I have been reading Dennis William Hauck again, which is always a trip into the weird and wonderful. So his short illustrated review of “The Ancient Roots of Spiritual Alchemy, How Alchemists Mediated,” is an illuminating read. What struck me was the alchemists understanding of what they term as “spiritus.”
What struck me was something I read in a copy of a book I am giving away; “Living with Kundalini, The Autobiography of Gopi Krishna. In it was what could only be described as the presence of “Spiritus.”
In describing his spontaneous Kundalini awakening, Krishan says, “As I still failed to notice the development of any extraordinary talent or supernormal faculty, I continued to be tormented by serious doubts about the actual nature of the abnormality of which I was the victim. The ever-present radiation bathing my head with luster and glowing along the path of countless nerves in the body, streaming here and there in a most wonderful and sometimes awe-inspiring manner, had little in common with the effulgent visions described by yogis and mystics. Beyond the spectacle of the luminous circle around the head, which was now constant in me, and an extended consciousness, I felt and saw nothing extraordinary in the least approaching the supernatural or divine…”
“As the alteration in the state of my consciousness is the most important feature of my experience to which I wish to draw attention, having far-reaching results, it is necessary to say more about this extraordinary development, which for a long time I considered to be an abnormality or delusion. The state of exalted and extended consciousness, permeated with an inexpressible, supermundane happiness which I experienced on the first appearance of the Serpent Fire in me, was an internal phenomenon, subjective in nature, indicating an expansion in the field of awareness.. I had expanded all at once into a glowing conscious circle, growing larger and larger, until a maximum was reached…For want of a better simile. I should say that from a tiny glow the awareness in me became a large radiating pool of light… Speaking more precisely, there was ego consciousness as well as a vastly extended field of awareness, existing side by side, both distinct yet one… the luminous circle in my head grew larger and larger by imperceptible degrees with a corresponding increase of my consciousness…”
Is it possible for a Human to develop a halo?
“But even in that condition, looking through tears, I could perceive trembling beams of silvery light dancing before my vision, enhancing the radiant beauty of the scene. It was not difficult to understand that, without my being aware of it, and extraordinary change had taken place in the now luminous cognitive center in my brain and that a fascinating luster. which I perceived around every object, was not a figment of my fancy nor was it possessed by the objects, but was a projection of my own internal radiance. Days and weeks passed without an alteration in the lustrous new form of perception. A bright silvery sheen around every object, across the entire field of view, became a permanent feature of my vision…”
So what is the Spiritus as described by the Alchemists? “Using previously unstudied manuscripts, [Mike] Zuber wrote the first full-length, academically accurate account of spiritual alchemy in its historical context. In that book, entitled Spiritual Alchemy: From Jacob Boehme to Mary Anne Atwood (2021) [the cheapest used copy I could find was 85 bucks], Zuber also reveals an important clue at the heart of all forms of alchemy that can unify them as one discipline: “
‘Spiritual alchemy was based on the early-modern concept of spiritus, ‘ wrote Zuber, ‘a subtle matter pervading the universe. As a concept, spiritus transitions freely between laboratory alchemy. medicine, cosmology, and even theology. In the process, it could give rise to heterodox implications, something that also affected the development of spiritual alchemy. The concept of Spiritus as subtle matter brings together science and religion in a way that challenges our habit of distinguishing sharply between the two disciplines.’
This has me wondering about the plasma that bathes us within the light of the sun…are there spiritual implication to this material occurrence in our world?
“In the 11th century, the Persian alchemist as-Biruni, (973-1050 CE) reported that the Indians had developed an advanced secret alchemy known in Sanskrit as “Rasayana” (literally, the art of obtaining the etheric substance Rasa which means ‘mercury nectar, or essential substance.)This seems to pararellel the development of the Western idea of Spiritus.’
The goal of most forms of Indian alchemy is to create a divine body (the subtle body or ‘Divya-Deham’ in Sanskrit) and obtain immortality while still in the human body. Indian alchemical texts are a strange mixture of preactical-spiritual methods of manipulating the physical elements mercury and sulfur, while combining them with the spiritized essences symbolized by the ‘semen of the god Shiva’ and the menstrual blood of the goddess Devi.'”
“One common term for alchemy in China was Jindan (or ‘Golden Elixir’) which referred to both its use externally as a tonic to heal the body and internally as a purified consciousness to empower the soul. The Golden Elixir was also referred to as the ‘golden light’ seen in the mind during meditation. As in the West, mercury was the symbol for this light of consciousness, so not surprisingly Jindan also referred to the red crystalline ore cinnabar (mercury sulfide) from which pure glistening mercury metal was obtained.
Don’t you see the parallel with the description of Kundalini awakening by Gopi Krishna? What if “Spiritus” and the light of Kundalini awakening are one and the same? Anh have you seen the images that man renders of mercury? He carries the caduceus which perfectly reflects the kundalini flowing up the spine to the pineal and the sprouting of spiritual wings. Strange imagery indeed for simply a pantheon God.
Hauck goes on to speak about Ge Hong (283-343 CE). He “was an alchemist and a physician who practices during the Jin Dynasty in China. He wrote several important books, including his widely circulated book Baopuzi, which literally means to ’embrace simplicity and core qualities, and remain untempted by material desires.”
Baopuzi contains ‘Outer Chapters’ about practical alchemy and making medicines as well as ‘Inner Chapters’ devoted to spiritual alchemy and meditative techniques for receiving Hsien, which means ‘transcendence of the material state – or immortality.’ “
So as I continue, think back to the descriptions of Kundalini awakening by Gopi Krishna; “Ge Hong’s ‘Internal Alchemy’ consists of meditation and ‘extracorporeal’ visualizations intended to create an immortal body of light within the alchemists physical body. Ge Hong’s methods include physiological, reparatory, and dietary practices to aid in creating the transcendent state. Ge Hong researched ancient Chinese texts on spiritual alchemy and found three he recommended (Scripture of Great Clarity, Scripture of the Nine Elixirs, and the Scripture of the Golden Liquor). Ge Hong, declared that alchemical meditation was the only spiritual practice that led to transcendence of the body and immortality…”
So there may be more to come… And keep note of the caduceus that both Mercury as well as Hermes carried.
Living with Kundalini: https://a.co/d/04ritcmU
The Ancient Roots of Spiritual Alchemy: https://a.co/d/0dwePt6U
The Monad Manifesto: Merging Science and Spirituality: Dennis William Haukck