Problem: Article: Calcination was, traditionally, the process of breaking a substance down by heating it in a crucible. Psychologically, it can be thought of as breaking down your sense of self in order to change into a stronger, more aware individual. Consider your old self the "lead" that is going to be transformed. Instead of literally heating lead over an open flame, you will be breaking down your sense of self to transmute yourself into your "gold" potential. Set aside at least 20 minutes every day to reflect on your day and contemplate your life. Any life transformation begins with recognizing that a change is necessary for whatever reason. One of the best ways to reach that conclusion on your own is to practice daily self-reflection. If you have a hard time focusing at first, that's okay. The important thing is to make a habit of being alone and reflecting on your life each day. The insights will come if you give yourself the time and space to practice. Whatever method of self-reflection you find most appealing, make a habit of doing it every day. Dissolution (derived from the word "dissolve") involves turning a calcinated (broken down) solid into a liquid, typically by dissolving the ashes in water. From a psychological/transformative standpoint, dissolution means immersing yourself in the unconscious regions of your mind. Part of that process requires you to stop repressing buried thoughts and memories. Some people consider this step to require engaging in "flow," the process of engaging in something so wholeheartedly that we lose track of time, forgetting ourselves and our surroundings. Flow (and by extension, dissolution) requires the following actions: determine what you want to accomplish concentrate for prolonged periods of time forget or abandon your own consciousness experience the feeling that time is passing quickly look for direct feedback on your self recognize and maintain a balance between your own abilities and the challenge/task at hand maintain personal control over the situation you're faced with find a sense of reward and purpose from the activity at hand forget (temporarily) your bodily needs become completely absorbed in the activity at hand In traditional alchemy, separation is the process of filtering the results of dissolution to isolate the individual components and discard the baser, undesirable materials. In terms of personal transformation, separation involves rediscovering who you are at your core - the visionary "gold" of your life that was previously muddied by the baser, "lead"-like elements of your life. It requires a conscious choice of what is worth getting rid of and what is worth reincorporating into your new, refined personality. Determining your own values can be a helpful way to choose what is worth keeping versus what is worth getting rid of. Try thinking about what characteristics you respect most in someone you admire, and why those characteristics are important. You could also think about what issues or events are most important/meaningful to you in your life. Writing in a journal is a great way to gain insight and become more self-aware. It allows you to catalog your thoughts and make connections between the way you think and the way you behave. Recognizing your own negative qualities is probably the most profound realization one can have, but sometimes we need help in realizing our shortcomings. If you ask a few trusted friends to give you an honest assessment, though, you'll probably gain some valuable insight into what aspects of your personality or demeanor could stand to change.
Summary: Engage in calcination. Practice dissolution. Enter the separation stage.

Problem: Article: If you want to stay traditional, add one tsp (2.3 g) of tea leaves for every cup (236 mL) of water. Experiment with different tea leaf amounts to brew a tea that matches your preferences. The water temperature for rooibos tea should be 212F (100C). A rolling boil occurs when the bubbles pop on the surface of the water. You can achieve this by setting the heat on your stovetop to high. Pour your boiling water over your tea leaves and allow them to steep for five to seven minutes. After the tea steeps, you can pour it into individual teacups and serve it. You can run your tea through a filter or sieve to filter the leaves out of your tea. If you have an automatic coffee maker, you can also prepare your rooibos tea in it. Put the loose tea leaves into a regular coffee filter and fill it up with the appropriate amount of water. Again, you can use the same ratio of one tsp (2.3 g) of tea leaves for every cup (236 mL) of water. You can also brew your rooibos tea in a French press style coffee maker.
Summary: Add more tea leaves if you enjoy a stronger cup of tea. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Submerge tea leaves in boiling water. Prepare your tea in a drip coffee maker.

Problem: Article: Align your feet, knees, and hips so you're sitting up tall with a small arch in your lower back. Put your hands behind your head and clasp them together, like you're about to do sit-ups. Engage your leg muscles and lift yourself in one fluid motion. Once you've risen to the point that your knees are straight but your back is still arched, lower yourself back down into your original position. Try not to move your feet at all throughout. Keep your knees aligned directly above your ankles when you are sitting, and do not allow them to extend beyond your mid-foot as you stand. Lift and lower yourself 10 times, then take a little break. Repeat until you've completed 3 sets. For best results, do this series of movements 5 days a week. It may take up to 6 weeks of consistent practice for you to notice results.
Summary: Sit down in a chair. Stand without moving your feet. Do 3 sets of 10 reps each.

Problem: Article: "Therefore" will not work in all sentences. It has a very specific meaning and is only appropriate to use in certain situations. The best way to remember when it is appropriate to use "therefore" in a sentence is to consider if you are using it to show cause and effect. In other words, does the first statement lead to or cause the other statement? If not, then "therefore" is probably not appropriate for that sentence. For example, use "therefore" to show the cause and effect relationship between these two statements: "John studied hard for the math exam. He got an A+." Your revised sentence would read: "John studied hard for the math exam. Therefore, he got an A+." Another example might be, "People who exercise regularly enjoy better health. You should exercise." Adding "therefore" will improve the flow between these two ideas as well. "People who exercise regularly enjoy better health. Therefore, you should exercise." " "Therefore" may be used to replace some other words and phrases, but it is important to check the meaning first. Not all transition words and phrases can stand in for "therefore." For example, "Sally passed her drive test. As a result, she received her driver's license." You can replace "as a result" with "therefore" because it has the same meaning as this phrase. Don't use "therefore" in place of a coordinating conjunction in most cases. Coordinating conjunctions include the words for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. Each of these terms has a specific meaning and they are not interchangeable with each other or with "therefore." Always check the meaning of a word or phrase before you use it in a sentence. Including the word "therefore" in your writing is a great way to improve the flow of your writing. A sentence or paragraph may sound choppy without transitions, but adding a transition word like "therefore" can help to eliminate that choppiness. Try reading your work out loud to find places where you might need a transition, and then check to see if "therefore" could work in that instance. For example, these sentences sound choppy as is: "The weather was hot. He wore shorts and a T-shirt to school." However, adding a transition word like "therefore" improves the flow: "The weather was hot. Therefore, he wore shorts and a T-shirt to school."
Summary:
Use "therefore" to show cause and effect. Replace parallel meaning transition words and phrases with "therefore. Include "therefore" to improve sentence flow.