[Heart of Osiris]

Cool little quiz....

http://www.alchemylab.com/quiz.htm

My results: heh.

You are emerging from the dark night of the Soul and entering the brilliant light of pure Spirit
The depths of darkness and depression that have marked your life in the recent past will now be transformed into the penetrating light of divine consciousness. In chemical terms, the next step in alchemy is Fermentation, a natural process consisting of two parts. First comes Putrefaction, in which the matter is allowed to breakdown and decompose. The alchemists often added manure to help get the process going. The sign that this preliminary process is nearing its end is a milky white fluid that accumulates on the blackened, rotting material. The dead material seems to come to life again with an influx of digesting bacteria, as Fermentation begins. This new life force changes the fundamental nature of the material in what the alchemists saw as a process of spiritization. Out of the utter blackness of Putrefaction comes the yellow ferment, which appears like a golden wax flowing out of the foul matter. Its arrival is announced by the formation of an iridescent, oily film the alchemists named the “Peacock’s Tail.”

Psychological Fermentation is the introduction of new life into the purified presence that you developed during Conjunction. This child of the Conjunction, however, is really just a gross melding of opposites of the personality that may still be contaminated with traces of ego, so it is necessary to "sacrifice" it to bring about its resurrection on a new level of being. During psychological death or Putrefaction, the child of the Conjunction, which is the strongest presence you can create within your earthbound personality, is exposed to the decadent humidity of your deepest and most clinging psychic components, the psychological manure in which most of us wallow.

This is the dark night of the soul, in which you realize how futile it can be to try to overcome the personal, social, genetic, and even astrological limitations to change. The enthusiasm of the Conjunction turns into a black mood, and there is an extinction of interest in life. At this point, you have to stubbornly persist to achieve enlightenment or relax into the dull slumber of mere physical existence. Like the white light of the Other Side seen by near-death experiencers, we finally leave the darkness and enter the bright light of resurrection as consciousness is restored on a higher level.

Fermentation then begins with the inspiration of spiritual power from Above that reanimates, energizes, and enlightens the blackened soul. It can be achieved through various activities that include intense prayer, desire for mystical union, breakdown of the personality, transpersonal therapy, psychedelic drugs, and deep meditation. In simplest terms, Fermentation is a living, loving inspiration from something totally beyond us, something existing wholly Above in the realm of pure mind. "Separate the Earth from Fire, the Subtle from the Gross" the Emerald Tablet instructs us at this stage.

Like the iridescent "Peacock's Tail" of its chemical counterpart, successful psychological Fermentation is indicated by colorful visions that symbolize the activation of the True Imagination ¾ what the alchemists called their "Secret Fire." Personal awareness and creative abilities skyrocket in this state of consciousness, and Fermentation is the quality we envy in great artists, prophets, and spiritual leaders. Once fermented, a person becomes suddenly alive and irrepressibly hopeful because their attention is diverted from this world to something much greater. This is a time to tune into the full intensity of your thoughts, feelings, and body sensations, since they are offering you a true escape from the mundane world in which you feel yourself trapped. You are undergoing a period of true inspiration during which you should try to keep as grounded as possible. Keep a journal of your thoughts and dreams no matter how strange or irrelevant they may seem, because they may be communicating great insights.

Bodily changes begun during Conjunction reach an entirely new level during Fermentation. The Second Puberty of Conjunction causes the growth of a Second Body, a body of light experienced at first only in the True Imagination. The level of inspiration may become so intense that it is experienced as a palpable, warm light circulating in the body. This living inspiration can even be consciously directed as a healing energy to various parts of the body or to others. As Fermentation progresses, people report feelings of extraordinary grace and "flow" as the physical body raises toward perfection, toward an ideal or archetypal image that is slowly taking on reality within.

[HolyDevil2053]

The deeper essences and energies of your soul are surfacing.

ok...that is fine as long as it doesn't cause me to have gas.

[Tia]

My results.........

You are entering a period of intense bodily, mental, and spiritual transformation.

You have begun a process of profound change in which you have pierced through the illusions of everyday life and seek something greater and more truthful to live by. However, to transform anything permanently, it must first be reduced to its most fundamental ingredients. All the dross, falsity, and extraneous material must be removed. It is the job of this fundamental operation in alchemy to see that this purification is done correctly and completely. The Emerald Tablet tells us “Its father is the Sun,” and the alchemists called this initial Fire operation "Calcination" and represented it by the symbol for a crucible. Calcination means literally "reduced to bone" by burning in an open flame. In the laboratory, it is the heating of a substance in the fire until all that is left is a pile of white ashes. On the personal level, those white ashes represent the purified essences of your personality ¾ the real you stripped of all pretenses.

If you do not begin Calcination with the right attitude, it can be a negative and even frightening experience. Signs that your attitude during Calcination is wrong are usually expressed as constant frustration and anger. You feel as if everything is going wrong in your life no matter what you do. Everything you attempt seems to backfire on you. These are the fires of Calcination attacking your ego, assumptions, and habitual thoughts. As strange as it seems, your quality of consciousness or inner attitude has a lot to do with how life treats you, with what kind of "justice" comes your way on a daily basis. The only proper approach to Calcination is one of humility and sacrifice. Like it or not, you are moving to a higher level of consciousness, and the stronger you cling to the previous level, the hotter the fires of Calcination become.

Psychologically, Calcination is the destruction of the leaden center of consciousness, which is the ego and all the illusions and self-deceptions it maintains to protect or enshrine itself. Personal Calcination means getting free of the stranglehold of earthbound ego and replacing it with the true Self, which is rooted on a higher plane of reality. For most of us, Calcination is a natural humbling process as we are gradually assaulted and overcome by the trials and tribulations of life. People caught up in Calcination often feel as if they are trapped in the fires of Hell, burning up and suffering through their life yet unable to escape. Surprisingly, it is not until these fires are burning that your transformation begins, for the only way out of Hell is rise up with the flames.

During this primary phase of transformation, you have to turn up the fire of consciousness and concentrate on your thoughts, habits, assumptions, and judgments. You have to be utterly truthful about all situations, all relationships. In this way, you learn to recognize falsity and burn away the leaden or crystallized thoughts that often take on a mind of their own and become unintended responses or robotic reactions to people and events. During Calcination, you use the flames of consciousness to burn through illusion, self-deception, defense mechanisms, bigotry, and all the other dogmas and dramas of the Tyrant Ego that has usurped the throne of the transpersonal Self, who is the rightful ruler of the personality. As in the Grail legend, the kingdom of your personality will wither and decay until the true King is restored.

Controlled Calcination begins with a deliberate surrender of our inherent hubris (pride or vanity) through a variety of spiritual disciplines that ignite the fire of introspection and self-evaluation. Before undergoing Calcination, people are stubborn, materialistic, and fearful of change. About the only positive quality that can be found in such a person is a certain practicality born from having their dreams repeatedly squashed. However, those who have passed through Calcination no longer approach the world through the pulpit of ego, for they have discovered a more genuine identity at the tabernacle of soul. People describe being in the presence of a calcined person as “refreshing.” They sense the freedom of no longer having to be manipulated or controlled by deceits of someone else's ego.

Remember to keep a sense of humility during Calcination. Seek out new teachers, read books on alchemy and other spiritual sciences, and stay open to new ideas. Realize that the viewpoint of ego is materialistic and narrow and concentrate more on intuitive feelings, invisible forces, and lasting truths.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Seraphina]

Everything comes together as it was meant to be. You have witnessed the transpersonal reality and are immune to the vicissitudes of everyday life.

    The old limited world is coming to an end, and the new world offers undreamt-of vistas and infinite possibilities. Even more amazing, you are now able to exist on multiple levels and in any situation without diminishment of consciousness. Your purified Self shares its power and awareness with the One Mind of the whole universe. In chemical terms, Coagulation is the precipitation or sublimation of the purified ferment from Distillation. In alchemical metallurgy, the baser metals are transformed into incorruptible gold during this stage. The symbol for Coagulation is a stylized cipher depicting the permanent union or fusion of opposites.

Personal Coagulation is first sensed as a new confidence that is beyond all things. Coagulation incarnates and releases the refined Ultima Materia of the soul, which the alchemists also referred to as the “Greater Stone.” Using this magical touchstone, the “Salt” of alchemy, the alchemists believed they could create an elixir that would cure all diseases and heal all wounds on all levels. During Coagulation, the body is made spiritual and the spirit is made corporeal. Coagulation thus transcends both heaven and earth and produces a new incarnation that can survive in both realms. On the personal level, this often manifests as out-of-body experiences ¾ the creation of a Second Body, the Golden Light Body, a permanent vehicle of encapsulated consciousness that embodies the highest evolution of mind.

Just before the final Coagulation occurs in people, they might appear to be self-involved due to their preoccupation with finding divinity within. Afterwards, they exude a unique higher Presence, a steady confidence in their daily activities, and others begin to see them as authentic and whole persons whom they want to emulate. People sense the divine Presence and sometimes want to worship it, not realizing it is just an example of what they can themselves become. Worldly concerns recede and hidden spiritual forces take on new reality. You must respect the new freedom and perspective you have achieved at this plateau, for in all likelihood, a new round in your personal alchemy will begin soon on a higher level still.

The alchemists believed that ultimate success came in three broad stages they called “magisteriums,” to which they gave the names of different Stones. During the First Magisterium, the Lunar Stone is created. It represents gaining control over the body, so that every fiber and tissue purified and relaxed, free of knots of tied-up emotional energy. The Second Magisterium, the Solar Stone, is achieved when the mind is controlled through willpower, so that fear and ego do not interfere. The Third Magisterium is the union of the Lunar and Solar Stones with the cosmic Presence to create the Stellar Stone (or Astral Body).

Seen another way, the Lesser Stone is created during Conjunction, the Marriage of the King and Queen in which we become centered and gain control over mind and body. Coagulation, then, is the union of the Lesser Stone with the powers Above to create the Greater Stone. Having achieved that Greater Stone, you have broken free of genetic, environmental, and astrological restraints to your being and are free to express the bliss of your true presence ¾ your personal Stone.

At this stage, you are born into the universe and have arrived at a new plateau, the Greater Mysteries of the ancients. This is true atonement with the mind of God, and it allows you to enter the “graduate school” of spiritual instruction where you learn to exist within the Whole Universe ¾ both the seen and unseen, manifested and unmanifested. However, getting into "heaven" is not the final stage in alchemy. There is really an eighth step in the Emerald Tablet’s formula, a step off the ladder of transformation and a return to where we started. “Its inherent Strength is perfected,” we are told, “if it is turned into Earth.” Successful Coagulation is only made real if it “descends again to Earth” and continues in the alchemical processes of Projection and Multiplication to perfect other people and all matter. In this view, we are truly the "Salt of the earth."

I think that's supposed to be good Although I'm not sure...the whole thing whooshed right over my head

[Dancing_Dumplings]

  The opposing forces within you, whose conflicts have kept you drained and confused for so long, are finally coming together as one.

      You are about to experience a joyous and life-enhancing empowerment of your personality. If the preceding three operations (Calcination, Dissolution, and Separation) were successful, only the most genuine and essential parts of the matter at hand are left in the vessel of transformation. The next step in alchemy is the Conjunction, which is the recombination of those saved elements into an entirely new substance. Conjunction is the paradoxical union of the archetypal elements of Fire, Water, and Air to produce Earth.

Psychological Conjunction is the empowerment of our true selves, the union of both the masculine and feminine sides of our personalities into a new belief system or state of consciousness. The alchemists referred to this union as the “Marriage of the King and Queen,” and they referred to the result of the Conjunction as the "Philosopher's Child" or "Lesser Stone." After this new state of consciousness is achieved, you are able to clearly discern what needs to be done to achieve lasting enlightenment, and synchronicities begin to occur that confirm you are on the right track. In spiritual terms, the purified essences within are your very Soul and Spirit. It is now time for these archetypal forces to come together and nurture their newborn child, which is a refined and integrated personality. "Its nurse is the Earth," says the Emerald Tablet of this important juncture. At this time of renewed confidence, you should seek those activities that reinforce your peace of mind. It is an excellent time for a nature retreat or deep meditative session.

In many ways, the child of the Conjunction is like the creation of an "Overself" in which the ways of Spirit and Soul (rational, aggressive thought and intuitive, passive feeling) unite in a higher state of awareness that Egyptian alchemists called "Intelligence of the Heart." To create the Overself, you simply have to start practicing to maintain your "presence" no matter what happens, no matter how confusing things get, no matter what emotions swell up within you, no matter how cruel or thoughtless others are towards you. Every problem, every personal challenge, every nuisance or annoying person, is another opportunity for you to develop presence of mind and create the Overself. In trying to maintain your presence in all situations, you soon learn that you cannot rely on intellect or logic alone. To be really connected to what is real, you have to make use of talents and sources of knowledge that you cannot explain. Finally, you learn to value your feelings and intuitions as well as your rational judgments, and you will be able to work creatively with any challenge that comes along.

Do not forget that these two opposing ways of knowing only come together when they are used together. You have to practice personal Conjunction on a daily basis in the everyday world for the Overself to become part of your personality. The major effort in the alchemist's life is the creation of this unified self, which can withstand the onslaughts of ignorance, insensitivity, and illusion one encounters in the world. You actually can feel yourself coming together as one mind, one larger presence. Signs that Conjunction is taking place within a person are the growth of confidence, equanimity, and calmness. You start laughing at stupidity instead of getting angry. Within you, the feeling of an indestructible or "default" presence grows stronger every day. That personal presence is what the alchemists called the "Lesser Stone," which will gradually be perfected and emerge as an all-powerful state of consciousness they referred to as the "Greater Stone." 

Before Conjunction, a person can be lustful and wanton in seeking their “other half” and jealous and possessive once it is found. On the other hand, the conjuncted person is appreciative of the alchemical forces at work in relationships and careers and tends to be considerably kinder and more sensitive. Such a person appears balanced and quietly confident, and that inner harmony is proof of the integration of the elements within.

That the human body must be perfected, as well as the mind and spirit, is a basic tenet of alchemy. Yet how do the King and Queen manifest in the body, and what exactly is the Child of the Conjunction in terms of human physiology? According to Tantric alchemists, the phallic-shaped pineal gland at the center of the brain and the bilobed pituitary gland play the roles of King and Queen. Their union, achieved through meditative exercises, produces a Pill of Immortality, which is released at the back of the throat and is activated when it reaches the stomach. This inner sex act initiates a Second Puberty that perfects and rejuvenates the body.

uhhh huuuhhh.... i think its too early in the morning to take this and read the results

[Dog Demon]

I got the same as Dumplings!

This post has been edited by Dog Demon: 21 November 2004 - 04:36 PM

[moe eubleck]

There is nothing we can do for you a this time.

.....

[twpdyp]

total score of 36


You are becoming a Spiritual Warrior and must accumulate both power and presence to continue your transformation.

It is time to lift yourself out of the quagmire of your broken ego personality and recognize your Unborn Self. By breaking yourself down into your most basic traits and desires, you become aware of the essences within and isolate them from ego complexes and unwanted unconscious elements. Personal Separation is the discovery of your individual essences and the reclaiming of dream and visionary “gold” previously rejected by the masculine, aggressive, or rational part of your mind. Review formerly hidden material and decide what to discard and what to reintegrate into your refined personality. Much of this shadowy material are things you are ashamed of or were taught to hide away by your parents, churches, and schooling. Separation is getting beyond these restraints to your true nature, so the “real you” can shine through. You should try to take an honest look at yourself and the traits you want to count on later in your life.

Chemically, Separation is the isolation of the desired components from the previous two purification operations (Calcination and Dissolution). In the laboratory, the components of the polluted solution from Dissolution are separated out by filtration, cutting, settling, or agitation with air. Any ingenuine or unworthy material is then discarded the most basic constituents of the matter at hand are revealed. In a like manner, a number of psychological Sifting Techniques are available for the alchemist to cut through worldly illusion and catch the ego in its deceptive habits and manipulations.

A method called "Sifting Identity" is a private meditation in which you simply relax, concentrate on your breath, and periodically ask yourself the question “Who is aware?” In the silence of the response, you can feel your own consciousness at the very ground of your being. Alternatively, sit in a silent, dark room and repeat your name to yourself over and over, trying to determine what it really means. By observing yourself observing yourself, you enter an infinite progression or mental loop — until finally there is no difference between you the observer and you the observed, between you and your own consciousness. That primordial awareness is a big part of your true identity, your true Self. Out of the intense focusing of your consciousness on yourself, your individuality fades away into a boundless realm and is replaced by something so vast and eternal that death itself seems a laughable impossibility. During Separation you realize that the loss of the ego-dominated personality is not extinction but the only true life.

"The Wind carries it in its belly," says the Emerald Tablet of this phase. The alchemists saw this as an impregnation of the personality with something entirely new, as our true essences come alive and shine through the murky waters of Dissolution. Now it is the job of the life-bringing element of Air to isolate and invigorate the material worthy of further attention. Aside from psychological techniques, there are a number of physical methods for bodily Separation. Some of these methods date back over 3,500 years to Egyptian alchemists who taught spiritual breathing techniques in the city of Akhetaton. These methods centered on working with the subtle life force that the "Wind carries in its belly.” Known in Indian alchemy as “prana” and in Taoist alchemy as “chi,” this vital breath is responsible for a person’s state of health and can also be harnessed for his or her psychospiritual transformation.

People who have not yet begun the process of Separation can be overly assertive and controlling, refusing to compromise in even the most mundane matters. At their worst, they are driven by frustration and anger and can become cruel or violent. On the other hand, people undergoing Separation are courageous and daring, often initiating major changes in the world and in the lives of the people around them. During Separation, you have to cut away all but the purest essences of everything around you. It is what alchemists called dealing only with the "true signatures" of every person, thing, event, or situation.

The sword you use to cut through to reality is your own consciousness honed to penetrate even the deepest illusion. You sharpen this sword of knowing by living on the edge between this world and the next, between matter and mind, between life and death. You no longer immerse yourself totally in the everyday world but sacrifice yourself to a higher reality. The way in which we pay attention to the everyday world is called the First Attention, and most people only know this single way of relating to the world. However, if you defer judgment and use the Second Attention, you can sense things about their character, deepest secrets, and even state of health. To develop the Second Attention, try to detect true signatures, what the Emerald Tablet called the "correspondences" between the Above and the Below, between God and his handiwork.

[Art Vandelay]

My results.........

You are entering a period of intense bodily, mental, and spiritual transformation.

    You have begun a process of profound change in which you have pierced through the illusions of everyday life and seek something greater and more truthful to live by. However, to transform anything permanently, it must first be reduced to its most fundamental ingredients. All the dross, falsity, and extraneous material must be removed. It is the job of this fundamental operation in alchemy to see that this purification is done correctly and completely. The Emerald Tablet tells us “Its father is the Sun,” and the alchemists called this initial Fire operation "Calcination" and represented it by the symbol for a crucible. Calcination means literally "reduced to bone" by burning in an open flame. In the laboratory, it is the heating of a substance in the fire until all that is left is a pile of white ashes. On the personal level, those white ashes represent the purified essences of your personality ¾ the real you stripped of all pretenses.

If you do not begin Calcination with the right attitude, it can be a negative and even frightening experience. Signs that your attitude during Calcination is wrong are usually expressed as constant frustration and anger. You feel as if everything is going wrong in your life no matter what you do. Everything you attempt seems to backfire on you. These are the fires of Calcination attacking your ego, assumptions, and habitual thoughts. As strange as it seems, your quality of consciousness or inner attitude has a lot to do with how life treats you, with what kind of "justice" comes your way on a daily basis. The only proper approach to Calcination is one of humility and sacrifice. Like it or not, you are moving to a higher level of consciousness, and the stronger you cling to the previous level, the hotter the fires of Calcination become.

Psychologically, Calcination is the destruction of the leaden center of consciousness, which is the ego and all the illusions and self-deceptions it maintains to protect or enshrine itself. Personal Calcination means getting free of the stranglehold of earthbound ego and replacing it with the true Self, which is rooted on a higher plane of reality. For most of us, Calcination is a natural humbling process as we are gradually assaulted and overcome by the trials and tribulations of life. People caught up in Calcination often feel as if they are trapped in the fires of Hell, burning up and suffering through their life yet unable to escape. Surprisingly, it is not until these fires are burning that your transformation begins, for the only way out of Hell is rise up with the flames.

During this primary phase of transformation, you have to turn up the fire of consciousness and concentrate on your thoughts, habits, assumptions, and judgments. You have to be utterly truthful about all situations, all relationships. In this way, you learn to recognize falsity and burn away the leaden or crystallized thoughts that often take on a mind of their own and become unintended responses or robotic reactions to people and events. During Calcination, you use the flames of consciousness to burn through illusion, self-deception, defense mechanisms, bigotry, and all the other dogmas and dramas of the Tyrant Ego that has usurped the throne of the transpersonal Self, who is the rightful ruler of the personality. As in the Grail legend, the kingdom of your personality will wither and decay until the true King is restored.

Controlled Calcination begins with a deliberate surrender of our inherent hubris (pride or vanity) through a variety of spiritual disciplines that ignite the fire of introspection and self-evaluation. Before undergoing Calcination, people are stubborn, materialistic, and fearful of change. About the only positive quality that can be found in such a person is a certain practicality born from having their dreams repeatedly squashed. However, those who have passed through Calcination no longer approach the world through the pulpit of ego, for they have discovered a more genuine identity at the tabernacle of soul. People describe being in the presence of a calcined person as “refreshing.” They sense the freedom of no longer having to be manipulated or controlled by deceits of someone else's ego.

Remember to keep a sense of humility during Calcination. Seek out new teachers, read books on alchemy and other spiritual sciences, and stay open to new ideas. Realize that the viewpoint of ego is materialistic and narrow and concentrate more on intuitive feelings, invisible forces, and lasting truths.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I got the same thing Tia. *gets down on knee* Does that mean you will marry me?

[Kismit]

I have moved this to the metaphysics section as I feel it's more appropriate .

[Great Big Sea]

My results:

You are becoming a Spiritual Warrior and must accumulate both power and presence to continue your transformation

It is time to lift yourself out of the quagmire of your broken ego personality and recognize your Unborn Self. By breaking yourself down into your most basic traits and desires, you become aware of the essences within and isolate them from ego complexes and unwanted unconscious elements. Personal Separation is the discovery of your individual essences and the reclaiming of dream and visionary “gold” previously rejected by the masculine, aggressive, or rational part of your mind. Review formerly hidden material and decide what to discard and what to reintegrate into your refined personality. Much of this shadowy material are things you are ashamed of or were taught to hide away by your parents, churches, and schooling. Separation is getting beyond these restraints to your true nature, so the “real you” can shine through. You should try to take an honest look at yourself and the traits you want to count on later in your life.

Chemically, Separation is the isolation of the desired components from the previous two purification operations (Calcination and Dissolution). In the laboratory, the components of the polluted solution from Dissolution are separated out by filtration, cutting, settling, or agitation with air. Any ingenuine or unworthy material is then discarded the most basic constituents of the matter at hand are revealed. In a like manner, a number of psychological Sifting Techniques are available for the alchemist to cut through worldly illusion and catch the ego in its deceptive habits and manipulations.

A method called "Sifting Identity" is a private meditation in which you simply relax, concentrate on your breath, and periodically ask yourself the question “Who is aware?” In the silence of the response, you can feel your own consciousness at the very ground of your being. Alternatively, sit in a silent, dark room and repeat your name to yourself over and over, trying to determine what it really means. By observing yourself observing yourself, you enter an infinite progression or mental loop — until finally there is no difference between you the observer and you the observed, between you and your own consciousness. That primordial awareness is a big part of your true identity, your true Self. Out of the intense focusing of your consciousness on yourself, your individuality fades away into a boundless realm and is replaced by something so vast and eternal that death itself seems a laughable impossibility. During Separation you realize that the loss of the ego-dominated personality is not extinction but the only true life.

"The Wind carries it in its belly," says the Emerald Tablet of this phase. The alchemists saw this as an impregnation of the personality with something entirely new, as our true essences come alive and shine through the murky waters of Dissolution. Now it is the job of the life-bringing element of Air to isolate and invigorate the material worthy of further attention. Aside from psychological techniques, there are a number of physical methods for bodily Separation. Some of these methods date back over 3,500 years to Egyptian alchemists who taught spiritual breathing techniques in the city of Akhetaton. These methods centered on working with the subtle life force that the "Wind carries in its belly.” Known in Indian alchemy as “prana” and in Taoist alchemy as “chi,” this vital breath is responsible for a person’s state of health and can also be harnessed for his or her psychospiritual transformation.

People who have not yet begun the process of Separation can be overly assertive and controlling, refusing to compromise in even the most mundane matters. At their worst, they are driven by frustration and anger and can become cruel or violent. On the other hand, people undergoing Separation are courageous and daring, often initiating major changes in the world and in the lives of the people around them. During Separation, you have to cut away all but the purest essences of everything around you. It is what alchemists called dealing only with the "true signatures" of every person, thing, event, or situation.

The sword you use to cut through to reality is your own consciousness honed to penetrate even the deepest illusion. You sharpen this sword of knowing by living on the edge between this world and the next, between matter and mind, between life and death. You no longer immerse yourself totally in the everyday world but sacrifice yourself to a higher reality. The way in which we pay attention to the everyday world is called the First Attention, and most people only know this single way of relating to the world. However, if you defer judgment and use the Second Attention, you can sense things about their character, deepest secrets, and even state of health. To develop the Second Attention, try to detect true signatures, what the Emerald Tablet called the "correspondences" between the Above and the Below, between God and his handiwork.

[autopsies]

I got a total of 20 ... -glares-

The deeper essences and energies of your soul are surfacing.

Why do things have to be so true?

[Deadly Nightshade]

My results were the same as DancingDumplings

I scored 49 in total.

Blessed Be.
xxx.

[Curiosity]

I got 70.

You are emerging from the dark night of the Soul and entering into the brilliant light of pure Spirit.

    The depths of darkness and depression that have marked your life in the recent past will now be transformed into the penetrating light of divine consciousness. In chemical terms, the next step in alchemy is Fermentation, a natural process consisting of two parts. First comes Putrefaction, in which the matter is allowed to breakdown and decompose. The alchemists often added manure to help get the process going. The sign that this preliminary process is nearing its end is a milky white fluid that accumulates on the blackened, rotting material. The dead material seems to come to life again with an influx of digesting bacteria, as Fermentation begins. This new life force changes the fundamental nature of the material in what the alchemists saw as a process of spiritization. Out of the utter blackness of Putrefaction comes the yellow ferment, which appears like a golden wax flowing out of the foul matter. Its arrival is announced by the formation of an iridescent, oily film the alchemists named the “Peacock’s Tail.”

Psychological Fermentation is the introduction of new life into the purified presence that you developed during Conjunction. This child of the Conjunction, however, is really just a gross melding of opposites of the personality that may still be contaminated with traces of ego, so it is necessary to "sacrifice" it to bring about its resurrection on a new level of being. During psychological death or Putrefaction, the child of the Conjunction, which is the strongest presence you can create within your earthbound personality, is exposed to the decadent humidity of your deepest and most clinging psychic components, the psychological manure in which most of us wallow.

This is the dark night of the soul, in which you realize how futile it can be to try to overcome the personal, social, genetic, and even astrological limitations to change. The enthusiasm of the Conjunction turns into a black mood, and there is an extinction of interest in life. At this point, you have to stubbornly persist to achieve enlightenment or relax into the dull slumber of mere physical existence. Like the white light of the Other Side seen by near-death experiencers, we finally leave the darkness and enter the bright light of resurrection as consciousness is restored on a higher level.

Fermentation then begins with the inspiration of spiritual power from Above that reanimates, energizes, and enlightens the blackened soul. It can be achieved through various activities that include intense prayer, desire for mystical union, breakdown of the personality, transpersonal therapy, psychedelic drugs, and deep meditation. In simplest terms, Fermentation is a living, loving inspiration from something totally beyond us, something existing wholly Above in the realm of pure mind. "Separate the Earth from Fire, the Subtle from the Gross" the Emerald Tablet instructs us at this stage.

Like the iridescent "Peacock's Tail" of its chemical counterpart, successful psychological Fermentation is indicated by colorful visions that symbolize the activation of the True Imagination ¾ what the alchemists called their "Secret Fire." Personal awareness and creative abilities skyrocket in this state of consciousness, and Fermentation is the quality we envy in great artists, prophets, and spiritual leaders. Once fermented, a person becomes suddenly alive and irrepressibly hopeful because their attention is diverted from this world to something much greater. This is a time to tune into the full intensity of your thoughts, feelings, and body sensations, since they are offering you a true escape from the mundane world in which you feel yourself trapped. You are undergoing a period of true inspiration during which you should try to keep as grounded as possible. Keep a journal of your thoughts and dreams no matter how strange or irrelevant they may seem, because they may be communicating great insights.

Bodily changes begun during Conjunction reach an entirely new level during Fermentation. The Second Puberty of Conjunction causes the growth of a Second Body, a body of light experienced at first only in the True Imagination. The level of inspiration may become so intense that it is experienced as a palpable, warm light circulating in the body. This living inspiration can even be consciously directed as a healing energy to various parts of the body or to others. As Fermentation progresses, people report feelings of extraordinary grace and "flow" as the physical body raises toward perfection, toward an ideal or archetypal image that is slowly taking on reality within.

I guess that's a good thing , but I've never thought of my own soul as "blackened".

This post has been edited by Whiskers: 22 November 2004 - 07:13 PM

[AutumnDragon]

LUNAR (Intuitive) Score:21
SOLAR (Intellectual) Score:-1
HERMETIC (Metaphysical) Score:1
YOUR TOTAL SCORE IS:21


The deeper essences and energies of your soul are surfacing.

At this moment in your transformation, you are experiencing a flood of images and feelings that have their origin in your own subconscious. As we become adults (or are "adulterated" ), many people feel they have lost a precious part of themselves and are leading inauthentic and superficial lives. Our souls despair trying to survive in a world of spiritual drought, and we have less psychic energy available. The purpose of psychological Dissolution is to dissolve rigid beliefs and any remains of ego falsity the hold back the powerful "waters" of the subconscious mind. Tremendous energy can be generated when the waters held back are released, as the ego is further humbled by its direct confrontation with the primal energies of the unconscious. This tremendous energy can be used to heal body and mind and fuel our continued transformation.

"Its mother is the Moon," is how the Emerald Tablet describes this second step in alchemical change. Just as Fire is the element of the Sun, so is Water the element of the Moon. During Dissolution, the fluid lunar powers expressed in dreams, visions, psychic impressions, and bodily feelings take precedence over the linear approach of the rational mind. Successful Dissolution requires letting go of control, allowing feelings to flow, and repressed thoughts and feelings to surface. You might feel overwhelmed by images, wordless impressions, and strange feelings. You might even feel confused, like you are really floating around aimlessly in a giant sea, but this is only a temporary process on the long road to renewal and perfection.

Undissolved people tend to be judgmental, greedy, and excessive, and their relationships can only be described as selfish. In such persons, the process of Dissolution results in a withdrawal of projections and judgments and a breakdown of assumptions and habits resulting in a wonderfully flowing, childlike presence. The person is no longer afraid to express that which is within. The result is a release of pent-up energy previously spent supporting the false personality. At this point in time, you should make a concerted effort to recognize the deeper spiritual influences in your life. Powerful forces are surfacing, and you have to prepare yourself to control them.

In chemical terms, the second step in the purification process is dissolving the ashes from Calcination in water or acid. The ashes disappear, as if it they have returned to their original, undifferentiated state, and the alchemists saw this as a return to innocence, a return to the womb for rebirth. In fact, the symbol for Dissolution is the womblike retort. Meditation is a powerful tool that has been used for centuries to reenter this primal, womblike state, and it should be practiced regularly. Since dreams also carry the power of Dissolution, it is necessary to learn to work with dreams to open up new creativity, make new connections, and restructure old habits. Dreams carry important subconscious knowledge about health, life events, and relationships that the ego refuses to acknowledge. In fact, Carl Jung first became interested in alchemy when he noticed the wealth of alchemical imagery in the dreams of his patients.

To start paying attention to dreams, you have to treat them as important information. Most people have dozens of dreams every night full of insight and meaning but forget them on awakening. Very quickly on rising from sleep, the ego takes control with its endless planning, and scheming. Unless a recurring dream or nightmare disturbs this habitual pattern, most people do not remember their dreams. So the first step in dreamwork is to accumulate dream material. Keep a notepad or tape recorder by the side of your bed to summarize dreams from which you awake in the middle of the night. In the morning, get into the habit of lying in bed awake for a few minutes trying to remember dreams you had. Start a dream journal with your own interpretations, then compare the symbolism with the dreams of your friends or use any of the numerous dream interpretation books available. Just keep in mind that dreams are very personal information about what is happening in your life and not all images have the same meaning for everyone. You have to interpret dreams in context with your current situation, feelings, and stage of transformation.

One method for dissolving body and mind simultaneously is fasting. Not only does fasting purge the body of toxins and the effects of overindulgence, but it also activates a natural healing response. Fasting has been used to treat a variety of diseases, and the psychospiritual benefits of fasting are recognized by all the world’s religions. It clears the mind, refreshes the memory, and can even lead to mystical experiences. Fasting is a way of becoming stronger by letting go -- a kind of proactive denial of worldly temptations.