Paradox, Gold, and Alchemy

Alchemy is a form of magic that's concerned with transforming the external world by evolving the inner self.

Alchemy is ultimately the most demanding and the most rewarding form of magic, as it emphasizes principles that all other forms of magic eventually harken back to (i.e. - for example, if you make pacts with spirits long enough and seriously enough, you'll end up alchemically transforming yourself - it just may take you awhile to realize that's what's happening!).

The principle means of evolution and transformation in classical alchemy is the mysterium coniunctionis - the mystery of the union of all opposites.

"Uniting the opposites" is no easy task - it involves recognizing extremes of good and evil, mortal and immortal, spirit and body, masculine and feminine, helplessness and power within oneself - and learning to paradoxically inhabit both poles simultaneously.

Inhabiting paradox without seeking easy refuge in one or another side of a polarity - involves an enormous expansion of your personality, to the point that you become more and more aware of how "you" are inhabited by the Divine.

Sometimes folks interpret the alchemists' search to turn lead into gold as purely symbolic - but it wasn't.

The goal of ancient laboratory alchemy was indeed to produce actual gold - with the idea being that the ability to transmute matter was hard evidence that you had succeeded in transmuting and expanding your own soul through the union of opposites.

Much the same way, I've seen 1,000s of my students over the years positively transform the external circumstances of their lives (producing "gold" of all kinds - emotionally, financially, etc.) by doing work to unite the opposites within themselves.

The ultimate goal of alchemy is wholeness - both within oneself and in one's relationship to the world.

How have you united the opposites in your life?

Just something to ponder ;)

best,

Carolyn Elliott

author of Existential Kink