| Dec. 7th, 2004 @ 03:08 pm (no subject) |
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I took a 'Personal Alchemy Quiz' in order to, "....determine your current level of personal transformation and suggest appropriate alchemical operations to pursue." Excerpt taken from http://www.alchemylab.com/quiz.htm
Section 4: YOUR QUIZ RESULTS
Your Personal Alchemy Quiz results are indicated in the boxes below.
LUNAR (Intuitive) Score: 9
SOLAR (Intellectual) Score: -1
HERMETIC (Metaphysical) Score: 7
YOUR TOTAL SCORE IS 15
My evaluation: The deeper essences and energies of your soul are surfacing.
At this moment in your transformation, you are experiencing a flood of images and feelings that have their origin in your own subconscious. As we become adults (or are "adulterated" ), many people feel they have lost a precious part of themselves and are leading inauthentic and superficial lives. Our souls despair trying to survive in a world of spiritual drought, and we have less psychic energy available. The purpose of psychological Dissolution is to dissolve rigid beliefs and any remains of ego falsity the hold back the powerful "waters" of the subconscious mind. Tremendous energy can be generated when the waters held back are released, as the ego is further humbled by its direct confrontation with the primal energies of the unconscious. This tremendous energy can be used to heal body and mind and fuel our continued transformation.
"Its mother is the Moon," is how the Emerald Tablet describes this second step in alchemical change. Just as Fire is the element of the Sun, so is Water the element of the Moon. During Dissolution, the fluid lunar powers expressed in dreams, visions, psychic impressions, and bodily feelings take precedence over the linear approach of the rational mind. Successful Dissolution requires letting go of control, allowing feelings to flow, and repressed thoughts and feelings to surface. You might feel overwhelmed by images, wordless impressions, and strange feelings. You might even feel confused, like you are really floating around aimlessly in a giant sea, but this is only a temporary process on the long road to renewal and perfection.
Undissolved people tend to be judgmental, greedy, and excessive, and their relationships can only be described as selfish. In such persons, the process of Dissolution results in a withdrawal of projections and judgments and a breakdown of assumptions and habits resulting in a wonderfully flowing, childlike presence. The person is no longer afraid to express that which is within. The result is a release of pent-up energy previously spent supporting the false personality. At this point in time, you should make a concerted effort to recognize the deeper spiritual influences in your life. Powerful forces are surfacing, and you have to prepare yourself to control them.
In chemical terms, the second step in the purification process is dissolving the ashes from Calcination in water or acid. The ashes disappear, as if it they have returned to their original, undifferentiated state, and the alchemists saw this as a return to innocence, a return to the womb for rebirth. In fact, the symbol for Dissolution is the womblike retort. Meditation is a powerful tool that has been used for centuries to reenter this primal, womblike state, and it should be practiced regularly. Since dreams also carry the power of Dissolution, it is necessary to learn to work with dreams to open up new creativity, make new connections, and restructure old habits. Dreams carry important subconscious knowledge about health, life events, and relationships that the ego refuses to acknowledge. In fact, Carl Jung first became interested in alchemy when he noticed the wealth of alchemical imagery in the dreams of his patients.
To start paying attention to dreams, you have to treat them as important information. Most people have dozens of dreams every night full of insight and meaning but forget them on awakening. Very quickly on rising from sleep, the ego takes control with its endless planning, and scheming. Unless a recurring dream or nightmare disturbs this habitual pattern, most people do not remember their dreams. So the first step in dreamwork is to accumulate dream material. Keep a notepad or tape recorder by the side of your bed to summarize dreams from which you awake in the middle of the night. In the morning, get into the habit of lying in bed awake for a few minutes trying to remember dreams you had. Start a dream journal with your own interpretations, then compare the symbolism with the dreams of your friends or use any of the numerous dream interpretation books available. Just keep in mind that dreams are very personal information about what is happening in your life and not all images have the same meaning for everyone. You have to interpret dreams in context with your current situation, feelings, and stage of transformation.
One method for dissolving body and mind simultaneously is fasting. Not only does fasting purge the body of toxins and the effects of overindulgence, but it also activates a natural healing response. Fasting has been used to treat a variety of diseases, and the psychospiritual benefits of fasting are recognized by all the world’s religions. It clears the mind, refreshes the memory, and can even lead to mystical experiences. Fasting is a way of becoming stronger by letting go -- a kind of proactive denial of worldly temptations. |
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