Magical Alkemic Path: The alchemist and the processes of alchemical transformation

 Dear Friends and Readers,

I have decided to publish a series of articles that introduce my Magical Alkemic Path with the aim of presenting  this system that is very dear to me  more widely .

I conceived and channeled this course to enclose European knowledge in a long journey but which includes a large part of the knowledge that an alchemist of today has or must have in his cultural background. The Magical Alkemic Path is above all an individual and personal growth path, which leads the practitioner or the initiate to a spiritual elevation such as to be of help for himself and for others.

The alchemist and the processes of alchemical transformation 

The phases of the alchemical transformation are processes that the alchemist implements on himself to carry out the "Great Work", i.e. the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. The alchemical phases can be different and have different names or symbols, based on the "philosophical scheme" translated and used by the alchemist.

These "philosophical schemes" have been modified over the years, both in the number of phases and in the use of symbols, it is therefore important to know that there is no scheme more valid than others, but that they come from different historical and geographical periods, during which the alchemists have changed them according to their needs. The phases of the western esoteric alchemical tradition: of Nigredo, Albedo and Rubedo. 

Nigredo or Opera in Black is the phase of destruction or putrefaction, in which the alchemist destroys all the disrupted and harmful living elements in his subtle bodies (mental and psychic). On the mental plane, therefore, the initiate destroys all of his ego and his personalities, on the psychic plane, the alchemist acts to destroy all the emotions crystallized in the psyche. The destruction of the ego and of the emotions during Nigredo leads the physical body to the cessation of tensions, which are kept active in the individual by the ego and the disrupted emotions. 

This process of disintegration can be activated by the alchemist through self-observation, in which the initiate in alchemy understands how the various egos behave and form, the various personalities and their degenerated emotions, elements that have crystallized especially during childhood and adolescence, through family and social conditioning. These elements are harmful as they take away free will from the individual, leaving him at the mercy of needs induced by deficiencies deriving from the behaviors learned from his fellow humans, considered by his cognitive system as right, because they are practiced by the majority of the community that surrounds him. Observing them therefore, he becomes aware of the phenomenon by carrying out a conscious destruction of these elements, 

Albedo or Opera in White comes from the Latin term albus which means white. While in the Nigredo all the elements disintegrated into a single substance are destroyed, in the Albedo this matter is purified. In the alchemical symbology the lead of the Nigredo during the albedo becomes silver, this to indicate that the substances forming the mental and psychic body, through the purification, begin to vibrate at a higher frequency, discharging the physical body of tension. Through observation and purification, the alchemist begins to understand the importance of having presence on himself, trying to transform the matter of the many egos and of the various disintegrated personalities into presence on himself. On an emotional level, the alchemist no longer runs away or reacts to external influences, which activate his emotional wounds, learn to see them and observe them to dissolve them. An integrity process then begins, a mandatory step to access the last stage called Rubedo. 

Rubedo or Opera in Red, it is the phase of the spiritualization of matter, it is the moment in which the spirit expresses itself through the individual, remaining in contact with the source that permeates all of creation. In this phase, after the purification, the alchemist has joined the opposites derived from duality through the single vision and has realigned the masculine with the feminine, recreating the androgynous in himself. At this stage, there is no longer any separation between oneself and the other, since in contact and aware that the same source of life within him is in all of creation. During the day the alchemist remains present to himself, and it is that state of presence, the new substance obtained from the destruction and purification of all the various egos. The presence on oneself is a non-mechanical state of consciousness, but consciously implemented by the initiate, 

Summarizing in a different view The alchemical process is divided into several phases. In the first, called Opera al Nero or Nigredo, also called Putredo, from "putrefaction", one must abandon the egoic identities already established as they could prevent the effective union that must be achieved at every level. This phase consists in seeking and recognizing one's limits and defects which emerge more easily when confronted with the partner. This induces a feeling of psychological depression, abandonment and death. Without this painful experience it is not possible to start the process of transmutation of oneself. At the beginning of the relationship, the two polarities are not yet fully compatible, the union, the Compound is not yet "stable", the two partners are still too full of their respective specificities, problems and expectations, of his aggression. The painful sensation experienced is similar to that of the lowest levels of Scorpio, which in fact is also the Sign of spiritual rebirth. This stage is always scary, each of the two partners fears being engulfed, of losing his prerogatives. From a psychological point of view, it is a real death, a ceasing to be what one was. Nigredo is the discovery of the dark parts of oneself; those parts that one alone was not able, or did not have the will, to recognize as one's own, one may not see or be under the illusion that one does not have. One of the advantages of the relationship lies in the fact that the two partners mirror each other, showing their respective dark sides. which in fact is also the Sign of spiritual rebirth. This stage is always scary, each of the two partners fears being engulfed, of losing his prerogatives. From a psychological point of view, it is a real death, a ceasing to be what one was. Nigredo is the discovery of the dark parts of oneself; those parts that one alone was not able, or did not have the will, to recognize as one's own, one may not see or be under the illusion that one does not have. One of the advantages of the relationship lies in the fact that the two partners mirror each other, showing their respective dark sides. which in fact is also the Sign of spiritual rebirth. This stage is always scary, each of the two partners fears being engulfed, of losing his prerogatives. From a psychological point of view, it is a real death, a ceasing to be what one was. Nigredo is the discovery of the dark parts of oneself; those parts that one alone was not able, or did not have the will, to recognize as one's own, one may not see or be under the illusion that one does not have. One of the advantages of the relationship lies in the fact that the two partners mirror each other, showing their respective dark sides. a ceasing to be what one was. Nigredo is the discovery of the dark parts of oneself; those parts that one alone was not able, or did not have the will, to recognize as one's own, one may not see or be under the illusion that one does not have. One of the advantages of the relationship lies in the fact that the two partners mirror each other, showing their respective dark sides. a ceasing to be what one was. Nigredo is the discovery of the dark parts of oneself; those parts that one alone was not able, or did not have the will, to recognize as one's own, one may not see or be under the illusion that one does not have. One of the advantages of the relationship lies in the fact that the two partners mirror each other, showing their respective dark sides. 

The putrefaction must last only long enough to recognize and become aware of any possible negativity. After the suffering of darkness and the fall comes a phase of joy, of ascent, of redemption. Night precedes day, just as the book of Genesis teaches in the description of Creation: it was evening and it was morning. The new day is albedo; from Black we pass to White, the color of Love and Grace. Even the Zohar teaches that "there is no Light but that which comes from the darkness." 

The final phase that follows the albedo is called rubedo for its red color. One could think that this color represents a negative moment opposite to the previous White; in fact Red is the color of Martian blood and aggression. But in this case it is positive, as also the Kabbalah teaches, the White of altruistic love must be tempered with the Red of Strength. If Red is applied together with White it loses its negative connotations. In the specific case of the couple relationship, Rubedo is the fire of union, passion; excitement is undoubtedly positive when it retains the sweetness of love. A purely white love would risk flattening into a "watery" passivity that touches the conscience, but does not transform it. It equates to that sense of repetitiveness that can take over over the years. Only white love easily becomes a habit, until, like snow, it melts slowly. Red is the excitement of discovery, the never dormant and indomitable force that transforms. When the Red of emotions acts alone it can be very negative; however, if it comes after or together with White, it is the best stimulant for the relationship. Thus emerges the need for a synthesis of all phases, they must be lived and overcome in the indicated order, in repeated and successive cycles, at ever higher levels.