Quote:Questioner: You mentioned in the last session the concept of fasting for removing unwanted thought-forms. Can you expand on this process and explain a little bit more about how this works?
Ra: I am Ra. This, as all healing techniques, must be used by a conscious being; that is, a being conscious that the ridding of excess and unwanted material from the body complex is the analogy to the ridding of mind or spirit of excess or unwanted material. Thus the one discipline or denial of the unwanted portion as an appropriate part of the self is taken through the tree of mind down through the trunk to subconscious levels where the connection is made and thus the body, mind, and spirit, then in unison, express denial of the excess or unwanted spiritual or mental material as part of the entity.
All then falls away and the entity, while understanding, if you will, and appreciating the nature of the rejected material as part of the greater self, nevertheless, through the action of the will purifies and refines the mind/body/spirit complex, bringing into manifestation the desired mind complex or spirit complex attitude.
Is the above explanation applicable to the occult workings of alchemy? The alchemist wills to refine matter to its quintessence, understanding that his/her own mind/body/spirit are also being purified in the process. If so, then Ra’s words elucidate the hermetic axiom “As above, so below.”
(10-04-2011, 01:05 PM)Azrael Wrote: [ -> ]Well, that is quite an over-simplification of the alchemical process, but you're on the right track!
http://www.deeptrancenow.com/exc3_7operations.htm This might help you see the fuller scope of the alchemical practice.
Oversimplified indeed. Thanks for the resource!
Glad I could help! I have other resources as well, but it's best to find your own path once you've seen its potential breadth.
Ah, this is actually the second reference to the Book of Aquarius lately and it seems that it is something for me to look at, since I have heard of it before but not actively looked for it.
A glance over some the chapters shows it to be very promising, and I believe it is likely to be quite accurate. Everything seems in place as far as I can see.
Of course, it needs to be especially noted that the physical, external work of creating the Philosopher's Stone is only the effectual, manifested appearance of the work which is to be done, and is done within the Alchemist themselves. The goal of alchemy is not the gold without, but to create the gold within. Also, the Stone is commonly powdered before used for projection in to another metal.
Although in this case the author seems primarily focused on the stone as a physical aspect, there are many other forms of alchemy. For example, chinese alchemy is common:
http://taoism.about.com/od/internalalche...lchemy.htm
Jung did some amazing work in this area. Gotta understand symbolism and metaphor or it'd be quite meaningless. One of the best collections of alchemical engravings is available in a book called "The Golden Game". Highly recommend you get a copy if you have more than a passing interest in the subject.
Oooh, I shall have to check that out.
The Stone is made out of only one ingredient.
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Know
also that there is only one thing in the whole world that enters into
the composition of the Stone, and that, therefore, all coagulation, and
admixture, of different ingredients, would shew you to be on a wrong
scent altogether.
The Glory of the World, Or, Table of Paradise, by Anonymous, 1526 AD
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From the one substance is evolved, first the White, and then the Red Tincture; there is one vessel, one goal, and one method.
The New Pearl of Great Price, by Peter Bonus, 1338 AD
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Not
only is there nothing else used than this one ingredient, but you must
be careful not to accidentally allow any other matter to become mixed
with it. A small amount of dust or water would not ruin the work
completely, but will certainly increase the time it takes to make it.
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For
the pure substance is of one simple essence, void of all heterogeneity;
but that which is impure and unclean, consists of heterogene parts, is
not simple, but compounded (to wit of pure and impure) and apt to
putrefy and corrupt. Therefore let nothing enter into your composition,
which is alien or foreign to the matter, as all impurity is; for nothing
goes to the composition of our stone, that proceedeth not from it
neither in part nor in whole. If any strange or foreign thing be mixed
with it, it is immediately corrupted, and by that corruption your work
becomes frustrated.
The Root of the World, by Roger Bacon, 13th Cen.
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The
ingredient is urine. I understand this may sound strange, and
suspiciously convenient, on first hearing, however, there is sound and
logical reasoning for the Stone to be made from urine.
Firstly I must explain that the Stone could in theory be made from anything, since everything contains the life-energy to some degree, which is the active ingredient of the Stone. Urine contains this life-energy in high concentration, due to the fact that it has just come out of you, and you, as a living animal, are full of life-energy.
Well, basically the idea is to create a "vessel" for a particular energetic function. The need for the purity of the material is for the purity of the function.
The masters of alchemy require no stone, no physical tool, in order to enact these changes, much as the Hand of Midas. The stories of St. Germain exemplify this considerably, and in fact I have a book explaining the techniques he supposedly has used for materialization and alteration of matter. A peculiar concept known as "Precipitation" of aether.
I have read the instructions for producing the Philosopher's Stone in the Book of Aquarius. Somewhat to my surprise, this appears to be a legitimate method for actually producing something physical based on Hermetic principles.
The humor/irony is that the external process takes so long to complete. I am of the opinion that- in these times- the inner work is much faster as the proper catalyst is now being made available to humanity.
You are quite correct, the physical process is rather the long way around, as physical processes tend to be in general.
So regarding fasting, if YOU were to do it. How would you proceed physically, mentally and spiritually?
It sounds interesting, I want to know how it feels/could feel.
Have a
lovely day
Fasting? Well, technically you are fasting when you sleep (hence break-fast). Since fasting is more or less a purification process whereby you raise your general vibration by releasing dense matter. Normally you wouldn't want to fast for too long at a time at first, maybe a full 24 hour period to start. Fasting does /not/ mean you have to starve yourself. You won't eat heavy matter foods such as meat, breads/grains, eggs, chocolate or excessive sugars etc, because these bog down your vibrations. It is good to eat heavily water-based foods such as celery, lettuce, etc, and if you're going to eat more solid vegetables like carrots, broccoli, etc it is best to steam them. Fruit is a great thing to eat when fasting because the natural acids help to clear out heavy matter, although the idea of fasting is without excess so the focus isn't just on the restraint on food but also on alcohol, smoking, medications, etc LOTS of fluids is a key, you should be drinking water as much or more than normal, the water helps keep energy flowing naturally through your body since the moistness helps to transfer electricity.
You will feel lighter as a result, physically lighter, as well as more fluid in your natural motion. The idea is to release internal blockages, so coupling fasting with some internal techniques such as emotional release works well. Fasting can be good for mental based sharpening but that really depends on the individual. On the bottom line, you should feel clearer, sharper in your perceptions, have an easier time breathing, not feel so affected by gravity, etc. You really have to do it for yourself and see how your body responds to it and then work out a functional system for yourself if you're going to use it as a regular tool.
I used to fast for a day or two pretty regularly, and there have been times when I've fasted also from sleep (I didn't sleep for a week once), but this can get pretty chaotic if you don't understand how to utilize the resulting altered state of consciousness (which I didn't at the time).
As far as spiritually, fasting is good for meditation if you have the mind to be attentive to it, especially Emptiness or Silence meditation because it can be a good way to "weed out" all those more subtle inner tapes and dialogues. Visual meditations such as on yantras, or chanting, can also be incredibly powerful because as you lighten your body you become a more sensitive instrument so any kind of sound or visual therapy will be well effective at this time. Otherwise, it is good to ascertain your intention and focus prior to the fasting. State what you hope to release and what you want to accomplish with the fasting, have faith and trust in yourself that you are ready to take on the challenges of self-mastery which the fasting entails. It can also be a great time to connect to guides or the higher self, since as you clear yourself out it enables you to "listen" a little more carefully.
how do you deal with low blood sugar?
Oceania - if you mean during a fast, I sip orange juice, or eat a popsicle.
Like I said, eating fruit and drinking natural (NOT concentrate) fruit juice will both help clear out toxins and most certainly keep track of your blood sugar. However, to be sure, part of fasting is to loosen up the consciousness so be wary of light-headedness and dehydration.
ok well i didn't drink alchohol today and most of yesterday, and i ate fruit today... slowly creeping toward fasting.
My mind can get so flighty that even eating meat I can drift off. So I rarely meditate or fast.
You should learn some grounding practices, Gemini. Also, sensational meditation can be good, if you focus on the vibrations of your physical body.