Basic Foundations for Alchemists

I write a lot about energy, and a lot of what I write might seem like BS, or esoteric.  But it’s not.  Energy is real. It’s not some supernatural magical unicorn thing.  It’s real and tangible.  There’s physical energy that runs through your body, and from and to the earth, that you can feel its effects through basic techniques.

There’s subtle energy in the body that can be moved and manipulated and interacts with the energy of others.  Then there is higher energy that impacts the energetic vibration of all things.

And in all of these cases, we can learn to use these energies instead of letting them use us.

And they are all interconnected. Physical grounding is essential to gaining power over your internal subtle energy, and in turn the higher energies around us.  You are responsible for all of this, but most of us have given up that responsibility.  Most of us lack the beliefs and understanding necessary to assume that power and be at cause with our energies and the energies around us.

The world around us seeks to pull us away from our power. It wants us ungrounded, in our head, fearful, believing that we are an effect of forces beyond our control, both inside and outside ourselves.  None of this is true.  We have full power over all of this, more than we realize.

A couple basic practices, to introduce you to the concepts (or reintroduce you):

Find a partner to assist. Begin by simply sitting and having your partner push you from the back by your shoulders. Your tendency will be to push back with your back and shoulders, and it’ll be easy for your partner to push you over. 

But then focus on stillness, focus your energy on your hips and connection with the earth.  Focus the energy to drive your hips into the earth. Now have your partner try to push you over.  Keep your shoulders relaxed and focus on grounding your hips down into the earth.

You’ll find you’re much more solid and it’s very difficult for your partner to push you over.

What’s different?  Your intention.  Your intention to ground your energy makes you harder to tip over.  That’s energy.

Next, rub your hands together for about a minute and then hold them about six inches apart for another minute.  You’ll feel the energy between your hands.  Focus on that ball of energy.  Try and push into the ball or pull apart and you’ll find that ball has substance to it – it’s difficult to push or pull.  You’ve directed energy outside your physical body.

Another exercise is to sit still, breathe slowly and deeply, and begin to imagine a circle of energy going from your tailbone, up your spine, into your head, down the front of your body and returning to the base of your spine. You might have to imagine it at first, but eventually you’ll be able to feel the flow.  You’ve guided the flow of energy inside your body.

Now you may be saying “this is low-level stuff, I thought you were doing more high-level things.”  

It’s all interconnected.  If you’re on the Throne of Creation, where is your body?  What is the energy in your body doing?  Where is your energy in relation to the earth?  Where are your thoughts and beliefs?  Because it’s all related and “small things” matter as much as “big things.”

The most accomplished musicians still play the scales.

Also, how do you know what you’re “supposed” to be doing if you’re not grounded, centered and aligned? 

I have a few recommendations for Alchemists to enhance your practice from a foundational standpoint.

1. Lift weights.  Yes, everyone should be lifting weights, preferably free weights with full range of motion.  This activates and strengthens your muscular system and does all kinds of great things for your body.  It also activates the energy in your muscular and skeletal system.  (It also halts the aging process.)  Don’t skip leg day, those are the most important.
2. Body-weight exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, squats, jumping jacks, burpees, etc.  Additional to #1, same reasons.
3. Cardio like jump rope, swimming, sprints (high intensity interval training) to get your heart rate up and get you sweating and winded. 
4. Some kind of functional martial arts or physical combat training that involves fighting another person and encompasses the concept of energy.  This one took me a while to “get,” but it’s been massively beneficial to my alchemy journey.  You learn practical attacking and defense and the use of energy in a functional sense.  Train under a master with real people, none of this YouTube crap.
5. Grounding meditation – sit and find stillness.  Focus on grounding your hips into the earth.  Even a minute or two a day is good. (Feel free to go longer if you like.)
6. Microcosmic Orbit – sitting still, imagine energy flowing from the base of your spine into your head as you inhale, and down the front of your body back to the base of your spine as you exhale.  Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth to complete the circuit and make sure your body isn’t holding tension anywhere.  Again, even a minute or two is good.  (Longer is good, too, if you want.)
7. “Energy ball” – visualize the energy between your hands until you feel and ball of energy, and play with that ball for about a minute.  (Or longer, if you like.)
8. Do everything in life with full intention.  (Not easy, I know.  And note I said “do,” not “try.”  It’s understood you’ll fall out of intention during the day, then return to it.  Assume it’s your natural state and it will be.)

These are things you can do on a daily or regular basis, all of which will create a solid energetic foundation for Alchemy.  (Apart from just generally enhancing your life.)  I don’t want these things to feel boring or like work, so bring in what you need to so they are enjoyable and not “have to do’s.” 

Also I try and keep these things short and simple.  Obviously the exercise and martial arts will take some time, but a healthy human needs a half hour to an hour or more of meaningful exercise every day.  This would cover that requirement.  The other parts can take 5 minutes total if you’re pressed for time, not a huge ask.  And if you’re practicing Alchemy, you’re already putting aside time for meditation, so just allocate a portion of that time to “playing the scales.”

And you’re an Alchemist, not just someone going through the motions in life.  So do everything with intention.  That’s #8.  With every step and movement, every thought and breath, bring awareness to where your energy is flowing.  What’s the energy around you doing?  Are you grounded and aligned?  Are you exercising?  With intention?  Are you meditating?  With intention? 

As you practice these basics more and more, your own path will unfold in front of your.  Insight will find you.  Your gifts will awaken.  You’ll see things.  You’ll understand.  Your purpose will find you.  Too often as Alchemists we get a taste of our gifts and start reaching for what we think we want or need.  We forget that those gifts found us when we weren’t looking for them.