Spiritual Alchemy

This Week's Quotation:

People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. They will practice Indian yoga and all its exercises, observe a strict regimen or diet, learn theosophy by heart, or mechanically repeat mystic texts from the literature of the whole world—yet, one does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate. It oppresses. Knowing our own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people. Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.

~ Carl Jung

Spiritual Alchemy

Terri McCartney

The concept of spiritual alchemy came from Carl Jung. Alchemical symbolism eventually suggested to Jung that a process in the unconscious had a goal beyond discharging tension and hiding pain. He termed this process spiritual alchemy.

Freeing our True Self—the Self that is an individuated expression of our Creative Source—is the result of spiritual alchemy. In other words, to untether our consciousness from the separating perceptions of the protected (or egoic) personality. The True Self is silenced by outgrown paradigms, systems, and mandates and held hostage by fears and beliefs the personality conditioned to separation continues to feed.

There’s no finger-pointing. It’s about preparing for the quantum leaps taking place in human consciousness as our perceptions are shifted from a me to a we and from an either/or to a both/and focus. Staying alert and awake is important for these new neural pathways to be laid over the outgrown networks created by fear and separation.

We all have perceptual habits that are so deeply ingrained they exist on autopilot. That's why we need to be gentle with ourselves and others as human consciousness evolves. We are learning to use our multi-dimensional faculties to recalibrate outdated patterns. Think of it as updating our software so that our system is tapped into the unified field and working at maximum capacity.

The ultimate technology is us—all that lies waiting to be activated in our DNA. It’s fascinating to discover that many of our gifts lie hidden in our trials and tribulations. An exercise that liberates these gifts is to ask ourselves, What gifts have I received from the most challenging and wounding experiences of my life?

Every experience is an opportunity to remember the truth of all being and that we are all in this together, evolving to a more refined level of connection and collaboration by moving through our lives with an open and curious heart and mind.

About Open Windows

We, the authors of this blog, dedicate it to the transparent exploration of the world's sacred scripture and enlightened spiritual thought. We believe that the original inspiration of all faiths comes from a common source, named and revered in a myriad of ways. With that understanding, the innumerable symbols, beliefs, and practices of faith cease to divide. They become open windows to a common reality that inspires and unifies us. We find deeper insight and nourishment in our own faith and from the expression of faith from others.

We hope these weekly quotations and meditations speak to your heart and soul.