Visionary Heart Alchemy

Until very recently Gold was on of the primary standards of wealth, and though money is no longer backed by it, it still caries the connotation of wealth. Since the creation of gold is one of the central metaphors of Alchemy it is reasonable to talk about alchemy as creating wealth. The question is what kind of wealth are we talking about here? While I have already said that the core goal of alchemy is aimed at something less tangible then gold, I also said that part of the reason for using a metaphor is that it can contain multiple layers of meaning. I think the creation of monetary wealth has an authentic place in ‘legitimate’ application of the art and science of alchemy though the motivation for doing so will be different for Global Alchemist as I am meaning here (see Intro to the Alchemical Wealth Building Blog). In addition to transforming lead into gold, the same Philosopher’s Stone that is named as the agent for that transformation is also described as have the capacity to heal all ailments and even grant eternal life. So the wealth of health is also clearly indicated. As was mentioned in the goal of alchemy post it is widely known in spiritual circles that Alchemy was intended to create Spiritual Wealth which encompasses within it all forms of psychological and inner wealth. I call this Alchemical Wealth which includes the Ultimate Alchemical Wealth which is the core goal of alchemy and Relative Alchemical Wealth such as rich inner qualities. Thus the skillful means of alchemy can be applied to create any kind of wealth, inner or outer. Of coarse the central aim is the Ultimate Wealth of your own True Nature but there is a special kind of relative wealth that is far more valuable then all others kinds of relative wealth because it has very special qualities. I call this Alchemical Karmic Wealth

Alchemical Karmic Wealth is a very special form karmic wealth. I will be explaining Karmic Wealth in depth in future posts when I discuss the Principle of Karma Mechanics. In brief one way to model how Karma operates is to think of it as a kind of currency and all the things you experience get purchased with Karmic Currency. It is important to emphasis that this is just a metaphor to help understand how to use The Principle of Karma Mechanics and not literal description. It is a map and the map is not the territory. Every thing we think, say or do makes deposits of karmic currency into specific accounts. There are a huge number of individual accounts and the deposits made in those accounts can only be spent on the “things” that account is specified for. Without the application of special methods all deposits will eventually get spent and I will talk about the mechanisms of that spending when I explore Karma Mechanics in detail. Until the deposits get spent they accumulate interest. Some of these accounts are to by things that no one wants to buy but will eventually these deposits will get spent to buy them none the less. These are what people label as the negative experiences in their lives. Other accounts will ‘purchase’ the things considered desirable. However it is possible to mismanage even these accounts. That is to say it is possible to cause the deposits to be spent but because the purchases don’t support your Visionary Heart Path they don’t create any lasting satisfaction and can distract you from your Visionary Heart Path.

Alchemical Karmic Wealth is a special account that operates differently then any other kind of account. First, Alchemical Karmic Wealth is a general fund and any kind of relative phenomena can be purchased from but only if it will enhance your Visionary Heart Path. Second you can only spend the interest. That way you are always creating new Alchemical Wealth and with each new deposit the rate you create new wealth increase. These qualities make even small deposits in the Alchemical Wealth far more valuable then any other kind of deposit. Once you commit to the Core Intention it is easy to create Alchemical Wealth all day long. Learning how to manage and work with these Karmic Accounts is one of the hidden keys to all success both ordinary and sublime and is largely missing from most modern success methods including the more esoteric inclusive ones that include the so called ‘law of attraction’. As will be explained when I discuss Karma Mechanics in more detail, lack of this key can cause the application of the ‘law of attraction’ to have some very unfortunate side effects.

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The goal of Visionary Heart Alchemy is the goal of all spiritual alchemy. The central goal of alchemy is the transformation of lead (or some other ‘lesser’ metal) into gold. It is widely known in spiritually literate circles that this is a metaphor (which, by the way, appears in both western and eastern historical traditions of alchemy). But why the need for the metaphor, why not just say it plainly. There are several reasons for this. First and foremost is that their really is no way to plainly say what the goal of alchemy is. It lies outside of the realm that language is capable of conveying directly. In system of eastern origin the ultimate goal is often called enlightenment but that doesn’t really tell you anything. Because enlightenment has to do with Absolute Truth there any concepts you have about it will be partial, paradoxical and/or misleading. The Buddha provisionally described it as begin being free from all suffering but that is just a motivational touchstone and beside who can truly imagine being free from all suffering. The way most people try to conceive of this is imagining all relative phenomena being exactly as the think they want it but that is not how it actually works. In the western Hermetic and Alchemical Traditions is called accomplishing the Great Work but that doesn’t tell you anything more then “achieving enlightenment” does.

Another reason for the use of a metaphor is that metaphors, when applied in different contexts, can provide multiple meanings that are distinct but connected. The metaphor of changing lead into gold can be meaningfully applied at multiple levels within alchemy as a whole. For example when the procedure of transforming lead into gold into is examined it can be seen to apply to both inner transformation and to the transformation of what is experienced as outer reality.

It should be clear that there is no way to define the aim of alchemy in concrete and absolute terms. However, I will give several ways to think about it to help orient you in the right direction, because while there is no one correct way to conceive of the goal or goals of visionary heart alchemy (or alchemy in general) there are incorrect ways.

I have already mention that one way to describe the goal is the complete realization of Principle of the Two Truths and as the crucial step to that, coming to direct realization of Absolute Truth. An aspect of this realization is knowing who you actually are.

The most essential transformation that alchemy accomplishes is that of consciousness. The Absolute Truth of who you are can be called Unconditioned Awareness. Consciousness is the conditioned reflection of this into the domain of relative reality. Consciousness is the most fundamental or absolute aspect of your relative self but it is still relative and thus transformable and it is the transformation of this that is root goal of Personal/Visionary Heart Alchemy.

This transformation can be described in many ways. It is the transformation of ignorance of who one is into ‘knowing’ who one is. This knowing is of both the absolute you and the relative you. It is the transformation of bondage to conditioning to freedom from that bondage.

Consciousness is the most fundamental aspect of our relative being and thus the ultimate focus of our transformational efforts. However, the Principle of Interdependence teaches us that all relative phenomena are interdependent, and thus transformation of consciousness can be facilitated by transforming other relative elements including our energetic and physical makeup and even what we experience as outside of ourselves.

So far we have looked at the goal of alchemy in way that is oriented towards the Absolute Truth. This is called the ascending current. There is also a descending current oriented towards the relative. Together, these currents are the AC (alternating current) power source of alchemical transformation. This alternating current is an operant expression of the Principle of Two Truths. That is all I will say for now on this topic.

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At the most exoteric level of understanding Karma is explained in way not very different from the Christian/Islamic idea of heaven and hell. Basically when you die you appear before Yama, the lord of death, and your good karma is weighed against your bad and the balance sheet indicates what kind of rebirth you will get. In the case of Buddhism there are Six Possible Major Realms you can go. Three are considered, more or less unfortunate and three, more or less fortunate. Each realm has sub realms and, in all, they form a continuum from extreme happiness to Extreme Suffering, Heaven to Hell. It should be noted that this does significantly deviate from the common Christian and Islamic conception in that ones existence in any of these realms is never eternal. At this level of conception Karma is view more or less as a system of reward and punishment. To all further understandings, this level of understanding is known as a provisional truth. There is no external being distributing reward and punishment. It is only true for the result it brings. It has no other basis. The result it brings is the guidance of behavior of those who because of the depth of their delusion can’t comprehend any more subtle understanding and only be motivated by fear of punishment and hope for reward. This is an important developmental crutch for those who need it. The Behaviors that are thought at this level to lead to punishment tend to obscure the mind in ways that prevent more subtle understanding from being possible and the ones thought of as leading to reward create potentials that can lead to greater understanding. So however limited this level of view is it serves an invaluable function for those whose developmental stage requires it.

At the next level of understanding, Karma is understood to be simply a revelation of the mechanics of cause and effects. The behaviors that were thought to bring punishment are now understood to simply create causes that result in undesirable effects and the behaviors that were thought to bring reward are now understood to simply create causes that result in desirable results. Even to deeper levels of understanding this understanding is not considered provisional because it accurate as far as it goes. Causes do create corresponding results. Apple seeds produce Apple trees and more apples not lemons. From here on, the deeper levels of exposition simply convey more subtlety and nuance as to how it actually works.

At the next level of understanding it understood that the motivation for actions shapes the kind of effects that will result. This doesn’t negate the previous understanding. Causes do lead to effects. However the motivation for actions greatly effect the kind of cause that is created and thus the effect. Lying to protect you own ego creates a different result then lying to protect the feelings of someone else. Telling your grandmother that she looks very beautiful in her Easter dress, even though you think it is ugly will create a positive cause even though lying in general should be avoided, if the reason really is compassion towards your grandmas feelings. Now if you said the same lie because grandma can be very sharp tongued herself and you just didn’t want to listen to her berate you then the cause created would be different.

At still subtler levels karma is seen to operate by reinforcing that state of consciousness and style of perception that engender a behavior. A simplistic example is that killing reinforces the perception that the world is hostile, causing one to perceive threat and be hostile, leading to situations that such a person feels the need to kill.

I am only giving the barest of explanations of the Buddhist view of karma here because my purpose is to convey understanding of how relative truths change according to the development of individuals. I will be talking at great lengths about Karma in future posts because it is an often misunderstood topic that has great relevance to Global Alchemy.

In my next post I will explore another example from Buddhism to illustrate the Principle of Two Truths.

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