Eugene, Oregon USA
The study of psychology and Kabbalah cannot be comprehended in depth without the complimentary science of Alchemy.
Al (as a connotation of the Arabic word Allah: al-, the + ilah, God) means "The God." Chem or Khem is derived from the word kimia (Greek) which means "to fuse or cast a metal." It is also related to Khem, the ancient name of Egypt. The synthesis is Al-Kimia: "to fuse with the highest" or "to fuse with God." Thus, Alchemy is known as the chemistry of God.
It is the scientific and chemical basis of inner transformation. The terms and paraphernalia of the medieval Alchemists were a means of veiling this knowledge from the profane. As a result there have arisen many different uses of the term alchemy to relate to any type of transformative process. But the actual science of Alchemy is directly related to the factors of Mystical Death and of Mystical Birth.
Mystical Death is a transformation of the baser, subjective elements of one’s psychology into a superior conscious awareness. Mystical Birth refers to the birth of a true Human Soul as described by Jesus to Nicodemus in the New Testament (John 3:3-7).
Birth of the Soul is not the result of simply believing it to be true, just as a physical child cannot simply be born by believing that it can happen. Fundamental scientific principles must be understood and followed to have very real results.
According to old legends preserved by the Rabbins, the angel at the gate of Eden instructed Adam in the mysteries of Qabbalah and of alchemy, promising that when the human race had thoroughly mastered the secret wisdom concealed within these inspired arts, the curse of the forbidden fruit would be removed and man might again enter into the Garden of the Lord.
- Manly P. Hall, Secret Teachings of All Ages (1928)
Alchemy
