Mystery of Alchemy

For a summary of the overall knowledge I draw upon and make use of in my practice, the lens of alchemy helps highlight key areas.  Through honoring the esoterica I know, which includes alchemy, I share ways of knowing associated more with darkness, obtained by going off the beaten path to be safely away and protected from the world.  Under the processes of healing, I highlight more conventional counseling ideas, where we reach for and maintain ourselves operating in the world, or at least whatever our own particular version of the world may be.  Within understandings of the sacred feminine, I share transcendent ideas, no less true, where love becomes the truth of what we know and experience.

All three of these areas can be seen as emblematic of alchemy's three processes, coded black, white, and red, respectively.  (See the post Alchemy: A Journey of Discovery for more information on this.)

When I say Mystery of alchemy, I am purposely using a capitalized version.  For mystery, in general, I mean that which we do not know.  Almost all of the work I do and how I try and live have become more and more informed by my relationship to mystery or what I do not know.

I sometimes feel inclined to share a bit of reasoning or logic behind why I share and say what I do, but, in honor of mystery, I will leave a bit of that for now as I continue.

Without not knowing, how can we know or claim to know or come into knowledge of any kind?  How can we explore, find truth, experience and enjoy what is new?  More importantly, for the map of living and life which I find to be valid for experiencing one's own happiness and evolution: how can you experience any wonder in life or living without a sense of mystery, of enjoying not knowing how or why something occurs, which may include a sense of awe at times?

I might say that mystery involves itself quite intricately with the enjoyment of life and leads to its enchantment.

When I say Mystery, versus mystery, I am not using that designation lightly.  I feel we are all a unique, and at times not a unique, expression of this ultimate mystery as Mystery, or, you may say, God or Goddess, the universe, Truth, whatever personal representation of Mystery speaks to you.

To say or even think we will come into the knowledge of all someday while still living on this earth, as we know ourselves to be living right now, this becomes an incessant drive and a fruitless quest in terms of the desired goal of knowing all.

The secret of Mystery: you must surrender to it.  You live your life, knowing what you know, not knowing what you do not know, and you come across important experiences of wonder where you have enjoyed being who you are, while at the same time enjoying what you do not know in a way which gives a nod to and honors Mystery.

I do believe the Mystery of the universe will reach down and assist and help, in perhaps unpredictable ways at times, if we just follow our own path but make room for and allow ourselves to let go into, surrender into not knowing, not ever knowing all we would like to know.

The stages of life as seen through alchemy reach milestones of wonder, and without Mystery being honored, these become less likely to occur.  Certainly, it makes sense to ask, why not consciously allow a place for Mystery in life if we will never know all, but we can at least honor this not knowing by having a place for Mystery in life?

For me, this allows wholeness, allows it to occur more easily.

The Mystery of alchemy becomes a process of allowing ourselves to remember who we are.

Tat tvam asi.