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The origins of Alchemy and Alchemical Transformation transcend time since they encompass both the spiritually etheric, encircling sea of non-time, as well as, the material space-time continuum. Webster' Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines Alchemy as: [ME alkamie, alquemie, fr. MF or ML; MF alquemie, fr. ML alchymia, fr. Ar al-kimiya, fr. al the + kimiya al-chemy, fr. LGk: chemeia] a medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy aiming to achieve the transmutation of the base metals into gold; the discovery of the universal cure for disease; and the discovery of a means to indefinitely prolong life; a power or process of transforming something common into something special; an inexplicable or mysterious transmuting]. Clearly it is difficult to neatly delineate, describe, or demarcate Alchemy. There were many Alchemical Allegories about Animals. Animals and birds are our spiritual brethren. They too have their own visions, quests, dreams, and evolutionary spirals which have in the past overlapped with those of humanity as well as other life streams. Since Alchemy at its highest level is both a Divine Science and a Divine Art, alchemical knowledge and teachings were often transmitted through the symbolism of pictures and allegories. This ensured that the alchemical treatises would only be understood, their true meanings and teachings only comprehended, by those already steeped in spirituality and higher levels of awareness. This safeguarded the keys to the kingdom from falling into the hands of those who might misuse this wisdom. In the allegories, a person often went on a transformative journey or quest to search for spiritual knowledge or for true understanding of mystical alchemical mysteries.
Along the way, the seeker encountered various archetypal Arcana characters such as the Empress or the
Fool; as well as, birds and animals. For example, the fire elementals, the salamanders were depicted as
dragons, while, the air elementals, the sylphs were depicted as eagles.
The quest for the Philosopher's Stone, the "Magical Touchstone" of immortality through purity and perfection, has long been the Arcana and the Elixir that will infuse the Below with the Above, making the mundane divine. At its core, Alchemy is the Alchemical transformational process of imbuing matter with spirit, awaking potent potentialities, and manifesting the intrinsic absolute within extrinsic relativity. Alchemy and Alchemical Transformation is not only an ancestral science to chemistry, medicine, philosophy, psychology, and quantum physics; it is also an integral part of many religious, spiritual, and magical traditions. Since Alchemy and Alchemical Transformation focuses on the multiplicity of manifest creation as well as the matrix of interpenetrating, unmanifest latencies, no linear, one dimensional definition will suffice. There is a synergy about Alchemy that is more than just the sum of its parts. There are a myriad of alchemical approaches: lab work, symbolic meditation, essential oils, allegorical journeys, spiritual pursuit, esoteric, philosophical, flower essences, mystical explorations, archetypal, metaphysical, psychological, crystal elixirs, semiotic, and anthropological to name a few... Continue on, Go back
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