ALCHEMY

 

ALCHEMY

The origin of alchemy is sometimes equated with the origin of chemistry. But alchemy as it has been practiced in the recent millennium appears to have evolved from the recognition of a relationship between chemical or physical transformations and the inner transformations that take place in the nonphysical world of mind, soul, or spirit.

The basic description of alchemy has been captured succinctly by Sarah Stone in her essay on Nicolas Flamel: “Alchemy is a discipline with ancient roots stretching back into some of the earliest chapters of history, with objectives in both the philosophical and physical worlds. Philosophically, alchemy looked toward the transformation of the self in pursuit of spiritual refinement, a crucial counterpart to the more practical endeavors of alchemy, with the belief that one could not perform the earthly transformations without first mastering the spiritual one.”

First, by way of defending alchemy against those who scoff at it and ridicule it as a pseudoscience, I want to point out that some great minds practiced it and seemed to rely on it. Among these were Isaac Newton, Paracelsus, Roger Bacon, and Thomas Aquinas. Another interesting fact is that alchemical symbols appeared spontaneously in the dreams of some of Jung's patients, and in the dreams of Jung himself. I recorded one dream that referred me to a book entitled “Chemie”, which is the root of the term “al-chemie”, al being the article “the”, and chemie, a reference to chemistry.

It is a matter of speculation as to just when and why the two disciplines of physical transformation and spiritual transformation came to be linked. But apparently that link existed in some form and in some locations (notably the Middle East) even before the Christian era. It strengthened when the foundations of modern chemistry were laid. There are several justifications for this link. First, the alchemist knows that, to be successful, he must bring about a transformation within himself, which can happen only if he learns to control his thoughts. That's why a meditation technique, like that described in “The Secret of the Golden Flower” (trans. By Richard Wilhelm) is considered an alchemical text. Such methods are designed to bring the mind to a stationary focus on the goal.

But bringing the mind to a steady focus is a difficult task for most of us. Usually, after just a few seconds the mind begins to slip away. This is where the chemical analogy becomes apparent. The goal of the meditation is to obtain a boon from the unseen world of spirit. In early mythology, Hermes, or Mercury, was the messenger of the gods. Physically, the element mercury is very difficult to control. It slips away from all attempts to grasp it, just as the mental goal slips away when we try to hold it.

Mastering this mental discipline takes patience and repeated attempts. The chemical analogy of this process is repeated distillation as a way of clearing away all extraneous substances, just as the mind gradually clears away all extraneous thoughts.

How does the “Philosophers' Stone” fit into all of this? One of the things the alchemists say about the Philosophers' Stone is, “it is more common than dirt, but it is difficult to find”. It is a source of wisdom, of miracles, and of healing. It is also a panacea. Another saying is, “Our gold is not common gold” - which seems to refute the popular belief that the alchemists were a kind of cult whose single-minded goal was to convert base metals into gold. One view is that the alchemists actually encouraged this misperception in order to delude those who were incapable of understanding the inner process symbolized by the chemical process.

One final quotation (and this one is my favorite): “Make the vaporous solid and the solid vaporous”. With these sayings of the alchemists, we can begin to unravel the mystery of alchemy. If we can accept the concept that focused thought has great power, as discussed in several posts, under the Science, Psychology, and Philosophy labels, then we can accept the premise that this thought power can influence the physical world. It is this internal world of concentrated thought that is “the vaporous”, because it is not solid, or physical. But as one gradually becomes convinced that it control the events of the physical world, he is strengthening that internal world (making the vaporous solid) and weakening the power of the physical world (making the solid vaporous).

In some posts under the “Science “ label we have discussed how some scientists have turned to the subconscious for inspiration and enlightenment, and for assistance from beyond the contents of the brain through some means that was termed “synchronicity”, and “the external activity of the archetypes” by Jung. There is some intelligent guiding force that brings about these miraculous, or at least highly improbable, events that are the mental goals of the focused thought.

This intelligent power is the Philosophers' Stone. It fits the description, “it is more common than dirt, but it is difficult to find” because it is literally everywhere, but it is difficult to find because it requires mentally denying what our senses constantly place in front of it. When it can be activated it can bring about amazing results, including healing of the body. So, it is a panacea.

In much mystical literature, miraculous events and great inspiration are attributed to a divine source. In ancient Greece, God related to man through his messenger, Hermes. In Rome it was Mercury. In the Hindu religion it was Vishnu. In the Christian religion, it appears to be the Holy Spirit, in keeping with the description given by Jesus in the Gospel of John (Ch. 14 & Ch. 16).

But discovering the Philosophers' Stone is not the final goal of the alchemist. It is indeed an essential part of the Magnum Opus (Great Work), but the more difficult work is to bring the mind into harmony with the Philosophers' Stone, which exists in a higher order of reality. This is accomplished by successive meditations designed to program that concept into the subconscious mind, symbolized by successive distillations, until “the vaporous is made solid”.

In order to illustrate just how alchemy works, let's take a brief look at that remarkable physician Paracelsus, and observe how he incorporated it into his practice. He deserves a separate post.

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