This and the next few blogs are articles I wrote for the NDNR Naturopathic Journal. The first three wil be from 2015 when I had a column called the Philosopher Stone, subsequent blogs will be from requested articles from the journal.
Alchemy:
Bishop Daniel Taylor, while sitting on my ordination counsel, posed the following question during my oral exams : suppose I’m an atheist, and I ask you to prove to me that God exists. The “show me” remained unspoken and I set out on a “proof” of God’s existence. Not trying, like Thomas Aquinas, to mathematically prove the presence, I set off to reveal real experience that was so mathematically improbable that it proved the existence. Bishop Taylor labored for a minute or two and then interrupted me with the obvious truth that no one can prove to another the existence of God. I considered the persuasion of belief, he held to the scientific impossibility of proving God to another person.
God, Goddess, living spirit, Vis, the name of that which stands before, behind, and in all that exists is beyond the capacity of human science to quantify or qualify. Faith and beliefs are often developed without a strict adherence to the most exact scientific model. Some are learned, some come from experience; how we view events trumps almost all postulates, theories and scientific laws. Goethe said: “We see only what we Know”. What we see individually, what we know, is often unconvincing to others. We hope that the world holds some truths that are at least objective, but we also know that the world and science are far from representing “absolute” truth. We trust in the law of gravity and most of us are led to believe it wise not to jump off bridges. With our subjective realities, our view of what we know often guides what we look for, and what we look for often reflects core societal beliefs and scientific design.
Alchemy is [a term and] a varied philosophy that some believe in, while others consider it to be absolute nonsense. Its proponents included great minds, highly educated people, and their followers. The opponents of the legitimacy of alchemy are often highly intelligent and highly educated as well, again followed by many. Its opponents believe that both the educated and the masses would change their minds if they only understood the exact logic of their “disproof”. The proponents of alchemy weave science and logic together when defending their positions and views. The “theory of complimentarity" in physics holds that if you look at light as a particle, you see it as a particle but not as a wave, while the reverse is also true. You cannot see light as a particle and as a wave simultaneously. While the opponents of alchemical philosophies agree to define their views as as being rooted in physical principles, science itself is deficient in both natural laws of the physical universe and comprehension of the mergence of conscious, subconscious, and spirit in the living world.
The theory of complimentarity is exceptionally relevant in medicine and human health. Applying the theory, you find that when you look at the human body as matter, you fail to see the spirit, and vice versa. The bifocaled eyes that see the patient as both body and spirit perceive more from the heart and soul, and less from mere sight. Alchemy, beyond metallurgy, is a bifocaled approach to science and life, and will never be viewed as legitimate by those that see only with their brains and eyes. Until they are willing to broaden their vision and take a plunge, they will be trapped within their intellectual views. Many “alchemists” may also be trapped within their intellectual views.
I see the field of alchemy within a trilogy of basic knowledge, advanced knowledge, and wisdom. Going back to the argument of whether God is real, I quickly realized how absurd it was to think I could prove someone else's personal relationship, experience, and faith in a higher power. I could no more prove to someone what an orange tastes like. I could teach a child to identify an orange and successfully send them off to buy one at the grocer (basic knowledge). I could lecture and present information on the orange plant, the nutrients, and other chemicals found in the fruit, and share how these nutrients support or impact bodily functions (advanced knowledge). Or the person could bite into the orange and create their own wisdom and knowledge about the fruit.
At many naturopathic conferences the subject of alchemy comes up. It is only natural that alchemy would be in the titles or content of our talks, as alchemy lies at the root of many of the earliest teachings of modern medicine and chemistry. In an NDNR article last month I mentioned the “ancient mysteries” as a common theme of discussion of our elders; in the many meanings and interpretations of the subject of alchemy, we find our thread of neo-Platonic roots. In our college courses on history and philosophy we give note to Pythagorus, Galen and especially Paracelsus. Paracelsus has been called “the greatest alchemist of all time”, as well as the father of toxicology and the father of pharmacology. His teachings were held in the greatest regard by the nature curists of the 19th century and continued into the lineage of the founding and development of naturopathy and naturopathic medicine. The many faces and meanings found within the study of alchemy encompass the body, mind, and spirit of holistic medicine and also the vis medicatrix naturae of our current profession.
Like the paradigm of Frederick Pearls, the Gestalt, where the many parts never form the whole, the three separate parts or definitions of alchemy do not constitute the one truth held as absolute by the philosopher alchemist. They do give rise to a nice discussion of the circular evolution or rise of the seven bodies of the ancient mysteries. This is the body of today’s article, the first basic alchemy of metallurgy and chemistry, the second level of the metaphysical migration of the body to spirit (the sulphur, mercury, phosphorus of anthroposophical and homeopathic teachings), and the third level of attainment or adept status of the super spirit. Let us proceed.
The modern word alchemy comes to us from the middle ages and the time of Paracelsus. In Middle English it was alkamie, in Middle French: alkimie, and in medieval Latin: alchymia. All three of these words came from the Arabic al-kimiya, which, in turn, came from the Egyptian hieroglyphics combining Km.t or Chem, the name for Egypt (black earth), with art; “art of the black earth”
The two ancient Greek words that followed this Egyptian root were “chemeia”, which referred to the “art of making metal ingots” and “chumeia”, which was the “art of extracting juices or infusions from plants”. From these roots we get the basic foundation of what has become known as alchemy. This foundation provides the three dominant meanings of alchemy: the metallurgy or making of ingots (sulphur), the mercurial or transmutation of plant life into infusions, and finally the metaphysical phosphorus, or the magical and spiritual transference of the physical to the spiritual.
Paracelsus is interesting for so many reasons, but in the discussion of alchemy, he represents the complete trilogy of alchemy. Born in 1493 as Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, Paracelsus was the third Bombast of alchemical roots. His grandfather Georg Bombast von Hohenheim was a Grand master of the Teutonic Knights, leading the Order of the Knights of St. John on crusades. He was, as a 33rd degree adept, fully knowledgeable about the esoteric or metaphysical studies of alchemy. Wilhelm, the father of Paracelsus, became a physician, but he was also a metallurgist, an alchemist of the physical “making of metal ingots” realm of alchemy. It was Paracelsus who achieved the highest advancement of the Bombast(us) clan, being gifted the philosopher’s stone by an Islamic master in his travels across Asia and the Middle East. He was credited with an astonishing number of discoveries, and for developing an understanding of medicine that offered relief from the superstitions and the archaic practices of his time. Paracelsus had the wisdom, his grandfather the knowledge, and his father the information that represent the three tiers or stages of alchemy and of spiritual enlightenment.
There are many, many levels of understanding the unconscious (first mentioned by Paracelsus), and of the three principle elements of alchemy; sulphur, mercury and phosphorus. Paracelsus utilized these three “elements of nature” in revealing the cause of disease and the appropriate treatments for those that were ill. Let us first examine the metallurgic aspects of these three elements.
Mercury is found in nature, most commonly as Cinnabar, which is mercury sulfide. It is a dark red crumbling ore that can be separated by high heat (phosphorus). At temperatures around 500-600 degrees fahrenheit, oxygen is combined with sulphur and becomes sulphur dioxide and pure quicksilver, or mercury. The mercury is then a key player in the amalgamation of purifying other metals, particularly gold. This is the rudimentary alchemy of sulphur, mercury, and phosphorus leading to gold.
The second tier of alchemy is the microcosm/macrocosm of the human flesh and spirit. Sulphur, which represents the carnal or physical base of man or woman, mercury, as the firmament (the place between the earth and heaven), and phosphorus as the light or spirit. The arum or eternal life discussed in the metaphysics of Paracelsus is the end process of the elevation of humans from the base physical into the higher eternal presence of the spirit. Just as alchemy was purported to transform base metals into precious metals like gold, the alchemy of life transforms the base human into the divine. Alchemical discussions of eternal life may well reflect an aspect of the seven bodies, and the attainment of a life lived by the seven virtues, which were also discussed in the last issue of the NDNR.
The third tier of alchemy is the attainment of spiritual presence in the physical world. It is the way of the avatar, the saint, the master who in turn can, through transmission, gift their student with a view of the heavens. Prophesy, clairvoyance, advanced levels of intuition and other “para normal” attributes that invoke the presence of magic, metaphysical, and mythological are the realm of this advanced tier. It is the aim of many seekers, listeners, and disciples. It is the “super spirit” of the Zohar, the enlightenment of the Buddha, and the way of the true shaman. In the seven bodies of the ancient mysteries, it is the successful assent up the seven stages of grace. This occurs once within the physical self, once within the emotional and spiritual self, then the glimpses of prophesy perceived in the second journey of the spirit give way to enlightenment as the veils are lifted.
The alchemy of plants, of natural medicine, of homeopathy, and of prayer can be a complex listing of parts, nice drawings, theories of these captured fragments and what they mean, but it is all incomplete. It is the individual experience, the actions, flavors, and responses that are the magical aspect and the agents of the Vis, of the spirit, of life. Evidence based medicine is stuck somewhere between shopping for an orange and listing the constituents and properties of the orange without ever having tasted it. The Vis tastes and acts differently within different people, and at different times. Medicine is both an art and a science, and the patient is always an individual with unique needs. Our elders constantly advised us to treat the patient, not the disease, and to do so with the Vis Medicatrix Naturae in mind. Paracelsus said (paraphrased): The Vis Medicatrix Naturae is the ability of the physician to be in tune with the patient and in complete harmony with nature, such that nature informs the physician of the plant medicines necessary to remove the disease.
Some people are born with the taste of the orange in their mouths; these are the gifted seekers. There are some that find the path that leads them to the orange, and they are able to immediately bite into the rich fruit. There here are some that slowly progress through their studies, the discipline, and the learning to finally achieve the wisdom found within the flavor of the fruit. Lastly, there are those who just talk about it. Doctors like John Bastyr, Bill Mitchell, Ralph Weiss, and Bill Turska seemed to be completely synchronized with their patients and with nature. Accompanying their vast knowledge was a drive to walk the path of healing that represents the true epitome of alchemy. Humility and surrender are necessary to receive the gifts of being one with nature. Vigilance is a quality that helps on the long path, kindness, service, and gratitude are the qualities required to safely and effectively utilize the powers that reside within the spirit and the Vis. This is, in short, the history of alchemy within the framework of naturopathic medicine. How fortunate we are.
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