Alchemy
Image From the Sirian Starseed Tarot
by Patricia Cori and Alysa Bartha
Original Writing by Kathryn Ravenwood
There is great alchemy at work on a grand and universal stage. Alchemy and the search for the secret of life is no less than than the process of seeking our own Divinity, our enlightenment. It already exists but we must go through the process of uncovering layers of dross and impurities to realize it. Even as each of us is an alchemical vessel in our individual laboratories of transformation, so the Earth is a Great Vessel in which the Great Work is being blended in a vast cosmic laboratory. We are all part of this process of change that is occurring on both the macrocosmic and microcosmic levels. Our personal process is both a reflection and a contribution to the bigger process.
Our physical bodies are made of the elements of air, fire, water and earth all blended together in unique forms. Each of the elements contributes to our alchemy as we learn to master how they function in our experiences and the process of learning from those experiences. Air teaches us of our mental attributes, thinking processes, gaining knowledge, our words and how what we say reverberates through our shared vessel of the Earth. Fire initiates us into the creative process of life and shows us how we both build and destroy with our power and how we interact with the powers of others. Water immerses us in feelings, emotions. We learn to trust our intuition and how our unacknowledged emotions can drown out reason and creativity. The Earth teaches us to be grounded and how we share every part of creation with every being, whether they be human, plant, animal or mineral that is part of the whole.
We can visualize and create a better whole when we understand that what appears to be functioning in opposition is actually the potential of blending different aspects and elements to create a new and better version of who we have been to now as individuals and as humanity. True resolution of polarities does not mean one side wins and the other loses. As we learn this we can set our intention to see ourselves as Divine beings rather that individuals divided by calamities of ego and mis-understandings. We can then take this understanding with us into the greater world of relationships with others and with our Earth to help restore balance so we can all move forward.
In the Tarot this card is traditionally called Temperance. It calls to mind the tempering process of steel where the carbon and metal is heated and cooled to remove impurities, which also strengthens the metal, so it can be crafted into a sword of beauty and precision. Swords represent the ability to cut through illusion to reveal truth - a perfect alchemical pursuit!
We come back to this Earth lab again and again to learn, understand, and perfect, even as the Earth continues her own alchemy. As the Earth is the Vessel for all of humanity living upon her, then we must be mindful of what we are cooking up in our own laboratories. Any explosions we create are not just our own problems - they affect everyone and the Earth. Our combined trials, failures, and transformations all blend into a new formula that must be played out and tested in this search for the Divine in us all. It behooves us to be mindful of the process and create formulas and processes that are beneficial not just to ourselves but to the whole.
Where the Earth is in this alchemical process is unknown to us. Certainly we see drastic changes in action. Perhaps at some distant time humans may have mastered their own Great Work and the Earth will be free from mad scientists gone wrong. This could manifest in humanity expressing Divine Light and Love - or we might still blow up the Earth lab and it will no longer hold us in the experiment.
Never doubt this alchemical process always involves choice. Each choice we make contributes to the Great Work of who we are becoming. As humans, we stand between heaven and earth and are the conduit for both spirit and matter. How we refine the conduction of these great forces is up to us both individually and as a whole. May we choose with love, wisdom, joy, beauty and may the Great Work be most excellent indeed.
...Kathryn Ravenwood 10-10- 2020
