THE TOOLS OF THE ALCHEMIST
Transmuting darkness into light, discovering more of ourselves, and uncovering the Truth.
 Good day, fellow Alchemists:
Those of us who have undergone intense spiritual awakenings may have all at one point felt the sensation of unrealness when looking at life as a whole. Whether it was through transcendental meditation, a near-death experience, or a plant-medicine induced shamanic journey, the realization that reality is not real in the way we think of it becomes an unyielding truth. This realization can be had without these sorts of awakenings. Many people nowadays have come to similar conclusions and the notion that reality is an illusion has even begun to appear in our culture through films like The Matrix. While this is definitely a good thing that more and more people in our society are waking up, it does leave us with a dilemma. Believing that reality is an illusion can sometimes create a sort of vacuum within us, making every action seem utterly meaningless. This is why Buddhists preach the idea that there are two truths in the Universe. The first truth is known as absolute truth, which we have already discussed. It is the belief that reality is fundamentally empty. The second truth is known as relative truth, which states that there are truths in our lives that are independent of absolute truth. Think of it this way: Reality is an illusion is the absolute truth. Tomorrow morning the sun will rise is the relative truth. Just as much as we can't escape absolute truth, we also cannot escape relative truth. These two truths together make a much grander perspective that takes into account the human condition. While absolute truth can make us fall into an existential crisis about our lack of meaning, relative truth comes in and forces us to take actions that are relatively meaningful. By allowing two opposing ideas to exist simultaneously in our minds, we can move onwards and work to transcend the limits of our consciousness. This is the essence of the middle path that Buddhists advocate. Staying balanced in our thoughts and emotions, not giving in to extremes of any one belief, and staying firm along the route of both our human and spiritual journey; that is the way to enlightenment. With love and sincerity, The Alchemy by LA Counsel  Good day, fellow Alchemists:
One of the main principles in hermetic wisdom is the fact that everything in the Universe is in motion. This principle is no longer just a concept in spirituality, but in science as well. We are only now discovering through research into String Theory that all matter in the Universe consists of one-dimensional vibrating strings. A good way to imagine this is: if those one-dimensional strings were the strings of a violin, the matter that is manifested would be like the music that is played on the violin. That may be too simplistic of a comparison, but from this perspective, it is easy to understand how physical matter is an expression of vibrations. As we have learned through studying sacred geometry and the flower of life pattern, life unfolds in an exquisite manner that is moving perpetually towards perfection. The source of this movement is the frequency on which a particular life-form or non-living object vibrates. Everything vibrates at its own unique signature, creating separation within the different dimensions. An interesting application of this research is through the study of consciousness and its effect on physical matter. Dr. Masaru Emoto conducted an experiment showing how human intentions can change water molecules simply by exposing them to certain words. Water that was exposed to loving and gentle words had molecules that were aesthetically pleasing, while also resembling variations of the flower of life. The water that was given nothing but insults and words of disgust formed molecules that were chaotic and unrecognizable as safe drinking water. Many people have tried to recreate Dr. Emoto's work, some with great success, others to no avail. Of course, the very act of projecting intentions onto the work you are doing may have an effect on the experiment, which could explain the varying results. During Emoto's experiments, they also tested Buddhist prayers on contaminated water and found it had a cleansing effect. This fact alone gives new meaning to saying grace or blessing one's food before eating and why it's so prevalent in just about every culture. All animals have an innate knowing of the vibratory nature of reality; this is clearly seen by the existence of language and our obsession with music. We are unconsciously seeking healing and purification through the use of vibrations. What is important to note is that humans are about 70% water and so is the earth. Imagine the change that can happen overnight to both our bodies and the planet if we learned to properly harness the power of vibrations. By purifying our intentions we can align ourselves to perfection; allowing us to maintain health, happiness, and inner equanimity. With love and sincerity, The Alchemy by LA Counsel  Good day, fellow Alchemists:
Amongst all the debates had in the modern world, the most emotionally charged arguments often occur between atheists and theists. More specifically, these debates happen between those from a spiritual and scientific background. One side views the world objectively, relying on observation and consistently provable phenomena to define the nature of reality; this would be the scientific perspective. In contrast, the spiritual perspective adheres to personal experience and emphasizes the importance of what is felt, rather than what can be observed. Our society has a tendency to put things into categories to assist our understanding of abstract concepts. We do this with everything, and matters of the soul are no exception. Along the way, we began to view spirit and science as two ideologies that directly oppose one another. Now, we have trapped science and spirit in a one cannot be true unless the other is false sort of paradigm. This limits the possibility of seeing where the two perspectives may overlap, which could further our understanding on how the Universe works as a whole. It has been said that the belief in a soul and a creator were, in a sense, our first scientific breakthrough. Of course, this perspective is not easily accepted by most people. Without all the advancements in technology that only now exists, it is no wonder why prehistoric man would create beliefs that had no basis in reality. This would be the scientific perspective discrediting spiritual beliefs on a logical basis. What the scientific perspective fails to notice is the amount of deep contemplation that has gone into all religious beliefs. A sense of inspiration may have been invoked within us, carrying us out of the dark ages in an attempt to reach the light of divinity in our own way. Likewise, spiritual practitioners also lack perspective on how science is inherently a spiritual mission. As we discussed in the previous post, the discovery of math was like discovering divinity expressing itself in the physical world through patterns and shapes. (Fibinoci spiral, the flower of life, vortex math) Science can also support concepts like The Law Of Attraction through experiments done in the field of quantum physics. One such experiment, known as the quantum slit experiment, showed how our observation of reality directly affects the state of matter at the quantum level. This can be thought of as scientific evidence that our thoughts shape reality. Many more examples exist of science and spirituality merging together as a single field of study. By opening our minds up to new ideas, we can begin to unify what was once thought of as separate. After all, spirituality and science are both about digging deep into what is and uncovering inherent and lasting truths about the meaning of our existence. With love and sincerity, The Alchemy by LA Counsel  Good day, fellow Alchemist:
It is said that humans did not create mathematics; we merely discovered them. The same can be said of all Universal laws that dictate our reality. Within these laws, an indescribable connection unfolds, which connects them to our daily lives. This connection works to sustain the balance among all occurrences in every dimension. Math and geometry are expressions of that balance, and by studying them, we can use their intricate makeup to manipulate the laws of physics to our advantage. This is currently a reality on every level of our interactions with the Universe. For example, medicine uses principles of chemistry and biology to return our bodies to a balanced state. Satellites utilize the airwaves to pass energy into receivers in order to transmit information. And, of course, Law of Attraction practitioners use our thoughts to manifest specific outcomes into our field of perception. The existing laws of the Universe are responsible for all these phenomenons. Once we decide to search beyond our perception, then we can start identifying laws that affect us without our knowledge. Some of these laws, while not showing themselves to us directly, can be found within mathematics. Nikola Tesla, a genius inventor, discovered such a law and was determined to live his life by it. Tesla believed that the most important numbers in the Universe are 3, 6, and 9. Due to their immense connection with all other number systems, these three numbers are said to hold the key to the Universe. Tesla, himself, carried out his daily activities while guided by these numbers. He was rumored to only stay at hotel rooms bearing numbers that added up to 3, 6, or 9. He cleaned his house using exactly 18 towels (1+8= 9) and other such odd quirks. Many people took an interest in this strange obsession and now study the secrets of these three numbers under the name Vortex Math. This mathematical system has many interesting mysteries. Should any resonate with you, you may wish to consider delving deeper into this subject. If numbers aren't your thing, then possibly consider studying up on the Egyptians' form of esoteric science, which may speak more to the intuitive-minded amongst us. The ancient Egyptians had a strong grasp of Sacred Geometry, which we've discussed in previous posts. Everything in their culture, including the pyramids, incorporated aspects of Sacred Geometry, which artificially emulated the powers of nature. Some theories even suggest that the pyramids could have been some kind of free energy generator or even a conduit for establishing the human consciousness grid around the planet. Regardless of their specific purpose, it is clear to see that not only scientists, but ancient spiritual masters, as well, understood the significance of these unobservable principles of nature. They were acutely aware that they had real-world applications. In the years to come, humanity may begin to open up doors to new discoveries that will catapult us into the future. By breaking down the boundaries between science and spirituality we could, one day, become a civilization more connected to the spiritual and scientific realm than our predecessors. With love and sincerity, The Alchemy by LA Counsel  Good day, fellow Alchemist:
Negative thought patterns have a nasty habit of taking over our minds while hiding in statements like: What’s the point of anything? Why should I try to reach my dreams when they’re so far away? No one really cares if I achieve them or not. That is why it's important to see the bigger picture and reach beyond our limited perspective. When it comes down to it, our nihilistic view on life can sometimes overrun our emotions, leaving us to spiral down to our Earthly fate, long before we ever reach our goals. Why am I bothering? How will my actions change anything? This is too hard; it’ll never work. In addition to negativity, all of these thought patterns have one thing in common: A lack of perspective. The human perspective on life, in general, tends to be narrow-minded and lacks the proper objectivity. We fail to see the grand design while refusing to acknowledge our role in everything taking place around us. Those of us with very high goals and low action tend to think that if no purpose is sophisticated enough to challenge us, then we may as well resign ourselves to a life of discontent and boredom. If we risk continuously giving in to this mentality, even a simple move like getting out of bed may eventually become a daunting task. This may occur while seeking motivation for small tasks, as well as large ones. If we refuse to fulfill our basic duties as active members of society and continue to convince ourselves that there is no purpose in taking action, we may be risking everything. Anything can be thought of as pointless when we don’t have the ability to see beyond our daily lives. Here's an amazing and virtually unbelievable thought for you to wrap your head around: We are spirits inhabiting physical bodies in order to explore the third-dimension. Our purpose is to put ourselves into this chaotic reality and express to the world that which is unique to us. Anything you can imagine can come to fruition, as long as you are willing to make it happen. Take Elon Musk as an example. He is deeply inspired by the future and wishes to make his most far-reaching dreams come true, but he claims that his main goal is to evade boredom. In this wacky unexplainable game of life, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. We are incredibly lucky just to be here. In light of these facts, the question What's the point of pursuing my dreams? and Why should I even get out of bed in the morning? should begin to appear unnecessary and almost ridiculous. After all, your life is happening regardless of whether or not you decide to take action. With or without you, the world will move on to newer and greater things. In the words of Elon Musk: I could either watch it happen or be a part of it. The choice is yours and yours alone. With love and sincerity, The Alchemy by LA Counsel  Good day, fellow Alchemist:
Something that spiritual practitioners often ignore is the male side of their divine being. Of course, this doesn't say much for the greater society around us, who live through a masculine energetic perspective. What a masculine perspective means is that our society is built upon advancing, growing, dominating, and controlling other people. For those of us trying to unify our separate halves, we tend to assume that since masculine energy has run amuck for most of human history, there is no reason to try and awaken it any further. If anything, all this masculine energy that has gone unchecked over the years needs EXTRA attention from us, especially before we make the full transition into a female orientated species. Not actualizing our divine masculine during these times of great change would be like a child not properly learning the lessons of his current age group and moving up the school system. What that will do is inhibit our spiritual growth, making us unable to learn higher levels of wisdom. Divine masculinity is a straight line. It feeds off forward momentum and is centered around direct action. In that sense, it is sort of like our motivation for doing things. Masculine energy can also be protective if harnessed properly through the divine feminine. It is our energetic fighting force within us. It assists us in enforcing personal boundaries, which is a problem that troubles many people who have yet to awaken their divine masculine side. By far the most important benefit of awakening your divine masculine energy is establishing trust within yourself. To be able to rely on oneself is the greatest freedom in life, and it goes hand-in-hand with accomplishing just about any goal you may want to achieve. Without this internal trust in place, we tend to falter during crucial moments. It can cause anxiety disorders while also making a hospitable internal environment for emotional manipulators to take advantage of your own distrust. The divine feminine and divine masculine represent a relationship that needs to be balanced. Just as actual relationships need work, so too do our energetic poles. When the power of a fully awakened feminine and masculine work together, it manifests the very source of all creation in the Universe. This knowledge will create an internal bond that springs one into a life that is beyond the ordinary by creating energetic movements towards divinity. Being one with yourself is being whole, and to be whole is to be TRULY alive. With love and sincerity, The Alchemy by LA Counsel  Good day, fellow Alchemists:
The Seventh Hermetic Principle states that everything is GENDER. To every female, there exists a male counterpart, and to every male, a female counterpart. This is true of every system that exists in the Universe. When studying energy, we can see POLARITY manifests as positive and negative forces. Even in Taoism, the concept of Yin and Yang, which are opposing forces that work to balance one another, further elucidates the Hermetic principle of GENDER. Carl Jung also touched on this concept with his idea of the Animus/Anima, which is the male and female within every man and woman. What we'll be focusing on today is the female aspect, better known as the Divine Feminine Attribute. Feminine energy is often misunderstood in spiritual groups as soft or weak. As if it is the water that quells the flames of the divine masculine. While divine feminine energy does bring balance to masculinity, to view it as simply a passive force does not fully define it. Yes, feminine energy is passive in nature; it bears and endures endlessly. But its true purpose is to CREATE! Whether it be to create life or art, when fully actualized, the divine feminine is a powerful source of creativity and is capable of manifesting just about ANYTHING into existence. The miracle of life is irrefutable proof of this fact. For thousands of years, we were guided as a species by masculine energy, urging us to dominate and build. Our source of power came from this masculine aspect, which has often been thought of as having gone unchecked, particularly during the last 200 years of our history. (That will be discussed in the next post, as it is a whole topic on its own.) Now, in the Age of Aquarius, we have gone through a PROFOUND shift. We are now becoming a female-orientated species, allowing us to take on a new psychological paradigm of openness and creativity. Divine feminine energy is potent and just like with its counterpart, the divine masculine, it can have negative consequences when it isn't properly funneled into our lives. We must all take this new agent of change as an opportunity to grow spiritually and help heal the planet. Take it upon yourself to create and bring your own unique blend of MAGIC into this world. After all, life and creation are interdependent. With love and sincerity, The Alchemy by LA Counsel |