Alchemy – Changing our Perceptions
New Moons represent new beginnings, and this New Moon in Libra on September 25th is extremely significant, not just for the UK but also on a global level. Symbolically the UK has marked a transition to a new era with great pomp and circumstance as the Elizabethan age came to an end. The world too is on the threshold of some new beginning, as we mark almost three years since our lives began to change unimaginably. Only the achievement of some level of spiritual alchemy will assist us in dealing with what we have ahead.
When we think of alchemy we think perhaps of magic and of turning base metals into gold. Pushed into the modern public horizon by J. K. Rowling and Harry Potter, we also perhaps think of the philosopher’s stone – the mythical alchemical substance and central symbol of mystical transformation. However, Alchemy was not just about gold, it was also the search for the elixir of the extension of life and the achievement of immortality. The foundation of Alchemy is rooted in a complex spiritual worldview - everything contains a universal spirit; everything is alive and full of magic.
In spiritual terms alchemy can and will change one’s perception of one’s world. In my last two blogs I have addressed the question of how much we live within a Matrix where, without realising, our thought patterns and our actions, and therefore our perceptions, have become conditioned by an unknown force out for its own agenda – and this agenda has now gathered momentum on an exponential level. Spiritual alchemy is needed now more than ever. Most of us may not manage to magic up gold, but it is possible to work towards a more spiritual alchemy where attaining ‘gold’ equates to the transformation of thought and perception in order to achieve our own perceptions independently through conscious awareness. Rather than life happening to us, we actually start to create our own destiny.
Firstly, let’s strip apart the message of the New Moon. This New Moon falls just two days after the Sun has entered Libra – this is a key point for astrologers as it marks entry into one of the four ‘cardinal’ (action) signs of the zodiac (the Autumn equinox) - these have a particular linking to events on the world stage. The New Moon is still within range of being active on a global level and crucially, energises the next upcoming ‘biggy’ – the final Saturn/Uranus square that I have talked about incessantly. And it becomes part of a very unusual aspect. The planet Jupiter stands right in the middle of Saturn and Uranus in the go-getting sign of Aries right opposite this New Moon. Now Jupiter enlarges everything he touches, energising the meeting of all these planets before their more exact meeting towards the end of October, but in a tricky and explosive type of way. Is it some kind of warning?
Both Mercury (mind, thought and communication) and Venus are also involved in this New Moon, sitting close by, but in the adjacent sign of Virgo, Mercury’s home sign. Virgo is an earth sign with an affinity to nature and food supply, whilst Venus speaks more of relationships and financial issues. Mercury is really strong, even though he is retrograde, and both are in a harmonious aspect with Pluto – perhaps there needs to be some kind of digging deep or deep transformation in terms of how we think and communicate, how we keep our data close to us and how we finance the things we need. But their involvement in the energy of this New Moon and the Saturn/Uranus square also suggests that there will be some upset for many in terms of how we eat, what we eat, how we pay for everything and, therefore, our perceptions will be required to change accordingly.
Saturn is the limiter, the controller desiring rules for everything, whilst Uranus is the maverick, the one who delivers shocks – he is no follower of anyone’s rules. On the world stage the value of the pound is dropping dramatically and, if we consider the amount of money printing and financial support that has occurred over the last two years, and then the financing of a war, how indeed could that not be expected to happen? Jupiter and Neptune are approaching a joining together –in different signs but still a conjunction. This often symbolises some kind of financial meltdown or extension to the ‘sand and mirrors’ approach to financial accountability.
The war has now provided the scapegoat for vanishing supplies. There’s a myriad of ways this could all play out, including potentially some kind of false flag/black swan event, but I don’t want to waste time in speculation because that’s all it will be – pure speculation. It’s more important to consider how we handle the challenges of our perceptions - perceptions that have arisen from an artificially created problem/reaction/solution scenario.
With a Saturn/Uranus square, where initially Saturn is the stronger, first we have to have the challenges and put in the hard work, then comes breakthrough and revolution. And with Saturn in Aquarius perhaps much more action and responsibility should go into being part of and working with community and how we blend together as a community. Rather than ‘it’s all about me’, the emphasis should be much more about how we can work together to share what we have, particularly as the supply system becomes radically affected. If Uranus brings shocks to our Earth, to our food supplies and to our money systems, how do we stay grounded in our centres to get through this stage? How do we extract ourselves from our individual selfish ways and come to understand that in times of trouble we are stronger together? This takes a radical shift in our perceptions.
Spiritual alchemy is an ancient philosophy that uses the metaphor of transforming metals into gold to attain spiritual enlightenment and liberate our essence from our ‘acquired’ personality. And here is the key – liberation from our ‘acquired personality’ that has gradually and unknowingly been foisted upon us in a life of subliminal control within a simulation of real life – a matrix. Spiritual Alchemy is the act of inner transformation. It is healing and freeing the inner parts of ourselves. Transforming these parts of us leads to inner liberation from our fears and beliefs that no longer serve us and perceptions that are self-destructive.
At the New Moon we also have another extremely useful aspect; Neptune stands opposite Mercury and Venus, with all three in a square to Mars who energises this dynamic – our perceptions must be targeted and leap across the conditioned limits of the reality that we think we live in. Additionally, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn and the three outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) are all retrograde, providing a magnificent opportunity for all of us to review, reconsider and reassess our perceptions and beliefs.
To achieve spiritual alchemy we need to go into our heart brain so that we can find a place of stillness in our head brain. We can do this through meditation or meditative practices such as being within nature, or within the creativity of yoga, song, dance, mindful walking – anything where we can ‘lose’ ourselves mentally. Neptune opposite Mercury can encourage our ability to take down limiting beliefs, whilst Mars in the frame energises and targets this ability. The journey encourages us to engage in the present moment, to really feel a part of nature and everything around us, to sit more within the love in our hearts. I think we must engage our three brains – the head, the heart and the gut. Spiritual Alchemy is not a logical exercise – it is an exercise that must be ‘felt’ and ‘be’ within, so that it can permeate throughout our bodies – it has to become a ‘cellular’ knowledge. It is not a head brain exercise, but our head brain has to first find a place of stillness and calm. We are not mechanical bodies – we are our Soul and our Spirit which makes up a kind of inner essence of being alive.
Spiritual Alchemy is all about breaking beyond the boundaries of what we think we know, to discover a new reality – one that is real and not illusory created by someone else. Saturn tends to limit our belief systems in terms of where we think we can go. But Jupiter in the picture at this New Moon is encouraging us to go beyond those limiting belief systems.
We are darkness, light and everything in between and we can set free our potential. Rather than trying to align with the illusion and perception of who we and society think we are, we begin to let go of ideas that imprison us. We have lived in an illusory game of life where we are encouraged to be part of some kind of group think. Remember as kids and we were just desperate to be part of the cool gang. It’s basic psychological ‘encouragement’ of needing to belong to some kind of group that we think will nurture us – but it doesn’t. It enslaves us. Although it has been unpleasant for all of us, the last three years have actually offered us an opportunity to see how we have been conned. Once we achieve spiritual alchemy within real life, we see that for what it is and achieve a liberation (Uranus) from past traditions (Saturn) and are able to be in control of our own life journey.