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 Visionary Heart Path is where the ‘rubber’ of the Universal Core Intention meets the ‘road’ of the specific relative conditions of the individual. While the core intention is universal, each person’s path to the growth mandated by the core intention and the way they will benefit beings is personal and called one’s Visionary Heart Path. This is akin to what some people call ones life purpose or mission. However these terms tend to imply there is someone other then oneself who has given this purpose to you. If your spiritual tradition includes the belief in some creator outside of yourself who gave you your life then that way of understanding the Visionary Heart Path may be appropriate for you and will work well enough as a starting place. However my Visionary Heart Path has lead me to a different understanding in which the eternalist implications of life purpose are problematic. However there is some core truths that the concept of life purpose is leaning towards that are very useful. There are ways of engaging life that will feel meaningful and ways that won’t and there is no way to intellectually choose which is which. For example while being a doctor would certainly a way to benefit beings. But it may not be your way. It won’t be satisfying life choice in that case.

Even though it has a two-fold expression, the Core Intention is single and unchanging. Because the Visionary Heart Path is dependent on relative conditions it never fixed and is always plural. The specifics of the Visionary Heart Path are shaped by the intersection of the Core Intention, the relative truth of who you are (as opposed to the Absolute Truth of who you are) and by the needs of all beings. Because who you are in the relative sense is always changing as are the relative needs of all beings, so to do the specific expression of your Visionary Heart Path. An example might help here. Say you got inspired to right a book that would be great benefit to lots of people. At the same time got inspired to produce a movie with a very powerful and important message. You decided to act on the movie and by the time you are done with that project someone else wrote and published a book very much like what you intended. Both inspirations could be considered authentic expression of your Visionary Heart Path. Choosing one over the other didn’t constitute a divergence from your Visionary Heart Path. Now at this point the needs of beings has changed, someone else wrote the “needed” book, and you’ve changed as well. May be this was your first time involved with making a movie and you discovered you loved. Or perhaps your talent at it has grown and now a movie project that needed those new skills to do it justice comes to mind. It may then be that it would no longer be deep expression of your Visionary Heart Path to write the book you where previously inspired. It could still be and I will provide ways to discover that in future posts. The points are that just because something had the potential to be life choice in alignment with you visionary Heart Path at one time doesn’t mean it will always be so and that there are often multiple possibilities for engaging life that all have equal authenticity as expressions of your Visionary Heart Path. (This example also demonstrate the Principle of Spontaneous Compassionate Responsiveness)

Because the fullness of life itself always overflows the conceptual minds ability to hold it, so to does the Visionary Heart Path, which is the living of life in alignment with the Core Intention, overflow bounds of conception. (see Life Is Weird). There is non way to map completely out in advance. The Core Intention is like the pole star by which you can always orient yourself on your journey even if you don’t know the terrain. It is even more like the Star that Guided the Magi. They had no idea where they where going or, in full measure, what they would find when they got their but using it as their guide they arrived at a exactly the right place.

So you can see it is not possible to make a single declarative statement about what your Visionary Heart Path is. However it is possible to formulate action intentions that are aligned with your Visionary Heart Path. These are known as support intentions (or objective once they are articulated as goals) I will be giving instruction for this in future posts. For now just understand these intentions are not fixed and must continually be evaluated to see if they continue to be aligned with the Core Intention and thus authentic possibilities for your Visionary Heart Path. These are the things that are declared as what may be changed or sacrificed. Like all relative expressions these intentions can become prey to our habits of dogmatic fixations and we will cling to them even when they no longer function in the context of our Visionary Heart Path. The only thing of Ultimate Relevance is the Core Intention and we must be willing to sacrifice all relative consideration if we desire the supreme result of alchemy (and the metaphor of lead into gold barely scratches the surface of how valuable that is) . The key word is willing. It is not that we must sacrifice all relative considerations, just that no specific consideration must be beyond that willingness. Often the need for something to be sacrifice is the unwillingness to sacrifice it. The ‘forces’ that are put into play by the declaration of our intent may force the sacrifice if our unwillingness to sacrifice is an obstacle. Had willingness been present then those same ‘forces’ would not have forced the sacrifice (These ‘forces’ will be explained in future posts.)

Technorati Tags: Core Intention, eternalism, sacrifice, Visionary Heart Path

One ‘truism’ I have spoken aloud for much of my life that has never encountered even a little bit of resistance is that “Life Is Weird”. No one has ever said in response “What do you mean?” or “I disagree”. Mostly people nod their head emphatically often with a smile forming on their face. In my late teens I modified the statement to “Life is weirder then you think.” Still no one argued. Then in my early 20,s I was listening to Deepak Chopra on tape and he said “Life is weirder then you can think”

With that statement Deepak hit the nail square on the head. Life even in the fullness of its relative aspects is bigger, deeper and vaster then the thinking mind can ever grasp. To it, life will always display a quality of weirdness. That even the relative aspects of life overflow the conceptual minds limits is an indication of the inseparability of the Absolute and the relative. Life is weird is acknowledgment of the Absolute Truth that every one can relate to because it conforms to our lived experience.

One the designation for Absolute Truth I especially like is ‘Great Mystery’ found among Native American traditions (I don’t know if it is in all of them or not). For those who have not lost (or have regained) their childlike wonder life’s weirdness can be experienced as Great Mystery winking at us

I will close this with another related quote. (I remember it from Angel Tech by Antero Ali but I don’t remember if he was quoting someone else or not)

“Life is a Mystery not so much to be figured out, but lived.”

Technorati Tags: Absolute Truth, Great Mystery, Principle of the Two Truths

The Core Intention Commitment Statement is a declaration that a you repeats on a daily basis in support the alignment of your life to the Core Intention. While the specific words one uses to express the core intention are not critical there are some guidelines that need to followed in order to fully implement the power of the Principle of the Core Intention.

1. It must be an expression of absolute commitment. To get the maximum benefit from the power of the Core Intention one must absolutely commit to it. It must become the absolute bottom line in your decision making process .
2. It must be an expression of choice. You are the one choosing to commit to living out the core intention. No one is forcing you
3. you must make the choice irrevocable. This is can be a scary element but making the choice irrevocable will magnify the transformative power of the commitment immeasurably.
4. The core intention should not be limited in scope. You don’t want to limit it to some particular expression of identity unless that particular identity is meant to encompass all aspect of life. For example the core intention shouldn’t be something like being the best businessperson you can be or the best athlete you can be even if you think that is how you can best benefit beings. These can be formulated later as support intentions as expressions of your visionary heart path but they are too limited in scope to be the core intention. On the other hand if you have some word or phrase from a spiritual tradition you practice that represents the highest attainment a human being is capable of then it is appropriate to use it even if it seems specific. Achieve enlightenment, Accomplish the Great Work, become a Master Sacred Warrior, bring forth the fire from within, become One with God, become perfect servant of the goddess, become an Ipsissimus.
5. The core intention can be expressed as an achievable end - enlightenment - or as an ongoing process, -walking the beauty way.
6. The two parts of the core intention must be connected, for example achieving enlightenment for the sake of being of maximum benefit to all beings.
7. it must include the understanding that the everything else is sacraficable to the end of achieving the core intention.. This also may seem scary but it must be understood the living you core intention is the source of all fulfillment. Anything that is not in alignment with the core intention will not actually bring satisfaction except of the most superficial and fleeting kind, No real benefit ever comes directly from activity or pursuits that aren’t congruent with the core intention. (one may if one is smart gain learning and insight that are of potential benefit but this potential is only activated by pursuing the core activity and these benefits would have been gained more efficiently by pursuing the core objective to begin with.)

The following template may be used as a guide.

I vow and irrevocably choose to be absolutely committed to (personal expression of achieving maximum actualization of the human potential) so that I may be of maximum benefit to all beings. All the other objectives and intentions I set are to support this Core Intention and may be sacrificed or changed in service to it.

It is important to note that this statement doesn’t need to, and in fact should not conform to what are commonly considered guidelines for formulating good goals. The Core Intention commitment statement need not be very specific in the way a goal should be. If your spiritual tradition has a specific attainment that expresses the maximum potential of human life then that part can be specific. In most case even where specific terms exist what they actually mean is usually somewhat vague and hard for the conceptual mind to grasp. The only specificity in the ‘benefit to beings’ section is that it be maximum or greatest. The Core Intention Commitment Statement should not indicate how you will be of maximum benefit. The “How you will be of benefit’ is related to the Visionary Heart Paths. You can’t actually know what maximum benefit is and you don’t need to know it to intend to be it. In life, you must make choices and it is with each of these choices that you decides as best as you are able to choose with the core intention as the primary guideline. With each of these choices you will never know with conceptual certainty what the greatest benefit is. One can merely choose according to ones current capacity and understanding. That is all that is required to remain congruent with the Core Intention.

The Core Intention is not measurable and may not even seem attainable. The only aspect of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timetable-able) goals that applies to the Core Intention Commitment Statement is relevance. The Core Intention is the most relevant of all intentions.

It may seem that committing to the Core Intention is committing to massive austerities. But, in most instances, this is not the case. The Core Intention is a universal intention. The specific way one lives in order to fulfill that intention is unique and personal. This unique and personal path is called ones visionary heart path. Ones visionary path is not a static, predetermined thing. It is a dynamic; ever changing unfolding that is shaped by many factors including your special talents and you deep heart felt passions. It almost always contains multiple options. The Visionary Heart Path will be covered in more detail in a future post.

The purpose of the Core Intention Commitment Statement is to help you align yourself and you activities with the Core Intention and consciously set oneself on ones Visionary Heart Path. It aims your life at the only thing that can bring real and lasting satisfaction. It is seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven so that all else may be added unto you

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In the success and empowerment literature, there is much talk about finding your life purpose or mission and varying methods for articulating what this is for you. However, in my view, the methods they give skip over a crucial step - Articulating and committing to the Core Intention. Articulating the Core Intention is relatively easy because it is actually, in essences, the same for everyone. The Core Intention is an expression of the Absolute Truth of who you are and is thus unchanging, universal and has nothing to do with any of the relative conditions of your existence. It is an active expression of the Visionary Heart and is also another way of talking about the goal of alchemy composed of two elements: the intent to achieve the highest potential of a human being and the intention to be of maximum benefit to all life. These two elements which are reflections from the Principle of Two Truths and are inseparable. One can only be of maximum benefit to all life by actualizing ones fullest potential and one cannot actualize ones fullest potential without the intention to be of maximum benefit. A life built around this understanding will be fulfilling, meaningful and powerful. It doesn’t matter if you do this intentionally because you are aware of the principle or intuitively/spontaneously, the result is the same. Failure to build your life around this understanding, either intentionally or spontaneously, is the root of all dissatisfaction. The more completely you apply this principle by absolutely committing to living out of this core intention, the more complete and lasting your satisfaction will and the more powerful you will be.

The specific words one initially chooses to use to articulate this to oneself are not critical. Whatever words that best express this intention, according to your current insight and understanding, will serve as the perfect starting place. Over time the words one uses to articulate this may change as one acquires new learning, understanding and insight. While the words may change the essential meaning will remain the same.

However one chooses to represent this core intention to oneself, one must choose to fully commit oneself to it. Fulfilling this intention is the only intention one must set in order to have a meaningful and fulfilling life. It is possible to live ones life with this as the only intention. One can set support objectives if one chooses and this can be very helpful in building your life around your core intention, however if one has absolute commitment to the Core Intention and can remain mindful of this continuously throughout the day then one would spontaneously act in ways that support the intention. The Principle of the Core Intention was expressed by Jesus as “Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and All else shall be Added unto you.” Accomplishing the Core Intention is another way of talking about the goal of alchemy. Committing to the Core Intention is committing to achieving the goal of alchemy

The benefits of genuine commitment to the Core Intention are immeasurable. It is essentially the engaged aspect of the Visionary Heart and is thus the means by which the Philosopher’s Stone of the Visionary Heart will transform you, your life and the word. It is through the Core Intention that you will use the substance of your life in all its aspects as the fuel for the supreme transformation. While the full benefits are immeasurable specific benefits of this alignment can be named. These will be elaborated upon in the contexts they apply to in future post but just to give you a taste:

• By creating congruence with the ‘Enlightened Intent’ of the True Nature of Reality, it puts the inertia of Universe (evolution) behind you
• It gives Wisdom Guidance more power to shape the circumstance of your life in way that benefit you.
• It is the key to generating Alchemical Wealth all day long
• It discourages expending ‘Karmic Currency’ on things that won’t actually bring satisfaction.
• It attracts, enlists and enables other beings aligned with the Core Intention to help you.

The Principle of the Visionary Heart Path is the relative truth compliment to the Core Intentions expression of Absolute Truth and is the meeting of the Core Intention with the ever changing conditions of relative existence. I will elaborate on the Visionary Heart Path in a future post. Next I will give instruction on creating a Core Intention Commitment State that will help engaging the power of Principle of the Core Intention

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These core skill categories represent the fundamentals of just about every method of personal transformation that has every existed. Even basic competence in these 11 skill sets will allow for greater expression of the true human potential then most people even imagine. Mastering them will put you in the company of the great adepts.

The Activation and Cultivation of the Visionary Heart both develops and utilizes many of these core skills. While it is fruitful to devote time and attention to cultivating each skill set individually, the systematic training of Visionary Heart Alchemy will cover most of the bases.

Relaxation
Relaxation may be the most fundamental skill in that it directly supports all the other skills and most directly affects them. a great many alchemies have the ability to relax as a primary component. The skill of relaxation relates both to the physical and mental dimensions. (energetic as well). At a basic level , mastery of this skill is the ability to mental and physically relax in any situation.  This level of mastery would require the support of other skill most notably integration and intentional state change. The initial approach to the development of this skill is to learn to systematically progressively relax by intention.  Basic proficiency is to be able, in conducive circumstances, to nearly instantly enter a state of profound relaxation and to have a solid trigger for relaxation that can be used in any circumstance

Breathing
Breathing is also a very fundamental skill. Some degree of cultivation will be directly involved with the development of the relaxation skill. The way one breathes while relaxed is very different then when one is tense, fearful, angry etc. Breathing is one of the most directly accessible means for changing one state. Breath is the only autonomic function of the body that a certain degree of conscious control of is possible for everyone without any training. Anybody can hold their breath for a certain period of time. Almost anyone can choose to take a deeper breath then they normally take or slower breath or a faster breath. Breathing regulates our access to the most essential substance to our survival - air. We can go for weeks without food, days without water, but after 6 or 7 minutes with out air and you’re in serious trouble.

The skill of breathing at its most elaborate level has several factors: Depth and speed of breath; Length of time of holding the breath in and/or out; Rhythm; chest/abdominal respiration; Mouth/nose respiration: locks that determine where the breath is held. Mastery of this skill is the ability to set the breathing to a particular combination of these elements and maintain it indefinitely. Mastery also includes breathing that is spontaneously appropriate to any given need. This is the opposite of what is the case for most people. Also included is the knowledge and ability in a wide variety of patterns for various effects

The initial cultivation is simply learning to breath slowly, deeply and primarily  abdominally; this along with learning to relax the exhale, neither pushing it, nor controlling it. A few basic patterns for various needs should also be learned (Circular Breathing, 3 fold (inhale, hold, exhale, all equal), 4 fold  (inhale, hold, exhale, hold all equal), , alternate nostril breathing, and fire breathing are few ).

Great care needs to be taken in working with the breath. It is extremely powerful, and other then basic patterns, should only be explored under the guidance of a skilled teacher. Due to information age many breathing practices that where once secret are now available to anyone who can read. Many of these should not be undertaken with out skilled guidance. This warning is very sincere. The power of breath should not be underestimated or taken lightly.

Concentration (Attention/Focus)
This is the ability to choose how and on what you hold your attention. At there most fundamental level most alchemies, including most of the skill categories are ways of holding attention in particular ways to get particular results. In that it is the basis for every other skill it can be considered the most functionally important. This includes ordinary concentration such as listening well, paying attention during a class or a business meeting and extraordinary concentration which is to concentrate on one thing to the exclusion of all other thoughts for a prolonged period of time.

The ordinary level of concentration is really a subset of presence in that if you are being present/mindful then you are focused on what is before you, although presence/mindfulness is something more.

Extraordinary concentration is actually a nearly superhuman feat. Anyone can actually develop it but it may be the hardest skill to develop. Yet it will yield unimaginable results. The benefit of developing this skill are too numerous to mention here but will greatly intensify the power of all the other skills, create a foundation for a much greater degree of freedom then most people imagine. Mastery of this extraordinary concentration is a form of what is called, in Sanskrit, samadhi. This state of extraordinary concentration is slightly different then what one uses for concentrating on a conversation, never the less development of extraordinary concentration will directly and powerfully impact ordinary concentration. So one develops them both by developing extraordinary concentration

There is no single skill that can contribute as much to the success of any endeavor as the ability to direct and hold you attention in accordance with intention.

Presence (Mindfulness)
This is in one sense a type of concentration in that it has to do with the way you hold your attention in an undistracted fashion. On the other hand it is completely the opposite of extraordinary concentration in that in extraordinary concentration you are narrowing your concentration to a single point and it is focused on an object (external or internal or process) while  mindfulness/presence is expansive, all encompassing, and objectless. It is remaining completely undistracted in the moment with all your sense fields wide open but without fixating on any particular object.

There is also ordinary mindfulness and extraordinary mindfulness in this case however the term is slightly misleading because ordinary mindfulness is not very ordinary at all. Very few people posses it. Ordinary mindfulness is the power of extraordinary concentration combined with the interactive functionality of ordinary concentration and then expanded into objectlessness. Extraordinary mindfulness is also called resting in the natural state and is the fastest path to enlightenment for those capable of doing it. It is completely beyond the scope of this work and cannot be learned from a book or a tape or from anywhere other then someone who has himself or herself mastered it. The only reliable place I know to find such are the masters of Vajrayana Buddhism particularly the Nyingma and Kagyu schools.

Ordinary mindfulness is actually the main goal of extraordinary concentration. While extraordinary concentration does have many applications in various alchemies and state changes, it really fruits in its support of presence /mindfulness. One doesn’t, however, have to master extraordinary concentration to begin cultivating mindfulness. The primary method for cultivation mindfulness is meditation.

It would be useful to discuss the term meditation. Nearly all the primary skills have been described by someone or another as meditation, particularly concentration, relaxation, sensualization, certain aspects of state change and breathing.  This isn’t necessarily wrong in that all of these can play a part in the cultivation of meditation but here mediation is primarily the process of gaining skill at presence and mindfulness.

Sensualization

Sensualization is  divided into two parts, passive and active. The active component is the intentional generation of internal sense-scapes using any or all the senses. This is what is often called imagination or visualization but the ability should not be limited to the visual images. Included in this skill is a range that includes simple images to complex and changing to unchanging. The skill of concentration plays a key role in this.  Contrary to what one might think simple static images are not necessarily  easier to stay focused upon then complex and changing ones. A very simple image such as a black triangle on a white background while relatively easy to initially visualize, will be found extremely difficult to remain focused on and unchanging unless one has already cultivated the skill to do so. The image will bend, change color, set off a train of distracting thoughts such that even a few minutes of clear visualization of the image will be found nearly impossible. Additionally this is challenging due to the boredom factor.

The passive aspect of this skill is that of becoming aware of the continuous ongoing stream of internal sensory process. You are constantly creating an internal stream of sensory impressions all the time. One could say you are always dreaming at some level and that you merely have to tune into it.  This passive internal sensory acuity has many uses most notably that of acquiring information from other then conscious parts or your mind. This includes information about health issues, life challenges, relationships, emotional wounds and blocks, creative solutions, poetry, artistic projects etc. This a powerful gateway to access ones connection to wisdom of the Visionary Heart

Mastery of the internal aspect of sensory acuity would be the ability to tune into ones internal sensory stream at will, with or without specific intention. It would also be the ability to easily create and maintain specific internal sensory objects, both complex and simple, static and changing/progressing and to maintain focus on these indefinitely.

The most fundamental starting place is the Alchemy called Sensory Streaming. This cultivates the passive skill most directly but will enhance the active skill by sharpening once internal sensory acuity. Everyone has the ability to imagine in all five senses, so it is just a matter of bring it into focus. Once in focus it becomes a matter of the power of focus and concentration to create the images you want.

Intentional State change
All of the primary skills are either themselves a specific state, facilitated by particular states, or cause particular states. Relaxation is a state and the skill of relaxation is the skill of creating that state. Breathing is a very direct way to change states in many different directions. Concentration/focused is a state based skill, Presence/mindfulness can be thought of as a state though at its fullest expression it transcends even being a state. The act of tuning into internal sensory data is a state. Accessing connection to Wisdom Guidance changes state. Somatics change states. Ones energetic character is a state. Sounds change states.  Certain states facilitate integration and integration changes ones state. The inclusion of state change as its own skill is that it is important enough to be so numbered and because there are dimensions to state change not covered by the other skills.

There are two major categories of states ordinary and non-ordinary. The ordinary states include moods, emotional patterns, resourceful or unresourceful etc. non-ordinary include magickal and shamanic states, meditative states, hypnotic states and peak performance states

Mastery of state change is thus the ability to intentionally move from any state to any other state in the entire spectrum. It is also the ability to recognize state transitions when they occur spontaneously. The training to activate the Visionary Heart will go a long way in cultivating this mastery

Accessing Wisdom Guidance
At the relative level it is the development of consistent and reliable access to deep Wisdom, knowledge and understanding and to the source(s) of that wisdom. However you want to define that source is not initially of much relevance as long as you remain open to the contact with that source of wisdom transforming your understanding of it. At the initial level this is the development of intuition and inner communication.

Integration
It is primarily the skill of cultivating and maintaining integrity and congruence within ones sphere of manifestation. This is primarily executed through the emotional/energetic dimensions but is relevant to the mental and physical dimensions. Integration is how we clear up the static from our connection to wisdom that is generated by emotional wounds. It is the ability to be OK with what ever is at the moment

Relaxation, Breath and Presence are primary support skills to the skill of integration. Each of these in and of themselves can cause integration to occur but integration is its own skill that can be cultivated in conjunction with these other skills. One can find the knack of integrating things such that you can do it much more quickly then simply the result of the other skills. Mastery is the ability to integrate any emotion as it arises.

Somatics-Asana, posture, stillness, movement
This is a support skill primarily for concentration, state change and energy mastery. The most fundamental level of this skill is the ability to remain for long periods of time in a given posture without moving at all. This is particularly useful for cultivation extraordinary concentration and formal practice of mindfulness. The mind moves less when the body is still. At more elaborate levels holding the body in particular postures will have very powerful and specific effects in regards to energy and states. Also in regards to ordinary state changes, posture has a direct impact on ones state. The most Basic skill cultivation includes sitting still and working knowledge in regards to postures and ordinary states. Further cultivation includes yogic asanas for more radical state change, energy mastery and integration.

Exploring beyond this basic competence will require the development of a good deal of physical flexibility and stamina.

Also under this heading is movement. Moving the body in particular fashions will have particular effects. It might seem odd to include movement within the skill of stillness but movement is the natural extension of stillness. Authentic movement arises from within stillness. Also, it might be necessary for some to approach stillness through movement. This could be both in the form of quit movements such as Tai Chi, forms of Hatha Yoga, and Chi Kung, or it could be in the form of using vigorous spontaneous movement (such as Gabriel Roth’s 5 rhythms) to reach a place of stillness.

Energetics
This is the ability to generate,  direct and transform subtle energy. Part of this skill set is grounding. Also part of this skill set is quickly replenishing you personal energy reservoir. This is largely the combination of the skills of breathing, relaxation, concentration and sensualization with the addition of sound for some alchemies and some particular alchemies for the replenishing of energy

True mastery of this skill will yield a tremendous number of ordinary siddhis(seemingly magical or psychic powers) but such mastery would require at least mastery of extraordinary concentration, relaxation, breath and sensualization

Basic mastery is the ability to generate and direct energy to specific purposes such as healing and the ability to quickly restore ones own energy reserves.

Sonics
Sonics is in some ways a subsidiary skill in that a very large number of alchemies make little or no use of sonics . Nevertheless there are a number that do and they can be quite powerful so it is  include in the core skill set. Sound is primarily a means for actualizing other skills particularly state change, and energetics. In the sense that it is included in this set it is primarily concerning the use of the voice in way that can be either semantically meaningful or not. However the knowledge of the use of sound generated by other means such as musical instruments and electronically could be considered elaborations of this skill. This skill includes both knowing what sounds and how to make them. This also includes toning and invocation. With all of it elaborations this becomes a very complex, broad and far reaching skill rivaling breath in it’s number of variations and combinations. True mastery of sound would be skill at using it to a great number of effects of energy generation, direction, transformation, state change of all three categories, integration, healing. It would include knowledge of a large number of “words of Power” and skill in weaving semantically meaningful words into powerful effect as in invocation.

As with Breath, caution should be exercised with the use of sound. Sound has the potential to radically alter you energy system and you state. This can be potentially dangerous for those unprepared including damage to you energy systems, (channels, meridians, chakra, nerves) The danger is perhaps a little less pronounced then with breath in that radical results with sound can usually only be achieved with training that should prepare you, and because less of the more powerful techniques have reached the public domain. None the less anything beyond basic training should be done under the supervision of a skilled guide. These warnings in regards to breath and sound are actually not much of a limitation in that profound results will result from even the basic skills. The results that the more advanced practices will bring lay completely outside the sphere of ordinary perception and will only be of interest to those who really want to explore the frontier of human capacity which itself is best done within the context of  skilled guidance.

, , Focus, Attention, Presence/Mindfulness, States of Consciousness, Intentional State Change, Wisdom Guidance, , Visualization, Sensory Streaming, Image Streaming, Integration, Sonics, Energetics, Somatics,

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It is commonly understood in many spiritual circles that we create our own reality. Depending on your view, this could be understood literally as creating the actual events of you life, but it can now be said to be scientific fact that we at least create our experience of reality, which is tantamount to creating reality itself. The mechanisms that form our experience of reality include our beliefs, habitual styles of selective perception, meaning and emotion attribution criteria, values, rules, and cultural conditioning. These can be called programs. These programs dictate how we perceive and interpret the seemingly objective circumstances we label reality. They also, when left on automatic, determine our behaviors that tend to modify our circumstance so that they even more closely fit our programmed perceptions. For most, these programs were not consciously chosen and are often maladaptive. Reality Hacking has two aspects relating to the Two Truths. One, which correspond to the relative is taking conscious responsibility for these programs, removing or transforming disempowering ones and adding empowering ones. The other is the deconstruction of relative reality to reveal the Absolute Reality.

I first heard the term reality hacker as the name of a magazine that changed its name to Mondo2000. I don’t know if the founders of the magazine coined the term or if they got it from somewhere else. I chose to use it because Hacking is actually a very good metaphor for what Alchemy is, how it works and what its aim is.

These days the word hacker is largely associated with criminal activity - a computer genius who is either trying to steal information or cause harm to computer systems. But it originally and for some still, refers to a computer genius who delights in unlocking the secrets of how a computer worked and then modify the programming to increase optimization of the system. Many of them did “hack” illegally into computer systems but not so much to steal or cause harm but just to see if they could and to explore the system.

As a metaphor relative reality can be seen as a computer system with an unimaginable number of subroutines. This relative reality computer system has no hardware; it is all “software ‘ that can be self modified. The Absolute Reality is the space within which the software occurs.

In this model the alchemist is someone with the “esoteric” knowledge that his/her life experience can be modeled as arising from a set of programming code. The training of an alchemist give him/her the capacity to both alter the coding with greater intent and clarity and come to direct experience of nature of reality below the coding. The more deeply one realizes the Absolute True Nature of Reality the more flexible the coding of the relative reality becomes for the hacker. That is what is when all the code is gone and is the space in which the coding can abide. The more deeply one realizes the Absolute True Nature of Reality the more flexible the coding of the relative reality becomes for the hacker. This second aspect is actually the main point but for many transforming the coding is a necessary support and path to accomplishing the main point.

While the original meaning of hacker is the main point of the metaphor the more common association also has meaningful application to the metaphor. The more common association of hackers as those who break into computer systems corresponds to observation that the relative reality computer often behave as though it has security systems that create the appearance of solidity and it can take some specialized skills to get past them

The relative aspect of Reality Hacking is a meta tool set used in all the other aspect of Visionary Heart Alchemy and Alchemical Hero Training to align our programming for maximum utilization of each tool set and to create supportive conditions for our alchemical intentions. The other aspect of Reality Hacking is focused directly on the key points of knowing the True Nature of Reality and our own True Nature

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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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Alchemical Principles in General part 3

If you have read the many posts about the Principle of Two Truths then it should now be clear that all alchemical principles are relative truths. Some alchemical principles have been, at various times and in various places, called laws. I will not do so because the word law tends to incite the habit of dogmatic fixation for a lot of people. Rupert Sheldrake once said in an interview, “Nature doesn’t have laws, it has habits.” This very much accords with the Principle of Two Truths.

While all alchemical principles are relative truths some are related to Absolute Truth, while others are related to the functioning of relative truth and still others to the interaction of the Absolute and the relative.

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When the nature of relative truth is understood it is easy to recognize the how beliefs function (or often dysfunction) as skillful means. What also must be understood is that they are often integral functional components of transformational systems that are required for practitioners of the systems at particular developmental stages. That is to say practitioners at particular developmental stages, who are trying to use the system, must internalize these integral functional components if the system is to function the way it was meant to.

This has several implications. First some of what people call techniques from a system may not work,  work the same way or create the same results when it is taken out of the context that include these integral functional beliefs. In this information age where methods and specifically techniques from many different developments systems (religions, spiritual traditions, wisdom traditions, esoteric systems, psychological systems, healing systems etc.) are available through books and the internet, there is a common occurrence to borrow methods from a given system and add them to another or to take from many different systems and just mix them all together. Sometimes this can be highly fruitful but often it not fruitful at all and even counter productive. Even when it is fruitful you can never be sure that the fruit that is received is the same fruit that you would receive if the technique was used strictly within in its original contexts unless you have already attained the fruit of that context. If you don’t actually know what you are doing the fruit could be quite undesirable. It possible to graft successfully graft a tomato vine to a belladonna plant and have it bear fruit but if you ate that fruit you would get nightshade poisoning and either hallucinate massively( and likely frightfully) or just plain die.

It is also highly arrogant to think you can decide what is a belief integral to the functioning of a system, and what is not, unless you have already achieved its fruit by using the system. It is very common for people when examining a spiritual system that had its genesis in another culture to make determinations about various aspects of the practice, declaring something to be entirely cultural and other the “authentic” parts of the system. Even if the specifics of a method have their genesis in the cultural milieu that gave genesis to that particular system as a whole doesn’t necessarily mean it you can cut it out as a nonessential cultural adjunct (and the need to try to do so often arises from dogmatic adherence to the tenants of ones own culture). This is not to say that the presentation of these systems don’t have nonessential cultural adjuncts, the often do. The point is not possible for an outsider looking at it with their own cultural biases, prejudices and dogmatic fixations make the determination about what is or is not nonessential and for whom. developmental process.

Another implication is that it is possible to short circuit the effectiveness of methods designed to meet specific developmental stages by trying to operate from views appropriate to latter developmental stages. This is all to common an occurrence in Vajrayana Buddhist circles when people who are still very much stuck operating in a dualistic view try to apply the nondual teachings of Dzogchen or Mahamudra, especial when they “learned” them from a book. ( I put learned in quotes because you can’t learn nondual teachings from a book. Books of nondual teachings serve as touchstone to help stabilize what is experienced through transmission and practice.) Reading these texts can inspire but if you try to apply them when you haven’t actually reached the developmental stage that allows them to function, it can short out the methods that will work for your developmental stage.

It is possible for someone with enough realization of the Principle of the Two Truths to operate multiple systemic contexts in their life entering into the beliefs of the context when operating the context, so long as the systems don’t have life pervasive tenants that conflict. For example it would be very difficult for someone committed to Buddhist practice to utilize a system that had animal sacrifice as a central practice. On the other hand certain Native American traditions and Buddhism are quite compatible and I know of masters who utilize both systems as part their practice. It is important to note that, as far as I have seen, they don’t mix them together. For example both Native American and Vajrayana Buddhism (as well as many other spiritual systems such as Wicca, Hermetics etc.), as part of their symbolic universe, attribute the elements (earth, water, air, fire and space/spirit) to  the cardinal directions. However they do not attribute the same element to the same directions. Someone who doesn’t understand the Principle of Two Truths might ask which the correct attribution is. Someone with a mistaken understanding might think both are equally correct and thus interchangeable. Someone with correct understanding knows that each is correct in its own systemic context and incorrect in the other systems context. In eclectic spiritual gathering (such as pagan festivals) where no specific spiritual system is universally shared and a group ritual is occurring, then that ritual is its own context and any set of attributions can be used and any similarity to any specific systems attributions is not relevant (with space/spirit always begin center there are only 24 possible attributions)

Understanding the Principle of Two Truths allows one to recognize beliefs within system as skillful means. When this understanding is accompanied with enough discernment and actual realization of the principle, it becomes possible to work with (but not mix) different but compatible systems without trouble. I say possible but not always easy, Care must be taken. This caution is primary directed towards working with systems that have very complex relative truth structures, i.e. Buddhism, Hermeticism, Wicca, Shivite Tantra and the like, rather then system that are more focused on technique like Neuro-Linguistic Programming or Shiatsu. I will explore  and utilizing and “mixing” multiple systems in more detail in a future post

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