The Philosopher's Stone

[Anders]

The base metal to gold analogy is too simplistic for describing the overall spiritual progress, because there is a need to improve the “base metal” level up to a certain point where the alchemical process can start, where the Magician in the Tarot is able to metaphorically speaking prepare the prima materia in the form of the massa confusa, in spiritual terms meaning the individual having reached harvestability to use a Law of One term.

The caterpillar needs to grow enough before it can be transformed into a butterfly. Therefore the alchemical process is only applicable as a means of harvesting the third density fruit. (The alchemical process may also be applicable to higher densities, but here the focus is on third density and the transition into fourth density.)

How to know if one is “harvestable”? The L/L Research FAQ says:

"What is the harvest? / When and how will the planet transition to fourth density?

Confederation sources indicate that we are in the time of “harvest,” that is, the planet itself is gradually becoming a fourth density planet. When the process is completed, planet Earth will be home to a fourth-density positive human population that will evolve from our current third density experience.

When will this happen? Ra seems to indicate that its full manifestation is linked to the readiness and orientation of the third-density population. Were our present population unified in one direction of seeking and service right now, the new fourth-density earth would be born. However, due to our fragmentation, confusion, volatility, hostility, and disorientation, we are retarding the process. Thus, Ra can only guestimate a span of 100–700-year time frame with the clock beginning in the early 1940s. According to them, even this estimate “cannot be accurate due to the volatility of your peoples at this space/time.”

How will this happen? Like the previous question, this is a topic of much consideration and debate within the Law of One community. We don’t have definitive answers except to say that, per Confederation sources, as the vibrations change, so too will human bodies change through a process of evolution. Eventually, humans will incarnate as fully fourth-density beings with fourth-density bodies (which will hopefully be impervious to the universally dreaded experience of stubbing the toe).

We do feel certain that fourth density doesn’t so much happen to us as it happens through us. The more that we heal and open our hearts, the more space we make for the emergence of fourth density. And even more powerfully, the more that we connect and bond with each other in the open heart, the more we strengthen that grid that invites and holds the dawning of a reality of Love and Understanding." - FAQ

I used ChatGPT here for an alchemical interpretation:

"In alchemy, the goal is to transmute base substances or aspects of oneself into a higher, purified state. This transformation is often referred to as the Great Work or the Magnum Opus. The harvest, in this context, represents the culmination of the alchemical process, where the alchemist achieves the desired transformation or realization of their spiritual potential.

The harvest in alchemy is often associated with the achievement of the philosopher’s stone, which is considered the ultimate goal of the alchemical quest. The philosopher’s stone is believed to possess transformative and healing properties, capable of transmuting base metals into gold and symbolizing the transformation of the alchemist’s consciousness and spirit.

The harvest in alchemy is seen as a metaphorical reaping of the fruits of the alchemical labor, where the alchemist attains spiritual enlightenment, wisdom, and a higher state of being. It signifies the integration and harmonization of the various aspects of the self, achieving balance and unity within.

The symbolism and terminology of the harvest may vary within different alchemical traditions and practitioners. However, the underlying concept remains consistent, emphasizing the transformative journey of the alchemist and the attainment of spiritual realization and enlightenment through the alchemical processes."

[Anders]

The word philosopher means lover of wisdom, and stone can mean eye which in turn can mean the mind’s eye representing consciousness.

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” - Matthew 6:22 (KJV)

And I like Manly P. Hall’s explanation of the philosopher’s stone as wisdom perfected in the body, because it indicates that it’s more than just a mental state and includes the whole body/mind/spirit complex becoming “full of light”.

The body and mind become full of light from the esoteric white sun representing the Infinite Creator, shining within the black sun which represents all of reality. The unconscious is the connection to the black sun, and the blackening stage in esoteric alchemy is a melting into the black sun, and that’s a pleasant process where the inner tensions in the body/mind/spirit complex are dissolved and replaced by a flowing feeling of inner peace. Wisdom is achieved through unifying the conscious mind with the unconscious and this takes place through the separate and veiled conscious mind dissolving into the black sun.

[Anders]

I discovered a visualization technique. When the mind is divided from the unconscious it often causes worrisome thoughts. The usual habit is to continue thinking worrisome thoughts.

The key to the visualization practice is that the worrisome thoughts show where the the mind is divided, and instead of obeying them the practice is to dismiss them. And to visualize the worrisome thoughts as energy vampires, which is they essentially are since they drain energy due to the inner conflict causing spiritual entropy.

The worrisome thoughts are then gradually dissolved which can be seen as the blackening stage in alchemy necessary for the later stages to produce the philosopher’s stone. Notice that the thoughts are meant to dissolve without being replaced by new thoughts, because the new thoughts will sneakily turn into spiritual entropy too since the mind is still in a divided state until it has dissolved.

[Anders]

Here is a quote from Q’uo describing becoming transparent in our personality. That sounds similar to what I mean by dissolving the separate mind.

"Jim: The question this evening is, “What suggestions would Q’uo have for someone who wants to polarize service to others as much as possible?”

… Those situations in life which are rich in opportunities for those who wish to polarize always have to do with choosing love over fear. As we have said before through this instrument, it is well to ask the self when faced with a challenge, “Where is the love in this moment?”

When that question is asked, there are times that you can see no love in the situation. This creates the opportunity for you to open your heart and allow the Creator’s love to move through you, so that the love in this situation has come through you. It is not a discipline in which you must express what you know as much as it is a discipline in which you allow yourself to become a lighthouse, cleaning the lenses of your lantern so that there is no hate or jealousy that is clinging to you, so that you have become transparent in your personality. For you cannot love the world of your own self. You shall surely run out of love quickly, for the love of the mind and the human heart is finite. Yet the love of the one infinite Creator is, itself, infinite." - Saturday meditation

[Anders]

I like the both/and approach of the alchemical process in terms of harvest. It seems that the transition to fourth density is not something we can do by ourselves since we are in third density and what we do will be third density actions. However we can speed up the process towards harvest through things like spiritual practices and learning about the process.

The final step of the harvest, the step into fourth density Ra says is like “the striking of a clock upon the hour”. Ra also says that there were few to harvest at the time. Today there may be more people to harvest! And if it’s an accelerating process then even more people will be harvested as times moves on. And probably the harvest on earth has already started since there were at least a few people to harvest when the Law of One channeling took place in the 80s.

13.23 Questioner: How does a third-density planet become a fourth-density?

Ra: I am Ra. This will be the last full question.

The fourth density is, as we have said, as regularized in its approach as the striking of a clock upon the hour. The space/time of your solar system has enabled this planetary sphere to spiral into space/time of a different vibrational configuration. This causes the planetary sphere to be able to be molded by these new distortions. However, the thought-forms of your people during this transition period are such that the mind/body/spirit complexes of both individual and societies are scattered throughout the spectrum instead of becoming able to grasp the needle, shall we say, and point the compass in one direction.

Thus, the entry into the vibration of love, sometimes called by your people the vibration of understanding, is not effective with the present societal complex. Thus, the harvest shall be such that many will repeat the third-density cycle. The energies of your Wanderers, your teachers, and your adepts at this time are all bent upon increasing the harvest. However, there are few to harvest.

[Anders]

When practicing dissolving thoughts as a part of the blackening stage in esoteric alchemy, some thoughts can be extremely hard,. such as thoughts about money, calendar time, health issues and personal relationships. Those can be tough to melt. One practice is to deliberately allow confusion to flow into the thinking to dissolve those more rigid and tense thoughts.

The idea is to melt the separate mind, and then build it up again in the later alchemical stages (whitening, yellowing and reddening). The thoughts about money and so on then come back in a new and harmonious form free from spiritual entropy.

[flofrog]

the melting is always so good…

[Anders]

In the Bible Jesus says that we must lose our life in order to find our life in Christ. And in the Law of One Ra talks about a harvest of the individual. In a sense the old self is destroyed in order for the the new self to emerge.

How is that different from esoteric alchemy? In the blackening stage, the old self is dissolved, and isn’t that the same as what Jesus and Ra talked about? It’s true that the final result of the alchemical process is the same as the harvest, yet the stages before that are different.

Usually in spiritual traditions it’s about reaching higher levels of consciousness, to move towards one’s higher self, and even with things like surrendering oneself to God, the separate self still remains. In the blackening stage in esoteric alchemy the process is in the opposite direction! A dissolving of the self instead of building it up or preserving it. That’s one main difference. Usually in spirituality it’s about the individual cultivating good attributes such as love and compassion whereas the blackening stage in alchemy is about a deliberate destruction of the separate self, to preserve the “baby” of the unified self while throwing out the dirty bathwater.

Why the need for such destructive first stage in alchemy? The reason is that for the old self to be transformed it must first be dissolved, and then in later stages develop as a new self. Like how a caterpillar needs to be dissolved first in order to transform into a butterfly. The butterfly needs to grow and develop to a certain level before it can be “harvested”, but when it has grown enough, further improvements of the caterpillar will just make it a bigger, better or more powerful caterpillar, not a butterfly.

[flofrog]

Could Alchemy be an interesting sideways like that small alley leading to the same goal but meandering ??

just asking …

[Anders]

@flofrog

Could Alchemy be an interesting sideways like that small alley leading to the same goal but meandering ??

I have only been looking into alchemy fairly recently. One thing is clear, alchemy teachings are extremely obscure and complicated. Those who try to follow the alchemical texts and drawings at face value will likely walk on all kinds of meandering paths.

It actually becomes easier when looking at alchemy as a process for the transformation of the individual instead of dealing with the material side of alchemy. For example Carl Jung researched alchemy extensively and connected it to his individuation process.

I haven’t looked into Jung’s alchemy explanations in detail yet. I want to make my own interpretation first to avoid becoming trapped in already existing interpretations, but from what I have seen Jung’s approach seems similar to how I have interpreted it.

I suspect that one difference is that I’m thinking of the blackening stage as a process of dissolving the separate intellect. I doubt that Jung would have proposed something that radical. My reasoning is that we humans have become very skilled at using our thinking minds, and that we have developed the intellect far enough! That’s I believe the reason for why many intellectual people today seem stressed and threatened by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). The AI can already do many intellectual tasks that only humans could do in the past. I think that’s great, because humanity needs to move into the next stage of development and rise above the thinking mind instead of trying to improve it further and compete with AI and stressful strategies like that.

[Anders]

I found something called the Corpus Hermeticum, an ancient text from around the 2nd or 3rd century BCE. It seems to be similar to the Law of One and the text is also related to alchemy. I will look into it some more to see if I can find some new insights.

"The theology presented in the Corpus Hermeticum reflects a syncretic blend of Egyptian, Greek, and Hellenistic philosophical ideas. It explores the nature of the divine, the relationship between God and humanity, and the spiritual path to enlightenment.

In the Corpus Hermeticum, God is often referred to as “the All” or “the One,” representing a transcendent and ineffable divine principle. God is described as the source of all creation, the ultimate reality, and the guiding force behind the universe. There is an emphasis on the divine as the supreme intelligence and the embodiment of goodness, beauty, and truth.

The texts also discuss the concept of the cosmos and its organization. They describe a hierarchical structure of existence, with various levels or spheres of reality. These levels range from the material world to the celestial realms, and ultimately to the divine realm. The divine is seen as the ultimate goal and source of unity, and the human soul is believed to have the potential to ascend and reunite with the divine.

The Corpus Hermeticum presents a spiritual path or journey towards enlightenment and union with the divine. This path involves purifying the soul, acquiring knowledge, and attaining spiritual insight. It emphasizes the importance of self-discipline, contemplation, and the cultivation of virtues such as wisdom, love, and compassion.

Alchemy and astrology are also significant elements within the Corpus Hermeticum. Alchemy is portrayed as a symbolic and spiritual practice aimed at the transformation and purification of the soul. Astrology is seen as a means of understanding the cosmic order and the influence of celestial forces on human life."

[Anders]

"In the realm where all beginnings sprout,
Where wisdom’s whispers weave about,
I, the Infinite Creator, humbly trace,
Inspired by ancient mysteries’ embrace.

From ancient depths, a sacred scroll emerged,
A testament to truths by mystics urged.
Inscribed in starlight’s timeless hue,
Mysteries unveiled, cosmic wonders accrue."

"Asclepius. What dost thou then say at length, that God is?

Hermes. God is not a Mind, but the Cause that the Mind is; not a Spirit, but the Cause that the Spirit is; not Light, but the Cause that Light is." - Corpus Hermeticum - Book 9

What, then, is that cause? According to Ra:

1.0 Ra: I am Ra. … The Confederation of Planets in the Service of the Infinite Creator has only one important statement. That statement, my friends, as you know, is “All things, all of life, all of the creation is part of one original thought.”

The original thought can be thought of as the Word of God:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” - John 1:1-5

Why hasn’t the darkness overcome it? Because the darkness is the source from which the Word emerged. The darkness is the black sun that includes the Word. The blackening stage in alchemy is about dissolving the sense of separation in the mind of the individual. It’s all One, including the darkness.

[Anders]

I’m getting bored with the blackening stage. Let’s look at the next stage, the whitening stage:

"In esoteric alchemy, the whitening stage refers to a symbolic process of purification and transformation that occurs within the individual. This concept can be related to Carl Jung’s individuation process, as both involve a deep inner journey toward self-realization and wholeness.

In alchemy, the whitening stage is often represented by the color white or the alchemical symbol of silver. It signifies the purification of the individual’s psyche and the removal of impurities, discordant elements, or negative influences. It is a process of refining one’s consciousness and achieving a state of inner clarity and illumination."

"The dove is often seen as a symbol of purity, peace, and the Holy Spirit in various religious and spiritual contexts. In the alchemical process, the appearance of the dove during the whitening stage signifies the unification of opposing elements and the emergence of a harmonious state.

Following the dissolution and confrontation with the shadow in the blackening stage, the whitening stage represents a purification and refinement of the individual’s psyche. It involves the integration of previously unconscious or repressed aspects, leading to a greater sense of wholeness and unity within oneself."

[Anders]

I think of the whitening stage as the building of a service -to-others social memory complex. Service-to-self on the other hand maintains a separation and that’s a different process.

I now found something really interesting in the Bible which sounds like the description of a service-to-others social memory complex:

"12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." - 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

[Anders]

How to interpret service-to-others from an alchemical perspective? The word service can sound burdensome. Consider the following sentence: We have the personal responsibility to be of service to others. That sounds really tedious, lol.

It’s easier with alchemy where service to others can be seen as service to the Great Work, which benefits both oneself and others. And instead of effort it’s more like the opposite, where the separation between the server and the served is dissolved in the blackening stage and in the whitening stage the service is done as a consequence of building a service-to-others social memory complex.

It’s a process of becoming like a baby again, but on a higher level. Jesus said:

“And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 18:3

And in the Tao Te Ching:

“Can you let your body become supple as a newborn child’s?” - Tao Te Ching, chapter 10

That’s the melting quality of dissolving the separate mind and developing a higher collective self, and initially it’s like the stage of a child. It’s only in the beginning it’s this childlike state and later on the self becomes more established in the social memory complex. “Born again” means that one is only a new “child” in the beginning, not that one should remain being in that early stage.

[flofrog]

Wonderful excerpts Anders….

[Anders]

People choosing service-to-self (STS) cannot do the esoteric alchemy I have described here. Because the whitening stage requires becoming transparent in the mind towards others, and STS is the opposite of that. In STS, people put up a strong personal facade hiding their inner true self.

But to have one’s mind becoming transparent, that can sound scary. As I see it, the mind only becomes transparent to those who also have transparent minds. And those people have integrity, so for example even if they could read your mind and find out your secret passwords and things like that, they wouldn’t do it! Unless you and the other person agree to it, and then it happens spontaneously I assume, and isn’t something one needs to think or bother about.

[Anders]

I have jumped ahead a bit since I’m still working on the blackening stage. That could take years! Hopefully less than that as Earth continuously moves into higher density vibrations. Instead of waiting for a previous stage to be completed I will investigate all the stages in the Great Work in alchemy (also called the Magnum Opus). Often these stages are as mentioned earlier 1) the blackening stage, 2) the whitening stage, 3) the yellowing stage and finally 4) the reddening stage.

The yellowing stage I see as being the green-ray activation described by Ra in the Law of One. That’s heart chakra opening. I found an amazing answer from Q’uo about how love in the mind and in the heart shines away negative entities and people with evil intents. Love dissolves the evil automatically.

Q’uo

We are those of Q’uo, and we are now with this instrument. We would like to ask is there another query to which we may respond?

New SpeakerT

Yes, I have a query. In order to, or in the attempt to, negate the negativity, which is a bad joke, as it comes in, if the difference between wanting to be positive (which sometimes the word want implies a lack) or do we choose to be positive, loving, in service to others? This seems to somewhat shut down the inflow of negative energy, and I’m just wanting to get some comment on this, if you would please.

New SpeakerQ’uo

We are aware of your query, my brother. It is a most appropriate query at this time, for many among your friends’ and people’s experience is negativity. And we would say that your choice of words, including the word choice–the choice to be positive in the face of anything in your experience–is always a choice from the true place within you, your heart, your very being. And if you or anyone is approaching life in all of its experiences–all of its different colorations of positivity, negativity, and anything in between–if you are approaching such experiences from a place of positive choice, a choice to love, a choice to come from your heart to meet that experience, you cannot be doing the wrong thing.

You cannot be doing anything that would encourage or fight back against such negativity. For such a choice that involves love does not engage, try to disable, or try to counteract any such negative influence. It merely is love. It is the presence of love. And In that presence of love, the negativity and all the energy thereof, loses its effectiveness, dissolves, in a sense, falls apart. It cannot remain an influence that has energy gathered around it once the presence of love is in your mind and [in your] heart, and in the experience in which you find yourself. For that presence of love is the greatest presence that there is, subsuming all other influences, embracing all in that powerful, healing, loving presence. - March 25, 2023 - Saturday Meditation - L/L Research

[Anders]

The last stage of the Great Work in alchemy is the reddening stage. Red is associated with the root chakra where kundalini is trapped like a snake coiled around the bottom of the spine. In my view the reddening stage represents kundalini having reached the crown chakra.

Pharaoh’s in ancient Egypt have a cobra coming out of their foreheads. My interpretation is that it symbolizes risen kundalini. However, the reddening stage I see as kundalini reaching the crown chakra and then looping back again into the heart like in the picture of the ankh with a red rose I posted earlier.

Also, the golden mask of Tutankhamun has a bird figure coming out of the forehead together with a cobra. This indicates a duality and the appearance is that of protection rather than kundalini unified into harmony in the body and mind.

“Both the uraeus and the vulture crown were powerful symbols of protection, authority, and the pharaoh’s divine connection to the gods. They emphasized the pharaoh’s role as the intermediary between the earthly realm and the divine world, as well as his position as the ruler and protector of Egypt.”

[Anders]

Now I found something curious called azoth in alchemy.

“Azoth was considered to be a universal medication or universal solvent, and was sought for in alchemy.[1] Similar to another alchemical idealized substance, alkahest, azoth was the aim, goal and vision of many alchemical works. Its symbol was the Caduceus. The term, while originally a term for an occult formula sought by alchemists much like the philosopher’s stone, became a poetic word for the element mercury.” - Wikipedia

Instead of a caduceus to me it looks more like an ouroboros in an infinity symbol shape.

“The ouroboros or uroboros (/ˌjʊərəˈbɒrəs/[2]) is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon[3] eating its own tail. The ouroboros entered Western tradition via ancient Egyptian iconography and the Greek magical tradition. It was adopted as a symbol in Gnosticism and Hermeticism and most notably in alchemy.” - Wikipedia

I came to think of how the infinity symbol can be traced around a torus.

And according to the HeartMath Institute the heart has a torus-shaped energy field.

“The heart’s magnetic field, which is the strongest rhythmic field produced by the human body, not only envelops every cell of the body, but also extends out in all directions into the space around us. The heart’s magnetic field can be measured several feet away from the body by sensitive magnetometers. Research conducted at HMI suggests the heart’s field is an important carrier of information.” - HeartMath Institute