Spiritual alchemy is a set of methods using mental processes, colors, phases, archetypes, integration, practical application and philosophy. Working with spiritual alchemy one can create a better life, transcend mortal restrictions, align the Self and connect to the divine.
Evolution of Alchemy
Around 8000 BCE, Neolithic humans use one of the first intentional alchemy processes when they ferment honey to make honey mead. Alchemy often involves breaking down one thing to create another, as in the Nigredo or putrefaction stage of spiritual rejuvenation.
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Alchemy is a vital field of study for over two thousand years, practiced in Egypt, Greece, China, Islamic countries, Africa, India and Rome. By the final years BCE Alexandria grows into a center of alchemy, philosophy and radical thought, prevailing until c. 640 AD.
Processes of alchemy originate in nature. One can identify them simply by looking around the environment. The first intentional use of an alchemical process may go back to c. 8000 BCE when Neolithic humans ferment honey to make honey mead.
The colors below are integral to methodology of spiritual alchemy, where each represents a phase one traverses before ascending to the Magnum Opus, Great Work or Spiritual Whole. The component yellow (Citrinitas) can be seen as a bridge between white and red.
Despite the linearity of images it's best to envision the process as a sphere or integrated spheres. One rule of alchemy: the Whole is more than the sum of its parts.
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The Four Classical Elements or natural elements are also integral to spiritual alchemy. Natural elements are treated individually at first, with. Earth and Water often combined as one. In the 5th century, philosopher Empedocles presents the elements as a set, as below.
Clockwise from top:
Fire
Air
Earth
Water
Today these elements are widely known and accepted, intrinsic to culture, medicine and spirituality. Aether (ether), the pervasive and divine element, is first mentioned by Plato, a student of Socrates, in c. 360 BCE.
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Opening one's mind to the spiritual channels of nature helps bring a new enlightenment, a guide to one's place in the universe, or path in life. It acknowledges a primal place of perception, the quintessence of being and the collective unconscious.
Quintessence is a word which often comes up. It refers to:
the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class.
the aspect of an object or person regarded as the intrinsic and central constituent of its character
a refined essence or extract of a substance.
Spiritual alchemy aligns and rejuvenates the Whole. It's well used by those who feel fragmented or incomplete, or wishing to discover and explore inherent qualities of the Self, rise above perceived limitations, optimize creative expression and put life on a positive path.
Chrysopoeia (gold-making)
The early Greeks name the elements mercury (female) and sulfur (male) as the possible prima materia or Prime Matter making up all things. An early but enduring theory of chrysopoeia, it asserts all metals are created of varying amounts of sulfur and mercury.
By removing or adding elements and changing the female/male or mercury/sulfur ratio, different metals can be formed. This process in spiritual alchemy transmutes toxic elements of one's inner being, relationships and spiritual connections into gold.
“When you come right down to it all you have is yourself. The sun is a thousand rays in your belly. All the rest is nothing.”
Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)
The next phase of development in spiritual alchemy comes from its founder, analytical psychologist Carl Jung (1875-1961). Jung's interest in philosophy, alchemy and spiritual subjects labels him as a mystic, though he emphasized his role as a man of science.
Jung has many mystic experiences which transform his life. Part of the reason he's drawn to psychology, an almost non-existent practice at the time, is to come to terms with these events. He defines archetypes and finds alchemic parallels to the development of Self.
From the early beginnings, the pursuit of alchemy is for betterment of humankind, through healing and transformation. Alchemy recognizes the collective unconscious as ever present in all living things, and an integral part of the individual quest for happiness and the Whole.
Through spiritual alchemy, one gets down to basics. It's important to strip away layers and confront negative qualities, to create a more authentic sense of self, well-being and confidence in the interconnectedness of all things.
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