Mental Alchemy

Back in the Middle Ages alchemists sought to transform base metal into gold. They searched for an elusive substance, the philosopher's stone, which would bring about this conversion, known as alchemy. But to initiates of the ancient mystery schools, alchemy was primarily an allegory for the real work of spiritual and mental alchemy.

Spiritual alchemy is the process of transforming a less evolved soul personality into a more refined one. The founders of all major religions have attempted to expedite this transformation by providing rules to help people achieve this goal and also lead happier and more productive lives. Enlightenment, illumination, the perfection of the soul all point to this ultimate goal. Mystics from all religions have studied the universal laws to speed up this process, which they believe occurs over many lifetimes.

Mental alchemy is the process of transmuting your thoughts to improve your life and expand your mind. The good news is that this discipline can produce immediate, beneficial results in your current life, in some cases instantly.

Mental alchemy involves the replacement of beliefs that are hindering your development with positive ones that will help you.
You might say that sounds straightforward-why would this be so difficult?

It turns out it's extremely difficult to change beliefs.
There are three reasons for this:

1) Most people mistake their beliefs for the truth
.
Even if it's not in their best interest, some people resign themselves to their fate because they mistakenly accept a belief as true.

2) Beliefs operate at the subconscious level
.
Most people are unaware of their subconscious beliefs, which are often in conflict with their conscious thoughts. For example, a woman may consciously be seeking love, but subconsciously she may feel she's unworthy. Unless her belief is made conscious and transmuted, it will continue to sabotage her efforts.
See our last newsletter Get Out of Jail Free: How to Identify Unconscious Beliefs.

3) You see what you believe
.
Less than 100 years ago physicists were trying to determine whether light was a wave or a particle. The answer depended on what you believed you would find. If you believed light was made of particles, then you could design an experiment that proved it. Conversely, if you believed light consisted of waves then you could design another experiment to prove that.

The placebo effect provides another example. In drug trials required to gain FDA approval, 40% of patients, on average, will obtain relief from placebos. They get better simply because they believe they will get better. Placebos have actually helped people with Parkinson's disease.

The mystic principle behind these results is called the Law of Attraction or "like attracts like." In the mystic world, and now in the world of quantum physics, we know that everything is energy. Everything has its own vibration, including a belief. People attract to themselves those experiences that match their existing belief system. They get to see what they believe.

So how does Mental Alchemy work?

Neurologists tell us the brain doesn't know the difference between what's actually experienced and what's imagined to be experienced. The same electrical patterns are fired between the neurons in the brain. The electrical patterns in the brain reflect how we store and process information, including beliefs.

The ramification of this is profound: you can change your beliefs using your imagination. It doesn't matter whether the belief is true or not.

Let's take an example of a basketball player who misses the final shot of the state championship game and his team ends up losing by one point. This experience can be traumatic and will often reinforce negative beliefs that he's a choker or a loser. Had he made the shot, he would be a hero and filled with the confidence of a winner.

Let's say you are the basketball player.
What should you do?

First, go to a quiet place where you won't be disturbed for 10-15 minutes. Make sure that none of your objective senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste) is being stimulated. Take a few deep breaths. Your goal is to relax and get into an alpha state. Scientists have shown that you can learn new skills much more readily while in this state. Meditation is ideal for this.

At this point, you should replay the end of the game in your mind. Only this time, when you take the final shot, do it with confidence and watch it go in. Visualize all the fans going wild as the buzzer sounds and your teammates carry you off the court.
Involve all your senses and imagine how it feels to be the hero!

Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, but he probably missed just as many shots at the end of the game as he made. But you can be quite certain he didn't dwell on the missed shots, but simply remembered the game-winning shots. You can do the same. Use the technique of Mental Alchemy and change your life.

Best wishes,
Ed

Alchemy Revisited

Mental alchemy is the process of transmuting your thoughts
to improve your life and expand your mind, while spiritual
alchemy is the never-ending process of transmuting a soul
personality from a less refined one into a more refined one.

As we know, everything is energy - everything vibrates.
The
difference between one substance and another is based on its
rate of vibration.
Thoughts, feelings and beliefs also
vibrate.
As a spiritual being, you also vibrate and exist on
many levels.

Alchemy is the process of replacing or transmuting lower,
negative vibrational energies with higher, positive ones -
at every level of your existence - body, mind and spirit.

When you understand this principle, you can take the proper
action for any circumstance at every level: physical,
emotional, mental and spiritual.

Physical

A wide variety of physical stimuli and sensory input can
affect your being.
Are you filling your body with artificial
sweeteners, fake fats, junk food and other toxins? Do you
subject your objective senses to a non-stop barrage of
mainstream news and fear-based content? Do you surround
yourself with negative people that take pleasure in tearing
you down?

When your boat is taking on water, it's much more effective
to stop drilling holes in the hull and patch them up, before
you begin baling out the water.
This means, stop filling
your physical environment with negative, draining energies.

Now, it's true that these thoughts and beliefs will still
exist in our world, but by turning off your TV, you can, at
least, shut the door to the non-stop reinforcement of these
energy-sapping thoughts.
And it's also true that spiritual
power can offset base thoughts, but why expend any energy
undoing something that can be fixed by the simple physical
action of turning off your TV?

A critical time for rejuvenating yourself is just before
retiring for the night.
Don't watch the news before going to
bed.
Instead, consider reading an uplifting book or
listening to relaxing music.
You can also meditate and
visualize how tomorrow will be even better.
When you go to
bed, give yourself the best possible chance for renewal,
especially if it's not practical to take the other physical
actions recommended to minimize negativity.

Emotional

Scientists and philosophers have debated for centuries
whether emotions are caused by thoughts or simply the result
of physiological processes.
From the mystic perspective of
wholeness, the answer is BOTH! To transmute negative
emotions, we must also address physical and mental causes.

Mood swings often result from poor eating habits, which can
be addressed at the physical level.
Dwelling on past hurts
and traumas re-energizes negative emotions.
Releasing these
via forgiveness or acceptance replaces negative emotions
with the higher emotions of love and compassion.
Other
emotions such as anger have a mental cause (when
expectations do not match reality) and must be addressed at
the mental level.

Mental

The Law of Attraction tells us that we attract experiences
that match our beliefs.
With few exceptions, the energies
that you attract will influence your vibration.
It is a
self-reinforcing cycle.

So while your beliefs will lead you to "see what you
believe," they can be changed.
By replacing limiting beliefs
that are hindering your development with positive ones, you
can transform your life for the better.
A powerful technique
is described in Mental Alchemy.

To ensure a never-ending source of positive thoughts that
will raise the vibrations of your thoughts, you must tap
into a higher source than your conscious mind.
The ideal
source is your own inner master or higher self.

Spiritual

Every decision you make is based either on your ego or your
higher self.
Therefore, spiritual alchemy is the process of
incorporating more and more of your higher self into your
life decisions.

When you align with your higher self, your energy and the
power of your intent increases.
This is a positive, self-
reinforcing cycle that leads to mastery and self-
realization.

When you tap into your innermost self and radiate that
energy, you are no longer as influenced by external
energies. You are freer to live a life of Heaven on Earth.

And, having tapped into the ultimate energy source, you can
help others to connect with their own divine power.
You are
not only improving your life, but the world as a whole.

If your goal is to lead the most joyful, empowered life
possible, then your choice is simple.
Employ alchemy at
every level of your life for both personal and global
transformation.

Best wishes,

Ed

http://www.mysticwarrior.us/mental_alchemy.html

graciously shared by Eerie

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