THE TOOLS OF THE ALCHEMIST
Transmuting darkness into light, discovering more of ourselves, and uncovering the Truth.
 Good day, fellow Alchemists:
Growing up in our society has a way of flattening and chiseling out our uneven ends. What doesn’t fit the mold of acceptable roles is cast aside as unimportant. The things that make us the happiest are downgraded and invalidated by referring to them as hobbies; as urges to be acted upon only after the real work is done. The years pass us by and, lo and behold, we become unhappy adults leading unhappy lives. It’s almost as if we put our need for meaning and fulfillment after our need for acceptance from others - as if life wasn’t hard enough. And even once our work is finished, we find ourselves in a new conundrum; not knowing what makes us happy. The gap between our sense of self and the image of who we project outwardly to others widens to an unreachable point. What a great sin it is to limit and hide our true self, only to maintain a deceitful outward appearance. Living to work to pay for our stuff, so we can continue to work, to pay for our lives, which again, is only dedicated to working. It’s madness. If we claim to be beings of logic and reason, it is only fair that we abide by it. Alchemist, it is your mission to dive head first into the deepest realms of who you are and bring forth your true self and your true desires. Anything less than your greatest dreams are not worth your time. Some might say this is wishful thinking, or that life doesn’t always go as planned. They are right about one thing. Life DOESN’T always go as planned. Sometimes the Universe intervenes and makes fools out of the meticulous planning of us earthlings. And to that, we should be grateful. For it is the blind pursuit of our own inner truth, despite any setbacks or hardships, that we discover our destiny. With love and sincerity, The Alchemy by LA Council  Good day, fellow Alchemists:
We often talk about how our power is limitless; how, the only limitations we may run into stem from our own misguided beliefs. While this is true, there are some systems of energetic exchanges we should be aware of when confronted with a state of lacking. Alchemist, throughout time immemorial, humanity has lived in communities in which everyone has a role to play. Each person living in a community supports one another by accomplishing separate goals and dividing up work evenly. This allows for a greater amount of success within any given organization because no one person can do everything by themselves. This fact has not changed, even in our modern society. Whether if it’s giant corporations, governments, sports teams, or even just a small family, authority is delegated as evenly as possible while stay maintaining a hierarchical structure. Of course, as we know, sometimes there are pitfalls and control issues between members of a group, but for the most part, humans tend to get along well. You might be wondering: what does this have to do with returning my own power back to me? Well Alchemist, part of this system relies on individuals giving up parts of their own power to others in order to fulfill their wants and needs. Some of us might have fantasies of living on a remote island, picking fruit off trees and being completely independent from society, but eventually desires for technology and modern comforts will creep in and you’ll be forced to make a choice. Our desires lead us to giving up portions of our own power. Not that there is anything wrong with having desires. But if you ever feel drained or overextended, you should ask yourself: Have I let my own wants weaken me energetically? It is entirely possible Alchemist, that some of the things you may think you want are actually unnecessary to your own well-being and happiness. It is likely for this reason that minimalism has gained such popularity and recent years. It may also shed some light on why Yogis remove themselves from society and relinquish all their worldly desires. The return to power is a great transition that clears ones mind and frees the soul. After all, the choice is always ours to make - meaning of course - that we are indeed limitless,. With love and sincerity, The Alchemy by LA Council  Good day, fellow Alchemists:
There is an old parabola that Alan Watts would often tell in his lectures. The story follows a rancher who recently hired a new farm hand to help him. The new employee was sent to do a variety of tasks, which he fulfilled quickly and without error. The farmer was delighted at how diligent his new helper was and tasked him with even more responsibility; to examine potatoes and decide which ones were to be sold and which to throw away. After only a short time of doing the job, the new employee yelled to his boss that he can no longer stand the work and that he wishes to resign. His boss, the farmer, was surprised by his attitude. He had him do all sorts of difficult jobs by himself and never once did his employee complain. The farmer asked his worker what had pushed him over the edge. He even offered him a raise and other such benefits. The worker then explained that he didn’t mind the back breaking work, but the constant decision making with the potatoes had driven him mad! It is believed Alchemist, that our will power is an exhaustible source. Everyday, we have a myriad of choices to make and each one can chip away at our strength to decide Some of us may find ourselves in internal stalemates on a regular basis. We may worry that we hadn’t taken every piece of information into account, but the truth is Alchemist, we never could! It all stems from a desire to control the outcome. This is why having trust in the Universe is so useful. If we allow the world around us to be shaped in whatever way fate has in store for us, much of our power can be returned to us. It is for this reason that every leader delegates authority to the people around them. By giving up control you will have the entire Universe working in your favor. All you must do is learn to let go. With love and sincerity, The Alchemy by LA Council  Grand rising, dear Alchemist:
Our body is a wondrous tool for exploring all that the third-dimension has to offer us. We travel with it and interact with one another through it, and when our time on this planet is over, we return our body to the earth. It is truly a beautiful relationship, yet we often neglect our bodies energetic needs. Alchemist, your mind and body crave unity with each other! These days, most of us spend our time sitting in front of a computer or phone while our bodies waste away. It is not simply a matter of exercising and eating properly, we are completely disconnected from our body and the sensations we feel. Our physicality is the tether that binds us to this reality. By not living through it and bringing it to our awareness through out the day, we become stuck in the world of the mind. This, of course, results in stress and a lack of overall health. We must remember Alchemist, that humans are three-fold beings: mental, physical, and spiritual. In order to achieve balance and growth, we must master all three of these facets in our lifetime. It is no wonder why yogis and sages incorporated different styles of moving mediation, instead of only sitting mediation. Styles of mediation like Yoga and Qi Gong were developed for bringing the mind back into the body, allowing us to guid our pure intentions through our energetic pathways, clearing them and returning the body to a natural state. An easy practice of bodily awareness that anyone can do is slow-motion movements. It can be any movement, walking, eating, cleaning; as long as you’re moving slow enough to focus on every subtle shift, your mind and body will become one. If that sounds too tedious, then just try standing in one location and focus on all the sensations you feel within your body. The mind and body work at an optimal level when they interact with each other. This union is an important key in maintaining a stable life. With love and sincerity, The Alchemy by LA Council |