The Spiritual Basis of Alchemy
Back in the middle ages, Alchemists labored to turn lead into gold.
Today we sort of scoff at that. Everyone knows you need nuclear physics, not mere chemistry, to turn lead into gold.
Plus if we produced gold by the ton, its value would plummet.
But the ancient alchemists actually labored from an honorable premise – which was that God didn’t create a world where people HAD to fight over resources. They were deeply religious; they had faith that chemistry and prayer would lead to a solution. They believed God was generous and his creation was bountiful.
Today we do have alchemy, every day. A few examples:
- Intel converts hunks of sand into Pentium chips. You can hardly think of anything more worthless than sand, but Pentium chips are worth more than their weight in gold.
- Companies like Microsoft and Facebook and Google turn 1′s and 0′s into incredibly powerful software that solves complex problems and links millions of people. Software programmers literally create wealth out of thin air.
- We humans fight over the distribution of scarce resources. But in reality, the only TRUE resource is Wisdom and Ingenuity. Wisdom and Ingenuity create value where value did not exist before. It converts worthless things into prize possessions.
There are ALWAYS enough things and resources and materials to go around. The ONLY thing that is ever in short supply is Wisdom.
In 1 Kings 3, Solomon becomes king and asks for Wisdom:
The LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
Solomon answered, “I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.”
That same Wisdom is available to you too. My all-time favorite verse, from James 1:
“If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously and without reproach, and it WILL be given unto him.”
That’s quite a promise, my friend. Ask God to make you an alchemist. He’s too good, too generous to turn you down.
Perry Marshall
P.S.: This article is directly inspired by a talk I heard by Paul Zane Pilzer 20 years ago. The innovations of the last two decades have only proven how right he was.
Perry,
what a lovely take on Alchemy!
“But the ancient alchemists actually labored from an honorable premise – which was that God didn’t create a world where people HAD to fight over resources.”
There is another side to this, which is that the gold that the Alchemists sought was not physical. In certain respects it was metaphorical for they sought their hearts to be like gold – in the way that Solomon asked for wisdom not wealth.
The alchemists of old will have known the tale of King Midas – who incidentally was the grandson of the genius who tied the Gordian knot – for King Midas did not have Solomon’s humility to ask for wisdom, but asked instead for gold. Gold suddenly loses its value when all you need is food to eat.
They did not seek gold, but a wisdom like gold, a soul that would be as gold. Few alchemists were ever wealthy, but they had riches beyond measure – for if like William Blake, you can understand what it is “To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,” – then you do not need wealth in gold coins, for you possess it in everything around you. It is here that God gives His wisdom to all.
That is the real Alchemy, and what is more, it goes well beyond our material world and will lead ultimately to an understanding of the immensity of the Logos.
Gold does help pay the rent though!
When i want to acieve anything,iask God to show me the way to get it.
Hi Perry,
I love your views of the world and your writings. I’m an ex-born again Christian who often disagrees with many of your religious conclusions because I know what it is to drink a lot of the “pink kool aid” the bible sometimes serves.
However it’s all good, because as people we cannot operate in a vacuum and we all need to believe in something. I believe in my heart of hearts as human beings it’s not really what we believe but what we actually do, and what you do actually do Perry for people and the world is what Jesus preached about.
One of these days I will attend one of your live events and perhaps over a beer would love to chat with you about God, Christ and etc and perhaps how the bible might have gotten not all but some of it wrong.
The process of “alchemy” is not like what most people think. No shinning wand, magical chants and fairy dust, then poof! It’s scrape your knees, bump your head and getting your finger jammed in the door.
The other day I told a friend be careful what you pray for because prayers do get answered. I prayed to God for wisdom but I had to go through one of the most challenging times of my life and I got to tell you, I’m such a better man for it.
I don’t see any other way I could have gotten here without going through the bottom of the valley. From the man I was to the man I am now, that’s alchemy!
Hi Kenn,
I love your description of alchemy – It’s scrape your knees, bump your head and getting your finger jammed in the door.
What a lovely mess that evoked in my imagination! By the sounds of it, your wisdom is pretty earthy. Well done for hanging on and becoming something special.
Gem
We humans measure wealth by accumulation, achievement and influence. In the spirit realm wealth is measured by love, joy, peace and contentment.
Having the former doses not guarantee, and indeed, often prevents, the latter – having the latter removes the need for the former.
There is a strange “alchemy” though which arises from having love, joy, peace and contentment: They seem to release human wealth to the individaul as well.
So simple yet so profound. Our leaders need to see this message, as do the rest of us. Thank you
Perry – I’m convinced there is a formula of spiritual transformation here somewhere:
The elements:
1) Time (encompasses physical cycles & boundaries of earth as God has set them)
2) Will (the worth of souls – God’s only unreturnable gift)
3) Progression (line upon line, precept on precept)
4) Intent (the human condition – envisioning something but not yet having brought it to fruition)
5) Knowledge (What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?)
The theory is that some combination of time and will transform Spirit into a Godly state of being when progression is mixed with intent and knowledge so that accomplishments are not simply progression (i.e. checklists) or processes (i.e. timelines) but become wisdom, power, and expanse.
I remember a line from a sermon I heard in April that stated, “Most people’s ‘to do’ list is a lot longer than their ‘to be’ list.”
I’ll keep working on the formula -pretending I’m a piece of God’s wisdom traveling from his sphere to my brain and see where that takes me!
BTW – these elements and the core concept popped into my brain while re-stringing my electric guitar left handed so my 10 year old lefty son can learn to play.
Once it was restrung, I sat down and tried to play songs I know unconsciously right handed and had the odd pleasure of feeling my entire brain turn over like a cruise liner turning in the water… huge struggle, but with great force, the tide started to roll over.
For two hours I was completely and somewhat wonderfully messed up. I walked up stairs and changed my clothes – put my belt on the opposite way that I usually do without even noticing.
I love it! I’m a lefty and playing drums right handed is a major brain-stretcher.
Hi Perry,
everything I have learned, has been by sitting and listening (you are one of them) or by watching.
I watched plasterers doing their bit, and when I showed interest, they said “have a go” so I did. “Your’re a natural” was the agreement of those looking. They weren’t around much longer and little jobs came up which got themselves shoved in my direction.
It was when I started doing bigger walls that problems began – I just could not get it right. A month later in one of those flashes of inspiration I realized what was wrong. I had been watching right-handed people doing their job, and I was copying them directly as a left-hander.
Ever since then, I have worked backwards to the normal plasterer and the quality of my work is pretty well as good as anyone. I guess anyone else would have just given up?
For me, alchemy is when you turn a difficult circumstance or crisis into the “gold” of wisdom and gratitude–by following through with the guidance of your heart and soul (rather than conventional wisdom). In other words, the “gold” is created by successfully going through difficult situations. The gold is gratitude, compassion, appreciation, wisdom, knowledge, etc. that comes from working through something difficult successfully. It’s your heart that turns into gold.
Hi!Perry,
Thanks for the good advice but I have my doubts about how to get wisdom.I love wisdom and I´ve been with the
Lord for 15 years now but I ask but get zero.So I believe that´s not for everybody.
Blessings!
Orestes,
It’s time for you to stop believing that lie RIGHT NOW, because it’s not true.
I’m giving you an assignment: Memorize this verse
James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
I’m going to ask one of my friends who’s an intercessor to pray for you. It’s time for these doubts be eradicated.
I want you to recite this every day for 30 days. Then report back to me right here.
Perry Marshall
Excellent post Perry. I often think of how God blessed Solomon with wisdom and then ask for similar blessings in areas of my life.
Perry,
I’ve been a follower of yours for three (3) years now. I haven’t subscribed to any of your advanced courses yet, but should probably do so for my own good – I’d be further ahead by now if I did.
Your own wisdom is a gift to all of us so I want to say thanks for keeping the advice coming.
The fact that your own education involved a lot of soul-searching and spiritual teachings is proof that asking God for wisdom does in fact result in good fortune.
I think I’ll start rehearsing that verse also…
Thanks again for the guidance.
Claude B.
Les Cedres, Qc.
http://www.cncbuss-web-marketing.net
I did the same thing too – waited a whole lot longer to invest in education than I should have. This might sound self-serving, but if you know you should – then do it. It’ll only accelerate your progress.
Perry, most christians I know are very closed-minded- they would shy away from “alchemy” as being evil, something akin to magic and would therefore reject it and derive no insights from it. It’s awesome to see the insights that can come to an open-minded christian… that’s what will change the 21st century world we live in today.