Lost Post Revised
When I started this thread I was excited about the ideas I had and I wasn't thinking of how they may seem to others. I would like to explain myself more fully so that you have a better idea of where this is coming from.
From the glossary:
Although Alchemy is applicable on ALL levels, that is, applicable on the material, genetic, psychic, and spiritual levels, it is very important to note that alchemy is NOT about a way of producing a change in the human biological machine, but rather, in a way to note the changes in the biological machine when changes occur, due to an inner transmutation of the essential self. The changes of the latter are the generatrix of the former and NOT the other way around. Much disinformation is out there because there is an exclusive focus on the material aspects of alchemy overlooking its essential aspects.
I knew more about alchemy than I previously mentioned, and I didn't mention this because it seemed like something everyone already knew, and I forget just how wide the variety of thought patterns are, especially here, so I skipped it. What I knew, and was reminded of thoroughly while reading the glossary definition, is that alchemy is nothing to be 'tampered' with.
The
gravity of the concept of alchemy is greater than the art itself, and by this I mean that the necessary depths of understanding and knowledge are not easily obtainable. Alchemy was but a practice, such as medicine is today, when it was a commonly accepted idea. This tells me that the people preforming alchemical processes, in the age they were popular in, did so to
continue learning. I believe back then it would have taken a considerable amount of years learning just to start on the road to alchemy, and many more years after to start grasping it's concepts more fully.
Relating to the paragraph(s) above, the great alchemist Fulcanelli said in his book The Dwellings of the Philosophers: "And so, I beg those who will read this little book to credit my words. I say to them once more, that they will never learn this sublime science by means of books, and it can only be learned through divine revelation, hence it is called Divine Art." [End Quote]
Judging by my own personal experiences in areas of "divinity", it is not like picking an apple from a tree but more like growing an apple tree from seed. I don't think its possible to acquire any certain amount of such divine knowledge by just asking for it or assuming you have it, which makes me believe that the company producing these substances did not take the time to consider the meaning behind this. Science and spirituality are not the best of friends in this modern world we live in and it is my understanding that to accomplish any alchemical process successfully one would require large and equal amounts of knowledge/experience in both areas.
In his book, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, Manly P. Hall spoke of Alchemy as follows (p 498,499):
"Alchemy is the science of multiplication and is based upon the natural phenomenon of growth. "Nothing from nothing comes," is an extremely ancient adage. Alchemy is not the process of making something from nothing; it is the process of increasing and improving that which already exists
[...] "God is the "within" and the "without" of all things. The Supreme One manifests Himself through growth, which is an urge from within outward, a struggle for expression and manifestation. There is no greater miracle in the growing and multiplication of gold by the alchemist than in a tiny mustard seed producing a bush many thousands of times the size of the seed. If a mustard seed produces a hundred thousand times its own size and weight when planted in an entirely different substance (the earth), why should not the seed of gold be multiplied a hundred thousand times by art when that seed is planted in its earth (the base metals) and nourished artificially by the secret process of alchemy? "Alchemy teaches that God is in everything; that He is One Universal Spirit, manifesting through an infinity of forms. God, therefore, is the spiritual seed planted in the dark earth (the material universe). By art it is possible so to grow and expand this seed that the entire universe of substance is tinctured thereby and becomes like unto the seed--pure gold. In the spiritual nature of man this is termed regeneration; in the material body of the elements it is called transmutation. As it is in the spiritual and material universes, so it is in the intellectual world.
I would like to say again, the 'elixirs' on the website I provided are basically made to achieve the opposite. They should not in any way be looked at as a remedy of any sort because a remedy is a simple solution to a personal issue, and no one should be looking for a "quick fix" when looking to an area of great depth such as alchemy. I still believe one can learn a few things from the site I provided, but I should have suggested before that they look with their eyes open and with this post in mind. I would hate to lead to believe that anything is easy or quick which is what this website does, in a sense, with it's products.
[...] "That which is true in the superior is true in the inferior. If alchemy be a great spiritual fact, then it is also a great material fact. If it can take place in the universe, it can take place in man; if it can take place in man, it can take place in the plants and minerals. If one thing in the universe grows, then everything in the universe grows. If one thing can be multiplied, then all things can be multiplied, "for the superior agrees with the inferior and the inferior agrees with the superior." [End quote]
Rodney Collin Smith said the soul can be viewed as the cumulative sum total of all conscious moments that one has experienced throughout ones life. Working from this definition we can say that the physical process of alchemical transformation which takes place within the physical organism is cumulative also, since it is but a reflection of the cumulative moments of consciousness of the essential self. Thus, if this is true, then the alchemical process does not stop once it begins. It continues as long as the essential self becomes more conscious of itself. If the essential self falls asleep and temporarily gives up the struggle to be more conscious then the process does not stop or reverse itself, it simply ceases to continue.
I would assume that if such 'elixirs' exist(ed), they would only really be useful to one on the road to alchemy and because I am certainly no alchemist I would not risk consuming products with such claims. However, the possibility is still there that substances of this nature could be produced and used the right way, but only if the necessary knowledge/experience is used, and again, the necessary knowledge/experience is, by no means, easily obtainable. Such a feat would take many minds, with much knowledge, working together to achieve any potentially successful products. The mind of the user of such products should be equally knowledgeable.
The process of transformation will simply be reactivated at a later time when consciousness is present and more active. Assuming reincarnation exists, then it is possible that the cumulative efforts of the previous life to become more conscious are carried over into the next life and these results are represented within the very nature of the new physical vehicle, down to the molecular level, since, as already stated, the existential is but a reflection of the essential.
I said in another post that I would have loved to live the life of an alchemist, I think if I were sure of how much time I may have in this life that it would have been something I would have been greatly encouraged to persue. With the efforts being made to understand alchemy today it is still a practice in a sense, so it may still be a worthwhile endeavor for anyone willing to learn all they can. So, with this statement, I would like to keep this thread open for discussion as I find it very interesting and I doubt I am alone on this.
If not for the personal gain of the alchemist, what would such 'elixirs' be good for?
Did such substances even exist as explained in the great days of alchemy past?
If we had another couple thousand years of learning this "divine art" what could we accomplish?
