Soul Communictions happen at levels that are far deeper, purer and away from the “world”, even as it aim for the healing of the souls and the world. Take – Dark Night of The Soul – a parody in a sense, but it is the multi-generational and earhtly clamour that are “dark”, and hidden, but only exposed in the dark nights. “Separation is the stage where we make our thoughts and emotions more defined by isolating them from other thoughts and emotions. A simple example is our attempt to free our heart from resentment while healing”. Over time and in the process the persons are said to be more intuitive – deep or far reaching, but only because they had swtiched on, cleansed of affective sin and the ability to relate around the simple makes them effective carrier and mediums of healing and restoration.

Very good summary. Thank you, will save. I’ve been using the term for a long time, as it does indeed apply to a wide range of practices. As a Taoist, I must agree that the elixirs and magic pills were either metaphors or used to appease royalty who just wanted some glamorous medicine. Taoism is all about specific transmutations of emotions as held by the organs.

I failed the quiz I gave myself as i read your piece – by now I should have known every one of those stages before they came up, but no. Let’s pray my meditations are bowing to mystical energies and not intellect! This is incredible. As a researcher of the hero’s journey and embodiment I have never seen the process described quite like this. I liken my own sudden and earth shattering spiritual awakening the past two years to a death and dissolution, followed by entry into a cocoon of the bloody raw self, into the sticky, mucous filled but protective uncomfortable centre, waiting to emerge into a butterfly of a more authentic self able to integrate spirit with matter and find inner balance.

This really hits the mark on how I’ve felt. The messy, painful and sublime process of transformation and transmutation. Of course it’s alchemical thank you Mateo for all your work shedding light in the dark. Walk the path less traveledOur names are Aletheia Luna and Mateo Sol and we’re who are currently living in Perth, Western Australia.Our mission is to help those experiencing the, process, or embrace their inner and walk the path less traveled. We are deeply drawn to helping those who are become empowered, healed, and inspired to follow their soul’s purpose through the practice of.Our goal is to provide a grounded and balanced perspective of that doesn’t bypass the raw, real, and messy aspects of spiritual growth.

We strive towards integration, balance, wholeness, and embracing both the sacred and wild aspects of being human.

Santiago’s SheepSantiago’s sheep symbolize the sort of existence lived by those who arecompletely blind to their Personal Legends. Santiago loves his sheep, but healso expresses thinly veiled disrespect for them because of their animal desiresfor mere food and water. He thinks that his sheep do not appreciate all thewonderful lands that Santiago discovers during his travels. Also, in adisturbing image, he imagines that his sheep are so blindly trusting that hecould kill them one by one without them noticing. These sheep symbolize thecharacters in the book like the baker and the crystal merchant who do not pursuetheir Personal Legends. Like the sheep, these characters content themselves withtheir material desires and social acceptance.

Accordingly, they lose the abilityto appreciate certain aspects of creation, and tend to miss out on manyopportunities because of their limited perspectives. AlchemyAlchemy, in which a base metal is transformed into a more valuable metallike gold, functions as the dominant symbol in The Alchemistand represents Santiago’s journey to achieve his Personal Legend.

The symbolalso gives the novel its title. The Alchemist describes theprocess of turning base metal to gold as equivalent to the base metal realizingits Personal Legend. In the parlance of the book, the metal must rid itself ofall impurities to achieve a higher evolutionary state.

Similarly, Santiago mustrid himself of impurities, such as his desire for his parents’ acceptance, hisdesire to live as a rich shepherd, and even his desire to live with Fatima, inorder to realize his own Personal Legend and achieve a higher state. The way aperson learns the craft of alchemy parallels the way in which a person achieveshis Personal Legend. As the alchemist tells Santiago, although many tomes havebeen written about alchemy, these books only complicate the craft.

In fact, allthe secrets of alchemy exist on the small Emerald Tablet, and these secretscannot be expressed in words. Likewise, no written instructions can guide aperson to his Personal Legend. The person must follow his own instincts and theomens provided by the Soul of the World.

The alchemist chooses Santiago as hispupil rather than the Englishman largely because Santiago does not depend onbooks and reason to understand the world. By listening to the Soul of the World,Santiago ultimately enters into communion with all of nature, including the windand the sun, and he reaches a higher state of being. The DesertThe desert, with its harsh conditions and tribal wars, symbolizes theserious difficulties that await anyone in pursuit of their Personal Legend, butit also serves as an important teacher to Santiago during his journey to thepyramids. As the alchemist puts it, tests are an inherent part of all PersonalLegends, because they are necessary to create spiritual growth. More than thedesert heat, the desert’s silence, emptiness, and monotony test Santiago.

AsSantiago learns, however, even the desert, despite appearing barren, containslife and the Soul of the World. Santiago begins to understand his environment,and to see the signs of life in what seems to be a wasteland. Eventually helearns to recognize all of creation in a single grain of sand, and in thegreatest test he faces during the book, he finds he is able to enlist the desertin his effort to become the wind.