The Enchanted Tarot

Astrology

Enchantments

Alchemy

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Since ancient times, in almost every culture, tales have been told of how the wisest Sage of all unlocked the secrets of Life and, by so doing, developed the ability to transform common, base metals such as lead into gold. This Sage was known as The Alchemist.

The Alchemist, being a student of Life, knew that such knowledge was meant to be shared with those who were ready for it and so a Temple of Alchemy was manifested upon the top of a remote mountain and word of its existence spread throughout the world. After long and perilous journeys, many students from the four corners of the Earth came to study with The Alchemist.

Over the years The Alchemist taught the students about the atomic structure of matter; how to perform experiments that revealed the nature of the basic elements; how to combine elemental atoms into molecules and compounds that had never before existed. They learned about the wisdom of Mother Nature and the Four Elements of nature; namely Fire, Air, Water and Earth.

Each day they learned to perform complicated rituals that surely would have been called "magic" had they been seen by those who had not studied as they did. The students became certain that soon The Alchemist would share the secret of transforming lead into gold.

But one day the students awoke to find The Alchemist gone. For each of them had been left a beautifully illustrated notebook, four multi-facetted jewels and a note that said

"My sisters and brothers in The Great Experiment, I have taught you all that one friend can teach to another and you have learned your lessons well. Continue to search into the unknown for your heart's desire and you will be rewarded, not only with what you seek, but with the knowledge gained from the time spent upon your personal alchemy process itself. For that knowledge is nothing less than the secret of Life, far more precious than the gold whose pursuit first brought you here.

No student of Alchemy can teach another how to turn lead into gold; only you can teach yourself, and you will. These four jewels of Fire, Air, Earth and Water will help you.

Use your knowledge for the good of all but guard it carefully for the Dark Age is approaching. You must keep the Light of Wisdom and Knowledge burning so that one day, when the time is right and the people are ready, I will return."

And so the students, who were now Alchemists themselves, left the Temple carrying the notebook and the set of four faceted jewels The Alchemist had left for each of them. They returned to the four corners of the Earth and continued to study and teach the alchemy processes they had learned despite the Dark Ages, surviving persecution at the hands of the ignorant who feared or were jealous of their abilities.

The Alchemists found that they could escape persecution if their abilities were laughed at instead of feared. Those Alchemy rituals that were allowed to be seen by the uninitiated were misinterpreted so that Alchemy came to be known primarily as the misguided attempt by mad, would-be sorcerers to turn lead into gold.

But the Alchemists kept the Light of Wisdom and Knowledge alive through the centuries when knowledge itself was threatened with extinction.

Somewhere along the way, in the 1600's and the so-called "Age of Enlightenment", the true purpose of Alchemy itself, the process of improving ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually, was forgotten. Freed somewhat from having to defend themselves against ignorant people and their laws, those who had benefitted from the Alchemists' knowledge desired to study and understand the laws of nature even further. But many also wanted to distance themselves from the ridiculous practices that had come to be associated with the popular conception of Alchemy.

And so they called themselves "chemists" to distinguish themselves from the ancient art that had given birth to their new "science". In this way they were like the astronomers who took great pains to distance themselves from the equally ancient art that was the origin of their celestial knowledge: Astrology. These new scientists forgot that without paying equal attention to the study, understanding and perfection of our interior universe, all attempts at trying to study and understand the outer universe and to use this knowledge to make our lives better are doomed to failure.

As The Alchemist taught the students, "Nature contains nature; nature takes delight in nature; and nature can overcome nature."

With these simple words, The Alchemist taught that just as Mother Nature contains us, our human nature contains not only the Four Elements that make up all of Mother Nature, but the Divine Spirit that animates all of the natural world. As we take delight in nature so does nature delight in our existence when we are in harmony with its laws. And as the immeasurable forces of the Four Elements can often overcome us, our human nature can and does overcome nature's challenges to us when we are respectfully attentive to our environment.

Our problems today are caused largely by the psychological consequences of too many people being ignorant of the inseparable connection between our inner and our outer universe. We have created a "modern" world of spectacular technology that is in the hands of people who are out of touch with their ability to enjoy the simple gift of their being. They are so concerned about the results they are looking forward to that they have lost the ability to live in and be aware of what they are doing in the present moment, the only time that really exists. Unable to enjoy what they have, even when they get what they have been longing for, they are unable to enjoy it. The habit of looking ahead has taken control.

But Mother Nature lives only in the moment. The balance between Mother Nature and our human nature must be restored. We have reached a point where Mother Nature threatens to overcome human nature on many levels.

And so today we have re-created the beautifully illustrated notebook left by The Alchemist for the students. It is our sincere desire that by applying the wisdom contained in these simple formulas to transform our everyday lives, we can all regain our ability to live fully in the present moment. We must realize that the present moment is the only point where we have the power to change our lives and the world we live in.

For as The Alchemist said, "As above, so below." To change the world we must first transform our own lives to gold. If we can do this, if we can all make use of the ancient wisdom of The Alchemist and restore our harmony with our own nature and Mother Nature, then The Alchemist will indeed return and live on in our hearts and in the Golden Age of Enlightenment which we will manifest and enjoy.