Alchemy Of The Self
5/4/20251 min read
There is a process of calcination/burning, dissolving, and recomposing. Not to destroy you, but to reveal the gold within. In alchemy, there is a deep connection between the transformation of the soul and the physical-chemical processes involved in the transformation of matter.
In the calcination process, a solid is burned into ashes, which reminds me The Death card in Tarot. This process involves breaking down the material structure into a more basic or its “essential” form. In this process, moisture is removed from the matter and reducing it into ash or oxide residue.
Fire is essential, it heats the structure of matter, and when matter is reduced to its essential form, we begin to see that destruction is not an end, but a transformation.
When it comes to soul work, fire is linked to purification. This return to our original essence becomes a sacred path to rebirth, burning away all that no longer aligns with who we truly are.
The Death card is not an easy card. It can be unsettling when they appear in a spread. Yet their essence is powerful: they reveal that while rebirth is painful, it is also necessary.
After being burned to ashes, the essential form seeks to merge with water where the unconscious lives. As the ashes dissolve, the liquid offers fluidity, a life-giving carrier that enables recompositing and integration into a new form, one more aligned with the essence.
All processes involving transformation can be painful and require humility. The burning phase, in particular, can wound the egoic self, which is forced to dissolve. Dissolution demands the humility to surrender, to allow oneself to be scattered into an unknown form. The unknown from unconscious can bring anxiety given the uncertainty and The Moon card can illustrate this process. The ashes, now dispersed in water, float aimlessly, awaiting reintegration. This waiting period is a phase of maturation, during which the water slowly evaporates, when The Temperance moves the cups, requiring patience in preparing the essence for its next, more aligned embodiment.
