Category Archives: Alchemy

Cycles, Systems and the Heart of Alchemy

The phrase that is said to contain the essence of Alchemy is “Solve et Coagula” which translates to “Dissolve and Build”.  This can be seen as a loop of repetition but used in the proper way, is a spiral of evolution where there is continual refinement of substance.  In this model, the inessential is dissolved to it’s basic elements and those raw materials are gathered and used to make a higher level creation.

Below is the recording of a talk I gave on this topic along with additional meanings of the Ouroborous and finally, using the power of the heart to drive Alchemical transformation on an emotional level.  During the guided meditation at the end, there was one of the most powerful synchronicities that I have ever encountered.  I had talked about the two energy flows of The Torus and how they can be seen as life on Earth reflected in one flow and Spirit reflected in the other.  I had mentioned the Charles Ives piece “The Unanswered Question” as a brilliant example of this in music.  During the guided meditation, there were some beeps that could have been distracting and there was soft, spiritual music playing the whole time so this literally recreated the Charles Ives piece and also fit perfectly with the theme of the meditation.  This was not at all planned but was perfect!

Here are the timings of the subjects covered in this talk:

Continue reading Cycles, Systems and the Heart of Alchemy

Three Essential Alchemical Elements

In this talk I explore the Three Essential Alchemical Elements including applying them to a number of different areas of life.  As with most things in life, it’s about how to achieve balance with these elements rather than making any seem more important than any others.

Below is a talk I gave exploring the Three Essential Elements in Alchemy:

Here are the timings of the subjects covered in this talk:

Continue reading Three Essential Alchemical Elements

Three Elemental Principles in Alchemy and Four Color Phases of Transformation

In Alchemy, there are many elements that are discussed and several maps of transformation.  This talk I cover the three fundamental Alchemical principles of Mercury, Sulfur and Salt as well as the four color phases of Black, White, Yellow and Red.

Below is a talk I gave on the Three Principle Elements in Alchemy and the Four Color Phase model of Alchemy:

Here are the timings of the subjects covered in this talk:

Continue reading Three Elemental Principles in Alchemy and Four Color Phases of Transformation

Alchemy as a Model for Psychology

Many people know that Carl Jung was very open to the mystical and metaphysical and that had an impact on his model of Psychology.  What most people aren’t aware of is that certain elements of Alchemy, especially imagery and language had an impact on even Freud in the development of Psychology and Psychotherapy.

jung-freud

Below is a talk I gave on how Alchemy served as a model for the development of early Psychology and Psychotherapy.

 Here are the timings of the subjects covered in this talk:

Continue reading Alchemy as a Model for Psychology

Decoding the Emerald Tablet Part 2

This is the second talk I gave on The Emerald Tablet.  In this talk I expand on what I had covered earlier in terms of polarity and geometry.  The main area of focus of this talk is how the Seven Stages of Alchemy come out of The Emerald Tablet and, most importantly, how we can understand these phases and move through them in our every day lives.

This is a visual depiction of The Seven Stages known as Azoth of the Philosophers:

azoth

In this second I cover is how to work with the seven stages as a map  as well as two big obstacles to completing a process, attachment and aversion.

Here is the recording of the talk:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx7_Vd5uIZk[/embedyt]

Here are the subjects covered with their timings:

Continue reading Decoding the Emerald Tablet Part 2