Everyday Alchemy
Have you ever tried to turn something dull, or even horrible, into the opposite? Into something full of light and beauty?
Alchemy is believed to have its roots in ancient Hellenistic Egypt, Greece, and the Middle East, where it emerged as a blending of philosophical and scientific traditions. The goal of an alchemist was to take base metals, such as lead, and turn them into precious metals, such as gold. This process was called transmutation and was only believed possible by finding a material called the Philosopher's Stone (no, this is not a Harry Potter reference. That came much later). When I was young, stories of alchemy had everything that made me feel alive: science, faith, adventure, experiment, hope, wonder, archaeology, myths, and legends… The idea of taking something ordinary and turning it into something astonishing.
So, you can imagine my surprise when I started to talk about alchemy with people in my faith community and was shut down. I was only a child, and I was quickly warned about the dangers of dabbling in the occult, exploring science beyond creationism, and putting my time and energy into something that wasn’t ‘Christian.’
Fast forward a decade or two, I left The Church and my Church job, deconstructed my faith, and found myself back where I started: taken by the idea of alchemy. My biggest internal question was: How can I take these wasted years and trauma, all that wasted time, energy, and resources, reconcile them, and turn them into something, anything, healthy?
Alchemy is an everyday occurrence. We’re all scientists and mystics in our own ways, seeking our proverbial Philosopher's stone, the thing that will take all the base and ordinary substances in our lives and turn them into nothing less than the bright light of gold. Isn’t that one of the reasons many of us were drawn to Christianity in the first place?
The key idea is to embrace the transformative nature of life's experiences and actively engage in processes that lead to positive change and personal development. Just as alchemists sought to transmute base metals into gold, when we practice everyday alchemy, we seek to transmute life's challenges into opportunities for growth and fulfillment.
Or not everything that formal… what if everything that you are and everything that has happened to you is the alchemical ingredients for you to love and live and cry and laugh and just purely and simply be? As we navigate the complexities of modern existence, can we view all that transpires as portals for alchemical growth? What if the ordinary moments hold the potential for extraordinary presence?
In his book, The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho wrote:
“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”
THIS WEEK IN THE PRACTICE CO APP, we’ll explore the idea that alchemy isn’t evil, and it isn’t only the practice of taking base materials and turning them into something precious, but the practice of believing that everything has a seed of gold inside it if we would be wise enough to look.
Including you.
Join me? Everyday Alchemy starts now.
REFLECT: Consider the challenges you've faced – can they be stepping stones for personal alchemical growth? How might the metaphor of transmutation inspire your path of self-discovery?
Liz Milani xo
Instagram: @thepracticeco
From this week’s series titled "Everyday Alchemy" with a subscription in the App. Hope to see you there.
