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Art and Science of the Alchemist

Alchemy is the art and science of self-transformation. Despite associations with the search for the fountain of youth, however, alchemy has little to do with what we think of as "self-improvement." The alchemist does not transform the everyday self.

The alchemist, rather, seeks to transform a deeper and more subtle part of herself. The material of the alchemist lies beyond her personality, looks, feelings, and thoughts. This deeper part of herself she might call "the essential self."

The essential self consists at first only in simple presence and attention that operate independently from the body, mind, and emotions. Her aim is to develop that raw attention and presence into a series of higher and more subtle bodies. Each of these higher bodies corresponds to a higher world or higher dimension of reality.

The point of becoming able to traverse the higher realms is to be able to become an expression and servant of the divine. To become able to do the will of God on planes beyond the ordinary--and so also on this plane--is the true purpose of the alchemist.

The goal of alchemy, self-transformation, can be broken down conceptually into at least two sub-goals:
1) To balance the four elements within the entire lifetime.
2) To establish the dominion of the quintessence--also called the governing Intelligence or the Holy Guardian Angel--over this lifetime; to put it in charge so that every moment of life becomes an expression of that governing intelligence.

Each of these two sub-goals deserves a little explanation. The four elements are familiar to many: earth, air, fire, and water. These are not regarded as the ordinary things with the same names, but rather as basic constituents of reality that bear similar characteristics to those familiar objects. The element of earth, for example, is cold, dense, and stable and can be thought of as making up the greater part of familiar things that bear those characteristics.

The four elements make up the mind, body, and emotions of the personal self. Before a person can focus on building up more subtle parts of the self, she must first master the more ordinary parts of self so that they do not dominate her energy and attention. To balance the four elements is to achieve that mastery.

Once the elements are perfectly balanced in their dynamic interaction, the lifetime becomes free in a physical sense. It ceases to become a hindrance and instead becomes available as a resource for generating and attracting substances she will need for transforming the essential self.

So far I have said what the goals of alchemy are, but not how to achieve them. Alchemy is, again, the art and science of achieving those goals. It is no more a step-by-step process, though, than is making love or creating a great work of art.

Many abstruse texts have been written on alchemy. They contain colorful symbolism and no one seems to agree on what they mean. In part this is because they refer in large part to sexual practices, yet were written at a time when talking about such subjects openly would mean a death sentence for the author.

The universal guidelines encoded in the ancient manuscripts involve the careful conservation of sexual and emotional energies, as well as the production, attraction, and circulation of special substances necessary for the development of higher bodies.

But even if we decode the ancient texts completely, we will never arrive at a mechanical method for self-transformation. This is because the way the alchemist works with her own body, energies, mind, and heart reflects a sacred covenant between the person and her Angel.

My basic alchemical technique is to commit to doing everything my Angel says.

Another tool which has, miraculously, come to light is the Aka Dua. I believe that Aka Dua is none other than the Philosopher's Stone. In my experience, the Aka Dua refines and purifies the character of everything it touches, according to the intent of the user.

The seven varieties of Aka Dua correspond with the seven metals / Planets / chakras as well as to the Seven Bodies the development of which is the initial goal of alchemy. Those frequencies seemed to be attuned to those different spheres of existence. The activation of various types of Aka Dua in conjunction with corresponding chakras offers a direct fortification of the higher bodies.

We live in an age of miracles and don't even realize it.

 Eric N. Peterson is a Toltec priest and member of The Tequihua Foundation, a Riverside, Southern CA nonprofit whose mission is to continue the ancient consciousness-transforming arts of the Toltecs. The Aka Dua is an energy prepared by a particular Toltec line. The Aka Dua assists in the alchemical process of transformation by which an ordinary human becomes the shaman.

www.tequihuafoundation.org