Spiritual Alchemy – Positive Reflection Of The Week
Spiritual Alchemy & The Dark Night Of The Soul
Spiritual Alchemy is the process of turning a person’s “Lead” (persona, ego, thoughts, beliefs, etc) into “Gold”.
The First Stage of Spiritual Alchemy is known as CALCINATION. It is also known as the BLACK stage, and according to some Alchemists, better experienced as THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL.
The Black Stage represents Chaos, that which is hidden and buried, and the material of the unconscious.
The Process of Calcination is all about taking the chaos & burning it down to ashes. In other words, doing away with our worldly attachments, the desire for status, wealth, and the need to solidify our identity and making way for a higher level of consciousness.
Calcination also refers to the process of burning off of all the superfluous elements of ourselves that no longer serve us. Our preconceived notions about our identity and our beliefs are put to the test in the calcination stage. Our ideologies and neuroses begin to lessen their grip on the persona, enabling one’s true spirit to awaken.
This is similar to what we experience in the “Dark Night of the Soul” where we undergo a kind of existential crisis, our former self no longer exists, and we are faced with a void.
Have you experienced the Dark Night of the soul? What was it like for you?