Dear bums

[Surya]

 

Good day to you all,

I've been lurking around the site for a few months, and thought it was time to join the conversation. You have to introduce yourself first, as per the rules. Of course, I could go through the routine of I'm x born in y, have z children and work in industry a, and in my spare time I like fishing and salsa dancing. But I thought I'd use this opportunity to reflect a little on the subject: introduce myself to me, if you know what I mean.

 

I struck up a conversation with an Indian a few months ago. He asked me who I was. As I'm currently unemployed, I answered a little nervously: “you mean like work or education?”. Nono, he said, more like my interests, talents, passions, philosophy etc. I didnt know what to answer exactly, but we had a nice chat regardless and exchanged numbers. He called me some weeks later, and offered me a “job”. He felt that there was a great “market”/longing for the higher things in the place I live, and my God, is he right. Ive felt that longing for most of my life, and I can tell that more and more of my peers are getting fed up with the materialist worldview.

“Hare Krishna, how are you?” he started. “I feel perfect,” and for the first time, I said those words honestly. I really did. That very same day I had been moved to tears about the mystery and beauty of this universe of ours, and felt a deep sense of unity. He went on to tell me that while he was visiting my town, he had been to a bunch of meetings, and gave me the same advice: expose yourself to the world, explore, go to meetings. Since I am local, he asked me if I'd knew any businesses, people, NGOs, what have you, that I thought deserved to be invested in. Prior to this, I'd been in quite a dark place mentally, and thought that there are a lot of suffering due to the way modern society functions. I mean, that much is obvious when you see how much pain suffering is around. Where I am from, more then half the population has some sort of chronic illness… But if you want to change something, you need a vision, right.. and I didnt have one.

 

So yeah, thats kind of whats on my mind as I write this: who am I, and what do I want for the world and myself. I've always known that I am a “people person.” Man is the joy of man. So that is one thing, I want great and fulfilling relationships. With age I have also gotten to experience the tremendous joy and healing there is in service: both in “receiving” as a well as “giving.”

 

Another thing I think is of tremendous importance, is practising religion in a communal setting. I am here thinking about the original meaning of the term, not dogma or a specific school. I use the term how  the latin etymology implies re-ligio (again-connect). So I see it not as different as yoga, in a way, a repeated effort to reconnect with the divine/God.

 

So, trough conversation with two friends/teachers, and some curious synchronisity, the subject of alchemy  keeps popping up. The philosopher's stone in particular. So that is one thing Id like to explore with you. And yeah, we will see what happens. Looking forward to it regardless.

 

I read “the alchemist” by Coehlo as a child, and enjoyed it thouroughly. Decided to pick it up again today tho. Read 50 or so pages this far. There are tons of beautifull passages to share, but I decided to leave you with this one:

Spoiler

“In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left for you.”
Before the boy could reply, a butterfly appeared and fluttered between him and the old man. He remembered something his grandfather had once told him: that butterflies were a good omen. Like crickets, and like grasshoppers; like lizards and four-leaf clovers.
“That’s right,” said the old man, able to read the boy’s thoughts. “Just as your grandfather taught you. These are good omens.”
The old man opened his cape, and the boy was struck by what he saw. The old man wore a breastplate of heavy gold, covered with precious stones. The boy recalled the brilliance he had noticed on the previous day. He really was a king! He must be disguised to avoid encounters with thieves.
“Take these,” said the old man, holding out a white stone and a black stone that had been embedded at the center of the breastplate. “They are called Urim and Thummim. The black signifies ‘yes,’ and the white ‘no.’ When you are unable to read the omens, they will help you to do so. Always ask an objective question. “But, if you can, try to make your own decisions. The treasure is at the Pyramids; that you already knew. But I had to insist on the payment of six sheep because I helped you to make your decision.”
The boy put the stones in his pouch. From then on, he would make his own decisions.
“Don’t forget that everything you deal with is only one thing and nothing else. And don’t forget the language of omens. And, above all, don’t forget to follow your Personal Legend through to its conclusion. “But before I go, I want to tell you a little story:
“A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert for forty days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived.
“Rather than finding a saintly man, though, our hero, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world. The wise man conversed with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn to be given the man’s attention.
“The wise man listened attentively to the boy’s explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn’t have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.
“‘Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,’ said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. ‘As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.’
“The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was. “‘Well,’ asked the wise man, ‘did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?’ “
The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.
“‘Then go back and observe the marvels of my world,’ said the wise man. ‘You cannot trust a man if you don’t know his house.’ “
Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.
“‘But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?’ asked the wise man. “
Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.
“‘Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,’ said the wisest of wise men. ‘The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.’”
The shepherd said nothing. He had understood the story the old king had told him. A shepherd may like to travel, but he should never forget about his sheep. The old man looked at the boy and, with his hands held together, made several strange gestures over the boy’s head. Then, taking his sheep, he walked away.

(p. 40 onwards in my edition)

[forestofclarity]

Welcome!

[Giles]

Welcome @Surya. 😊

[Cobie]

1 hour ago, Surya said:

… Another thing I think is of tremendous importance, is practising religion in a communal setting …

I agree. Great intro, welcome to the forum. 
 

 

[Nungali]

Here is a gem from my teenage LP collection      

 

( It was subtitled 'Moog goes supernatural with eerie electronics  ' )      

 

 

 

[Nungali]

You should start a thread on this in esoteric section . 

 

There are various types of alchemy , I have written on DBs about some of them , particularly ,  I practiced 'earth alchemy' ' .  A way of transforming soil , hence crops and food . 

 

You may remember that the prima materia was designated as “Adam’s earth”, and Michael Maier tells us that Adam carried this earth away with him from Paradise.

There is an old legend that Adam, when driven out of Paradise, carried some of its soil away with him.

This earth was said to be red, and “terra rubra” [red earth) is also a name for the prima materia. 

 

ix some of that , with the 'other ' prima materia  (one is a form of the other )  , that many documents cryptically describe as dung  ;  ' it is every where  { consider the time this written , all transport was horse of bovine powered } underfoot , in the streets , the people use it  ( for fires and heating ), the rich never see it , the children play with it in the streets ' ... and so on . 

 

Put it in an  alembic (made from cow horns)   and place it in the athenor  ( a type of slow oven , or buried  in the earth  for  ' constant  warm temperature' ) and , as the earth energies  go into it and circulate ,  little creatures appear in it ( I seen them under magnification )  ;  red ones , black ones and a few white ones . Then it is ready for the next stage . 

 

Imagine my fascination to find this later : 

 

 

 

 

 

Unless one wants gold     I would advise either 'earth alchemy ' - energized food  , or 'psychological alchemy ' - balanced and developed psychology .