MarkostheGnostic said:

BTW, these links are for you. I recommend them:
http://www.amazon.com/Taoist-Yoga-Immortality-Charles-Luk/dp/0877280673/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302192922&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Golden-Flower-Chinese-Book/dp/0156799804/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1302192981&sr=1-1

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Forever White Belt said:

In my readings on western alchemy I have not come across the idea behind the alchemical vessel. Can you explain??

I mean is it necessary to have the real lab equip?

Do you need the glass equip to practice an experiment?

What is a basic experiment? I don't really understand the idea of the lab or an experiment in a literal sense...

In what I have learned of eastern alchemy my body is the vessel and all the process mental/psychic/spiritual and physical/biological/internal happen inside me with the elements either coming from inside me saliva/breath/sexual fluid or outside me air/earth/wood/iron...

The exercise has immediate benefits always but the real goal of or gold usually culminates in a synchronicity some time in the near or distant future...

Honestly there is a entire school of my art that I have not even gotten into learning yet for herbal tinctures and such... but they are usually just for injuries from practicing hard or for healing some sick body part...

not much in the way so far of talismans,potions etc...

Shanti

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http://forum.alchemyforums.com/index.php

Good questions. I have known about alchemy since age 10 or 11 from my first book of chemistry experiments, where I learned basic lab setups (The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments). My home lab developed as I did, until such time as I began to imbibe chemicals, and then my interest moved from externalized phenomena to internalized phenomena. BUT, those early experiments evoked a sense of awe and wonder that turns out to be essential as an aspect of the internalized Stone of the Philosophers.' The Psychedelic chemicals, in late adolescence, also served to evoke the primary religious emotions of awe and wonder. Skip several decades, and after years of academia, a doctorate supervised by a Jungian analyst, followed by 8.5 years of personal analysis and training, it suddenly dawns on me that I have passed through the darkness of the Nigredo, the whitening and purification of the Albedo (decades of ethical living, Entheogens, spiritual practices), I am in late middle age and a circle needs to be closed. The desire for completion mean that my years of psychological and spiritual alchemy needed to be joined to physical alchemy. Sulphur-Mercury-Salt, Soul-Spirit-Body, Rajas-Sattva-Tamas, we are a tripartite being, a trinity, as is the alchemical universe.

The vessel in the Indian, Tibetan and Taoist Yogas is  an astral vessel for development (the Inner Fire heats the Manipura/Lower Tan tiien, sublimating those energies to the Heart, wherein Fire becomes Light, which is in  turn sublimated to the Throat to Sound/Vibration, which rises to the Brain Center's Supernal Light, etc., etc.). Now, if you look at my drawing of an alembic (Curcurbit and Alembic Head), you can get a visual symbolism of what I'm alluding to. In Vajrayana, the ascending path of Albedo, rising from the darkness of the Root Center[s] of the Nigredo, culminate in the White Light experience at the Brain center (OM), but that experience/energy/consciousness, travels a descending path through the Throat Center to the Heart Center, in which the Diamond Body/Corpus Incorruptibilis/Immortal Fetus/Philosophers' Stone manifests. In the pic, the Heart is symbolized in the receiving balloon (flask) with the mushrooms (with an Infinity sign).

MEANWHILE, while obtaining and constructing even Spagyric (plant alchemy) experiments, every object becomes a ritual item, every Operation (Calcination, Distillatio, Sublimatio, Coagulatio, etc.) are both internal states (see Edward Edinger's book The Anatomy of the Psyche for details on the psychological alchemy), is a ritual. The experiments partake of astrology, Qabalism, and magick. Magick manifests as Synchronicities. For example, just as my interest in setting up a alchemical lab arose, a teacher with whom I work, who knew nothing of my new desire, offered me two kits of organic chemistry glassware! Later, he gave me 'hazardous' mercury thermometers. Mercury has several essential alchemical meanings. I had kept several lab items from childhood; chemicals, glassware, and a 3-pole ring stand I built in the 9th grade. I dredged the childhood materials (as well as the latent emotions in my deep psyche) and constructed a small table in my study. I became creative. I won the expensive vacuum pump on an eBay auction, and you know how competitive that can be. I met a kind soul in The Shroomery's Chemistry & Pharmacology forum - a biochemist - who directed me to the right kind of pump. Then the actual work began with a Saturnian exlixir (the process begins with Saturn and all of its astrological, and magickal associations, and moves to the Sun- the inner planets/chakras and outer planets have correspondences which are supposed to align one with more Synchronicities). The resultant elixir did elicit Saturnian-oriented dreams. This is where my Jungian training in psychspiritual alchemy came in. I'm closing the circle between chilhood and old age, the Puer and the Senex. I'm moving into the Rubedo, the reddening, the alchemical Gold, psychospiritual wholeness. My inner is reflected in the outer lab apparatus. There, the inner processes meet with outer processes. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit form the Pentragrammatic microcosm which is me.

Quote:

I have known about alchemy since age 10 or 11 from my first book of chemistry experiments, where I learned basic lab setups (The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments). My home lab developed as I did, until such time as I began to imbibe chemicals, and then my interest moved from externalized phenomena to internalized phenomena. BUT, those early experiments evoked a sense of awe and wonder

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Your story was bringing me back in time... When I was 9 or ten I got to Toys R Us for my birthday and I bought a Home Chemistry Set... That shit was awesome!! However it didn't take me long to dispose of one experiment wrong and it culminated in an explosion of acid hail fireballs that landed on my right arm!! HaHa I remember running through my house with my arm all flaming up... I still have the scars to prove it, man I wonder what my mom did with that chem set??

I wanted to ask you about this--

Exercises

The Middle Pillar

  1. The establishment of Malkooth.
  2. Circulation of the Light
  3. The Fountain of Light
  4. Malkooth as Kether
  5. Relationship of Tiphareth to Malkooth and Kether



I was reading about it here Secret Fire: The Relationship Between Kundalini, Kabbalah, and Alchemy by Mark Stavish, M.A.    I guess I have had this article for a while in pdf. just never finished it

Any way I don't know if you have practiced this or not but I was reading into it its damn near identical to the practice we initiate people into my Qi-Gong school and it is the primary practice to test people on whether or not they are capable of really getting deep into the art.

We call it Hugging the Tree and its really basic but the stances that we use are where the all the secrets of releasing the Secret Fire are hidden... it looks like this

I even use the same time requirement for a student who really wants to become advanced in the art --- 3 or 4 years -- the parallels keep stacking up its uncanny...

I wonder if this was intentionally left out of the literature?? I mean without the stance Hugging the Tree I really do not see how this could possibly help in releasing the Secret Fire.. There are so many little postures and poses that need to be kept up so the energy/qi doesn't stagnate... I am convinced that these are the exact same practices so this confuses me a little...

I would hate to find out that other things so important to the exercise could be left out like this or maybe its just this article??

Any way if you have anything like this article please send me some love!!

teknix said:

Why is it that you only pretend to hug a tree?

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teknix said:

Tree's also have energy. I like to call their energy "root" energy.

You can exchange energy with them, and give metta to it after you are done, as in showing appreciation.

The question wasn't in ridicule, only curiosity.  If you were to stumbled upon me in the woods, (being very sneaky) you may see me give a tree a hug. lol.

I do have a question I would like to ask you.

What do you call the chi that comes from the heavens?

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teknix said:

I feel I will have to go far away from civilizattion.

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teknix said:

Do you think those that are heavier on Yang energy are better healers and have more potent metta, than one who is balanced?

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teknix said:

The more I strive for neutrality, the less love I feel. The fire is more prominent, as well as even existent. It seems to be just beneath metta, and when it rages it seems to weaken love.

Is it because of an inability to split focus aptly?

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Forever White Belt said:

teknix said:

I feel I will have to go far away from civilizattion.

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Yeah practice makes perfect and when you are forced to live in an urban setting I agree that its very distracting...

I moved from CA to AR just so I can reestablish my connection with nature... Thank god I live a short walk away from a breath taking view of mountains and my own private lake!! It makes a world of difference for my motivation (after 13+ years of practice) it always helps to have something to inspire!!

Nature is a great motivator!

teknix said:

Do you think those that are heavier on Yang energy are better healers and have more potent metta, than one who is balanced?

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Remember the heart and mind are synonymous in Chinese thought. The heart(Li) is the house of fire and passion and the kidneys(Kan) or lower abdomen are the house of water and the sexual essence and pleasure. By concentrating the mind (fire) in the lower dan tien (water) the water (essence) will be scorched by fire to become steam (chi energy) that will circulate in the micro-cosmic orbit reversing the positions of Heaven and Earth (Chien-Kun) to the prenatal condition. Equilibrium is the result of fire in the water no longer rising up to rouse toe passions and water(essence) no no longer flowing downward as it is steamed by the fire and rises.

I know that was long winded and I have a picture that I can show you a good correspondence but I have to find it...  Yang Energy is positive in nature reflecting *Heaven Fire Hear(mind) Life(Kun) Green Dragon Mercury Sun Left Eye Positive Yang Wood Meditation Female Spirit

teknix said:

The more I strive for neutrality, the less love I feel. The fire is more prominent, as well as even existent. It seems to be just beneath metta, and when it rages it seems to weaken love.

Is it because of an inability to split focus aptly?

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I am not sure what you mean here by metta??

What do you have trouble splitting your focus between?? There are steps maybe to remove or add depends I think on you!

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Forever White Belt said:

teknix said:

Why is it that you only pretend to hug a tree?

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lol too many people would call us tree huggers

just for you markos

Huge Collection of Books in pdf.

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WOW! Thanks!

MarkostheGnostic said:

Thanks for the book link. I will read it there if it's complete, or maybe even locate a copy. I read Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition a year ago when I went through this phase of enthusiasm for magick (that I abandoned when I was 19 in 1972).  Like the preface says, Giordano's book by Yates is the more widely read, but I was completely unaware of Waker's book. I did look into buying a set of Lynn Thorndike's  books, but it is prohibitively expensive for the time I would probably spend with it. It took me 20 years to find a complete set of Man, Myth, and Magic, and that was almost 20 years since I bought it (I haven't read every volume).
-MtG

BTW, these links are for you. I recommend them:
http://www.amazon.com/Taoist-Yoga-Immortality-Charles-Luk/dp/0877280673/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302192922&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Golden-Flower-Chinese-Book/dp/0156799804/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1302192981&sr=1-1

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Hmmm.    http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/12569204#12569204