Magnum Opus

ALCHEMY

Alchemy is the search for the QUINTESSENCE!

 It is all about isolating the vital force of life itself, isolating it so it can be condensed, purified, and manipulated to conform with the artist's will. Alchemy, in short, is the art of evolution! It is in a real sense concerned with the elevating of all organisms to the highest level of perfection they can attain -- as originally mandated by God -- while still on this earth in material form. When speaking of an organism reference is being made to all forms of matter found on this planet, irrespective of the fact of whether they are organic or inorganic, because for the alchemist all matter is alive, or else it could not continue in the form that it occupies and keeps. Of course there are different levels of the vital force in all organisms. Some have enough vital force to keep their form, or so it would seem because their decay is so prolonged, as in the case of a metal rusting. While others have such an abundance of life that they can reproduce or even help to vitalize and stabilize the vital force in other organisms that have become unbalanced.

In order to get a better understanding here of what is meant by alchemy being the art of evolution, we should take a look at the five basic tenets of alchemy, which are:

1) That the entire universe is divine in origin. Therefore Wisdom and Guidance must be sought from the source from which all creation flows.

2) That all organisms, no matter how subtle or gross they are, have within them the divine spark of life and are interrelated with each other. It is therefore our task to understand this kinship, so that we may utilize inspired knowledge to aid in our understanding of how to prepare the quintessence of our matter.

3) That all organisms are in a state of constant evolution as they continue their synthesis towards perfection. Upon reaching an understanding of tenet the true work begins, i.e. , the aiding of nature by the art of alchemy to reach its highest point of perfection.

4) That humans are a part of the universe. Therefore, they are divine in origin and they can affect all organisms on all spheres of existence by their actions or inaction.

5) That humans, by understanding the basic laws that govern their beings and conversely the entire universe may learn to recognize the divine spark of vital energy in all organisms, isolate it, purify it, and manipulate it to speed up the processes of evolution.

Alchemy is essentially a symbolic process of transforming base metals into gold – a symbol of illumination. This process was called Magnum Opus ("The Great Work"), and involved several steps, all of them with an evident symbolic meaning:

1º) Calcinatio: the extinction of all interest in life and manifested world, the “death of the profane”;

2º) Putrefatio/Mortificatio: a consequence of the first stage, consisting in the disunity of the destroyed residues; 

3º) Solutio: purification of matter;

4º) Distillatio/Separatio: filtering the purified matter, that is, “isolation” of the elements of salvation separated in the preceding operations;

5º) Conjunctio: the marriage of opposites (identified by Jung as the psychological union of the conscious masculine principle with the unconscious feminine principle);

6º) Sublimatio: the suffering that arises from the renunciation of world and dedication to the process of spiritual search;

7º) Coagulatio: the inseparable union of the fixed principle (masculine, invariable) with the volatile principle (feminine, variable).

There is the agreement that the Great Work is characterized by three parts: the Nigredo, the Albedo and the Rubedo, referenced and assigned a color, thus having Black, White and Red, respectively. However, some advocate an intermediate stage from Albedo to Rubedo called Citrinitas, and others still consider a fifth stage, Viriditas.

In addition to this division into three stages and respective colors, we also have another division into Minor Work and Major Work, in which the first characterizes the spiritualization of the Body and the second the embodiment of the Spirit or the "fixation of the Volatile", in the technical language of Alchemy.

Hermetic terminology employs words and expressions that have nothing in common with their profane counterparts. It is therefore essential to define what is meant here by certain essential words, which are the names of the constituent elements of the Raw Material, and of its evolution towards its ultimate state: Gold, symbol of perfection within metallic life.

THE FOUR ELEMENTARY QUALITIES

The Cold: Origin of fixation; it is manifested by a total or partial absence of vibration, where then the effect is to coagulate or crystallize Matter, to the detriment of the principle of expansion that is in heat (conservation). Its action is then astringent, fixing, crystallizing, softening;

The Moist: Origin of femininity, translates into a vibration of an attractive, changeable, unstable, softening, relaxing, moisturizing nature, which, penetrating into atoms, divides the homogeneous and unites the heterogeneous, thus causing the involution of Matter, or its disaggregation . Its action is tempering, softening, dispersing;

The Dry: Origin of the reaction, manifests itself by a vibration of a retentive, heretical, irritating nature, which counteracts and retains the given impulse. Its action is retractive;

The Heat: Origin of masculinity, translates into an expansive, dilating, rarefied vibration that causes the evolution of atoms. Its action is vitalizing, stimulating, dynamic.

In ourselves, these four qualities give:

Cold: Impassivity, skepticism, selfishness, active desire for submission;

Wet: Passivity, variation, assimilation, passive desire for submission;

Dry: Reaction, opposition, retention, passive desire for domination;

Hot: Expansion, enthusiasm, action, active desire for persuasion.

THE FOUR ELEMENTS

Earth: The reactive action of Dry on Cold divides it, and thus, opposing its total fixation, transforms it into the Earth element, concentrating and receiving principle;

Water: The cooling, coagulating, atonic and fixing action of the Cold on the Moist, thickens it, makes it heavier, and transforms it into water, the principle of circulation;

Air: The expansive, expanding and rarefied action of Heat on Humidity transforms it into Air, the principle of molecular attraction;

Fire: The reactive, retaining, heretical and irritating action of Dry on Heat transforms it into Fire, a principle of violent and active dynamization.

In ourselves, these four Elements give:

Earth: Restlessness, taciturnity, reserve, prudence, restrained tenderness or selfishness, concentrated or pretentious spirit, suspicious, reflective, resourceful, studious, solitary;

Water: Passivity, indolence, disgust, lassitude, submission, inconsistency, versatility, laziness, unconsciousness, uncertainty, shyness, fear;

Air: Kindness, courtesy, helpfulness, skill, subtlety, initiative, promptness, assimilation, ingenuity, harmony;

Fire: Violence, authority, ambition, enthusiasm, presumption, pride, irascibility, ardor, fervor, courage, generosity, passion, prodigality, drive, vanity.

THE THREE PRINCIPLES

Sulfur Principle: The Heat, contained in Fire and Air, engenders a hot, fertile, fermentative principle, which is called Sulfur. It is the Masculine principle of all the seed, and from it the flavor, the fundamental red color, is born. In Man, it corresponds to the Spirit;

Mercury Principle: The Moist, contained in Air and Water, engenders a principle of vaporous, subtle, mutable, generative nature, which is called Mercury. It is the Feminine principle of every seed, and from it the odor, the fundamental blue color, is born. In man it corresponds to the Soul;

Salt Principle: The Dry, contained in Fire and Earth, engenders a dry, cohesive, coagulating principle, which is called Salt. It is the principle of unification of Male and Female, as well as the result of this union. From it, then, form and weight are born, the fundamental yellow color. In Man, it corresponds to the Body.

Here, then, are the three constitutive principles that are, in the vocabulary of traditional Alchemy, the Substance close to beings and things, The Three Essentials.

All substances created and existent within the universe, regardless of their degree of mental subtlety or material density, are composed of the three essentials of the alchemist. With a correct knowledge of the art, one can open the matter-up, so that the three essential are expressed in material form.

A lot has been written about the three essentials of the alchemist. Yet, it seems to me that the opaque mist that envelops these three essentials is just as thick today as it ever has been. Undoubtedly this is partly due to many alchemists (myself included as, you will see) describing the three by use of symbolism and allegory. It is a very difficult thing to try and explain that which transcends words and is known to one more by feeling than thought. Also one must not let oneself become seduced with the apparent ease of being told that the three are this or that one thing. This above all seems to me to lock or trap the mind into a certain mode of thinking, which is why I suppose the old ones wrote in such vague terms. By the former method the mind was forced to concentrate upon the symbols until the psychic seed sprouted and bore the fruit of realization.

It is without exaggeration extremely difficult for the beginning alchemist to form a concrete, plastic picture of these three forces in the mind. I can only hope that my presentation will aid the aspiring alchemist and not throw him or her into utter confusion. Therefore, let me state in the beginning that my presentation of the three essentials varies markedly from other modern writers on plant alchemy. Many modern students will wonder what has happened to their familiar, if not beloved, ethyl alcohol, volatile essential oil, and water-soluble salts. Rest assured that they are most definitely used in plant alchemy. I merely have placed them into what I believe to be their true and proper role. The ethyl alcohol, volatile essential oils, and water-soluble salts obtained from plants are really just vehicles of the three essentials. In fact these substances belong more appropriately in the realm of the four elements rather than the three essentials.

In alchemy the names given to the three essentials are Body, Soul, and Spirit, or respectively, Salt, Sulfur, and Mercury. It probably goes without saying to most reasonably thinking people that quicksilver, table salt, and brimstone are not the basic building blocks of life or the precursors of gold. Instead one should look to the use of analogy to fathom the secrets one wishes to unlock. By examining the physical, mythological, and even the symbols used to represent the three, much insight into their meanings can be obtained.

MERCURY

The symbol of Mercury is the cosmic womb being incubated by the cross of the four elements of creation. Rising up out of the womb is a partial form whose features are not yet determined.

For alchemists the world over this substance is the liquid in the holy grail. It is said that without this substance no alchemical work can begin or be brought to its perfect end. Generally this statement is thought to concern only the works in the mineral world. Yet experience has taught that this statement holds true for the works on plants and animals. Anyone who has done some reading in alchemy will realize that exact instructions on how to acquire or prepare the Philosopher's Mercury is never given. The best one can hope for is to be able to string together the bits of clues left to us by erstwhile adepts. Adding to the puzzle is the fact that the alchemists have described their mercury using all manner of names and physical characteristics.

In the Lexicon of Alchemy by Martinus Rulandus one can find legions of names to describe the Philosopher's Mercury. Some of these are; Celestial Water, Aqua Vitae, Water of Chaos, Water of the Wise, Dew of May, Alkahest, Honey, Vinegar and Azoth.

In Triumphal Chariot of Antimony Basil Valentine says of the Mercury, "... This first principle is a mere vapor extracted from the elementary earth through the heavenly planets, and, as it were, divided by the sidereal distillation of the macrocosmos. This sidereal hot infusion, descends from on high into things which are below..."

In Collectanea Chemica Eirenaeus Philalethes says "The Philosophers frequently describe this matter. Sendivogius calls it heavenly water, not vulgar, but almost like rain water. When Hermes calls it a bird without wings, figuring thereby its vaporous nature, it is well described. When he calls the sun its father and the moon its mother, he signifies that it is produced by the action of heat upon moisture. When he says the wind carries it in its belly, he only means that the air is its receptacle. When he affirms that which is inferior is like that which is superior, he teaches that the same vapor on the surface of the earth furnishes the matter of rain and dew, wherewith all things are nourished in the vegetable, animal and mineral kingdoms. This now is what the Philosophers call their Mercury and affirm it to be found in all things, as it is in fact."

Yet just where are we to begin our search for a tangible physical source of this special water. We will, as a good friend and alchemist once told me, have to start at the beginning. The thread that constantly runs through all of these descriptions is the fact that the Mercury is born of a heavenly source. In fact this source is aptly named chaos because everything has its creation, destruction, moves, breathes, and exists simultaneously in this chaos. The chaos of the alchemist is not the chaos of the uninitiated person. There is no mass confusion of thought and form in this dimension. Instead there is actually a stasis within it. We only call it chaos because all things are inherent, not manifested, within it. In this regards, the chaos of the alchemist is a definite physical substance. But its subtlety is so profound that the human mind can not perceive it in its true light. From its center radiates out rays of energy that carry within themselves the seeds of all creation. Thus the chaos of the alchemist is the power or more aptly put, the being of God.

In the beginning the universe was formed either by a great explosion, or a word which brought forth light. In my mind it makes no difference which scenario one accepts to be the truth. In the end energy is seen as the first form of all manifestation. Everything else that we perceive as tangible matter, be it rocks, trees, animals, fish man, planets, galaxies etc is nothing more than congealed star stuff or as the alchemist would say condensed spirit. For our immediate purposes then we will consider the energy of the sun and stars as the power outlets of God.

In its most universal form the Philosopher's Mercury is pure energy, it is cold omnipresent and still. Hence in this form it is also neutral. The fact that the Mercury is capable of and indeed does progress from a gender-neutral expression to a polar and gender specific relationship is not much talked about in alchemy. Yet if we are to take the former alchemist at their word and believe that all things proceed from the One, then this evolutionary migration of expression must be a fact.

We can no more see or perceive the Philosopher's Mercury when it is in its most elementary state than we can the mysterious substance called life, or the photon which produces light. Our Mercury is the numina behind the phenomena of all creation, from its subtlest intimation to its densest manifestation. This force is unitary in existence. It knows not duality, time or even space. It has no height, width, length, or weight in itself. It is incomprehensible and unknowable to the human mind in its normal mode of consciousness. Yet this thing is, just as the energy of the sun is. It is that force that has been present since the ancient of days, that which existed before the universe or even the word.

All things being equal, it seems that we are still in an inescapable quandary. We know that the light-energy of the sun is the source all life and thus the universal Mercury. But how is one supposed to be able to capture, store, and use the energy of the sun. Also, the Mercury is described as a water here on earth. How are we going to rejoin this dichotomy of expression? Let us always remember that in nature, energy is transferable from one source to another.

SULPHUR

The symbol of Sulfur shows us the a triangle representing the flame or essence of the spirit connected to and inherent within the four states of matter.

The philosophers claim that Sulfur, though different from their Mercury, non the less is related to it and proceeds from the same place.

Fulcanelli says of the two: "In mythology it is called Libethra and is said to have been a fountain of Magnesia. Near it was another spring, called the Rock. Both of them issued from a large rock, shaped like a woman's bosom, the water seeming to flow like milk from her two breasts. Now, we know that the ancient authors called the matter of the work our Magnesia and that the liquid extracted from this magnesia is called our Virgin's Milk."

Basil Valentine writes: "This water has been extracted from the elementary earth by the stars and the fire which is contained in the air. Through coagulation it has then become a tangible essence. This tangible essence encloses a large quantity of predominating sulphur."

Sulfur represents the universal Mercury in its male aspect. It is expansive and penetrating. It is the seed that is implanted into the womb to fertilize the ovum. Sulfur is looked on as representing soul, consciousness, and illumination. It is through the action of Sulfur that all the terrestrial identifiers are given birth. Things like a substance's virtues, colors, smells, and taste are made by the action of Sulfur. But were are we to find this solar Sulfur?

Imagine if you will that you are standing on a bluff that stretches out over the water of a lake. You have been coming to this one spot everyday throughout the long cold winter. You have stood in the freezing rain and fog to watch the forces of nature. Cold winds have passed right through you as if they were malevolent spirits trying to discourage your return but every day you come back. You have been there on the days when snow fell lightly and there was a peculiar warmth in the air. You have stood on this stony bluff when the winds wailed and snow fell during blizzards that cut deep into your skin like fiery darts. Through it all you have maintained your conviction and visited this spot to see nature at work. The long cold winter is over now, but the area does not look all that different; the trees are still bare and only moss, dead leaves and brown grass are on the ground. Beneath you is the water of the lake, above the blue sky. But somehow there is a difference in this day. It is the first day of spring. There is a light coolness in the air. The sun's rays fall gently on your shoulders and massage out the stiffness of the winter. You look up into the cloudless sky again and realize just how invigorated you feel. It is now that you realize that you are immersed in the solar Sulfur. The very light that allows you to perceive the beautiful azure sky, and the empty landscape's shadows that seem to shimmer with the promise of life is Sulfur. On beautiful days like this one you can actually feel this fire of life coursing through one's being.

The energy carried within the rays of sunlight that reaches our planet is loaded with universal Sulfur. The gases and subtle water vapors in our atmosphere interact with this energy and delicately condense it into a somewhat tangible form. This is the "sidereal distillation of the macrocosmos" that brother Basil speaks of. It is these vapors that are the "sidereal hot infusion descending from on high into things which are below, with the aero-sulphureous property, that engrafts on them in a spiritual and invisible manner a certain strength and virtue."

One might think that the best time for collecting this energy is in the middle of the day when the sun's rays are at their most intense. You would be right except for the fact that it is extremely hard to get the energy to concentrate at this time. There are methods of doing this collecting but they require a great deal of laboratory skill. In addition, the substances used in this method of the work are quite dangerous and can cause death if not handled properly. Therefore, most philosophers advise us to acquire our celestial water at night. The sky should be cloudless, allowing for the clear transmittal of the starlight. The matter used for attracting this water is of the greatest importance because it will determine the Sulfur to one of the three kingdoms of nature. Also one should be careful that the magnet and water do not come in contact with the ground least it lose the very fiery charge you seek to acquire.

Of the search for this mystical water Fulcanelli says in Le Mystere Des Cathedrales "The artist has come a long way; he has taken false turnings and wandered on doubtful paths; but finally his joy burst forth! The stream of living water flows at his feet; it gushes out bubbling from the old hollow oak. In another section Fulcanelli tells us "... It is not like the water from the clouds although it has the same appearance." Still further on he tells us that the matter of the work "is a veritable magnet, which attracts to itself all the influences of the sky, the sun, the moon and the stars, in order to transmit them to the earth."

SALT

The symbol of Salt is the cosmic egg showing the completed act of creation. Here the spiritual is made manifest by being given a physical garment. Here, finally, we can see the outcome of the circulatory action of "as above, so below." In this substance we find a separation of the waters of the firmament and their fixation.

The Philosophers speak of two waters that are the primary cause of creation. Both of these waters are said to be produced or issue forth from the chaos of the sun. Or as Hermes has taught, the water is produced by the action of heat upon moisture. Both of these waters can be termed Mercury, though one of them is generally called Sulfur to denote its masculine qualities and the atmospheric conditions necessary for its proper collection. We have already seen that one of these waters is indeed the condensed starlight of the heavens that contains the sulfurous fire. The other water then must be the universal substance in its feminine aspect.

The symbol of salt is generally thought of as being neutral, neither positive nor negative. Yet when dealing with universal qualities one will find that polarities and the meaning of substance's are changed around. It's sort of like the difference between quantum mechanics and mundane physics. The laws of what is termed the macrocosmic world do not apply to the particles of energy dealt with in quantum mechanics. Anyone who is familiar with the Qabalah will realize that this assignation of neutrality and polarity fits perfectly with the supernal triangle.

Again we will let nature be our guide in our quest for understanding the One that is many. We have continued with our visits to the lake unbroken for the last few days. Today when looking up into the sky we see a familiar appearance in a whole new light. The soft white clouds we see suspended in the air are indeed beautiful. Slowly we begin to realize that these clouds were born by the interaction of the solar Sulfur and the earth's atmosphere. Here for the first time the intangible, unseen energy of the sun is clothed in a material albeit diaphanous garment. As more and more clouds appear we realize that the nature of the fire has changed. It can no longer be considered an expansive radiant force caught up in those clouds. Instead we feel the confinement and constriction of the solar Sulfur as the clouds fill the sky.

We can well imagine that in the days preceding this one a very subtle type of alchemical circulation was going on. The sun's rays enter the earth's atmosphere and react with it. Heat begins to build up causing the condensed water on the planet's surface to be evaporated. More water vapor rises into the sky to intermingle with cosmic rays. As the cooling effect of night comes, the most subtle and ethereal parts of this vapor remain airborne and its denser parts are drawn into the earth to later be exhaled as dew. If the temperature conditions stay just right the firmament becomes saturated with this impregnated vapor and thick rain clouds fill the sky. It is at this point that we are reminded of the symbol of the universal Salt. Here we find the invisible fire of the sun clothed in ethereal garments. As we stand on the dry land at the foot of a terrestrial sea, we realize that there is another more subtle ocean above our heads.

The water that falls during a thunderstorm is much more feminine in quality than the fiery water collected by the condensation of starlight. This water also carries within it a flame or spark of life just as the ovum in a woman does. Because this water needs no magnet to draw it from the sky it is not determined to any of the kingdoms of nature. For this reason it is best looked at as a feminine entity. It determination is dependent on which one of the three kingdoms it comes into contact with first. In practical laboratory plant alchemy we do not want this water to be determined by the whims of nature. Like its counterpart it must be collected without its coming into contact with the ground. In fact it is best collected in glass or plastic containers thereby insuring it retains its fertility. Also, this water must be collected so that it falls from the sky directly into the container. Run off from plants, rocks, etc. is undesirable. Our woman must stay fertile and a virgin.

In the case of Sulfur we were not concerned with the quantity of the water obtained as much as we were its quality. Our Sulfur is used for determining our universal body given in abundance by the rain.

When the alchemist knows how to collect, combine, and prepare these two waters he is in possession of the one substance from which all other forms arise by adaptation. It is from this one water that we derive the four expressions of creation known as the alchemical elements of fire, water, air, and earth.

Let me state again that my presentation of the three essentials differs greatly from that of other modern writers on plant alchemy. In many writings the three essentials are listed as ethyl alcohol for the Mercury, volatile essential oils for Sulfur, and the mineral salts of a plant for the essential of Salt. Their representation of the three is indeed correct when dealing with the spagyric equivalents of the alchemical aspects of the essentials. Yet starting at this point when trying to achieve alchemical results caused me many years of unnecessary labor. My mind had become fixed on the separation of these three substances instead of their generation by art.

There is a wide gulf between making a spagyric product and making an alchemical one. In the spagyric art one need not necessarily deal with acquiring the spark of life to accomplish the task. The separation, purification, and recombination of the vehicles of the three essentials that nature has outwardly manifested in the individual plant is more than enough. You will end up with an exalted medicine but not a living one. In alchemy the artist must at some point in his operation capture this spark or flame of life for use in his work. For this reason I have concentrated my description of the three essentials around this spark's first manifested form, the alchemist's celestial water. In this way the aspiring student can use the water to produce all other manifestations of the matter that are required. True, once one knows what one is doing this spark can be added to store-bought products. But before one begins to take such artistic license it is probably best to start at the beginning. In this way the alchemist learns to understand his art. He is then able to achieve in a short time a more philosophic manipulation of the elements. By doing this the alchemist is able to give birth to a more perfect expression of the three essentials than what nature could hope to outwardly manifest, even if she had worked on the matter for aeons.

THE TWO METALS OF THE SAGES

The Silver of the Sages: Also called The Mercury of the Sages (as opposed to the Mercury of the Philosophers that precedes it in the previous state, or the Mercury of Fools, which is common living silver), or Philosophical Silver. It results from the absorption of a certain quantity of Sulfur Principle by a determined quantity of Mercury Principle, or more exactly, by the absorption of a proportionate quantity of vulgar Gold by a determined quantity of Mercury Principle. This vulgar Gold must have suffered neither exaltation (sublimation or volatilization) nor transfusion. In a word, he must not have been recast or linked to himself, he must be a virgin;

The Gold of the Sages: Also called The Sulfur of the Sages (as opposed to Philosophers' Sulfur which precedes it in the previous state, or Fools' Sulfur, which is common sulfur), or Philosophical Gold. It results from the absorption of a certain quantity of Principle Salt by a determined quantity of Principle Sulfur, or even by the absorption of a proportional quantity of common Silver by a determined quantity of Principle Sulfur. This Silver must have undergone neither exaltation (sublimation or volatization) nor Transfusion. In a word, it must not have been recast or linked to itself, it must be a virgin.

These two Operations result from a series of successive cookings (multiplications).

CHRYSOPOEIA OR PHILOSOPHAL STONE

Chrysopoeia: It is obtained by slow cooking in Philosophical Egg (matras), placed in a clay bath, in the seal of an Athanor (oven), mixing and co-destruction of the Gold of the Sages and of the Silver of the Sages.

 In the second stage of the Work, the Principle Mercury and the Principle Sulfur generate the Philosophical Silver or the Silver of the Sages, and the Principle Sulfur and the Principle Salt generate the Philosophical Gold or the Gold of the Sages. The copulation of these two then gives Chrysopoeia (The Quintessence).

Principle Mercury and the Principle Sulfur generate the Philosophical Silver or the Silver of the Sages, and the Principle Sulfur and the Principle Salt generate the Philosophical Gold or the Gold of the Sages. The copulation of these two then gives Chrysopoeia (The Quintessence).

The acronym VITRIOL meaning:  "Visit the interior of the earth, and by rectifying what you find there, you will discover the hidden stone." 

The sun and moon are the opposites that man must unite. The cup is the "pot" or alchemical symbol of the body. Planetary signs represent different phases of the alchemical process. The duo is Mercury, the lion is sulfur and the star is salt, the three ingredients of the process. The globe on the left with clouds is the microcosm, the globe on the right with the Stars is the macrocosm. 

"Rectifying", at the center of the acronym VITRIOL, means "correcting" the negative aspects of your psyche, purifying negative emotions. It's to straighten out that it grew crooked during life. The alchemist must cleanse himself of all "dirt" from all his "waste". You must brush "the body" to improve and perfect it. Metals must be purified by "external, impure and destructive elements." Metals in this case can be interpreted as emotions.

Taoism emphasizes the importance of purifying the selfish tendencies that separate man from his eternal nature. A man who strives for the Tao must renounce all passions and desires, and become a child who joins the Tao. With this cleansing rebirth takes place. Therefore, an alchemist must avoid the masses and begin the process of meditation, self-reflection, in silence.

Buddhism teaches purification. Man can attain salvation by separating himself from worldly affairs that stray from his true path. He sees that life on Earth alone is not satisfying. Man is unhappy because his desires are unlimited. You must be free from the bonds of your desires.

Going into the unconscious also means stepping into the collective unconscious that we all share. In Greek mythology there was Tartarus, a name originally used to indicate the underworld. Tartarus is the psychic world deep within man, where all the lowest instincts reside, such as the desire to kill and destroy, bloodlust, fear, hatred, revenge, lust for power, and so on. It is not easy to admit to themselves, but they all reside in us. We have suppressed all our dark emotions in this deep realm of Tartarus. This is the human heritage, dating back to ancient times.

Man's task of feeling and being responsible for all his emotions. They should not be repressed simply because doing so would only have the effect of "squeezing" into some corner of your psyche, from which they can arise when we least expect it. Repress them, but to change and transmute into higher feelings. Man repression chains with the objects of repression, but purification will transmute them into positive ones, bringing it closer to its true essence. Until you take up the Great Work, pain and suffering disturb our lives. We have to face the mythical monsters in the depths of our unconscious and clarify. They are part of being human. We cannot discard them, but we can control, dominate them, learn from them and transform them into servants of the Divine. Monsters are not monsters per se. They are just features of human nature, which have been distorted or at least are no longer useful. We can correct them and use them to our advantage to ascend to Self consciousness.

This task is not for the aspirant started. It is only for the brave who dare to face the darkness of the soul. The courage of many will fail, and they will return home. Thus, the pilgrim does not have an easy way, because the world of pleasure is not his anymore. He chose the path of Arete (goddess of Virtue), which leads him to many dangers and difficult roads, in solitude and with difficulty, but finally becoming immortal. Whoever loses his life will have it.

If you are really determined to find the Tao, you can do it even when you are in a city and have a prominent position in worldly affairs. This is not contradictory. The work is simple and narrow, the secret is so simple that, if revealed, there would be laughter all around.

The alchemist digs the earth. Digging the earth is the first step in the alchemical process. The earth is the body, or yourself. Digging into the earth is like knowing your inner self.

We are then invited to descend to the earth, the underworld, the unconscious. The earth is the symbol of the physical man. Man must be aware of his inner world, of who he is, what he is doing, what his motives are, et cetera. Once you have paid attention to the interior, you will discover a new world: the underworld of "Hades, the dark realm of shadows and monsters".

This descent is also called regressus ad uterum, "return to the mother's womb", a term that is often used in initiation rites. It is a symbolic return of a certain primordial state of being that every man in the collective unconscious.

In the depths of man, the darkness of his psyche, are the reasons for his actions. Thus, regressus ad uterum, becoming aware of these deeper motivations, is a necessary condition for entering the moonlit death zone, and then experiencing rebirth. Mother Earth, has always been linked with birth, with the union between man and woman (conscious and unconscious), from which new sources of life after death. Primitive people performed their initiations in darkness or less, for example in caves. In Egypt, initiations were performed in the pyramids or in the underground crypts of temples. In Persia it was mainly in caves, while American Indians had special huts. The Mithras Mysteries were performed in temples built underground. The initiation itself was symbolized by the penetration of the Great Mother's womb, or the body of a sea monster or wild animal.

In Greek mythology, Orpheus descended into Hades to find Eurydice (the symbol of his lost soul). The Hindu god Krishna descended to the underworld in search of his six brothers (the six chakras, Krishna being the crown chakra). There is a legend that after his death, Jesus descended into the kingdom of Satan to save the soul of Adam (the pure man).

In alchemy, the entrance to the unconscious is often characterized by caves, stories of underworld travel or strange mysterious places in the world. Sometimes, in alchemical writings, the representation of the king taking a bath is found. Water, alchemically speaking, is precisely the unconscious. The King, which is our consciousness, instead you put out just to get in touch with its contents, and thus bring them to light, your own consciousness.

Another way in which this contact between consciousness and the unconscious is represented is the symbol of the "coniunctio" (conjunction) or "conceived" (conception) between the King and Queen, which mainly occurs in water, a fountain or a fountain. The queen then represents the feminine, the water, the unconscious. 

The descent into the unconscious is not without its dangers. In the psychological sense it can, for example, in schizophrenia. In mythology, the hero enters the underworld to fight monsters and demons. The Great Mother appears to him in the form of a terrible being, often the Lord of Death. For her courage and bravery, the Great Mother Goddess of fertility, offers great knowledge and wisdom.

Alchemy, when working with metals (as man's passions and emotions are called), lead is used as a starting material. Alchemists say that up front is a daemon that can cause insanity. Lead is ruled by Saturn, the god of melancholy, which causes illness and demonic visions. Lead, the most impure metal, needs to be transformed into the pure metal, "Gold, symbol of the Holy Spirit. In general, lead represents the lowest and most earthly passions of man. It is for whom the alchemist works, to rectify ) over and over. What does this mean? He explains a contemporary text of Taoism: "That is why Buddha Jou-lai (Tathagata), in his great mercy, revealed the method, the alchemical work of fire, and taught people to regularize their true nature and fullness".

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