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2018 Dilip Rajeev
All Rights Reserved.
Trust to thyself and not to another; I can say no more to thee if thou were my brother.
Now you might
wonder live a few centuries ago?
didn’t Theophrastus
And, didn’t Flamel die?
W
ell, if only you knew what alkymysts do.
A
nd do alchemists write in unobscured words
about alchemy? Not necessarily.
S
till, when all that exists is obscurity, the
alchemist is bound to use the distillum of esoteric
knowledge, A drop of the distillum potentially revives ancient traditions.
I
t is for that matter, gentle reader, I, Nicholas
Flamel, decided to write down the esoteric doctrine of Theophrastus. Give this book to the worthy, And from the unworthy, take efforts to hide this tract.
After
an evening of debate with
Theophrastus, I decided not to have him use the alchemical terms in writing this tract. If we write in terms of the Luna and the Sun, The philosophical gold, and the tincture that needs the saliva of the Griffin, we’d fare no better than the alchemists who hid ideas in writing better than they revealed any idea.
And so I asked
Theophrastus to draw from his
ancient knowledge of traditions.
T
he idea were to write to the world in terms of their traditions. The Druids, the Pythagoreans, the ancient Indians, the traditions that appeared in the world during various ages. If truth be one, they, the
true traditions, ought be saying one thing. And the One thing, as Newton’s translation of the Philosopher’s Stone recipe of the Emerald Stone says, is what the alchemist deals with as well.
A
nd now that the risk of organized religions burning people on the stake is null, nobody runs the risk that Gordano Bruno did, in attempting to reveal the ancient doctrine.
A
s an alchemist, these ideas aren’t entirely alien to me. And I’ve had the time over the past dozen or so decades to acquaint myself with the essence of it. Yet, I put myself in the shoes of an ordinary wordly man, and asked Theophrastus the things a person seeking the ancient secrets would want to understand.
Part 1
Flamel: What Did the Druids believe in? It is said they had the ancient keys. Theophrastus: Well.. this isn’t an easy science to explain. So I’d urge the reader to be with me. I’d start with an overall view, and things will fall in place, as you persist with your questions.
Theophrastus now took out his phone and searched for something on the Druids. “It’s better that I substantiate what I say with quotes from writers before,“ said Theo. “You just can’t attribute everything to two dead alchemists.” The druids were forbidden to write down their teachings. And it survived as an oral lineage. Yet, from historical writings we have an overall idea of what they believed in.
“
With regard to their actual course of studies, the main
object of all education is, in their opinion, to imbue their scholars with a firm belief in the indestructibility of the human soul�
-
Julius Caesar, De Bello Gallico,
The indestructibility of the human soul Theophrastus:
is at
the foundation of all authentic traditions. The human soul is an eternal spark of God, and just as God is – the human soul is beyond suffering, unblemishable. Never ceases to exist. Never were born in the universe. It
existed prior to the Universe. And will exist after the universe ceases to exist.
Just as with the Druids’, all of the
Pythagoreans teachings weren’t preserved, and the essenital ideas have survived in words of ancient historians and authors of later ages.
st
The Greek historian from 1 century BC, Lucius Cornelius Alexander Polyhistor, wrote that the Druids shared the essential ideas with the Pythagoreans, “The Pythagorean doctrine prevails among the Gauls' teaching that the souls of men are immortal,”
I asked, “Thophrastus, do we need all these quotes?” “ I see that you are pulling that from Wikipedia.”
“Flamel, well, as I said, it’s better than asking people to believe two dead alchemists.” “That’s thoughtful. I agree”
F
lamel: ”Are there other traditions that speak of what you’ve described?”
Theophrasts: “
Yes,
the words used
are different, yet, they all speak of the same Idea. Where shall we start – which part of the world?”
Flamel: “What about ancient India?” T: Well.. That’s a great place to start. In the ancient Indian writing, the Gita, the One tells Arjuna,
“N
ever has there been an instant where I have not existed, Nor you, Nor these Kings of men, Nor will there be an instant so in the future” – Verse 12, Chapter 2. The Gita.
The idea is that just as the One always existed, so has the individual souls. The
individual sparks of God, the souls are eternal, and will never cease to exist.
I
insert here a translation, and explanation of the verse from the “As It Is� translation of the Gita.
F: “I understand the Gita is the most revered of ancient Indian writings. What
about other scriptures from ancient India?�
Theophrastus: In a verse from the Vedas, the God, and the Individual sparks are referred to as the Father and the Sons. The Vedas cryptically say, “The Father and the sons are of the same age.� The idea being that they have always existed.
The Vedic writings attribute three aspects to
the One. The Second is Individual beings. The Third is the All pervading aspect of the One. the universe. One is the God,
The Upanishadic writings speak of this. I’d just guide you through
verses from one of the Upanishads here.
The Svetasvatara Upanishad says,
Note: Brahman is an ancient term for the absolute, described often as the All Pervading. Brah, the word meant “great” and man, mind, the conscious self.
“
-
T A
he term for soul in ancient Sanskrit is Atma. This has often been translated as
“the self.”
s you’d need to do with all ancient writings, when you study the excerpt, take time to understand deeply what it says. And be patient as your understanding forms over time. It might not be possible to grasp all ideas of a field in initial study. Yet, read, ponder what might be being said.
-
While on this discussion, I would like to introduce a few terms from the ancient
“Avyaktam” – the term means “the unmanifest.” Sanskrit. One is
The entirety of what exists is the unmanifest
The manifest appears from the unmanifest and is absorbed back in. and the manifest.
So all realms of the manifedst universe are thought to be temporary. It dies, into the origin itself. I want you to keep the idea in mind, and I will get to this afterward. You have the unmanifest, the abode of the One, the Lord, that is Eternal. And the perishable manifest which appears forth from the unmanifest.
In Indian mythology, Brahma appears at the beginning of a Universe. After 100 years of Brahma, which is over 311.04 trillion human years, the Brahma dies. The Universe is absorbed back. The soul of Brahma, the spark inside, of course doesn’t die. Just as the individual human doesn’t die after a lifespan. The usage of term Brahma in mythology is
Brahman in upanishadic writings. Brahman different from the usage of
refers to the All Pervading.
The soul sparks outlives the universe, and in another cycle, as if without will, the Individual Souls are projected into the manifest by the One.
Flamel: “What about traditions in Tibet? Do they speak of the same idea as the Druids and the Indians?� Theophrastus: The highest traditions in Tibet do.
The Tibetan traditions reached there from India. They have have the traditions starting with Mialrepa. And Milarepa’s teacher were “Marpa, the Translator.”
Translator of what? Indian traditions, of course. To understand what they originally believed in we’d have to resort to the writings of Milarepa.
“
Accustomed long to
meditating on the Unborn, the Indestructible, the Unchanging, I have forgotten all definitions of this or that particular goal.� Milarepa , Evans-Wentz, 1971;pp 245247
the Unborn, the Indestructible, the Unchanging, in ancient Indian writings. The Universal Self is described as the
In those traditions, the goal were described as the Union of the Soul and the Universal Soul.
They focused on that aspect of the One, the All Pervading Universal Self. The Yoking with the One, is the Yoking of the Flowing Alchemical Silver from the One. In the Gita, Arjuna poses the question to the One,
“Whose Yoga is perfect, Of those in engaged in devotion to You, Or of those who worship the Imperishable, Unmanifest?” - Verse 1, Chapter 12, the Gita
The One replies, “Whose heart is absorbed in Me, Always yoked to Me,
In Devotion, thus serves the Supreme Transcendent, They are thought by Me to be of the greatest perfection in Yoga� - Verse 2, Chapter 12, the Gita “Yet, those who the Imperishable, the Indeterminable, The Unmanifest, Worships, The Imperceivable, Unthinkable,
The Established, The Immovable, The Fixed, The sense aggregates all restrained, In equilibrium of intelligence on all sides, They attain Me as well, Engaged in the good of all beings.� - Verse 3-4, Chapter 12, the Gita
“The difficulties are far greater for them, With minds attached to the Unmanifest, The unmanifest is a difficult goal, For embodied beings to achieve” – Verse 5, Chapter 12, the Gita
The path taken by the great Tibetan Yogis may be understood from the above few verses of the Gita. Milarepa says, “Dwell alone, and you shall find the Friend.� Those who successfully take that path,
again reach to the One. The One is the Friend of All Beings. "The enjoyer of all yajnas and austerities The Great Lord of All Worlds
The Friend of All Beings
Knowing Me to Be, Peacefulness he Attains� - The Gita, Chapter 5, Verse 29 As they reach the higher realms of practice, their focus is increasingly on the Imperishable, the Universal Self. At the early stages of practice, they focus on ideas such as compassion as a way of purifying
the aggregates of the mind. When the perception of the One emerges, even those thoughts disappear, knowing the One is the Friend of all beings, every trace of material worry disappears.
Flamel: “Theopgrastus, In China we find a few unique traditions. Daoism, say, has a very unique flavor. What did the Daoists focus on in their efforts?”
Theophrastus: “This is best answered in a quote from the Dao De Jing.”
"Knowing the Eternal is Enlightenment" - Dao De Jing
"The ten thousand things
the Self watches their return. rise and fall while
They grow and flourish and then return to the source.
Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature. The way of nature is the Eternal. Knowing the Eternal is Enlightenment. Not knowing the Eternal
Dao De Jing, Chapter 16 leads to disaster."
Dao De Jing is thought the source text of Daoism, and the poem from Dao De Hing says what the Daoists focused on in their endeavour.
The term Wu from Daoism referred to the Unmanifest. It is often translated erroneously as “nothing.� The Wu of Daoists were the origin and the end of everything. The Nothingness of the Daoists were not a substanceless nothingness.
As the internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy notes, "Did Zhuangzi believe that our substance was eternal and only our form changed? Almost certainly.� The very alphabet of Chinese is a field of symbols designed to speak of the One.
The first entry in the two thousand year old Chinese Dictionary, Shuo Wen, is the character yi, 一, One
Descrubed by the Dictionary, as the establisher of the Primordial
Dao. The One then generates Heaven and Earth.
I
t is the same doctrine found in our Emerald Stone, which says,
�All things have been & arose from The One.�
The very language were designed to express the doctrine of the Eternal One.
Flamel: “What about Greek traditions who weren’t the Pythagoreans? Did they have a similar doctrine?”
Theophrastus: “The Hermetic stream of thought from
ancient Egypt were established in Greece. The doctrine of
Hermes speaks in detail of the One. In the writings of the Greek sage
Plotinus, is the idea of the One, discussed in great detail.
"Plotinus taught that there is a supreme, totally transcendent ‘One, containing no division, multiplicity, or distinction; beyond all categories of being and non-being. His "One" "cannot be any existing thing", nor is it merely the sum of all things (compare the Stoic doctrine of disbelief in non-material existence), but “is
prior to all
existents"
."
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot inus#One Understand the phrase “Prior to All Existents,” as “Unborn.”
Flamel:
W
hat about the traditions of Middle East? Say in Christianity?
Theophrastus:
T O
he most ancient of Christian writings, prior to the establishment of the religion, say “ The One is the Father.� ne of the most highly respected writings from the ancient Christian world were the
Apocryphon of John. And these are amongst the earliest Christian writings ever discovered.
A
famous poem in the Apocryphon of John, “The Inexpressible One,” says,
“The Inexpressible One The One rules all. Nothing has authority over it. It is the God. It is Father of everything, Holy One The invisible one over everything. It is uncontaminated
Pure light no eye can bear to look within. The One is the Invisible Spirit. It is not right to think of it as a God or as like God. It is more than just God. Nothing is above it. Nothing rules it. Since everything exists within it It does not exist within anything. Since it is not dependent on
anything It is eternal. – Stevan Davies Translation, The Apocryphon of John, Nag Hammadi Writing.
This echoes what the Gita says, “All beings are in Me, and Me not in them.”
Speaking of what were taught to Jesus and what Jesus taught – It were the doctrine of the One, as the Father. The One – the Individual God that transcends All.
The Holy Spirit – The All Pervading Aspect of
the One. In Sanskrit and ancient Vedic writings, this aspect were
the Universal Self. referred to as
The word were often, ParamAtma. Param translates to Supreme and Atma to Soul, Spirit, Supreme Soul.
And the
Sons were the Individual Souls. The Union the triad is the Spiritual work. It is that Union - Yoking - in Proto Indo European the bore the
sound Yueg, from which origins the sound Yoga. The word Yoga means Union. These are the three Unborns which we early on in our discussion discovered were discussed in the ancient Upanishadic text.
The Bible uses the phrase, the
Father who is hidden, unseen, etc., to say that the abode of the One, is the Unmanifest. The
“Avyaktam” – the not perceived, the hidden. Avyaktam is in a grammatic sense the opposite of vyaktam, that which is apparent, obvious. Hidden, thus. The Greek manuscripts use the word krypto, hidden.
Poets such as Rumi and Hafiz from the Middle Eastern lands wrote of the One, as the “Soul of Souls,” “the Beloved,” “the Friend,” and so forth.
“What about Zen?�
Zen speaks of meditation on that which is nothing of the perishable universe. The Self that is beyond, and going beyond ideas of the egoistical self. The term non self is used to deny false ideas of the self, in finding the true self,
that is the imperishable, a spark of the Eternal, a spark of the One, who is the Universal Self.
Part 2
The Practical Alchemy
T
he foundation of the practical Alchemy is worshipfulness of the One.
The Alchemist seeks the Luna, the Soul, and the Sun, the One. As the Upanishads say, only when blessed by the One does the being gain awareness of its soul. The being is usually in an awareness of the sense perceptions, and the thought aggregates.
The soul perception, or the perception of the God Spark within is engendered in Alchemy. Seeking, the One, in Worshipfulness, expressing the wish from the Heart to the One, one approaches the One..
F
lamel: There have been different systems, even amongst the alchemist. What would you describe here?
T
heophrastus: The alchemists have often taken study of nature as the Path. The One pervades in Nature. So Natural Philosophy, were a way of seeking Him. Others have sought Him through the study of their fields. Beethoven in music.
Friedrich Schiller writes, “I speak with the Eternal through the instrument of nature.” ”I read the Soul of the artist in his Apollo.” Flamel: Study has been the path of the Alchemist, yet there are those who have taken paths that aren’t focused on philosophical study. Theophrastus: Of course it needn’t be focused on study itself. I will describe in detail what
is sought on the path, and the way to find it. A Path of ease and pleasure that can be walked by anyone.
The alchemy of finding the soul
T
he soul seeks to engage in its own path of action. Its own nature of activity.
For each individual the nature of that activity is different. What brings pleasure to your own soul, what activity is soulful, the activity that is worshipful of the One, that is the path for the Individual Soul. When you engage in that work, in those instants the soul shines through. It is when the soul’s deeper impulse is ignored – often in
fears, thoughts of greed, and worldly ideas, that the being falls into a state of suffering, of meaninglessness. What is that field of activity? It is often found in what interests and aspirations you have ignored. What you would rather do – if you had the absolute freedom to. For some it might be fulfilling their familial responsibilities. For others it might be research into different fields. In its own
unique nature, the soul shines through in activity that flows forth from itself. When activity of own soul is engaged in, in Worshipfulness of the One, the being transcends. Activity is not engaged in for the temporary results. But for finding that God spark within. Identification with what emerges forth in activity and all the aggregates of the mind,
and unnecessary worries are avoided. The action is done. The outcome sense abandoned unto the One. By abandoning outcome doesn’t mean abandoning anything in a physical sense. But the mind’s false identification with it. The results of the work have to be often firmly held on to in this world. A King engaging in his work of building a kingdom has to hold on firmly as his duty to what he builds, and as his duty to the
Kingdom. Yet the heart is beyond affectation by the world. In the ancient Indian writings, Janaka says, “And if I were to lose the entirety of my Empire, I would have lost nothing.” At the same time Janaka were a dutiful Emperor. I love the way the Hobbit themed lyrics describe the attitude. And if it were to all go up in Flames, the attitude would be “O’ Father, Stand by as we will, Watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain side.”
The hobbit witnessing the disaster that burns his world down, threatening own life, even marvels at it, sees it not as a tragedy, but as the soul about to return to the world of the Father. Having done his best to fight the tragedy, he witnesses the phenomenon as a return, within the Wil of the Father, with the joyfulness and excitement of return inside. Asking the father for a few instants to watch the flames. While raising a glass of wine. The attitude emerges from understanding the invincibility of the individual soul, and awareness that the One is a Friend to All.
Whatever happens to the world, the alchemist despite always doing the best for its betterment, is able to take it with a smile. Knowing the Eternity of the souls, and that the Father, the One is always a Friend to all beings, the illusions of the world often hardly affects him. Speaking of alkymysts he works in the illusion, in the patterns of the world, engaged in it exactly as everyone else is, but in a
hidden sense, taking those grosser patterns and distilling the subtle from it. The same effort a greedy individual might engage in the world, for the sake of wordly aspirations alone, and often being broken by it, and harming the world in it, the alchemist engages in for the betterment of the world, unaffected by it, beyond identification with the outcome, to fulfill the dictates of own soul. In worshipfulness of the One.
The path of the
individual soul’s
purpose, action, duty, of pleasure in own soul’s fulfilment is walked, breaking though difficulties. Unfazed by whatever turns up. The alchemist understands the soul to be beyond blemishes, just as God himself is, and it being a spark of the One, of God. Suffering is the denial of own soul. The soul then seeks to break those patterns by
throwing the being into activity damaging to itself. The self alone is the friend of the self, and the self alone is its enemy, as the Gita says. What would happen if Beethoven were to ignore his desire to engage in music? Soon his soul would throw him into depression and drunkenness. Ignoring own Joy, and own purpose, he would engender sin unto himself and to the world. On the other hand, engaging in own work, own deepest aspirations of the soul, through every difficulty he transcends unaffected by the world, and
established his own glory in this world and the worlds to be. In the nectar that flows forth from engaging with discipline in the soul’s action, own field of action, in worshipfulness of The One, abide. Soulful actions are always of an ideal nature. And with awareness of the soul, there is no necessity for dogma, and a set of rules.
In soulful instants a being is in pleasure. Eventually, on the path of engaging in action, abandoning the unnecessary identification with the outcome, the individual establishes himself in that state where he perpetually identifies with the flow of Joy from the soul. To use the terminology of the alchemists, the soul is then “fixed� in the body. The soul is naturally worshipful of the One, it being a spark of the One. Thus, engaging in the love of own Luna, Worshipful of the Sol, the Union of the
Luna, the soul, and the Sol, the One is done.
Flamel:
“What about the study
of Scriptures?”
Theophrastus:
“
Scriptural study has the aim of generating awareness of the One. There are ancient texts – what’s there in being the idea of yoking with the One. I ill describe these ideas.
A scripture is anything that gives a true understanding of the One. It’s a framework which guides the process of the Union with the One. If it is for that purpose, the scripture is studied, and if that form of action – the study – emerges from own soul, then it is good. It is not beneficial to view scripture in superficial sense often. What’s the sense in it that enables the goal of the effort of Union with the One? That’s a good question to ask
yourself. As the Bible says, “ The letter kills, but the Spirit gives Life.” Don’t have the letter or written ideas take away from the awareness of the Spirit, the One. Instead, find guidance in the scripture whereby the awareness of the Spirit is intensified. There are ancient texts that have been studied as mystical alphabets, thereby engaging the psyche in primordial patterns. The forms of the alphabets have been used to activate the system, yoke the body to the flowing Silver of the Philosophers, the energies flowing from the
One. The Earth of the body is absorbed into that Silver, forming One with it. As I said, one of the most highly respected scriptures of the ancient world, is the Gita. You can patiently study the Gita. Theophrastus: The As It Is translation offers a reading from a centuries old tradition in India. Study a few different translations. The Vedas can be studied, with the heart on the One.
This is one of the long lost keys, to unlocking the Vedas. The ritualists study it with an external sense, never benefitting from it. The Rig Veda itself says,
“
They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, and he is heavenly nobly—winged Garutman.
To what is One, sages give many a title they call it Agni, Yama, Matarisvan.” — Rigveda 1.164.46
And every section of the Vedas, starts with taking the name of the One. An invocation such as ‘Hari Om’ is done. Before the essence were lost, in ancient India, the study of the Vedas started with worshipfulness of the One. This were often done by holding an image of Krishna endearing to own self, in the heart. The hymns weren’t addressed to different Gods, but to the One. Mitra, Varuna, Agni, were all understood as the One.
Different names to evoke different ideas, and energies associated with the One. Agni, Fire literally, had nothing to do with the ordinary fire. Agni is the One. Agnri also refers to the energies of the One. The Fire is also that aspect of the One which enlivens the Universe, and the body. Mitra, the term means Friend. The One as the Friend. Varuna, are the flowing energies evolving from the One. Vayu, the wind, the transforming energies, which are established in the body. Which transform the inner vital.
With that deeper awareness even just a few minutes of study of the vedas, even in translation, everyday will bring benefits. In Studying a scripture such as the Bible, direct the verses to the One. “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.” Job 23:10, The Bible Verses from the Bible, guide establishment of the self, in the One, “"I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.” - Psalm 119:10, The Bible The key to deeper understanding the verses of the Bible, is the dictum from Jesus,
“Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” - John 20, The Bible Direct the words toward the Father, the One. The Gospel of Thomas says, “When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living Father.”
“Man,” “Purusha” is an ancient term in Sanskrit for both the One, and the individual soul. Sons of Man, were a term referring to the Individual Souls. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali describe the One, Ishwara, as a “Purusha vishesha” A special Individual, who is unaffected by Karma, unobstructable, and so forth. See Verse 24, of Book 1 of the Yopgasutras.
“The highest state of imperturbability arises from the experience of the Purusha; in this state even the basic elements of nature lose their power over us. �, Sutra 16, Book 1, YogaSutras . Remember the term Purusha refers to the One, as well as to the Individual soul, the self. The greatest systems of Yoga, involve worshipfulness of the One as the Individual. Just as the aspirant is an individual, so is the One, the God. Ideas that are too mystical sounding as abstracting the absolute
as nothingness, or as formlessness, often takes just nowhere.
Flamel: Different systems of practice exist, what’s particularly good?
Theophrastus: A practice is just a system of exercises, an activity that aligns with one’s own soul, which is directed toward Union with the One.
The aspirant seeks to Union the evolving Vital energies with the One. And the energies evolving from the One, with the body. It is not that a system of exercises such as tai ji, or a breathing technique such as pranayama of the Indians have a great impact in themselves. There are people who do those exercises all life, achieving nothing. Yet, when the same activity is done, with the heart Worshipful of th One, seeking the
Soul, seeking Union with the One, then it enables the alkymyst to progress. For instance Pranayama. If it is understood as breathing for health – that is all it is. If the aspirant starts with worshipful obescience to the One, breathes in perception of the One, yoking own vital to the One, then it is a great system of practice. The One is the Beloved of the sages. Just as one might breathe deep in perception of one’s beloved, filling the self with the perception, so even natural breathing, in perception of the One, unions the system to the One.
The Yajur Veda says, “The In breath are You, the Out breath are You, the diffusing breath are You.” The diffusing breath is the spreading of the breath into the body. The vitalizing feel when you take a deep breath. “ The same with Tai Ji. The exercises evolve the vital streams, clean up the perception, and once the person perceives the One, the exercises are to be done in perception of the One.
In fact a lot of traditional arts are system of practice – be it from that the notes of music vibrate the spinal spaces, enabling the energies of the One, to evolve forth as the heart is kept on the One, or the movements of traditional martial arts, they all are potentially systems of hidden alkymykal endeavor. The whole endeavor in its sacredness can thus be hidden from the world. And it is not just the traditional arts – forms of entertainment that are pleasing to own soul, all forms of activity, even ordinary
daily activity, if from the soul, forms a practice by which the soul is evolved forth. The Yoga Sutras say, in Verse 23 of Book1, the entire Goal of Yoga is attained just through worshipfulness of the One, and no artificial technique needed. The word Yoga originally only meant “union.� It is from the Proto Indo European Yueg. It had no reference to any exercise. The Gita says,
“Amongst the folks of the world Are two paths Anciently taught by Me Knowledge Yoga of the Analytical Philosophers Action Yoga of the Yogis.” - Verse 3, of Chapter 3, The Gita Action from own soul, action in alignment with own Dharma, were Yoga. And that action can involve peaceful meditative exercises such as Tai Ji.
As for which system – there is no one mold that fits all. Even amongst tai ji – there are different types of tai ji one that feels better for an individual needn’t be ideal for another. Well.. speaking of tai ji, understand the movements as evolving forth – imitating the flow of inner energies, the vital in the body. The exercises often start with the palms rising along the body, to imitate and urge on the upward flow of the vital. For the Alkymyst the system behind whatever the form is the One. The One is the Teacher, the Guide, the Friend, the Father.
Well.. not just for the alkymyst – in all traditions with a deep understanding, it is so.
Flamel: What about a system of meditation. A technique of meditation?
Theophrastus:
The Gita
describes a meditation thus, “All doors of the body shut, The Mind absorbed in the heart, The Prana fixed on the crown,
Established in the yogic state.” – Verse 12, Chapter 8, the Gita The doors of the body shut, refers to that during meditation, the senses are withdrawn. Prana refers to the life energy. Prana is also the energy that travels up the Spine. In the state of the meditation described, the Prana naturally travels to the top of the head. “Om, the one syllable Brahman, Uttering, Thinking of Me, Who transforms the body,
Goes to the Supreme Goal.� - – Verse 12, Chapter 8, the Gita Om in ancient Indian traditions is the Primodial Word. Om is also thought the name of the Primordial One. The First Sound. The body is set into vibration in Om. Either silently chanting, or by chanting the same in a soft voice. The entire body, is set to vibration in the sound, and the body transforms thus.
The Mind Absorbed, in the Heart, thinking of the One, one utters the Sound “ooooooooommmmmmm,” setting the entire body into vibration in it, transforming it. The meditation can be done as per your ability. If the attention travels outward, bring it back into the heart, and the yoga state. Jesus attempts to teach the meditation in these words, “Go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” – Matthew 6:6
The word unseen refers to that the abode of the Father is in the unmanifest. Study verses from Chapter 8 of the Gita to deeper understand the idea of the unmanifest. https://asitis.com/8/
The universe is layered and multidimensional. Deeper dimensions are often referred to with terms such as “heavens.�
Flamel: “ There are Buddhist traditions that speak of avoiding attachments. What is the alchemical view on that? Do alchemists avoid attachments?”
Theophrastus: “ The word translated as “attachment” in Buddhism, were Upadna. Well... here.. Wikipedia explains the
Updadana
word thus, is a Vedic Sanskrit and Pali word that means
“fuel, material cause, substrate that is the source and means for keeping an active process energized". Words alter their meaning in time. The English of Beowulf is unintelligible to us. The same with writings of ancient traditions. The ancient deeper senses were lost, and superficial ideas were adopted.
The substance of attachment is the alchemical fuel. It is not through avoiding a deep friendship or love, but
in the deep friendship, and love that the being transcends. It is easy to avoid the world saying “attachment” – while the mind always remains attached to its own aggregates – whether things are artificially avoided in the world or not. Often, we find ideas such as “attachment leads to suffering”. It is not the form of attachments that leads to suffering - it is ignorance. The alchemist understands that the soul is eternal, the One is the Friend of all beings, and there is no room for deeper worry in any phenomenon. And since what takes form is the eternal itself. Friendships, family, etc., aren’t patterns that disappear or form by chance. What attachments are broken off from what is eternal? And where does the deeper understanding allow for any room for superficial suffering? The Buddhist path often focused on meditation. In the state of meditation, of course they have to withdraw attention from the world. The same theory doesn’t apply to another path.
Further, false ideas of non-attachment run against the ancient dictums, "Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” – Job 6:14, The Bible
In the Gita, The One advises Arjuna against withdrawing from the world. The One Himself touches beings in patterns of Friendship, of Love – if those aggregates are abandoned, what is the outcome? That is why the Buddha referred to the aggregates of attachment as “Fuel.” The ancient doctrine were never written down at that time. After centuries an altered version were practiced. Take a study of the poems of Mira Bai, who described herself as “Intoxicated in the Love of Krishna.” Drink the Nectar of Divine Love, says Mira. And He takes you to the other shone.
Only through Profoundest Love and Deepest Worshipfulness of
the One is the One approached. Those who resort to false ideas of non-attachment, and whatever not after a thousand years of lineage even form the idea that the One exists. He is unapproachable by any technique. Abandoning, the very fuel that allows them to approach the One, they never go far. The
One.. finding the One, in Love for the
One is what alchemy is about. Loving worshipfulness of the One is the Path. For the sake of un distracted study there are those who have withdrawn from the world. That’s a different idea. They were only withdrawing out of attachment to study. An intense attachment to profound analytical meditation. The good part of Buddhist meditation were large part analytical. It were originally the path of analytical philosophy.
It is sufficient to look at patterns taken by great Kings such as Solomon. Did they avoid the world?
Did not Janaka engage in the world? The world and its forms, engaged in good patterns, is a way by which the One is worshipped. The world patterns are not held on to in a superficial sense, but in a deeper sense. A deeper sense of worshipfulness. It’s difficult to get the idea across in a few words. Yet, I will attempt to give a spark of the idea. Marriage for instance is a great ritual, engaged in to light that fire by which the One is worshipped.
If the marriage is thought of as an attachment – then what is offered in the fire are negative ideas. It generates sin, callousness in the being, and soulless patterns. The very profound ritual turns into the opposite. When the words offered, the interaction, are good, pleasant, sweet, then that is the offering that strengthens the Gods. The same holds for all interactions. The ritual of marriage in fact enables the soul to transcend superficial attachments to the outside world. A pet plant, Or a pet goldfish, kan be a way to worship the One. What is offered, the love that
is given, these form patterns of worship. If the water offered to the Plant is done in Lovign Worshipfulness of the One, understanding He is the All Pervading as Well, that is an act that takes nearer the One, a profound act of worshipfulness. Engage in the world. All that exists is the One,. Engage in the world in true and virtuous ways. Engage in the world, fulfilling own duty, own soul’s purpose. While a person artificially avoiding things, would end up torturing own mind, engaging in the same attachments on a plane of the mind, and often just end up harming oneself. The systems
avoiding one thing latch on to another. Nothing exists in a vacuum.
An Aside Ancient traditions also advocate the alchemical love in marriage. In which the spilling of the grail, the loss of
the vital is avoided. This is the symbolism of the Indian lamp. The union is engaged in, the state of spilling the vital is never approached. The vital sublimes to the Gods inside. Chastity in Love is that state of the Gods. Soon the perception of the Silver Flow, from the One, the beyond manifest is engendered. Union the body with the Silver. Schiller describes this as the sparkle of the God, in his poem Ode to joy. Abide in the perception of the Silver, while in the act. The Silver is the One. Offer the subliming to the One, the One Silver.
Engage in action with the attention fixed on the One Silver. Absorb in the One Silver into the body, in the natural impulses of the Body.
Ancient Indian doctrines associate the senses with the Devas. The Divine beings are present in the sensories. That is why natural and virtuous activation of the senses, though Good food, good perceptions, good forms of entertainment, and so forth is necessary. Negative forms strengthen the negative beings. Activate the senses with virtuous forms. Good food, music, games, study, entertainment, and so forth. Initially go by scriptural guidance in understanding what forms are good. As the soul’s perception is gained, the actions are naturally good and soulful. What is soulful do, and what is not, avoid.
The ancient idea isn’t avoiding wine. But raising the glass to the One, and then drinking the wine. The best of the food, etc. is offered to the One, The same way, the best ought be offered to the body – which is a temple of Gods, the seat of the spark of God. The word divine follows from deva, div, which means that which shines, is bright. The senses are the offering d Brighten the body with good perception. Brighten the environment with aesthetic forms. Thus, by affinity of the similar, bright divine energies will fill your body, and the world around. Even the slightest effort at aesthetification of the world around, will reflect inside.
Bright forms, beautification of the world around, invites down divine energies. It is the natural impulse of the being to beautify its surroundings. Thus in the form of attachment, the being functions, while the same form is used, when done with the directed sense of purpose, to establish the Divine inside and outside. Just as an ordinary action when done with a deeper sense, is Yoga. Those who avoid those patterns with the theory of avoiding attachments, often end up in dull states, end up engaging in unvirtuous patterns that are to be avoided, and losing perception of God, end up with superficial doctrines. Those doctrines who keep saying “attachments� a lot, do not generally acknowledge God. And those people end up assuming they have to engage in compassion for other beings, only engendering other forms of attachments, an outward focus with a different label, all of which
achieve nothing. They do speak of compassion, but find themselves powerless to drive a difference in anything. Deeper doctrines lead people not to the compassion of themselves or other beings, but to their own soul, and to the One. Giving themselves awareness of The One’s Love, that pervades everywhere. By resorting to the One, established on the form of the ancient ritual, in the form of the natural familial ordering, one transcends. While engaging in the form, the heart transcends to what is beyond. In war, in love, great souls have been born. Not by absconding from a virtuous war. Not by shying from deeper truth in life. Beethoven avoiding the “attachment� of music, is soon a depressed drunkard, or a dullard. The soul rejects the false patterns he attempts. Engage in music, and he transcends.
Not just that senseless ideas of no attachment or avoiding the world are to be avoided, attention ought be paid to what are the ideal forms to be engaged in. What is the best kind of food - For instance, food that is non spicy, nourishing, Traditional European style is thought ideal. The Gita also advocates that type of diet. Engaging in good forms speeds up progress on the path. In the east after the fall of ancient traditions, these patterns have been forgotten. The greater the amount of spices they use, the more chaotic the land, and the duller the brains. Just as good perfumes and good offering are made to the Temples of the Gods. Good offering ought be made to the true temple of Gods, own body. Ancient Kings, adorned themselves with the best of jewels, to urge forth the evolution of the deeper energies. A metal such as silver in
the form of a ring, guided the flow of energies through the body.
False systems are the ones which have no idea the soul exists. While the path is of pleasure, the perception of the One, the God being the highest pleasure a
being can experience, false systems often declare suffering as the path, and nothingness as the goal.
Flamel:
There are traditions
which say improvement of the mind is necessary for progress on the path.
Theophrastus: In early stages, the thoughts are worked on, to align with the Soul. As our Emerald stone says, the inferior and the superior aspects of the system should agree.
Well.. that is one way to put it. When the soul is touched, it is perfect by its own nature. It is eternally perfect. So to align and absorb oneself to that nature is the ideal. The soul is perfect as it is a spark of God. “Be Ye Perfect as your Father in Heaven is Perfect,� is the ancient dictum, which Jesus taught. When awareness of that source of Perfection is gained, the idea is not working on the thoughts.
In a way, we are seeking the Soul, on the Path. As the ancient Upanishad says, only when blessed by the One, does the being gain awareness of its own soul. The goal is not – in that sense to keep working on the mind, but to seek the One, and thus find own soul. The thoughts are immediately perfected, as the awareness turns to the One. The soul transcends the mind. The soul and the mind are bonded but distinct. Just as the brain and the mind
aren’t the same. Just as the senses and the mind aren’t the same. The thought aggregates, and the senses are the axis of ordinary awareness. These are almost mechanical. No matter how long you work on them, the elemental aggregates that form them will always remain and in time all aggregates that were worked on previously will appear again. Higher than the thought aggregates is the intelligence. By the intelligence is awareness of what is even higher than it, the soul, gained awareness of.
We find that people spontaneously do good deeds, as the soul shines through in an instant. Thus, gaining awareness of the soul, the actions and thoughts are naturally soulful, ideal. The axis of perception, shifts from the realm of thoughts and senses, deeper into the soulful feeling. The senses and thoughts are then subject to the soul. They serve the soul, so to express it. Well.. this is to be understood in practical experience.
Theophrastus:” It’s been been a lot of discussion for an evening. Anyway, how do you plan to get it published — It looks like it needs a lot of editing?” Flamel:” Yes, it needs a bit of organizing. I know someone who will edit it.” Theophrastus: ”There is this particular mountain that I visited, I planned to go again to today evening.” He lifted his hand, projecting the energy bonded with a deeper dimension. Fixing the
energy to where he wanted to go, he separated the dimensional layering, and walked in. I used my alchemical ability to go inside. The worlds of those dimensions are different from what we see here – and absolutely beautyful. But that’s the subject of yet another book. As I walked in, I said, “Theophrastus, I will send the manuscript to him. Though I wonder if he would edit out and hide any of the secrets.” “You never can be sure, Flamel.”
An Addendum
Study the Upanishads for ideas from ancient ages on the Syllable Om
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The Druids abstracted the Pimordial Sound, in the form, .
Druids attributed the vowels O, I, and W — The word OIW to the form.
“The Eternal, Origin, Self existent,
Distributor, holy be
the lips That canonically pronounce them; Another name, in full word, Is O. I. and W OIW 1 the word Ieuan Rudd sang it. “
“He is called Pannon in the holy canon; We behold Him favourable on our side O. I. and W. is He found to be,
OIW always to every soul.”
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Sion Cent, 1380-1420
It were pronounced with each syllable prolonged, OOOOOOOO..IIIIIIII…WWW WW, Do so with a focus as in the meditation described earlier in the tract.
Vibrate the entire body in OIW. Take deep natural breaths, filling the body with the vital. And, as the singing is done, you will feel the prana rise and fix itself at the crown. In a vague sense, the life energies, Prana, take the form, The body vibrates in the form of the unutterable word of God, in the form of the Primordial Vibration that generated the Universe. The first word that the One expressed generating everything. is also the form of the initial emanation from the One. A name of the One, thus.
OOOOOOOOOOO… IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII…. WWWWWWWWWW… Are three distinct portions of the Song. W is pronounced as the w in sound prolonged.
W
ell, the
Fixing the attention on the heart, Withdrawing attention from the world,
Ardently seek the One God, Singing the Druidic Song.
“Farewell sprig ardency of the short lived song, Farewell to having the secret of song.�