Alchemy
For many of us, the word alchemy brings to mind a bearded scholar in a hooded robe laboring away in an archaic laboratory, trying to discover the formula that will transmute base metals into gold. Historically speaking, this is not an inaccurate association with the word.
But such antiquated scenes were only an outer manifestation of an inner practice, one that appears in an unbroken, spiraling timeline extending both before and after the heyday of Shakespeare’s Prospero. Indeed, since the earliest dawn of human spirituality, healing, and experimentation, there has been alchemy.
You might say that alchemy is the art and science of inner transformation, including the transformation of failure into wisdom, paralysis into power, pain into beauty, isolation into interconnection, limitation into freedom, and fear into love.
In turn, inner transformations like these have the potent ability to transform our outer world, first by affecting the way we interact with the external aspects of our lives, and consequently by shifting all of our life conditions, as well as—in substantial, if seemingly subtle, ways—the entire manifest world.
In other words, when our consciousness shifts, everything else also shifts. The unified field reverberates, affecting vast and significant changes in both visible and invisible realms. As such, in addition to being an empowering practice that will set you on the path of joyful self-mastery, alchemy is a vital key to the evolution of human consciousness and the healing of our world.
Now Hiring Alchemists
Have you ever laughed through tears and felt the heaviness in your heart dissipate, flowing upward like champagne bubbles sparkling in sunlight? Have you ever let music pulse through you until your body moved, your mind quieted, and you sensed your oneness with the moment (and possibly with everything)? Have you ever created literature or visual art about something that hurt you deeply and thus constructed universal beauty out of personal pain? If you’ve done even one of these things or something like it, you’re already an experienced alchemist, and the whole world will benefit when you commit even more fully to practicing your art.
Of course, the fact that you are an alchemist should come as no surprise: those to whom the unicorn beckons are invariably alchemists. And those who answer the call—those who willingly pursue the elusive unicorn through the mystic inner realms, wherever it may lead—eventually feel compelled to become deliberate in their alchemical work. (Rest assured that reading this book means you are indeed answering the call.) So while you will still practice alchemy as a natural part of your everyday life—through practices such as laughing, dancing, and creating art—now you will be aware of what you are doing, and you will purposefully practice alchemy as an art form in its own right.
But what does it mean to practice alchemy deliberately? And how on earth does one begin?
Never fear, alchemist dear: answers are near.
Stardust Swirling
Everything is energy. You’ve probably heard that before, perhaps in science class or in one of a thousand other spiritual books. But have you ever thought about it? Have you felt it? Have you owned it? Have you tuned into the energy within you, which is also the energy within everything else, including the ocean, the sunlight, the air, the soil, and the swirling stardust? Have you gone beyond the words and into the truth they describe: that you can’t possibly be anything other than infinity, and that you—the truth of you—is timeless, birthless, deathless, limitless, and omnipotent?
Conversely, it is equally miraculous and astounding that you are currently present in this earthly, seemingly finite form. There has never been anyone like you, and there never will be. The fact that you arose out of the mind-bogglingly vast number of potential genetic combinations present in your parents alone is entirely improbable and truly inconceivable. Indeed, from a macrocosmic standpoint, you are no less rare, precious, or extraordinary than a unicorn.
You are stardust briefly masquerading as a physical being. You are a precious creature animated with infinite wisdom, glowing and sparkling with the same energy that gave birth to the cosmos.
Now that you are considering your oneness with the oneness of all, consider that while all is indeed one, all is also two. Everything you see and experience is defined through the appearance of opposites: light and dark, movement and stillness, silence and sound. Without one polarity, the other would have no form, no outline. Without both light and dark, an image is not an image. Without both movement and stillness, a dance is not a dance. Without both silence and sound, a song is not a song. So while everything is one (in terms of energy), everything is also two (in terms of polarities), and the two give birth to all the countless things that you see and experience.
Awakening to the presence of both oneness and twoness is one of the first lessons of alchemy. Doing so allows you to consciously establish greater balance between the polarities within yourself, your life conditions, and the world.
Unicorn Portal Key #2:
Balance the Sun and the Moon Within You
Unicorns are aligned with both solar and lunar wisdom. Alchemically, the sun corresponds with what is called yang energy in Eastern alchemy and what is called masculine energy in the West. It is light, heat, day, expansion, action, structure, and the solid external world. The moon corresponds with yin, or feminine energy: dark, coolness, night, receptivity, stillness, fluidity, and the dreamy inner realms. An ideal balance of sun and moon qualities within you facilitates harmony, joy, vitality, abundance, peace, wisdom, self-mastery, general effectiveness, and greater ease in obtaining every form of success.
This key looks completely silver on one side, but when you flip it over, you discover the other half is pure gold. But the silver is not just silver: it also shines with an ethereal luminescence like the full moon on a clear night. And the gold side is not just gold: it also radiates a blinding golden-white brightness like the noonday sun. Again, this key is alive, and it actively desires to be in your possession. But first, you must complete the following:
Find a relaxing place where you will not be disturbed. This could be indoors or out, as long as it’s completely private, comfortable, and safe. Sit or recline with your spine relatively straight and your arms and legs uncrossed. Close your eyes. Become conscious of your breath. Notice as you breathe in and notice as you breathe out. Notice how your breath naturally begins to deepen.
Bring your awareness to any areas of your body that feel uncomfortable or tense. Feel that you are sending breath to these areas as you breathe in, and feel that you are releasing tension and discomfort as you breathe out. Continue until you feel deeply relaxed.
Now, in the inner realm, visit a mystical lake at midnight. The sky is filled with bright stars and a huge, luminous moon that lights up the sky and is reflected on the mostly still but faintly rippling surface of the lake, dotted around the edges with white water lilies and lily pads.
A patch of blossoming lilacs to your left begins to stir, and in time a unicorn emerges, illuminated by the cool, vibrant moon. This creature’s silvery coat and spiraling, iridescent horn shimmer in the moonlight. The unicorn approaches. You place your hand on the unicorn’s mane and it gazes at you sideways, and you see that its eyes are the same sparkling midnight-blue color as the sky.
Although silent, you know the unicorn is lovingly communicating with you. Specifically, the unicorn is filling you with gentle lunar energy and wisdom. Although it does not deplete this magical being in any way, you feel the unicorn’s light moving into your body. Somehow, you know this light is healing and balancing you perfectly because it has an innate intelligence all its own.
When the infusion is complete, you feel immense gratitude for this unicorn and realize that it is your own personal guide. Now it will share a name with you that you’ll hear or see in your mind or that you’ll just somehow know. Receive it with gratitude, knowing you can call on your unicorn’s presence at any time for a balancing infusion of lunar energy and wisdom. (If you’re not sure what your lunar guide’s name is, ask yourself, “But what if I did know? What would it be?”)
With great love in its sparkling eyes, your unicorn guide turns and softly trots back into the lilacs at the edge of the lake. Feeling deeply safe and loved, you fall asleep in the moonlight.
Soon you sense the bright sun directly overhead and open your eyes. From the position of the sun, you can see that you have slept not just through the night, but through the late morning as well. Now the lake sparkles like glitter in the sunlight. Notice that the water lilies are the purest possible white.
Gaze to your right and notice a shady grove of cedar trees. From deep inside the grove, a bright white unicorn emerges into the light. Its golden-white coat and spiraling gold and white horn blaze in the clear brightness of the day. This unicorn approaches, and you turn and place your hand on its mane. You see that its eyes are the same clear blue as the sky.
Although silent, you know this unicorn is powerfully communicating with you. Specifically, you are receiving a powerful infusion of strong solar energy and wisdom. Although it does not deplete the unicorn in any way, you feel light moving from the unicorn’s body into yours. Somehow, you know this light is healing and balancing you perfectly because it has an innate intelligence all its own.
When the infusion is complete, you feel immense gratitude for this unicorn and realize that it is your own personal guide. At this time, your guide will share a name with you that you’ll hear or see in your mind or just somehow know. Receive it with gratitude, and know that you can call on your guide’s presence at any time for a vitalizing infusion of solar energy and power. (Again, if you’re not sure what your solar guide’s name is, ask yourself, “But what if I did know? What would it be?”)
With powerful love in its clear eyes, your unicorn turns and energetically lopes back into the cedar grove, disappearing into the depths. Feeling energized and enlivened, you now come back from this inner journey.
Before you leave this relaxing space, take a moment to jot down your guides’ names, as well as any insights you have into how to bring greater harmony and balance into your life. You will find you have a particular clarity on this topic after spending time with your lunar and solar unicorn guides. You may have insights into seemingly small things (like drinking more water, getting more sleep, or cleaning out your closet) or seemingly gigantic things (such as leaving a toxic relationship, moving to a new city, or changing your career path). Regardless of its perceived significance, write it down. Continue until you genuinely can’t think of anything else. In other words, make sure not to leave anything out.
Once you’ve completed the above journey and journaling practice, congratulations: the key is yours. Gaze at it in your mind’s eye and imagine yourself adding it to your astral key ring.
The Rainbow Connection
What if it is all unicorns and rainbows? What if everything else is an illusion?
I am not being facetious; I am asking in all seriousness.
As we saw in the last chapter, if you examine what you actually know to be “real,” you will find there are no certainties. Everything, after all, is filtered to your awareness through your senses. So can we trust that what we perceive exists outside of our consciousness? Alas, we cannot. As such, we are living a life that is not much different than a dream.
In this dream we call life, everything that appears in our field of vision is shaped and defined by color and light. We are told that our eyes actually evolved the way they did because of our sun and that the pure white light of the sun is refracted in a million different ways to form all that we see.
So, in an actual sense—at least visibly speaking—it is all rainbows.
Still, the question remains: Is it also unicorns?
The literal answer is no. You cannot look under a microscope and see that everything is made up of tiny unicorns. We are not generally observing light from the sun being bent or refracted to create the appearance of unicorns. In fact, if you look in the index of any science book, you are not likely to see unicorns listed even once.
On the other hand, unicorns are a symbol of all the most precious things about human consciousness: wonder, imagination, courage, purity, creativity, positivity, fairness, wisdom, joy, and the power to heal. Albert Einstein wrote, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”2
Imagination encircles the world.
So, yes: symbolically speaking and from the perspective of human consciousness, in addition to being all rainbows, it is also all unicorns.
And they are closely related. Just as rainbows give birth to every visible thing, the imagination and wonder that are the unicorn’s domain allow humans to refract and recombine the pure light of consciousness into our own spiritual and scientific evolution—all that we invent, conceptualize, and create.
To celebrate and integrate the astonishing truth that it is all rainbows and unicorns, I suggest that you take a break from reading and use your imagination to create something beautiful now. It could be a painting, a poem, a song, a flower arrangement, a cake, an equation, or something else entirely.
Solve et Coagula
Solve et coagula is a favorite adage of the alchemist. It means “dissolve and reform.” You might say a rainbow dissolves the appearance of pure light and reforms it into color. In turn, this color forms every visible thing. Through creativity and imagination, the unicorn dissolves the appearance of the mundane world and reforms it into magic. Magic is your ability to create positive change in your life in accordance with your will and desire.
In case you harbor the least bit of doubt, let me assure you: you have that ability. You are an alchemist. You are magical. As sure as you can grind up coffee beans and transform them into a fresh and delicious cup of coffee, you can dissolve conditions you don’t love and transform them into conditions you do.
If you don’t believe me, close your eyes and ask your unicorns. (See? I told you.)
In your journal or on a piece of paper, make two vertical lists, side by side. In the first, write what you would like to dissolve, and in the second, across from what you’d like to dissolve, write what you’d like to reform. For example, the “dissolve” list could include health challenges, fear or anxiety, patterns of lack, a job you don’t love, a toxic relationship, or any other thing you don’t currently find to be ideal. Respectively, items in the “reform” list might include vibrant health, patterns of abundance, a career path you adore, confidence and calm, a healthy relationship, and so on.
The Phoenix and the Butterfly
Both the phoenix and the butterfly are friends of the unicorn: they are symbolically and mythically intertwined. Not coincidentally, both are also synonymous with extreme and miraculous transformation: both creatures dissolve and reform to the absolute utmost. Letting go of the old in a radical and even painful way, they then spread their vibrant, breathtaking wings and fly.
Now it’s time for you to do the same.
First, choose a transformation totem: the phoenix or the butterfly. Which will it be for you at this time of your life? Here are some things to consider:
The phoenix sheds, burns into ashes, and rises up from those ashes fully formed and fiery. Perhaps a century later, this happens again. Another century later, it happens yet again. In fact, as the centuries go by, the phoenix finds herself in an endless cycle of living, dying, and being reborn. The phoenix’s wisdom and power particularly speak to people who have been through so much trauma, pain, grief, or heartache that it has felt like they were dying. In fact, what they have been doing is burning through old karmic expectations and debts in order to become stronger, wiser, and more beautiful than they otherwise could have been.
The butterfly universally starts as a caterpillar. One day that caterpillar inexplicably feels like creating a cocoon around himself, retreating from the world. In time, he feels an irresistible desire to break out of the cocoon. The process of doing so entails more pain and struggle than he previously could have imagined. And then, at long last, he finds he has utterly transformed. He is a new creature, one of the most beloved in nature: he is a butterfly. Butterfly medicine appeals to people who are at a pivotal point in their development. After an extended period of struggle and hard-learned lessons, they feel ready to break free and transform into the most powerful and beautiful version of themselves. They may not have previously understood the full meaning of what they were going through, and they may still not, but they nevertheless feel the irresistible instinct to fully free themselves from their cocoons, subsequently extend their beautiful wings, and fly.
After reading the above descriptions, you may be thinking that you want to choose both. Actually, though, one of them is calling to you more than the other. Relax. Allow. Choose. Then, if you feel a sense of disappointment after you choose, choose the other one instead. When you’ve settled on the one that will be most powerful for you, you’ll feel at peace with your choice. (But it’s not set in stone; if you do this exercise during a different time in your life, you could feel more drawn to the other one.)
On the other hand, if you read the above descriptions and you’re thinking, “I’m not transforming that much right now, so I don’t feel drawn to either,” I must respectfully disagree. Your selection of reading material proves otherwise. The unicorn does not beckon to those for whom radical transformation is not an ongoing and present-moment issue. But if you’re honest with yourself, you already knew that. So breathe, relax, and go deep. How are you transforming right now? What are you releasing, and what are you becoming? How are you ready to be remade, redefined, or reborn?
Once you’ve chosen, revisit your list from the above section. If it’s in a journal or notebook, tear it out. If you’d like, you can add to it if you think of something else or amend it if something doesn’t seem quite right to you.
If you chose the phoenix, get yourself a big red pillar candle and place it in a large cauldron or pot in which it is safe to burn things. Also gather a lighter or matches, metal tongs or tweezers, a terra-cotta pot, some potting soil, and a potted bright red or orange flowering plant that will do well indoors or on your patio.
Light the candle. Tear or cut the dual list in half so the conditions you want to transform are separate from the conditions you want to create. Read the old conditions you want to transform aloud and then safely burn them with the candle, using the tongs or tweezers if necessary and letting the ashes fall into the pot. As they burn, say or think:
I release you. I dissolve you. I surrender you. I transform you. I burn you away into fire. I burn you away into dust.
After the paper is as thoroughly burned into ashes as you can comfortably make it, blow out the candle. When all the paper’s ashes and charred remains are well and truly extinguished, put some potting soil in the bottom of the pot, mix the ashes in with it, then plant the flower on top of it. Remove the candle from the cauldron, wash or rinse the cauldron, and wash your hands. Read the new conditions aloud to the flowering plant, mentally empowering and enlisting this vibrantly alive being with your beautiful new intentions. Whenever you water and care for the plant, feel that you are nourishing these new conditions and steadily bringing them alive.
Please note: not many potted flowers are easily sustainable indoors. With this in mind, don’t worry if your potted flower comes to its natural end. This need not reflect on the effectiveness of your ritual. Simply release it to the earth or a compost bin and see it as another part of the phoenix’s constant cycle of transformation.
If you chose the butterfly, pull everything out of your clothes closet and put it on your bed. Also pull everything out of your dresser drawers. Clean the inside of the drawers and closet thoroughly. Gather a bundle of dried feather or desert sage (available online and at many health food stores and metaphysical supply shops), a small dish or plate, and a lighter or matches. Light the bundle so that it’s smoking like incense, and hold the dish beneath it to catch any burning embers. Waft the smoke around yourself, the inside of your closet, and even inside and around your dresser. (This will release and transform old, stuck energy.) When this feels complete, extinguish the sage by sealing it in a jar or running it under water.
Next, read aloud the things you are releasing and transforming. After you read them, say:
I willingly surrender these old conditions. I release them completely in all ways and make room for the new.
Next, put every piece of clothing back in your closet and dresser, but only if you love it and feel wonderful and energized when you look at it. If it doesn’t empower you or excite you, or if it reminds you of any old condition that you’re ready to release, put it in a pile on the floor. Once everything is either put away or piled on the floor, put the items in the pile in a box or bag and make plans to donate them to a charity of your choice.
Now, read aloud the conditions you are calling in and reforming. Once you’ve read them, say:
I welcome and give thanks for these beautiful new conditions in my life. I embrace the most beautiful and powerful possible version of myself now.
Feel this to be true in your heart. With as much present-
moment self-love and self-approval as you can muster, take another moment to consider making a radical or otherwise refreshing change to your appearance. For example: a new hairstyle, a tattoo, a piercing, or even a strength-training regimen would do the trick. (Although you can certainly choose more than one.) It’s a good sign if the very idea feels both wildly exciting and slightly terrifying, like something you sincerely want to do but up until now have not admitted to yourself or considered but then dismissed. Perhaps you even said or thought something like, “It’d be fun to dye the ends of my hair pink (or have super strong muscles or a nose ring or whatever), but that just isn’t me.” But what if it is you? What if it’s an aspect of you that previously has been hidden or denied? What if it’s the you that you are becoming? (Spoiler alert: it is.)
Keep in mind that whatever change you choose, it’s simply an outer symbol of a much deeper inner transformation. Also keep in mind that symbols can be very powerful indeed.
Once you’ve settled on a change, patiently make arrangements for it in the best and most loving way possible, doing so with great reverence and devotion toward your newly emerging butterfly self.
2. Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2017), 387.