Alchemy: An Introduction
Autor: cirla | Publicado: 2011-11-04T19:57:00-07:00

Magalhaes, CirleneWhen I first got interested in Alchemy, I often wondered about the basis of this fundamental pillar of the Hermetic Tradition, along with the Kabbalah and Astrology. Some questions arose in my mind: What is Alchemy? What are the secrets of the heart and the Hermetic doctrine? What is the secret knowledge that is codified in the obscure symbols and allegories in the coded language of the alchemists? Alchemy is a tangible knowledge? It is an ancient art?Or simply a philosophical knowledge? What kind of work and develop experiments the alchemists in their laboratories and why?We can replicate them in our own home? What consequences this kind of work leads us? What we've achieved with this practice?All these questions I did them in the solitude of my room, between one reading and another, the search for satisfactory answers to such cryptic knowledge. For some questions, I found answers. For others, not yet. Probably the same with you. The conclusion I reached is that this deep philosophy, known as Hermetic philosophy, underlying the creation and the mysteries of being and forms. is the basis of all religions, philosophies and psychologies.My first experience with Alchemy occurred when I was a child, with six to seven years. As I liked to play with ants and Tanajura, I got an ant and placed it in the freezer as a joke, to see if it would bear a lower temperature. Then. I forgot the ant. After several hours, I put it at the sun. What was my surprise to see it moving and then walk away. I marveled at the mystery of life! Then it have taken many years for me to return to this fundamental interest of the child on the energy of life and the changes in nature.Recently, I got into the Alchemy Study Program - ASP. I will put here what I have learned about this topic with the readings of the ASP.  In order you can better follow my presentation, I will briefly  introduce the topic, as well as its use in the modern world. So let's go! It is worth mentioning that for the philosophers alchemists, Alchemy is the science of God. It is the law of the universe. You may have heard the expression "God is the Great Architect." For were the alchemists who coined that phrase. They also claim that the body of God is the universe and the universe is their laboratory. Thus, the function of the alchemist is to focus the consciousness of the divine creative principle in order to understand the universe and all its diversity as a larger and more inclusive process. Having this divine creative principle in mind, the alchemists consider Alchemy as a process of raising the energetic vibration of being, to make something more dense and less valuable into something of higher value, at every level of creation. This is achieved through purification of any entity, be it the physical plane, we call tangible plan, or the intangible spiritual plane. In other words, Alchemy is the transmutation of something inferior into something better. It is the art of manipulating the energies of life. It is an art and as such is the secret of the purification and elevation of body, soul and spirit of any substance of the three kingdoms of nature, whether the mineral kingdom, plant or animal. Alchemy is, in short, the process of transforming the substances in their natural state, common to its immanent state of perfection.The word alchemy is derived from the article and Kherm Al Arab, meaning "black earth" of Egypt on the Nile. There is also the meaning of the Greek root Khermy. which means transmutation, ie the merger, transformation of metals on each other. The resulting Al-Khemia word refers to a mystical and former cultural paradigm in relation to research and understand the laws and forces of nature. In previous paradigm prevailing in ancient Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia, India, China, and virtually almost all people of antiquity, technical knowledge, the transcendental and the spiritual were interwoven. Consequently, Alchemy was part of life and society. In the current paradigm, there are early signs of change with the increasing number of philosophical and spiritual awareness.In view of this small opening, there is greater acceptance of holistic therapies and vibrational medicine. There is thus open to question the duality mind / body science with the emerging acceptance of quantum mechanics and its principles such as non-locality, the Indeterminacy of the wave-particle duality of, among others that will be seen in other texts.Alchemy has always been seen more as art than as a science. In fact, it embraces elements of various sciences such as chemistry, physics, metallurgy, medicine, astrology, pharmacology, semiotics, mysticism. However, it remains distinct because of its transcendental character and magical. It was practiced throughout the world for millennia, particularly in Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Persia, India, Ancient Greece, Rome and Europe, through a complex network of schools and philosophical systems.Surely you've heard the approach of alchemy to chemistry.However, in essence, they are diverse. The alchemists used metaphors and terms of chemistry to deviate themselves from governments and ambitious people who sought the alchemical knowledge only for its own sake, thinking that they could turn lead into gold or could produce the Elixir of Life. Some alchemists report having achieved this feat, the "rush" the work of nature that takes millennia to transmute elements course through alchemical operations.However, the alchemist rare conditions are required for high energy and high level of consciousness to transmute elements. Only true alchemists dominate the understanding and integration with the "spirit" of the elements of nature (fire, water, earth, air) and can, through interaction with them, transmute elements.In fact, it is very clear the difference between alchemy and chemistry. The chemist sees only the chemicals and their combinations to form other chemicals. He does not consider to be a life with energy and matter with which they work (in the mineral, vegetable and animal). Nor does he take into consideration the aspect of self-consciousness, even in rudimentary stages.Conversely, for the alchemist, all entities have Life! He sees the universal in all things and uses the forces of life in their operations. Thus, when working with matter, the alchemist purifies and combines the energies of life, soul and spirit in order to achieve the noblest form of energy and higher life. In this sense, the alchemical operation is a triple work done on the bodies, since the effects are regeneration, purification and evolution. The real difference between alchemy and chemistry is that, first, the alchemists, in dealing with the matter, they take into account the soul, spirit and consciousness. The element of consciousness in science has only recently emerged with the advent of the new quantum physics. Began to be perceived the role of observer in the interaction with the elements of the experiment.This fact led to the consequent postulation of the Uncertainty Principle and the theory of virtual particles. The chemistry, in turn, only deals with raw material and inert, without immanence.As I mentioned before, recently, I contacted a group of alchemical studies and knew the work of Dennis William Hauck. He is a modern alchemist linked to Egyptian traditions. According to him, there are a wide variety of modern applications of this concept. The reason for the current study of alchemy is to reconnect with the fundamental realities of the spiritual universe, before the barrenness of materialism and technology. In this approach, the gold of the alchemists is not common gold, but an inner spiritual gold. In this sense, the alchemical operations are performed at the inner  and internal laboratory of the alchemist: with his spirit and soul and not in  hidden laboratories.I share with you what I have learned about alchemy in the modern world with Mr. Hauck.  According to him, the transformation to improve beings, people and situations reaches all areas of human endeavor. Here are some: (1) personal transformation with increasing levels of consciousness and more loving and ethical attitudes, (2) alchemical psychology: the tradition of Jung, to treat psychological problems as much as chemical imbalances in the body as character disorders; (3) arts and literature: the magic of alchemy behind the artist's impulse to create, (4) movies and games: the conscious use of alchemy by the authors in movies, for example, "2001", "The Fifth Element, "" The Matrix "," Harry Potter "(5) business gain new impetus with the power of the universal paradigm of alchemy in order to encourage companies and products, (6) Government: the alchemy provides effective methods of dissolution of structures outdated and construction of new modern and productive paradigms for the benefit of all, (7) holistic energy medicine: the alchemists were the first doctors to prescribe drugs, and have always provided natural remedies, herbs and mineral compounds to cure a wide variety of physical and psychological illnesses. (8) alternative therapies: most body therapies such as chiropractic, Rolfing, Feldenkrais, bioenergetics and polarity therapy have their origins in the work of nineteenth-century alchemists, and before them, the principles contained in the ancient Egyptian alchemical Emerald Tablet, passing by Eastern alchemical arts such as yoga, aikido, kung tai chi, chi, tantric, Egyptian and Chinese acupuncture and reiki, coming to modern holistic disciplines such as homeopathy, naturopathy, ayurveda, Chinese medicine, aromatherapy, reflexology, among others; (9) practical alchemy: producing tinctures, tonics, oils, compounds, and elixirs that capture the energy of healing and being held by more and more professionals around the world; (10) science: for ODR. Fred Wolf, Quantum Physics is the "New Alchemy". Both share many fundamental principles, including the idea that consciousness is a force of nature. Additionally, Alchemy has had and continues to have influence on the origin and development of other sciences such as geology, botany, biology, and, of course, chemistry, (11) religion: the basic task of the alchemist is to focus at the consciousness of the divine presence in the creative beings. Man is beginning to let aside his mundane life and starts down the path of mysticism. He jumps beyond himself and humbly begins to assist the work of God, which is the Great Work of the Universe, (12) fraternal organizations: the Alchemy and hermetic arts, and other practices related to it as the Tarot Kabballah have a long-secret tradition that persists in contemporary organizations, such as Freemasonry, Golden Dawn, the Rosicrucians, Gnostics, the mystery schools and many other groups (13) social alchemy: it occurs when human movement motivated by a desire to change the adverse social conditions and transform slavery into freedom, poverty into prosperity, fear into courage, war into peace, totalitarianism into democracy. Evidence of social alchemy are the recent civil wars in the Middle East, especially in Egypt, with the resulting changes that begin to occur; (14) daily lives: each of us participates in alchemy, either consciously (by transforming intentional and manifesting one's own higher nature) or through the turmoil and suffering of worldly experiences that ultimately lead to greater awareness of the principles of alchemy at work in the world.The alchemists of tradition gave us an amazing spiritual technology that works on all levels of reality at the same time. It is actually a powerful science of the soul. Its principles are as valid in the natural world, as are the fields of mind and spirit. Thus, practitioners of alchemy have the tools to be partakers of creation.This entails responsibility and commitment that only an evolved soul can take.Let's start our great work by the transmutation of ourselves through inner alchemy? How? You may ask. Through meditations to raise our vibrational frequency and to get closer to our guardian angels. Through also the cleansing of thoughts, words and actions. Finally, through the balance of physical, mental and spiritual realms. In doing that, we can get out of the polarities. We we are finally able to transmute dense emotions into pure feelings of love and bestowal.-