The Mystery of ALCHEMY
Alchemy is obscure and can be off-putting, with it’s enigmatic and strange imagery and odd terms. However, once it becomes clarified, it is 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, in which some of them have been split, 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.
The twelve alchemical operations can be seen as a Hermetic roadmap of spiritual transmutation — a journey in which the raw matter of the self, or Lead, is refined into the radiant gold of awakened consciousness. Each operation — 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 celestial Ecliptic.
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 simply 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 ALCHEMY of the sign of LIBRA
The Alchemical Operation assigned to Virgo is Sublimation. Sublimation is best understood as a distilling process, except with solids. It can be is a process where a material mass is purified to a higher state. It can be expressed in two main ways, first as a material substance turning to gas without a liquid state in between. An example would be dry ice, where the solid turns to a gas and skips the liquid phase, or some Air fresheners, that have to be replaced when the solid mass seemingly evaporates. It can also take place during heating, when a solid mass does turn to liquid, but the steam or smoke produces a powder like substance, which when collected is considered to be the original matter sublimed.
In psychological terms, Sublimation is a type of “purification” that is often represented by an epiphany or other change of mind that happens that often has the characteristic of seemingly “skipping a step” and going straight to the higher knowing or perspective. Or, one can choose to deliberately take a step back and elevate their mind to a broader perspective. This higher more purified state of mind is crucial when discerning truth from deceit or other critical judgements or decisions. Choices and decisions made in a lower confused, cloudy or emotionally-charged state of mind are frought with uncertainty. This is the Justice card, our Lady of Justice who puts the blindfold on in order to actually see.
As we develop our “observer consciousness” within, we are able to witness our emotions and external events without identifying that we are that emotion or event. As we observe the emotions or event from a higher perspective, we alchemically transform or sublimate them into more neutral, less confused state within our minds. By practicing “observer consciousness” can learn to observe thoughts, emotions and energies more neutrally. By practicing this elevated consciousness we gain skills in redirecting discordance or disharmony within the self, and this naturally increases energetic harmony inside and out. Once we distill the inner spirit within, we can begin to sublimate negative energies around us and influence their energetics to be expressed at a higher frequency.
Physically, in our material realm, one way sublimation is used in our daily lives is in a printing process involving “Sublimation Ink.” Sublimation Ink is a special dye that, when heated under pressure, transforms directly from a liquid or solid into a gas, permanently embedding itself into a fabric or a specially coated item. Unlike standard inkjet ink, sublimation ink doesn't sit on the surface of the paper or material but becomes part of the material, resulting in permanent prints that are resistant to fading or washing out. Many of the objects and fabrics we see all around us every day are printed with Sublimation Ink.
Qabalistically, the action of performing the operation of Sublimation resides in the Ethical Triad of the Higher Self. The 22th Path of Key 11, Justice, connects Tiphareth to Geburah. Geburah, the sphere of Mars, provides Justice her Sword. Tiphareth, the sphere of the Sun, provides Justice her Scales.