Inner Work Guide's Alchemical Gnosis Yoga of the West

Welcome to season 3 of Inner Work Guides Alchemical Gnosis Yoga Of The West Podcast. Who would of guessed we would make it this far? In less than three years we’ve grown to over 100 subscribers.

Do you remember that scene in Dune where Stilgar took Lady Jessica to witness Jamis’s water reclamation by the Freman Deathstill? It was not just a physical reclamation of water for drinking and the things of life, it was more. It was the reclamation of every thing that Jamis experienced.

We are not what we seem, and our beginnings are not what we think. Souls mature in groups and thus we cycle through incarnations within the same soul-family or egregore. Soul families and biological families are separate things, though members of a soul family will from incarnation to incarnation at times be a mate, parent, sibling, cousin, or close family friend.

Last week we signed off with the sentiment that ‘the universe is not rejecting you, it is mirroring you.’ What it mirrors is the frequency put out by our human instruments and that is a resonance soaked in fear emanating from the vast majority of us. There is a quote I came across in one of the Parachemy issues from Paracelsus College that went ‘in the beginning is what no one knows and every religion tries to teach.’

It should come as no surprise that as an Alchemist, I break things apart that is the first step in the Spagyric method to break or separate a thing into what alchemy states are its essential or principal parts. The first thing to separate students from is their erroneous view concerning themselves, and the expectations that misaligned view engenders about the universe.

It is said that a prophet is never recognized in their own home, but their mettle is surely tempered there.

Last week we talked about how the reason for anyone ‘doing’ anything is essentially unknowable; at best we are left in theposition of having to accept or reject the credulity of theirexplanation. Indeed our judgments about the reasons for another’s ‘doing’ are projections of the whispers from those forgotten voices of ourselves. But how did we lose sight of the sources of those whispers?

My mentor and I were having a light meal at a corner bistro just around the corner from apartment, he was sipping on his drink and I leaned back in my chair to just allow the moment to sink in. The day was glorious, a New York rarity in August that felt like late Spring or Early Fall, where the suns rays messaged you rather than assault with heat and humidity.

Now, one would think that Athena would stand up for her priestess who had, according to all accounts, kept her vows and virtue intact. Yet the law can be harsh -- blind justice enforcing the need to seek conformity above all else, as well as preserve taboo, led to the conditions of a dehumanizing endeavor. It is under these circumstances that Athena created the Gorgon Medusa. So twisted and misshapen had she become by the blind application of law that to simply gaze upon her would cause any to be transformed into stone.

When I was growing up in the 1960's a woman who wanted to play sports was frowned upon. They were judged as not exactly embodying the feminine ideal. Young African American males were told by the images on TV and the news that society thought them to be thieves, pimps, or drug dealers, and African American women were fit only to be domestic help or prostitutes. And the LBGT community lived a mole like existence in their closets. These are just extreme examples of some of the things people of my generation have had to deal with, and it is not surprising that the nervous system has built a bulwark around the original innocence.

The personality you have developed to survive has no more basis in reality than do images projected onto a movie screen. Yet we all think "they are us."

Our work really then, is clearing away the untruth about who and what we are. Again, these untruths are what cause us so much frustration and pain in life. Most of what we believe about ourselves (the sins of perception), are accepted not as second nature, but as our undisputed true nature.

The truth of the matter is, there is not, nor has there ever been, something wrong with you. You, my friend, are not broken. This might seem like a paradox, because we are, after all, working on things about our selves that we want to improve, elevate, or spiritualize.

I originally discovered you from Rawn Clarks documents from many years ago, do the Franz Bardon teachings have any influence on your work?

How do you foster a sense of community among your students, especially those who may be new to alchemy?

What do you believe is the future of alchemical practice in contemporary society?

You mentioned the philosophical mercury as a critical element in alchemical operations. How can one cultivate the understanding necessary to create it?

You discussed the distinction between spagyric and alchemy. How do you think this misunderstanding affects modern practitioners of alchemy?

You mentioned that many modern practitioners incorrectly associate plant alchemy with Spagyrics. Can you explain how plant alchemy differs from spagyric work with plants?

Can you explain how the concept of putrefaction fits into the alchemical process and its importance in achieving transformation?

You mentioned having over three decades of experience in alchemy. Can you share a pivotal moment in your journey that significantly shaped your understanding of alchemical Gnosis?

The reasoning behind changing the outro for all previously published podcast.

Inner Work is about self-discovery, which is not always a pretty or an easy experience. The question now becomes why this is so. If you think back to your old high school chemistry class, we can find an analogy to help you understand. Think of your nervous system and its habitual state as the standard configuration of electrons orbiting about a particular atom. Like the electrons, your nervous system exists in a specific energetic level or state – a vibratory state created by your beliefs about life, ingrained expectations about the outcome of social and business interactions, and, of course, your fears.

The Traveler felt himself take an involuntary step backward. He was afraid; from the depths of his being, a numbing fear spread virally as it paralyzed his body and mind. What could he do against such a foe? His mightiest weapon had no effect upon it whatsoever. There had to be something he could do. He looked at the approaching Figure now only seven steps away, back to the houses in the towns, the chains still stretching from the Father of Darkness to each of the town's inhabitants, back to the hooded Figure now only five steps away, back to the town's people...something was strange...something was wrong about what he saw...back to the advancing dark Figure, three steps away, back to the town... The chains around their necks hung loosely...loose enough even to...

The Traveler released his hold on time, and the sun fell quickly into its slumber. In the quiet of the night, the Traveler still felt uneasy. His mind bounced back and forth between those words whispered by the Centaur and those of the feminine Voice. The latter had intimated that there was yet more to do, and the former had hinted at some cryptic statement about freedom. The Traveler went to a well at the edge of the town. He drew some water and drank thirstily, the cool liquid cascading down his insides – rejuvenating him, preparing him.

I am sure many of you are familiar with Tarot, especially as it pertains to its modern use in divination. What many do not know is that Tarot as it is used in the Hermetic Western Inner Tradition is actually a book. Each card of the major and minor trumps are the chapters of that book of. The chapters give details to those who have been given the keys to read it, precise information about the true nature of humanity, the workings of the mind and inner spiritual initiation that leads to what leads to what Hermeticist call illumination, as well as detailed information on the subjects of Alchemy, Qabalah, and Astrology.

With those final words of the Voice, in a flash, the Traveler was back in his physical body, fighting to remain in control of himself. He could see the sun was about to set; he could hear the creatures of the dark howling over the victory of having conquered him. It was just moments before the full curtain of night would fall. On the city's outskirts, he could see an oak grove with a deer running into it. From inside himself, he again heard the feminine Voice from all those months ago: "The stars coerce and compel the animal man. What other reason is there for this, save that the man does not know or estimate himself or his own powers or reflect that he is a lesser Universe and has the whole firmament with its powers hidden within himself? But the wise man can dominate the stars and is not subject to them.”

Last week's episode touched on the fact that there are two views or levels of understanding regarding astrology and its use in Hermetic science. When the soliloquy of the Traveler's inner Lunar Intelligence centered on Paracelsus's 'Who rules the stars' and said, "And although the higher stars do give the animal inclination and assign man and other earthly bodies for the manner of their birth, yet that power and dominion are nothing save only a predestined mandate and office in which there is nothing occult or abstruse remaining but the inner force and power put forth through the external signs." it speaks of exoteric astrology that is concerned with virtues or forces immanent and emanative in physical objects. In the early 1920s, a scientist named Lilian Kolisko embarked on a series of investigations. Her goal was to determine if celestial bodies affected terrestrial matter. This intriguing line of research was sparked by a suggestion from Rudolf Steiner to investigate the workings of etheric formative forces in mineral substances. Kolisko's method of investigation was known as capillary dynamolysis or the 'rising picture' method.

As he reeled in the oblivion of the moment brought on by the tar-like ichor all over and within his body, he entered a trance-like state. He was transported to a past memory, one that had made an impression deep within him and bestowed upon him keys that he had not yet understood how to use. He could feel himself drifting up, up, up, and he was happy just for the relief of leaving his writhing body. Then the memory began...

One of the first things the Centaur had taught him in the cave was about alchemy. "It is," the Centaur explained, an excellent tool for those who knew how to use it, for it could act as a mirror of one's inner life. More than that, it could be used to transmute not only base metals into gold but, more importantly, transmute the profane man into a god-man, allowing him to become homo-spiritualis.

In its simplest form, making a liquid herbal product using plant alchemy is similar to creating any ordinary herbal extract. The herb is macerated in an alcohol/water mixture for several days to extract the plant's healing virtues, just like any herbalist would do. Once this is done, however, the herbal material is dried and then heated until it combusts, turning first into carbon and then into ash, much the same way one would witness a piece of wood being burned in a campfire.

The Traveler emerged from the cave into the light, its blinding rays birthing memories of his first emergence. This time, though, there were no spare moments to adjust his sensorium – the screams of the citizens mixed with those of the denizens of shadow, filling the air and attacking his ears.

The one thing to remember in this work is that the inner experiences feel authentic to the Traveler. Listening to the Traveler's experiences, one can be lulled into the perception of watching a TV show or movie, with no repercussions from viewing it except the diminishing ripples of awareness created by a scintillating or scary scene.

Having traversed much of the cave, the Traveler noticed the path was inclining. The torches, which hung periodically on the cave walls, created light and dark areas. Light, dark, light, dark... He found himself running leisurely, the illuminating transition creating a strobe effect that caused the Travelers’ mind to turn back to his experiences in the Centaur's cave. His time there had seemed like an eternity. Each day, the Centaur drew him deeper into the cave, towards its belly, where the shadows held sway and the light waned. Finally, there were no more shadows – just the dark wet. At first, he could only crawl around on his hands and knees, but gradually, a subtle inherent luminance was revealed.

As the Traveler approached the city, his mind wandered momentarily. After his failure earlier on the road, he was surprised that the Centaur did not berate him for leaving the path. With a twinkle in his eye, the Centaur said, "The dancing trio ensnares everyone." Within three paces of the city's gates, a leaf being carried an air eddy caught his attention. The leaf moved slower and with a defined motion that looked out of place. The leaf's misdirection continued as a thickening dust coalesced at the periphery of the bottom edge of his vision. Too captivated by the leaf to lend full attention, it was only when a growing tremulous dissonance whispered repeatedly in his ear that he began to notice the indistinct countenance hiding in the center of the darkening accreting swirl of dust and dirt.

Thoughts rise into awareness and then leave, or try to leave. Upon becoming aware of a thought, most of us immediately attach a story to it. Usually, this takes the form of a story from our past, conjuring up all sorts of feelings and emotions associated with that story. The fact is, if we allowed the thought to arise into awareness and then let it leave (which, again, is what it "wants" to do and is in its inherent nature to do), we would not have the vast majority of the problems and strife that we experience in life. For the Traveler, this becomes important, as each wayward thought and its conjured emotions would seek to draw them away from the path.

After twelve months of living in the cave's inner darkness, emergence into physical light felt like going through a second birth. The searing pain of the light when it hit his eyes and the burning when it touched his skin made him think he was mother and child in one, for indeed, he had experienced the disorienting agony of his rebirth. He had faced those shadows crawling up from his internal Stygian dark...and won?

The traveler finds themself in a cave dimly lit by an open fire whose flames cast shadows on the earthen walls. Alone, cold, and scared, their internal equipoise is often disturbed as an involuntary shiver races through their body. Sitting in the semi-dark, the traveler ponders the events in their life that have brought them to this place of initiation, and their rational mind questions the sanity of it all. Yet something inside them has hungered – yearned for this moment when they will truly begin their inner trial, the ultimate quest. Still, they think, now that it's upon them.... The sounds of soft, wet footsteps in the mud and the almost inaudible sound of a bell ringing break the reverie, enticing their attention. From the belly of the cave, a form is trying to coalesce from the shadows – Is my mind playing tricks on me? Is that a nymph, a man, a centaur?

Hermetic inner work is about transmutation; it is not about excising, destroying, banishing, denying, shame, guilt, or blame. It has nothing to do with the corrupted 'killing the dragon' and the Hero's journey motif prevalent today. One does not become whole by cutting away parts of themselves. The same energy blocking you is the same energy, when understood, that will allow the emanation of who and what you want to be. Hermetic philosophy is sublimely expressed through an unbroken chain of oral and written arcane understanding of mythologies. For the Alchemist, all creation/matter 'is good' because it is an emanative expression of the One. Hermeticism seeks 'balance through a means other than conflict.' Know this: acceptance does not mean acquiescence!

At the core of everything, there is – in Hermetic Terminology – a 'Palace' [space] that is a nexus containing both Heaven and Earth or the non-physical and physical reality that maintains and, indeed, is the cause of its emanation and perception. In Alchemical literature, this 'Palace' is also termed a Quintessence. As I understand it, the Quintessence is a fifth element, the original element, having an unperturbable homeostasis because of the perfectly balanced existence of the four elements within it. Indeed, it gives birth to these four elements and uses them to conceal itself. When the alchemist works in reverse to make a physical analog from the four elements derived from the matter being worked on in his lab to create a seat for the divine presence, it is, for me, analogous to the 'Ark of the Covenant,' a physically tangible place where the spirit of divinity (Shekhinah/Alchemical Arcanum) resides.

Regarding feelings and emotions in inner work, one of my mantras is 'the friction is the conversation.' Dysfunction, dissatisfaction, and discomfort are your best friends in inner work. Let's face it: the angels of our nature do not need more tending. Hermetic inner work is about bringing illumination to the dark places and seeking understanding as to why you do those things you know are not productive, why you do or say those things that cause my inner dialogue to say, 'That is not me.' What is preventing you from moving forward or filling me with fear?

Spiritual awakening is about coming out of the false beliefs of who you thought you were and coming into the conscious knowledge of who you are. It essentially comes down to the question of if no books or teachers told you how to act, who would you be?

Through an act of Will, the One reflected on itself and knew itself fully in all its varied aspects. That refraction gave birth to the potentialities stored within the 'pregnant emptiness.' This recognition of self and the extension of a seeming separateness would have collapsed immediately back upon itself into Unity without the ability to circumscribe itself. The second pole of the 'seeming extension' acts as a container and allows for fully exploring any emanation's potential.

How can something be formed out of nothing? When I first began studying Hermeticism, that was my central question. There is, though, a gulf between the meaning of ‘nothing’ and ‘no-thing,’ 

This is the first episode of a new series concerning Hermetic Cosmology. Hermetic cosmology arises from observations by Hermetic Adepts carried out over generations and ages relating to Nature and how its various conditions form our physical reality. No matter which of Nature's three kingdoms (plant, animal, or mineral), the subject followed an indisputable cycle of emanation, growth, and dissolution (death).

In this episode, I describe from a high-level view what session time looks like. Session time is reserved in blocks of twelve weeks. All blocks follow roughly the same procedure, except for your initial block. In that one, your first four to six weeks, you learn protocols and exercises and accomplish entry-level tasks.

I'm calling this episode: what is Inner Work? In it, I explain by analogy how the Hermetic Science sees the human mind, how we all use the powers of our Esosphere, why you need inner work, the reasons for a guide, and more information about alchemical products.

Follow me down the serpentine trail I took to discover the Hermetic Science and my study of alchemy. Walk with me from my early childhood of sleepwalking, looking for my laboratory, to a period of Satanism to finally emerge on the other side of the umbra into the light of Alchemical Gnosis.

In this episode, I briefly introduce 'Alchemical Gnosis Yoga of the West, ' a disclaimer about the products, and a warning about Hermetic Inner Work.