What Is Alchemy?
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Alchemergy
("al-chem-er-gee") is a transformational
discipline for those looking to create real change in themselves and the world
around them. It focuses on the merging of ancient and modern traditions and the
emerging of new paradigms for our times.
The principles of alchemergy have been part of depth
psychology for over nearly a century, and many modern thinkers have applied
alchemical ideas to consciousness studies, quantum physics, healing and
addiction therapy, literature and filmmaking, and many more unexpected areas.
In practice, Alchemergy is the cross-union of opposites
on all levels – science and religion, Eastern and Western philosophies, feminine
and masculine, feeling and thinking, Soul and Spirit. The Child of the
Philosophers that results from this union is the Philosopher's Stone – which the
alchemists saw as a higher state of consciousness.
But achieving lasting transformation on any level is no
easy task. Wishful thinking, egocentric beliefs, generational dogma, and
simplistic discipline always fail. The challenge of change can only be
surmounted by a deeper understanding of the universal principles involved – the
archetypal patterns hidden all around us. Since ancient Egypt, philosophers have
been seeking those principles and working to understand how they can be applied.
They created a powerful Art of Transformation, a spiritual technology known as
alchemy.
The birth of alchemy in
Egypt dates back at least as far 1500 BCE. Some say its origins go back even
further to 10,000 BCE, a time known in the ancient texts as
Zep Tepi, when
enlightened beings roamed the earth and shared their knowledge with mankind.
These principles were considered so powerful that they were expressed only in
secret writings, concealed in arcane drawing and symbols, or hidden in plain
sight in the architecture of sacred buildings. That ancient tradition was
carried on during the heyday of alchemy in the Middle Ages in secret ciphers,
symbolic drawings, and in the sacred architecture of cathedrals.
The ultimate goal of the alchemist is to find the Prima
Materia (First Matter), the common heart of
all materials, the dark, chaotic, unformed stuff of creation that is "hidden in
plain sight" throughout the universe. Through alchemical processes, the
alchemist transforms the is Prima Materia into
the Philosophers Stone, which has the ability to instantly perfect anything.
The
Great Work of alchemy has always been to speed up this natural process of
perfection – to resurrect the spiritual ideal and activate the hidden energies
that can be used to bring that ideal to manifestation. The gold of alchemy,
according to this deeper tradition, is simply hastened perfection in the
substance at hand, whether that be a lifeless lump of lead or the human soul.
Every human being participates in alchemy, whether in a conscious manner through
intentional transformation or through the unconscious alchemical processes at
work in our lives – the suffering of worldly experiences that finally lead to
increased spiritual awareness.
That is not to say that alchemy does not deal with
material things, for the alchemists saw spirit and matter as two opposite poles
of an eternal One. Alchemists worked with substances in a unique way unlike
modern chemists, who mechanically recombine atoms and molecules into new
compounds. Alchemy, on the other hand, causes that which already pre-exists in a
latent state to become active and grow.
So, alchemy is both science and art – and as every
artist knows, true art can only be practiced by those who are in possession of
the inspired presence and purified imagination necessary for creative
transformation. While the manipulations required for alchemical operations may,
like the techniques of chemistry, be taught to anybody capable of reasoning, the
results that such a person could accomplish would be without life – an
alchemical still-birth. For only the person in whom the true life has awakened
can in turn awaken and cause visible forms to grow and the metals of the human
temperament to be transformed.
To get a better idea of how all this works, let’s take a
look at the basic operations of alchemy and how they apply to our physical,
psychological, and spiritual transformation:
1. CALCINATION is the heating of a substance in a
crucible or over an open flame until it is reduced to ashes. Psychologically,
this is the destruction of ego and our attachments to material possessions. It
is were we are grounded and secure. Letting go here creates a vacuum that can be
filled with a higher state of accomplishment. Calcination is usually a natural
humbling process as we are gradually assaulted and overcome by the trials and
tribulations of life, though it can be a deliberate surrender of our inherent
hubris gained through a variety of spiritual disciplines that ignite the fire of
introspection and self-evaluation. Calcination is the sometimes painful and
always revolutionary first step of transformation. It gives us freedom to
change, and creates a free-flowing feeling that is the beginning of Dissolution.
Meditation: I am sustained and provided for by the Self and not my ego. Planet:
Saturn | Metal: Lead | Chakra: Muladharah (Root)
2. DISSOLUTION is dissolving the ashes from Calcination
in water. This is a further breaking down of the artificial structures of the
psyche by total immersion in the unconscious, irrational, feminine or rejected
part of our minds. It is, for the most part, an unconscious process in which our
conscious minds surrender control to allow the surfacing of buried material. It
is opening the floodgates and generating new energy from the waters held back.
During personal Dissolution, the feeling is of things surfacing that were
previously ignored or rejected. There is also a feeling of connection to deeper
energies and the recognition of real things within. This is the site of our
connection to the life force, to vitality and reproduction, and appreciation of
male and female aspects of being. Meditation: I will harness my sexuality to
create health, positive thoughts, and deeper impressions. Planet: Jupiter
| Metal: Tin | Chakra: Svadgisthana (Genitals)
3. SEPARATION is the isolation of the components of
Dissolution by filtration and then discarding any ungenuine or unworthy
material. This is the rediscovery of our essence and the reclaiming of dream and
visionary “gold” previously rejected by our social or rational mind. It is, for
the most part, a conscious process in which we review formerly hidden material
and decide what to discard and what to reintegrate into our refined personality.
Much of this shadowy material are things we are ashamed of or were taught to
hide away by our parents, churches, or schooling. Separation is letting go of
self-inflicted restraints to our true nature, so we can shine through. In
Separation, the feeling is one of knowing what is true and real and wanting to
fight for it. We want to eliminate anything that is not part of the essential
material. Separation is the development of personal will and independence. Here
we confront issues of power and start to “digest” life face-to-face with hiding.
We reclaim power with confidence and learn to work with the life force.
Breathing on the horizontal plane of Air. Meditation: I will understand my
potential to change myself to help others. Planet: Mars | Metal: Iron |
Chakra: Manipura (Belly)
4. CONJUNCTION is the recombination of the saved
elements from Separation into a new substance. It is empowerment of our true
selves, the union of both the masculine and feminine sides of our personalities
into a new belief system or an intuitive state of consciousness. The alchemists
referred to it as the Lesser Stone, and after it is achieved, the adept is able
to clearly discern what needs to be done to achieve lasting enlightenment. The
goal is union with the Overself. Often, synchronicities begin to occur that
confirm the alchemist is on the right track. During Conjunction, the feeling is
one of coming together and satisfaction from the union of formerly opposing and
divisive forces within. It is here where we integrate and balance human
conditional love with universal unconditional love. Meditation: I love and care
for others and not just myself. Planet: Venus | Metal: Copper | Chakra:
Anahata (Heart)
5. FERMENTATION is the introduction of new life into the
product of Conjunction to strengthen it and insure its survival. This stage
begins with the Putrefaction of the “child” from the Conjunction resulting in
its death and resurrection to a new level of being. Out of the blackness of
Putrefaction comes the yellow Ferment, which appears like a golden wax flowing
out of the foul matter in the experiment. Its arrival is announced by a
brilliant display of colors and meaningful visions called the “Peacock’s Tail.”
Fermentation is achieved through various activities that include intense prayer,
desire for mystical union, breakdown of the personality, transpersonal therapy,
deep meditation, and shamanistic drugs. During Fermentation, the feeling is of
becoming an empty vessel for something totally beyond us. We realize that all
things spoken with truth resonate with the True Self. Harmony between love and
vibration occurs here. Meditation: I can open myself for union with divine
powers. Planet: Mercury | Metal: Quicksilver | Chakra: Vishuda (Throat)
6. DISTILLATION is the boiling and condensation of the
Fermented solution to increase its purity. Vissudh agitation and sublimation of
psychic forces is necessary to ensure that no impurities from the inflated ego
or deeply submerged id are incorporated into the next and final stage. It
consists of a variety of objectifying techniques that raise the content of the
psyche to the highest level possible, free from sentimentality and emotions, cut
off even from one’s personal identity. Distillation is the purification of the
unborn Self -- all that we truly are and can be. During Distillation, the
feeling is one of actually working with universal forces you know to be real. It
is selfless action in service to a higher source through the development of an
unconditional will. Integrate “knowing” frequencies and energies. Pituitary
balance with universal ideals. Breathing (primordial) on the vertical plane of
Light. Meditation: Spirit and matter have the same Source. Planet: Moon | Metal:
Lead | Chakra: Ajna (Forehead)
7. COAGULATION is the precipitation of the purified
Ferment from Distillation. It is first sensed as a new confidence that is beyond
all things, though many experience it as a Second Body of golden light, a
permanent vehicle of consciousness that embodies the highest aspirations and
evolution of mind. Coagulation incarnates and releases the Ultima Materia of the
soul, which the alchemists also referred to it as the Greater or Philosopher’s
Stone. Using this magical Stone, the alchemists believed they could create an
Elixir that would cure all diseases and heal all wounds on all levels. In
Coagulation, the feeling is one of completion and actualization of one’s true
Self. Clear out blockages on all levels, so energy may flow within the body and
within god in resonance. Pineal Sun appears. Meditation: I am the Self who
exists in perfect Presence.-- I Am That I Am. Planet: Sun | Metal: Gold |
Chakra: Kether (Crown)
Dennis William Hauck is a researcher, author, and
lecturer in consciousness studies. His primary focus is on levels of awareness
and the mechanisms of transformation of consciousness. He works to document the
evolution of a science of consciousness and merge various philosophical and
scientific traditions into a unified theory of consciousness. He has also
contributed to related areas, including psychology, the history of science, and
the serious study of paranormal and mystical experiences. He is considered a
leading authority on alchemy and Hermeticism.
According to Dr. Bernard Lightman in his Companion to
the History of Science: "Dennis William Hauck is a prolific author and has been
at the center of efforts to institutionalize modern alchemy through a number of
organizations, conferences, and journals. For Hauck, classical science has its
limits, in that it can explain only our physical reality, not the deeper hidden
reality from which the physical stems. He decided that alchemy offered one path
to that hidden reality, and so, knowing that this path of discredited
‘pseudoscience’ might forever taint his career, Hauck decided it was worth the
risk to discover solid evidence and challenge the dominant Newtonian paradigm.”
Hauck is curator of the Rosicrucian Alchemy Museum,
president of the International Alchemy Guild, and founder of the Alchemy Study
Program. More info on his career, books, articles, and lectures can be found at
his website
www.DWHauck.com.