The Mystery of ALCHEMY (scroll down for the Secret Alchemy of Aquarius)

Alchemy is an enigmatic subject. It can feel super esoteric, ancient, obscure and can be off-putting, with its strange imagery and odd terms. However, once it is hoisted into the 21st century, and its terms are brought into a psychological light, it can be recognized as a powerful system for spiritual development and manifestation. To provide this clarification is one of the goals of Sacred Circuit.

There are two basic types of Alchemy, spiritual and physical. Spiritual alchemy comprises the bulk of what you find when you search the term online, or browse books on the subject. Spiritual alchemy involves a system of personal refinement and growth; it is highly psychological in this way. Physical alchemy is actual lab work and experiments. Both of these systems include seven “operations” which are loosely based on the planetary and chakra systems. True Alchemists of old advised that integrating both spiritual and physical alchemy was necessary if substantial personal transformation was desired.

There is another more rarely used system of twelve operations, which correspond to the Zodiac. The twelve steps can be seen as a more detailed version of the seven steps. Some of them have been split or divided into sub categories, but most are added in. For Hermetic purposes, which integrate Qabalah, Tarot and Astrology with Alchemy, and for use with work with the Astrological signs of the Zodiac, the twelve-operation system is highly effective, and it is what we have embraced here at Sacred Circuit. It can be seen as a roadmap of spiritual transmutation via astrology.

Each of the twelve operations — Calcination, Congelation, Fixation, Dissolution, Digestion, Distillation, Sublimation, Separation, Incineration, Fermentation, Multiplication and Projection — corresponds to an Astrological sign, and mirrors a stage in the initiate’s inner work — dissolving attachments, purifying desires, and reuniting fragmented aspects of the psyche, all in alignment with the zodiac.

This Alchemical-Zodiacal journey is not only about personal growth and spiritual enlightenment, it is also about manifestation. As the soul undergoes inner purification, it evolves to become a more receptive vessel for the Divine to enter into the realm of forms. Through these operations, the practitioner does not only manifest desires — they come to embody them. Alchemy, Qabalah, Tarot and Astrology together teach that manifestation is not control over reality, but harmony with the Great Work —the Magnum Opus of the Soul.

The Secret Alchemy of Aquarius

The alchemical operation assigned to Aquarius is Multiplication. Seen simply, it is a “Force Multiplier” which is a tactical term used to describe a function that makes a given group or compound more power than it’s size would suggest; a “greater than the sum of it’s parts” effect. Multiplication is the phase of the Great Work in which the power of the work is increased, not only by producing more of it, but by intensifying its quality or potency, essentially boosting its virtue in both directions. From the Mytho-Hermetic Dictionary, we read that Multiplication is an “Operation of the Great Work during which the powder of projection is being multiplied, be it in quality, or quantity into infinity according to the liking of the Artist. It consists in redoing the already done operation but with more exalted and perfected substances, and not with the previous rough materials.”

In other words, Multiplication is not a new invention, but a higher iteration: the same operation revisited at a more effective and elevated level, so that its influence can be extended and replicated. On the physical plane, this stage amplifies the effectiveness and quality of the Philosopher’s Stone via Force Multiplier, so its capacity to transmute, to heal, and to prolong life is increased in effectiveness. The quantity of the Philosopher’s also increases, as the work becomes not merely achieved, but regenerative.

Spiritually, Multiplication carries an unmistakable resonance with the gospel story of Christ multiplying the loaves and fishes to feed the hungry. Whether one regards the story as literal miracle or sacred metaphor, the theme is the same: a single source becomes sufficient for many through a principle of divine increase. In this sense, Multiplication functions both as an alchemical operation and as a spiritual teaching; an image of perfected substance, or refined intention, expanding outward to meet the needs of the world. And this humanitarian focus is, after all, an Aquarian trait.

The concept of refined or focused intention is key here. Refined attention is critical in spiritual and magickal work; it is, in itself, a kind of Multiplication because it increases the efficiency of intent. Concentration is attributed to The Magician card in the Tarot, which is also assigned the metal Mercury, without which attainment of an Elixir of Life would be impossible. And it is Lead—the metal of Saturn, which rules Aquarius—that is physically and metaphorically transformed by such an Elixir. Still, the idea of increase in quantity plays a role as well.

This is echoed in organized intention trials where small to large numbers of people focus, at the same time, on a shared, specific outcome. The hypothesis is that focused attention synchronized across many minds can produce measurable effects on a target. Lynne McTaggart’s organization, The Intention Experiment, sought to use coordinated intention to produce humanitarian results—lowering crime in certain cities, for example. Seen as a modern expression of Multiplication, these experiments combine increase in number with refined quality: a small, focused seed of intention is clarified and strengthened through coherence, then multiplied through scale, synchronization, and repetition.

Ultimately, Aquarius’s Multiplication teaches that the virtue of the Work has functionality in our world, to create systems in our lives that increase in quality and are regenerative. In addition, when intention is purified and focused, it can produce measurable effects in our world.

Setting Your Intention

To effectively focus your intention, follow these steps: