08/26/2025
Spiritual alchemy is a practice that utilizes the ancient practice of alchemy to facilitate inner transformation & spiritual awakening.
Spiritual alchemy is an ancient practice aimed at achieving spiritual transformation. Spiritual alchemy, uses the ancient wisdom of alchemy as a metaphor for spiritual enlightenment through a seven-step process that aligns with the seven steps of physical transformation described in alchemical treatises.
1. The calcination stage has been likened to the Dark Night of the Soul. This 16th-century poem describes the journey of the soul to unification with God, whereby our former worldview is dismantled and we undergo an existential crisis. The beginnings of spiritual development are typically arduous, as our former ties of identification are no longer valid, and we come face-to-face with the void.
2. The second stage of the spiritual practice involves dissolving the ashes in water. Water could be interpreted as a symbol for the unconscious, which contains the hidden parts of ourselves that we have been afraid of and up until now have not been explored. Dissolution can be understood as the stage in which we free ourselves from our inauthentic and acquired sense of identity.
3. In the separation stage, the pure essence is extracted from the rest of the mixture. Separation is related to the air element. In a spiritual sense, it can be understood as a separation from one’s habitual thought processes or emotional trigger responses, allowing us to step back and distinguish our essence from our acquired personality.
4. Conjunction refers to the process of combining the elements from the previous three stages. In a sense, we see what still remains within us, which is of value, and then begin to combine these elements to form one’s authentic spiritual self. After the first three stages of purification by fire, water, and air, our disparate elements are brought together under the earth element. We begin a process of embodiment as the spirit begins its process of materialization.
5. Putrefaction, or fermentation, is the fifth stage and describes the decay of one’s old self and the rebirth of one’s true self. The first four stages involved discarding our old, inauthentic self and drawing together the authentic elements within us. At this stage, however, we catch a glimpse of a more refined, authentic self. This stage can be likened to the rebirth of the phoenix from its own ashes. Spiritualization, meanwhile, gives great relief as we begin to see the world in a new and luminescent way. It involves letting go of those parts of ourselves that no longer serve us in our present life.
6. The distillation stage is the stage when all of the impurities are removed, and there is nothing left but the essence. It marks the point at which our essence becomes spiritualized. In other words, in spiritual alchemy, distillation is a metaphor for the actualization of one’s spirit.
7. The final stage on the spiritual journey is coagulation, which describes the process of solidification where one’s essential self becomes whole. In spiritual alchemy, coagulation involves the solidification of our true self and can be likened to healing from a wound as we feel ourselves to be independent and complete.
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In The Book of Alchemy, Suleika explores the art of journaling and shares everything she’s learned about how this life-altering practice can help us tap into that mystical trait that exists in every human: creativity. She has gathered wisdom from one hundred writers, artists, and thinkers in the form of essays and writing prompts. Their insights invite us to inhabit a more inspired life.
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(Sources in comments.)