In this chapter, you will learn about the history of the fabled Philosophers Stone. You will also learn the secret of how to forge it for yourself using a simple method.
For centuries, the holy grail of the alchemists pursuit was to forge „the stone that is not a stone. It has been called many things throughout the ages, including the „pearl of great price, the „white stone by the river and the „sword in the stone. Although it goes by many names, its sole function has always remained the same. The Philosophers Stone is a catalyst, said to transmute invaluable lead into valuable gold.
Over the centuries, the search for the Philosophers Stone has consumed the lives of many, counting Sir Isaac Newton, Carl Jung and St. Thomas Aquinas as members of a fraternity that devoted much of their lives studying alchemy. The pursuit is even purported to have taken the life of Newton, whose body contained massive amounts of mercury due to his alchemical pursuits.
To understand alchemy and the pursuit of The Stone, you must view it from two perspectives. The first view relates to the world without, while the second, to the world within.
The first is the well-known material alchemy. Their quest was to create elemental gold out of base metals, such as lead. The promise of great riches to the alchemist who accomplished this feat lured many into field. However, their quest proved ultimately futile. We now understand that only nuclear reactions within stars or particle accelerators can produce the energy required to transmute elements. However, the science of alchemy does not end there.
The second is esoteric or divine alchemy. The esoteric alchemists aim was to transmute the base metals of ignorance into the gold of awareness. The objective was to transmute leaden consciousness into golden consciousness. It was to transmute bondage into freedom and poverty into abundance through a direct rapport with the Higher Self. It was to dissociate from the lower self, the Ego, and associate with the Higher Self, or Spirit. The esoteric alchemists called this shift in identification „The Great Work. Therein lays the true gold that the alchemists sought.
As you learn how to command your Inner Power, summon Universal intelligence and use it to realize your Higher Purpose, your awareness grows and you find your gold. When you apply this knowledge in service to others, you create gold in your own life in the form of abundance, prosperity and fulfilment. While this process eventually results in profound self-transformation, it may still take years to unfold.
However, there is a faster way! To accelerate the process of attaining the „golden consciousness that unlocks the full might of your Inner Power, requires the presence of a catalyst. The most powerful catalyst in the metaphysical Universe is the Philosophers Stone. The Stone will accelerate your growth exponentially and grant you access to true power. It also takes a critical role in the manifesting process, which you will learn about in Part III. Before you discover what it is, it helps to understand its alchemical background.
VITRIOLAccording to medieval alchemists, the key to activating The Philosophers Stone is with a substance they called Vitriol. The word Vitriol derives from the Latin word vitreus, meaning glass, referring to the glassy appearance of the sulphate salts. For example, blue vitriol is copper sulphate and green vitriol is iron sulphate. Vitriol was so important to the alchemists because it can dissolve every metal it encounters, except for gold. Gold is the only metal resistant to its highly corrosive action; creating gold was the key objective of the alchemist!
To prepare Vitriol, alchemists would burn sulphur together and saltpetre in the presence of steam. This is why in esoteric alchemy, sulphur represents the active principle and salt represents the passive principle. Through this fusion of the active and passive principles, the alchemist would produce Vitriol. So what is the secret to producing Vitriol and activating The Stone?
The esoteric alchemists hid their secret openly through symbolism and cryptic texts. Only initiates skilled in the art could decipher their meaning. However, 15th century alchemist Basilius Valentinus gives us the secret to forging the stone in his work LAzoth des Philosophes in plain language. Examine carefully the following emblem, which contains the secret to making The Stone:
Emblem from L’Azoth des Philosophes
Pay particular attention to the wording on the outside of the emblem, which says Visita Interiora Terræ Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem. Upon closer inspection, you will notice that it is also an acronym spelling V.I.T.R.I.O.L. This then is the secret formula to producing the esoteric alchemists Vitriol. So what does it mean?
Translated, it simply says „Visit the interior of the earth and, by purifying it, you will find the hidden stone'. The interior of the earth is a metaphor for consciousness or awareness. So, to forge the stone, you purify your awareness to the point that mind is transcended entirely. Thus, the Philosophers Stone is not a thing, not a stone, but a state of awareness. It is Pure Awareness itself!
When you attain this state of awareness, you transcend the polarity of mind altogether. This state of mind is referred to as cessation, in which mind ceases entirely and you abide in brief windows of Pure Awareness. During these short windows, you can achieve the integration of the part with the whole, the local with the non-local, the finite with the infinite. The contemplative traditions refer to this state of being as Cosmic or Unity Consciousness. You experience the brilliant radiance of your own true nature, Pure Awareness itself. Like Vitriol, Pure Awareness dissolves everything in its presence, except for true gold!
You take the individual, infuse it with the Universal, and take both back to your everyday life. It is the realization of your essential whole/part nature. To produce The Stone is to unite with your wholeness and to open a window to the „formless substance of the Universal.
HOW TO PREPARE THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONETo experience the Philosophers Stone firsthand does not require immersion in ancient alchemical texts or esoteric experiments. You can behold the „Pearl of Great Price with an ancient technique called Japa Meditation. It is a powerful and transformational technique. It will take a couple of sessions before you get the hang of it, so be patient with yourself until then.
The easiest way to accomplish this state is to focus all of your attention onto a single focal point. In this case, the most natural sound your vocal chords can produce. It requires only the relaxation of your voice, with only air passing over your vocal chords. It is the ancient sound of „Ahh.
The technique is easiest to learn by following guided audio instructions, which you can download free on the website by visiting the resources section. If you would prefer to read the instructions, they are as follows:
FORGING THE STONE TECHNIQUE1. Get prepared by relaxing with your hands on your hips facing upwards. Lightly press your thumb and forefinger together until they are just touching. Close your eyes
2. Visualise the letter A that almost fills the screen of your imagination for a few moments
3. To the right of the letter, visualize the letter B for a few moments
4. Shift your focus to the „gap of nothingness between the two letters, A & B
5. Take a deep luxurious breath that fills your lungs to capacity
6. Say the sound „Ahh for as long as you comfortably can until your breath runs out. The key is to concentrate all of your attention upon the sound of „Ahh. Hear it in your ears, hear it reverberate around the room, feel it vibrate in your body. If your thoughts wander, gently refocus your attention back on the sound and vibrations
7. Repeat step 6 so that you have done two full breaths making the „Ahh sound
8. Shift your focus back to the letter B for a few moments
9. To the right of the letter, visualize the letter C
10. Shift your focus to the space between the two letters, B & C
11. Repeat the „Ahh process and continue this pattern until you have done 7-10 letters
The process is gradual, and each repetition will get you closer to The Stone, the state of cessation. After you have practiced the method a few times, you will begin to experience the expansion into wholeness by the 15-minute mark. After 20 minutes, you ought to have fully transcended into Pure Awareness itself, the domain of First Cause. The sharper and more complete your focus is upon the sound to the exclusion of everything else, the more profound your experience will be. After around four exposures to The Stone, you will begin to be able to produce it without going through this full process. You will be able to produce it whenever you are highly relaxed and centred simply by focusing upon the „Ahh sound.
TIPS FOR FORGING THE STONE² Guided audio is the best way to learn the technique
² Practice forging The Stone first thing in the morning or the just before sleep
² A small amount of alcohol consumed beforehand has the effect of relaxing you further, enhancing the ease of forging The Stone.
² Conjuring up the emotion of love, joy or gratitude in the last few letters of the cycles supercharges the experience and can results in tears of joy and immense humility.
² Do not attempt this technique when you are frustrated or tired
In the next part, you will learn how to apply the metaphysical laws, principles and elements of Inner Power within a powerful framework for manifestation.