Inner alchemy archives - Inner Interpretation

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Date: Fri, 21 Mar 1997 09:15:44 -0800
From: George Matchette

My particular interest in alchemy is primarily metaphorical as a way of
understanding the process of psychological change from
psychological/spiritual point-of-view. I am also a "salek" on the path of
sufism, which frequently uses alchemical metaphors to describe the process
of spiritual purification and ascension (for example, the removal or rust
from iron). I am particularly interested in what researchers and seekers
have come across in understanding their own process of change/growth from
an alchemical perspective.

Again, thank you for welcoming me.

George Matchette, MFCC

From: Steve Kalec
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 19:34:33 -0500

A few years ago I was blessed by the bestowal upon me
of a very mystical and profound inner initiation. The experience has
been a seriously transforming one and since then I have been truly
wanting to make sure that I am fully understanding in its full depth
the true meanings of what has been revealed to me. I am still in
need of some answers and some confirmations that I am searching
for . I also know of the difficulty in sharing of interpretations of inner
experiences since they all reflect a personal note, but in the same
manner there is a universality to the symbols and the language of the
unconscious. We have here on our E-mail forum many serious , very
insightful and knowledgeable alchemists. I have no better place to turn
and go to for the help that I seek. So I am here in most humbleness
relating to you my experience. I am promising you that I am not
adding to or removing from anything that has transpired that night.
Please forgive me if this might come out a little lengthy .

I was suddenly and instantaneously awoken at around two
o'clock after midnight.The atmosphere at first was very eery and a
kind of terror was upon me as I became aware of a presence around
me in my room. A peaceful assurance soon came over me as I was
gently touched at the ankle area as though to indicate that no harm
is intended. By now I realized that something was about to transpire
and that it was happening for me.

I took a deep breath, held it and slowly released it.I concentrated
my consciousness into the area at the center of my head. I started to
feel a lightness of being and felt my consciousness rapidly expanding
and rising. Heinous and monstrous faces appeared in front of me as I
soared through them.Speed was increasing and the passage was very
turbulent until the faces were left well behind.Suddenly there was a stop
and I was engulfed by an immense silence and peace.

I found myself standing inside a temple with a very high ceiling
and distant walls. In front of me were three being wearing white robes
advancing towards me. The one in the center was holding a golden
crown and came up to me. He held the crown about eight inches above
my head as he said " This is to symbolize that you have entered into
the Kingdom ". As he stepped back giving way, the one on the right
held up a most beautiful sword blade up. Ingraved in it at the root of
the blade just above the hilt was the symbol of an eye within a triangle.
The voice of the one in the center asked me , " do you know the
meaning of this symbol ? " I replied that it was the all seeing eye.
The voice asked, " what else does it mean ? ". I replied that it was my
conscience. The voice again asked " but what else does it mean ? ".
For some reason, I understood and I answered that it symbolized the
consciousness of God within me. The voice of the initiator was at this
point satisfied. Then with authority he asked me to look at the other
symbol in its handle and if I knew its meaning. I looked and saw a black
serpent entwined around its golden handle with its head upwards
towards the blade. I was perplexed and in the experience I didn't know
what this symbol was all about. To myself I whispered " why serpent " ?
The being to the left quickly stepped around and behind me and
whispered into my ear " it is the bottom of the pit ". Still being
perplexed I heard the voice of the initiator saying, " yes, it symbolizes
the bottom of the pit, and remember always that it was the consciousness
of God within you that has raised you out of the pit ". He continued as
he said , " This is your sword, in it is your key and your power ". In a
commanding voice he said " USE IT , and now take the Kingdom down
to earth " . Very high vibrations quickly descended in frequency and I
found myself again in my bed fully conscious of all that has happened.

Prior to this experience I was always dreadfully afraid of knives
and sharp things. I could not stand knives on the kitchen counter, I would
always make sure they were put away. Now I am fascinated by swords,
I could stare at them, study their beauty and am no longer afraid of sharp
things. One day I hope to reproduce the sword I saw with its symbols and
it's winged shaped hilt.

Things that I think I understand : The Crown represents spiritual
achievement. The fact that It was not placed on my head and only held
over my head represents that my ego did not identify with the experience
and that it was not an inflationary experience. Also that the Crown is
always above us forever to be achieved and that our unfolding in
spirituality is infinite. The serpent is the unconscious contents below the
surface of consciousness also it represents raw psychic energy, vital
mercurial forces emerging. I believe that the key and the power in the
sword is the upward and downward way, rising to the above and returning
to the below. To solve and coagulate. Solve , having consciousness raised
out of the pit and coagulate, taking consciousness back down to earth.

Things I don't think I understand : Is the consciousness of God
within me that is referred to by the voice, the conscious workings of the
divine energies within me or is it my consciousness of the divine within
me that has raised me out of the pit ? What is the pit ? Is it the depth of
the unconscious ? To be raised out of the pit , is this the end of
involution and the beginning of evolution or spiritualization ? Why did I
enter into the kingdom ? Kether symbolizes the Crown. Is the kingdom
representing the whole world where Kether is drawn out of it ?

I would greatly appreciate insight and help in these questions. I
would also appreciate comments and opinions as to similar experiences.
Please above all show me if you can see what I am not seeing.
For anyone who wishes to contact me privately my e-mail address is
[email protected] . Thank you all for lending me your ears.

Best regards to all,

Steve Kalec

Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997
From: Dimitris

>From: Steve Kalec
>Things I don't think I understand : Is the consciousness of God
>within me that is referred to by the voice, the conscious workings of the
>divine energies within me or is it my consciousness of the divine within
>me that has raised me out of the pit ?

Is there really a difference between the two?

>What is the pit ? Is it the depth of
>the unconscious ? To be raised out of the pit , is this the end of
>involution and the beginning of evolution or spiritualization ? Why did I
>enter into the kingdom ? Kether symbolizes the Crown. Is the kingdom
>representing the whole world where Kether is drawn out of it ?

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert on this, I'm just sharing with you my personal
insights.

Every symbol can be interpreted in many many ways. I believe that each
interperetation is 'correct' in its synchronistic context. That is, every
interpretation that comes in any way, is a response to what we need to hear
at that given moment. Your interpretations of the pit and the kingdom could
very well be what you say. Go with the flow, and Good Luck.

(Sorry for not offering another interpretation, but I agree with yours.)

Luv-u-lite
Dimitris

P.S. To be in the pit, reminds me of narrowness. Get the image: you're in a
pit and all you see is a small portion of the world and all-that-exists. You
are raised out of the pit, you float and fly. Perspective. A whole new world
is revealed. This meaning can be literal or metaphorical. As you please.

From: Mats Winther
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 12:27:39 +0100

Steve Kalec,
This is a remarkable vision. My comments:
This is the Holy Trinity. The one in the middle is the Father, the one on
the right with the sword (as in the Revelations of S:t John) is the Son.
The one on the left is the Holy Ghost (as he whispers the truth in your
ear). The triangle with the eye is actually a well-known symbol of The Holy
Trinity and can often be seen on churches. How you interpret the symbol in
the vision, as the consciousness of God within you, is very good. It
represents namely our conscious picture of God, as a three-fold deity. The
spirit of our time is the spirit of number three (or the "tertiary spirit"
as I put it earlier). To be successful in the Art one has to completely
integrate this spirit.

Your interpretations are perhaps formally correct, but you don�t seem to
understand the immense implications of such a vision. You actually stand
before the Holy Trinity. Very few people in history have experienced such
an elevation. Your dignity as a person is huge, although you don�t realize
it. You are given the most important role in the divine drama.
You experience the typical effect of the three-fold spirit when your
consciousness is "expanding and rising". You pass through the levels of the
low spirits ("heinous and monstrous faces") on your way to the highest
level, the Palace of the Trinity. This signifies that you become conscious
of diverse lowly mentalities, "false spirits" within you and in the world.
This is pertaining to "integration of the shadow" in jungian terms, and
"expulsion of the demons" in alchemical terms (dissolution of the Prima
Materia to achieve the quintessence). The "throwing up of the snake" aptly
expresses this expulsion of the demons. However, it is really "throwing up
one's own tail" since it is one's own evil. This is expanding consciousness
and is the same process used by the christians when they wanted to rid
themselves of evil. The spewed out lowly spirits are transformed to a
tertiary spirit, a fully developed winged dragon. After he has reached the
summit, the Palace of Trinity, he will lower down to earth again and will
be swallowed by earth. But since the dragon now is free from impurities it
will not be spewed out to expand consciousness. A new being will emerge
again at Albedo.

At the Palace of Trinity you are "almost crowned". This means that you are
really the Son of God. According to the medieval alchemist the Opus was
invoked by the Holy Ghost, so this is quite in order. You are not given the
herdsmans staff (like Jesus), but instead you are given the sword which
shows that a new revelation is emerging. The crown is meant for you, but
before it can really be put on your head you must establish the Kingdom of
Heaven on earth. You are given the power to achieve this goal. The power is
symbolized by the sword. According to the Revelations of S:t John, Christ
will carry a sword at his second coming. The godhead has chosen you to
carry this sword. You will be the Second Christ. The sword is your tongue
which will declare a new revelation, and it will not be a mild language.
But before you can become the Second Christ, you must be transformed in the
alchemical process. And when you emerge renewed from the unconscious like
when the dragon spewed forth Jason in greek mythology, you will be
transformed into the Son of God, the Second Christ, or Aquarius if you
like. I know it�s hard to believe, but these are the immense implications
of your vision.

Below the symbol of the Trinity is the Serpent. It is striving upwards,
towards the Trinity. The Serpent is Satan, aptly named "the bottomless
pit". What is he up to? He will unite himself with the godhead so that the
three becomes four. This will heal the split in the godhead and the
paradigm of the number four is at hand. The new paradigm will be "Spirit
and Matter is One". The Kingdom of Heaven will be established on material
Earth. Matter will no longer be meaningless, it will regain it status. This
is the archetype of Mercurius who is matter and spirit united. This is what
I meant in an earlier message when I wrote that the alchemical concept goes
much farther than the actual personal Opus. It is also a divine drama, the
Opus of God. You have been assigned a mission. It�s your life's work. You
will heal the split in the godhead. Satan will return and accomplish The
Holy Quaternity to replace The Holy Trinity. But as the Father points out,
it was The Holy Trinity that saved us from Satan in the beginning of the
era. Christianity started it all. It is also the Trinity that invokes the
purging of sin from the adept's personal soul and thereby starts the Opus.

Mats Winther

From: Steve Kalec
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 1997 12:58:03 -0500

Dear Mats Winther,

I sincerely wish to thank you very much for helping me
with my quest in trying to arrive at a true deciphering of my vision
concerning the Key and the Power in my sword. You have written
me some extremely powerful words and your interpretation is
impressively majestic and most beautifully laid out. It is evident that
you are well acquainted and versant in the esoteric transcendent
symbologies of inner alchemy. You are right when you say that
I don't seem to understand the immense applications of such a
vision. I have never dared to see into it with such a profound depth.
But believe me that not a day has gone by that I don't think about
the whole thing. I know that it is a very mystical and esoteric vision
and I have never since relaxed in searching for its true meaning. It
is very hard to find people whom one can go to and share these
kind of thinkings and ideas. I have been a student of mysticism
since many years and my search has eventually led me to Carl Jung,
and Jung has led me to Alchemy and soon I found my kind on this
alchemy e-mail forum. The beings as the Trinity did escape me,
and so did the serpent as Satan on his journey back to the Godhead.
The heinous and monstrous faces, I did understand as the expulsion
of demons and the integration of the shadows. To become the Son
of God , all true alchemist aspire to that as do I. To me it would be the
achieving of the Philosopher's Stone. Chrishood is latent and potential
in higher consciousness in all of us and in that sense I can accept
what you are saying that I must establish the Kingdom of Heaven on
earth. I believe that this would be the effect of the blessed descent
of the Holy Spirit. The Tincturing by this positive , creative , cleansing,
healing , life giving and all encompassing energy of love would turn
any cold and dark unconscious crude lead into the bright shining Gold
of the Divine Quintessential Light. Dear Mats, you have stirred my soul.
You have given me allot to think about and digest. My sincere thanks
once more for your gracious time and true help .

I suppose allot can be summed up with a passage from the
Emerald Tablet.

" It ascends from earth to heaven, and descends again, new born to
earth, taking unto itself thereby the power of the Above and the Below.
Thus the splendor of the whole world will be thine, and all darkness shall
flee from thee ".

Best Regards,

Steve Kalec

Date: Wed, 26 Mar 97 14:21:02 UT
From: Mike Dickman

Woah, there, Mats!

Your interpretation is fascinating but I would remind us all of the following
little Hassidic saying:

If you happen to be planting a tree when you hear MShICh has come,
Finish planting before you run and see.

Steve - Mats may, of course, be quite right - but if I might also suggest a
study in Waite's and Crowley's Tarot decks - in fact in any Tarot deck at all
- of 'The Ace of Swords', for the crown and sword images and possible
interpretations, Crowley's card of the same name also for the eye in the
triangle (here represented by the word 'Thelema - Law'), and his 'The Lovers'
and 'The Hermit' for the serpent-entwined pommel...
An interpretation from a slightly different point of view than Mats' then:

The Ace of Swords represents the Kether of the Yetziratic world - the world of
the "messengers" between the powerful archetypal 'inhabitants' of the 'realm
of pure spirit' and the 'natural world', Assiah, the 'realm of the senses and
sensed', as it were... Its power, however, unlike those of the Ace of Wands
and of Cups, is INVOKED rather than innate...
The sword passing through the crown has many possibilities: the one I favour
is that of the rising energy of the so-called kundalini passing upwards into
and opening out the so-called 'crown centre'... This movement, however, is
only half of the story and has a tendency to leave one overvaluing the more
'spiritual' aethyrs to the detriment of those that are more 'material' (most
of the history of religions is about exactly this problem)...
Swords, it should always be remembered, and as opposed to sabres of various
types, are two-sided... One of the arts I teach is T'ai Chi Jian, 'The
Sword-Form of the Supreme Ultimate'... One of the first things one is brought
to realise as soon as one has a real sword in one's hand, is that any cutting
down of a supposed 'external' "enemy" will necessarily entail the cutting down
of the real idiot who lives behind one's nose first... Hakuin Ekaku, the great
Rinzai Zen Master of the 16th. century, wrote an open letter to the Samurai
accusing of being thieves inasmuch as they claimed to be soldiers but still
knew the meaning of fear. "The only real soldier", said Hakuin, "is one who is
dead already. Only he may give himself unconditionally to the fray. All others
are playing at it tentatively." There is wealth of material on the way of the
warrior: a good introduction might be Daisetzu Suzuki's 'Zen and Japanese
Culture', (Princeton 1989), sections V and VI, pp. 89-214, and Trevor
Leggett's 'Zen and the Ways' (RKP 1978)... I suggest these sources inasmuch as
they are very non-sentimental about 'knightliness'... You might also look into
the Taoist 'Sun-tzu' or 'Arts of War'...
Ma�jushri, the Buddhist 'Enlightenment Being' of penetrating insight, is
traditionally shown wielding a sword, the 'sword of wisdom' whose double-edged
blade cuts down both subject and object as it slices to the innate vast
openness of all that is.
The Kether of Yetzirah can be seen as 'nesting into' and coinciding with the
Tiphareth of Briah, and, thereby, Michael ('Who is Beloved of God?'), leader
of the heavenly hosts AS GUIDE in the sense of 'guiding light', something to
steer towards.
However, the sword, and the hand that holds it, begin in the Malkuth of
Yetsirah, corresponding in their turn to the Tiphareth of Assiah, meaning,
basically that one has commenced digestion of the initiations regarding the
five elements, and is starting to invoke - but is not necessarily ready for -
what is above... beyond...
The crown of Kether, I might point out, is always 'above' the head, even when
on it...
The serpent-entwined sphere or egg, though symbolising in your dream 'the
pit', is also the point of eternal becoming... The Hermit holds it in his hand
as the one true subject worthy of study, and it is that which is analysed into
its fractal infinities with the beginnings of the first 'Solve' of the Lovers,
and that which will reach synthesis and completion of investigation on the
path of Samech in the balanced interplay of Temperance (and don't forget the
V.I.T.R.I.O.L.! - Boy oh boy! - does one ever need it!)...
The question is: What could ever come into being, persist for a while and then
pass out of it, and when, where, why and how could any of these things ever
happen? A good dash of that should go a long way to sorting out hopes and
fears from whatever else it is that is left when once you've (we've) finally
got rid of them...
So who are the three beings?... (forgive me if my tone sounds a bit aggressive
by the way: it's not meant to be. I'm just playing devil's advocate to Mats.)
In keeping with the 'Tree' image, they could be Tiphareth, Geburah and Chesed
- Certainly would be in GD symbolism... (and they certainly seem to play that
role in your 'dreaming')...
The hideous faces may well be your own fear of being trapped in the material -
There IS NO material... Everything, from the vastness of possibility up, is -
and hinges entirely upon - your way of seeing.
I'm sorry if this steps it down a tad from Mats' interpretation... I'm sure
mine is equally open to question.
After all... Whatever it was, your vision was certainly beautiful, and is
probably - certainly, even - beyond all meanings anyone outside yourself could
really apply...

With respect,
mike

Date: Thu, 27 Mar 1997 11:03:55 -0500 (EST)
From: Jeff

Dear Mats,

Quite an interpretation. You certainly know your imagery but I wonder if
you are not making two mistakes. This may be a misunderstanding on my part,
but I have work with people and their visions a long time. Steve's vision is
powerful but not unusual, and the danger of your interpretation seems to me
to be to confuse an individual's work on thier own enlightenment with some
kind of cosmic task. People who make this assumption usually decide they are
the new messanger or messiah or some such, and forgot that individual
enlightenment is the enlightenment of the cosmos. If I am enlightened, then
God is as well within me, but that does not mean I am bringing enlightenment
to you or to anyone else - that you must achieve for yourself. Second, you
naively make the assumption that the Christian mythos is somehow the correct
one, that three means trinity and four the redemption of Satan. Perhaps the
christian concept is simply one of many triggered by the archetypal movement
of three to four.

For me Steve's vision is significant and indicative of the powerful
experiences people on their path can have, and alchemy is a very powerful
symbol system for understanding these experiences. But we all have the god
within to be redeemed and, as a good Jungian I suppose, the redemption of the
individual is to me the highest work. I personally doubt whether there is
any other way to redeem God than in the creation of the individual personal
god within the individual psyche. This I thnk Seve's vision is about and
that is quite cosmic enough in itself.

Fondly

Jeff

From: Steve Kalec
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 1997 20:45:46 -0500

Dear Jeff,

> But we all have the god within to be redeemed and, as a good Jungian
> I suppose, the redemption of the individual is to me the highest work.

And I agree with you fully. Each in our own way and in our own time.
As each individual is lifted to a higher plane he pulls with himself to
some degree the whole. Cosmically he assists in the elevation of the
collective whole. And as you say, in this is the highest work. It is in
this that as each individual redemption is accumulated, a critical mass
so to speak in the elevation of consciousness will one day be reached
causing a collective cosmic chain reaction and explosion into a new and
higher consciousness in humanity and in the world. The collective Stone
will be made.

>.........and the danger of your interpretation seems to me
>to be to confuse an individual's work on their own enlightenment with
>some kind of cosmic task. People who make this assumption usually
>decide they are the new messenger or messiah or some such, and
>forgot that individual enlightenment is the enlightenment of the
>cosmos.

Heavens forbid that I should be vain enough to consider myself as
such. I do appreciate your concern and I know that you are speaking to
Mats Winthers. But allow me to say that I did understand Mats'
message inwardly. To heal the split in the Godhead, if it is to be done,
it is to be done within me, in my soul and in my consciousness. When
he stated that I am to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth and
become the son of God , I understood it as the inner Alchemical
process which will occur when the volatile Holy Spirit , the universal
tincturing essence will become Fixed and the Glory of God , Divine
Consciousness will spill out onto the calcined purified salts or earth
and become established in the material aspect and objective
consciousness of my being .

But I do hear you as to how an ill assumption can be made by
some who are not quite grounded or some whose vain and expanded
egos get over excited and blown away by such a message.

I would like to thank all of you who have taken out time to share
with me their views and comments.

To Mike Dickman, > " The sword passing through the crown
has many possibilities ". The kundalini , psychic or vital mercurial
energies emerging is definitely in order here and so is the crown as
the Sahasrara chakra. Thank you for your kabalistic interpretation.

To Dimitris, > " I believe that each interpretation is 'correct' in
its synchronistic context. That is, every interpretation that comes in
any way, is a response to what we need to hear at that given moment.
Your interpretations of the pit and the kingdom couldvery well be what
you say. Go with the flow ". ......Yes , usually the first feelings and
impression are the most valid.

Best Regards to all,

Steve Kalec

From: Mats Winther
Date: Sat, 29 Mar 1997 11:40:12 +0100

Steve Kalec,
Big problems necessitates big messages, so here is a lengthy one.

If my earlier message sounded majestic, that was not my intention. To me
they were just plausible thoughts, nothing else. The use of symbols may
create a religious feeling. But that is not how I look at them, I�m not
religious at all. I use them because they talk to the unconscious at the
same time. The unconscious needs to be updated with what is going on. Also,
symbols seem to be totally beyond the scope of low-witted people, who even
think it�s insane to use this kind of language. This is a great advantage
since the message only goes through to the people it was intended for. This
was very important to the medieval alchemists.

But, in fact, your vision is rather pompous. This is because The Father is
rather old fashioned. He thinks he makes a good impression that way. But
modern man usually prefer a more modest language. The Holy Ghost is not at
all like that. He is much more pragmatical. I say this because there is a
dangerous trap concerning religiosity, and you could be the type of person
who steps into it. If you start making relics, a sword for example, and
acquire an estetical attitude toward the Opus; if you start "collecting"
visions, dreams, spiritual knowledge without "living" it, then you are a
great sinner. Then you are like the man who collects delicious fruits, and
even conscientiously peels them, where-upon he leaves them to rot where
they lie in a big heap inside his house. Or you would be like the fisherman
who is forever fishing, never returning to the shore to feast on the catch.
The tragedy would be even greater in your case since you have received such
a strong call. Only a few fish are needed to make a meal. This is why the
medieval alchemists told their disciples to "rend your books asunder".
Actually there is no need to read any 'esoteric' literature at all, the
jungian studies you�ve done is quite enough. When the tertiary spirit is
integrated you will be able to do the symbolical thinking yourself. The
Spirit is really sickly tired of estetism, relic worship, dream collecting,
book collecting and all kind of spiritual hypocrisy. It wants to see some
real action. The unconscious - the Anima - is not a goddess to be
worshipped. Don�t do the same mistake as so many other tragic figures. The
Trinity today is a modern spirit, very pragmatical. It will become the
tertiary function which is a great gift.

The descent of The Holy Ghost then, is not such a "big deal". He is already
working inside you. But maybe he thinks that a formal baptism is needed. It
will probably not be a dove descending, like in Jesus� case. A more modern
scenario could be something like this. The light will shine in through your
window at early morning time, and it makes your face warm. As you open your
eyes you see that it�s actually dark outside. As you close your eyes again
the light is back and it becomes stronger and stronger and your face
becomes hot. You experience a heavenly peace and wellbeing; what the
christians called Grace. But you hear a buzzing sound that is increasing.
You realize that the hood of light above you is The Holy Ghost and it is
boring a hole in your head. Afterwards you realize that you have been
trepanned and a fecundation has occured.

Now, as the spirit grows inside you, he is no longer a spirit. Only a
function of your psyche. So there will be no more Trinity to worship out
there. This will avoid the collector trap. I think I must update you
concerning the qualities of The Holy Ghost. You seem to have missed out a
relevant part. The Holy Ghost is love, certainly, but only to some. To
others - a nightmare. The tertiary function brings forth the truth which
can be relayed to others. So anybody who talks back to you will also talk
back to The Holy Ghost. And remember the saying of Jesus, that you can talk
back to the Father and the Son, but never, ever, talk back to the Holy
Ghost. There is nothing mystical about this, either. It just means that a
serious deterioration of health will occur, or a fatal mishap, perhaps. So
there is also death surrounding a person who has integrated the tertiary
spirit and expresses its truth. The sharp edge of the sword then, is of no
estetical significance, it is a sign of deadly danger. The three-fold
spirit will not only give you bright understanding. This sinister function
will come with it, as well. In fact, the harvest has already started, and
the bad corn will be thrown into the fire. You call it "cleansing" - that
is correct. This is not the workings of Satan. It�s The Holy Ghost. I know
this all sounds religious, but it is really a commonplace experience. This
was my comments concerning the power of the sword which is in the sharp
blade.

The blade concerns the daylight world and the handle concerns the
underworld. The serpent on the handle is coiled around the gold like the
dragon is coiled around his golden treasure in the hero myth. This is
Satan, the wingless dragon. The mature winged dragon will descend and enter
into the jaws of the earth monster. Now, here is the tricky part, the
ascent is child's stuff; the descent and entering into the tomb is quite
different. To me, here is where the process really starts. This is Nigredo
(but many medieval alchemist meant that the Nigredo started at the ascent
of the spirit). I agree with you that the "Key" concerns coagulatio. This
is fixing the volatile spirit that descends from the lofty mountain. You
have received a key that will open the tomb - the alchemical vessel - so
you can enter and enjoy being there. What I don�t understand is; how can
the sword of the lofty, tertiary spirit also contain the key to the
concentrated, minuscule spirit? I mean, they are opposites. Anyway, for the
time being I don�t want to talk too much about this secretive matter. I�ve
already gone into the topic in earlier messages.

You�re trying to get off the hook in saying this:
"To become the Son of God, all true alchemist aspire to that as do I (..)
Christhood is latent (..) in all of us and in that sense (..) I must
establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth".
I must point out that there are dragons of different sizes. And you are a
huge dragon. If you deny this you will be like a man walking about,
carrying an elephant on his shoulders. Your body will only be capable of
this for a short time, then it will start to sway. You are probably
experiencing physical problems already. The elephant is meant to ride on. A
little Nietzsche-reading would be good here, I think.
To me, the term "Christhood" seems religious, buddistic even. But this is
not some kind of spiritual adventure. Taking the Kingdom to Earth just
means opening peoples eyes so that they see that the Kingdom is at hand.
Jesus made us come closer to Earth, but we are still walking one centimeter
above the ground. It�s your job to make people actually put down their feet
on the ground. They will not be under the control of the lofty spirit
anymore. This is the paradigm of the number four.
Jesus went into Nigredo, where he stayed for three days, after which he was
resurrected and thereby inherited all the power of Heaven and Earth.
However, the power of Earth was inhibited by the Devil. This little problem
is fixed by Satan ascending to the Godhead.
Many persons have to encounter the unconscious so that they after this can
go on with their job as a company director, for instance. Jesus did the
same. Afterwards he went on with his job as the emperor of the universe.
There are different sizes of dragons.
When the Kingdom is established on Earth people will eat, drink, work and
enjoy being in the sun. That�s all. For the first time they will realize
that they are actually here, in the warm vessel of the world. They will no
longer run about everywhere like restless ghosts. But the place will be
continually cleansed.

Mats Winther

From: Steve Kalec
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 1997 20:53:48 -0500

Dear Mats,

I'm sorry if you didn't like the word ( majestic ), I used it
in the sense as our beloved art being a Noble Art. Believe me
that the last thing that I would ever want to do was to turn you
off. If the Father is old fashioned as you say, then so am I and
so are many who study the Hermetic science. I certainly see
nothing wrong with that. But I also agree with you that the
unconscious has to update with what is going on, and it does.
There are some today who look up and see alien UFOs. If thats
how the unconscious reveals itself to some, so be it. I prefer
the radiant Eye. In any case I didn't ask it to reveal itself as the
Eye, it just happened.

My intention is really not to be argumentive, but I doubt that
if someone paints a painting of an inner vision he had or if one
replicates a sword, necessarlily risks falling into a religious trap.
Even Carl Jung painted a self portrait of himself in ceremonial
dress with a winged serpent behind him while he is carrying a
sword. You say that he who collects dreams and spiritual
knowledge without living it is a great sinner. I say to you that I
agree with you and that in service is all true rewards. Those
who do not use the spiritual gifts it shall be taken away from
them and given to those who use it. But why do you warn me
of this ? You hardly know me and my activities and services.
There are many of us who collect dreams, we are told to write
them down for it establishes a communication channel with the
unconscious.I collect alchemical symbols because I find them
rich with meaning and beautiful . I collect pictures of masterful
mystical paintings for the same reason, all of them are highly
elevating. I hardly think all this makes one a spiritual hypocrite
and a sinner. Some of us enjoy the Spirit that is alive in the arts
and in literature.

>A more modern scenario could be something like this. The light
>will shine in through your window at early morning time, and it
>makes your face warm. As you open your eyes you see that it�s
>actually dark outside. As you close your eyes again the light is
>back and it becomes stronger and stronger and your face
>becomes hot...........

Ahh ! yes , beautiful stuff, and lets not omit the cooling heating
descent that cleanses, heals ,elevates, transmutes and plunges
one into an indescribable ecstacy such as no sexual orgasm can
even dare to come close to in comparison. Pure Divine Love,
that renders one to tears of the highest of joys because it is then
that God has full and true expression in one's consciousness. It is
then that one has truly let God's Will be done because your will has
given way .But in any case this is not a modern scenario, this light
has been expressed thus by many mystics, alchemists and saints.
I agree with you that the Holy Ghost is not always as beautiful for
some as was the case of Paul of Tarsus. If the light is ready to be
revealed it will break through with violence if one fights it. It is an
absolute autonomous power. But it still transformed Paul.

>Now, here is the tricky part, the ascent is child's stuff; the descent
>and entering into the tomb is quite different. To me, here is where the
>process really starts. This is Nigredo (but many medieval alchemist
>meant that the Nigredo started at the ascent of the spirit...........

CHILD'S PLAY ?? Again please accept my argument as a
respectfully friendly discussion. The raising of the heat of the secret
fire and its control for an even beneficial just right heat is a very very
crucial part.To achieve the ascent is in the release and the rising of
the vital mercurial forces and with this one needs to be most careful.
This is the distilation and the calcination. This is not child play at all.
This needs to be mastered to an art. If you raise this fire too quickly
and lose control of your heat, the fleeting substance of the spirit will
break your vessel and flee. This can lead to schizophrenia. One must
be sure that his stove can contain the fire. I have had my share of
burning and it is not very pleasant. Many a times I prayed to the God
of my heart that the heat stop, which lasted days sometimes. I thank
God that I was always well protected and guided by the inner Self .
Calcination leads you into the garden of Gethseman where
the dark night of the soul , however blessed it is, can still be a
dreadful situation and you have not yet achieved the ascent. Then
the allegorical Crucifixion and the giving up of the ego, the will and
the spirit.Then you have to descend into hell and from there one will
rise and ascend through the heavens .None of this is childs play.
Then one is prepared for the descent of the LIGHT which occurs with
the Glorious golden Dawn of the Resurrection from dark tomb of the
unconscious. When calm and almost a total silence is had then the
spiritual Sun appears above ones head shining and radiating down in
its full glory its beauty and its wonderful pleasant heat yet cooling.
Its not called the heavenly dew for nothing. It rejuvenates, and
moistens the parched dry earth that has been calcined. And it is
here that the philosopher sows his Gold ( Light ) into the white
foliated earth, purified and prepared earth .This Heavenly light gets
translated through each psychic center or chackra if you will on its
descent and then it spills into the our earth, into our body and our
consciousness. This to me is the establishing of the kingdom of
heaven on earth. And it spills through in drops, and trickle, day by
day. Day by day as one performs the ascent and the descent, the
excersise of the Above and the Below repeating the rectification
and the purification, then drop by drop this heavenly dew will be
absorbed until finally no more can be absorbed and the spirit will
then be fixed and the Stone made.

No Mats , I am not experiencing physical problems at all. I
will consider this play in suggestion as unintentional . I have
never felt better in my life.These excersises as I keep saying,
rejuvenate,heal, clean, uplift, and transmute. I try never to miss a
day. I have been tending to the fire since 1971 and will be continue
repeating the way upward and the way downward till my time. Yes
I have read Nietzsche and let me assure you that In my life God is
not dead. I also am not a superman .In my studies and practice I
have been well prepared in protecting myself against the toxisities
of the collective unconscious and the risks of being touched by the
archetypes. Also, as I said the Crown is always to be above me .
A part can never be greater than the whole. As Mike Dickman said
even when it is on one's head it is still above one.

I don't understand why you are saying that I am trying to get off
the hook. What hook ? How am I on a hook ? Because I said "To
become the Son of God, all true alchemist aspire to that as do I " ?
I truly meant that out of modesty. And for heavens sake,
what are you saying that I am talking back to the Holy Ghost ?
Rest assured there is no elephant riding me. If I am to reveal
something as you say then it will be, but in its own time .

> What I don�t understand is; how can the sword of the lofty,
>tertiary spirit also contain the key to the concentrated,
>minuscule spirit? I mean, they are opposites.

How can the the YING contain within itself the minuscule YANG,
and visa versa ? How can the triangle on the finite plane contain
within itself the minuscule triangle on the infinite plane and visa
versa? All is contained within THE ALL, and THE ALL is contained
within all. Truly understand this and you need know nothing more.
This is your Oroborus. Opposite extremes meet.

>Taking the Kingdom to Earth just means opening peoples eyes
>so that they see that the Kingdom is at hand.

Have you ever thought that maybe it is part of the alchemical
process. Pertaining to the Joining of the unconscious with the
conscious ? The chemical wedding of the King and Queen ? The
union of Shakty with Shiva ? The merging of heaven and earth ?
The fusion of the sun and the moon ? The Anima with consciousness ?
The great Arcanum , the two superimposed opposite triangles ?
The union of the opposites ? To establish heaven on earth .

>When the Kingdom is established on Earth people will eat, drink,
>work and enjoy being in the sun. That�s all. For the first time they
>will realize that they are actually here, in the warm vessel of the
>world. They will no longer run about everywhere like restless ghosts.
>But the place will be continually cleansed.

I agree with you full heartedly, but this establishment has to
happen within themselves, in their own way and in their own time.
And as I stated to Jeff, it is the accumulation of all these inner
establisments that will eventually one blessed day become a critical
mass so to speak and a chain reaction explosion in consciousness
will spill out from the collective inner into the whole outer world. This
is already at hand.

Best Regards
Steve Kalec

From: Mats Winther
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 1997 16:53:03 +0200

Steve Kalec,
I�m pursuing this question since I think you�re wrong. And I can�t stand
the thought of a person of your dignity going astray.

> ... To heal the split in the Godhead, if it is to be done,
> it is to be done within me, in my soul and in my consciousness. When
> he stated that I am to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth and
> become the son of God , I understood it as the inner Alchemical
> process which will occur when the volatile Holy Spirit...

I mean that the universal significance and personal significance coincides.
It was exactly the same thing with Jesus. He went through different stages
in his life, but this coincided with the actual myth of the Godhead. All
people live a myth of their own, but your personal myth coincides with the
myth of the Godhead. So, for you, the personal and the universal are the
same. This is not so clear for other "alchemists". "Christhood" is not to
be attained by everyone. Some people have a dignity much greater than
others.

When the "Creator of the Universe" commands you to "take the Kingdom down
to Earth" - what are you supposed to do? Tell him to piss off? You must do
what He told you - take the Kingdom down to Earth. What does He mean by
this? I�ll tell you what it means. It means: Take the Kingdom down to
Earth! It is not a metaphor for "...Divine Consciousness will spill out
onto the calcined purified salts..." or whatever. The Father states exactly
what you�re going to do. There is no "hidden meaning" on the "personal
level".
You know very well that He talks about his own Kingdom, and He wants it
established on the planet Earth which exists in the solar system. He
doesn't refer to any other Earth than this we live on. There is no planet
Earth existing in your unconscious. So He could�t possibly mean anything
else than this planet we live on.
The Father has decided to do away with the split world-view which we still
have today. We still think that there is a spiritual "Kingdom" up above and
that the material Earth is a beautiful, but not very special place. The
Father commands you to remove the notion of "the other world" from peoples
minds so that they realize that the Earth actually is a very special place
since the Kingdom is established here. The Earth is both material and
spiritual at the same time, like Mercurius. And the Lord will be here in
his flesh and blood to convince people that He is not only a spirit. This
is something that people have a hard time understanding, that the Lord is
of flesh and blood. When people realize this, they will love this place,
its food, its warm sunlight. They will nomore be longing for a spiritual
world beyond. There is no such thing. This world is neither material, nor
spiritual, it is spiritual/material. A simple stone is not of matter, it is
of spirit-matter. Observe that He is not telling you to "remove" the
spiritual world. He tells you to move it. This makes a huge difference.
You will inform people of this, and write books, probably. This is very
similar to Jesus' deeds. And to be able to inherit the Kingdom you must be
transformed yourself by entering into Nigredo and be resurected. Then the
crown will be put on your head. This is similar to Jesus, too. So there is
a personal transformation as well as a transformation in the Godhead. I
meant it very literally when I said that you are to become the Christ of
the second coming. I�m quite serious. But for me, since I am not religious,
it�s not such a "big deal". It�s "just" the continued unfolding of the
wonderful life on this earth. The Father wants to achieve a conjunction of
spirit and matter - the Father has become an alchemist!

Mats Winther

Date: Sun, 30 Mar 97 15:43:24 UT
From: MIKE DICKMAN

Coming in a little on Mats' interpretation here, I must say that it seems to
me that the central mystery of the Christian 'path' is certainly that of
actually incarnating...
Being a 'Son of God' is easy enough: we all ARE sons and daughters of God. The
difficult bit is getting this 'child of the gods' part to actively and
blissfully assume its 'ordinary', corruptible vehicle with all its attendant
limitations in time, space and knowledge, and to bless and inform the whole of
creation from that point up.
Even Christ, as a path, had to be nailed to the planet before he finally gave
in.

Love,
m

Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997
From: Mats Winther

Steve,
I will not pursue this issue anymore, after this message. We are too far
apart as personalities to be able to understand each other. But I�m really
glad that I hit you right at the weak spot. I have done my duty. My words
comes from the depht of my understanding, and I really work them out, so to
be rebuffed in this careless way really feels akward. On the other hand,
thanks for the part concerning your alchemical experiences. This must be
valuable to many.

Concerning "majestic". I just don�t want to be regarded as mystical or
religious. Everything I�ve said so far are just boring facts and I want my
statements to sound like that. This could be my own fault.

> Even Carl Jung painted a self portrait of himself in ceremonial
> dress with a winged serpent behind him while he is carrying a
> sword.

Well, he was a sinner then, wasn�t he?
I know I sound patronizing, warning of this and that. But I don�t care.
I'm not here to be a likeable guy. I�m here to tell you what I know. I am
very, very serious about what I say. Why am I directing my warnings to you?
Because in my view, mysticism and spiritualism is as sinful as
materialism. I really mean the last statement. I think you are wrong, and I
see no other way than telling you directly. This is only possible with
persons having a certain moral stature. I cannot agree with every person in
this forum, so of course I will try to correct people according to my view.
The expression of the unconscious content by way of active imagination
etcetera is imperative. But there must not be a subordination. For
instance, one cannot regard the personified unconscious as a goddess and
it�s products as relics. The painting by Jung, for instance, is of no value
after it has served it's purpose as an expression of the unconscious. It
should be disposed of. Paintings that are valuable are those by Mat�sse.
Maybe if you look at his paintings you will understand what I mean. He
expresses the modern spirit far better than I can. "Rend your books
asunder", and your mystical pictures likewise.

> ...This is the distilation and the calcination. This is not child
> play at all. This needs to be mastered to an art. If you raise
> this fire too quickly...

No, I�m talking about the spirit. I used this word all the time. I�m not
talking about the soul. Distillation begins with "blackness", "the black
lead" or whatever, which signifies the state of Nigredo which is followed
by Albedo-Rubedo. My statement was:

"Now, here is the tricky part, the
ascent is child's stuff; the descent and entering into the tomb is quite
different. To me, here is where the process really starts. This is
Nigredo....".

So what I�m talking about is the journey of the spirit before the Nigredo;
before distilatio, calcinatio etcetera. In Nigredo occurs the journey of
the soul. Here, the body is within the vessel undergoing the different
alchemical processes. The ascent of the soul is something quite different
from the ascent of the spirit. The last is not child's play. However, the
ascent of the spirit is. This just signifies becoming conscious i.e reading
books by Jung and interpreting your dreams; freeing oneself from the
infantile mother bondage. When that is done, the spirit shouldn�t stay up
there in the intellectual sphere. It must return. This is not so easy for
some. But of course, the journey of the spirit resembles the journey of the
soul so the symbol of "circular distillation" could be used here too. And
probably many medieval alchemists used it in this sense because at those
times the spirit-journey was not so easily achieved.

> Ahh ! yes , beautiful stuff, and lets not omit the cooling heating...

Concerning your comment about my "Holy Ghost-story" . I didn�t mean to make
an estetical impression. I wanted to picture it as a boring "every-day
affair" before going to job. The inner meaning is what counts and this
image came from the depht of my understanding. I�m useless at this, my
words become art in your eyes. But it�s my own fault. I should assign to a
poetry mailing group instead.

> ....revealed it will break through with violence if one fights it.
> It is an absolute autonomous power. But it still transformed Paul.

I maintain that when it is "boring a hole in your head and enters" it is
not autonomous anymore. It becomes a function of your psyche. A scary,
powerful function which knows the truth - the tertiary function. After this
God is dead.

> I truly meant that out of modesty. And for heavens sake,
> what are you saying that I am talking back to the Holy Ghost ?

Where do I say that? You must have been very agitated when you read my
mail. I am dissapointed with you, that you make false accusations.
This was my statement:

"The Holy Ghost is love, certainly, but only to some. To
others - a nightmare. The tertiary function brings forth the truth which
can be relayed to others. So anybody who talks back to you will also talk
back to The Holy Ghost. And remember the saying of Jesus,
that you can talk back to the Father and the Son, but never, ever,
talk back to the Holy Ghost. There is nothing mystical about this, either.
It just means that a serious deterioration of health will occur, or a
fatal mishap, perhaps. So there is also death surrounding a person who has
integrated the tertiary spirit and expresses its truth."

My statement about the sword:

What I don�t understand is; how can the sword of the lofty,
tertiary spirit also contain the key to the concentrated,
minuscule spirit? I mean, they are opposites.

Stupid of me, it is not the "sword of the lofty, tertiary spirit". The
number four is there; Trinity plus "The Bottomless Pit".

Concerning the "elephant-parable":

> No Mats , I am not experiencing physical problems at all. I
> will consider this play in suggestion as unintentional.

I never play with suggestions. I am very serious all the time. I meant the
physical problems not as illness, but as the effects of carrying an
elephant on your shoulders. I am very surprised to hear that you haven�t
even got a pain in your neck. I am serious about this and your statement
makes me confused. I don�t understand this.

> Yes, I have read Nietzsche and let me assure you that In my life God is
> not dead. I also am not a superman. In my studies and practice I
> have been well prepared in protecting myself against the toxisities
> of the collective unconscious and the risks of being touched by the
> archetypes. Also, as I said the Crown is always to be above me.

This statement was the most painful to me. Nietzsche tells the same thing
as your vision, namely. That the Kingdom of Heaven disappears. So there
will be no more God in Heaven. God is dead and the heavenly Kingdom gone.
Instead the power and the glory goes to the Ubermench; the Christ of the
second coming, who is a man of flesh and blood carrying the spirit within
his body. And the Kingdom is established on Earth - the only place that
counts. So Heaven and Earth are united like the conjunction of spirit and
matter in the Lapis. And the Ubermench will inherit the earth.
I�m not a Nietzschean, but he was right on this point.
You will not be touched by God, you will not let the Crown touch your head.
I understand that now.

Concerning this statement of mine: "Taking the Kingdom to Earth just means
opening peoples eyes so that they see that the Kingdom is at hand."

>Have you ever thought that maybe it is part of the alchemical
>process...?

Sure, the alchemical process of God. The conjunction of Heaven and Earth.
This wonderful place is God's Lapis - a new conjunction of spirit and
matter. But this is what I said. The spiritual Kingdom is here on Earth -
conjugated.

>I don't understand why you are saying that I am trying to get off
> the hook. What hook ? How am I on a hook ?

The hook of God of course. God orders you to take the Kingdom to Earth.
But, to my meaning you have found your way out of it. Perhaps many years
ago. I�m beginning to suspect I am chasing a ghost. Your unwillingness to
understand my statements seem compulsive. I realize this is painful to you.
I will not pursue the issue anymore.

Mats Winther