h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've been on silent retreats which were conducted according to the alchemical process. It may be relevant to this entry to say that this sort of thing happens and that therefore alchemy has relevance in this context in the modern world. Or do you think that the entry already implies this?

I'm most fascinated and intrigued about the silent retreats. This is news to me and I would definitely like to know more. If it helps underscore alchemy's relevance to modern day life then all the better.
Thanks for pointing it out.
Zaphod

Thanks for the info on Asimov. I must try to track some of it down. Alchemists (or at least what I've read) seem to stress the necessity of keeping *earthed* and in body throughout their various operations (or keep embodied the products of their labour - they often talked about the material imagination, for instance). This to me suggests the value of keeping the concrete, material world and fantasy close together, which indeed Asimov was exceptionally capable of doing. In the sense that *humanism* = secular (profane?) then I guess it can be construed as anti-christian. Paganism I associate with nature worship, but then again some ecologists are also humanists. But are all ecologists nature worshippers? We could go on for ages . . . . . .
zaphod

I bought a book last week after staring at if for ages in the book store. It's called 'Ancient Christian Magic: Coptic Texts of Ritual Power'. You figure it out.

Hi Zaphod!

Before I got to the alchemical retreat (it was a Sufi retreat), I didn't know what to expect. In the event, it wasn't as silent as I imagined. The days were highly structured, starting with morning sun practices at 6.00 am (or was it 6.30am?) and there were prayers, body prayers, other practices and periods where we listened to explanation (like the Yoga Satsang). We did not talk to each other otherwise, although some form of communication was inevitable, for instance at mealtimes, if you wanted something passed to you, you would request by a touch and pointing.

It's difficult to describe the alchemical part of it, although it was referred to throughout and the terms you use, eg nigredo, albedo and rubedo were used during the retreat. Part of the retreat was the vegan food and we were not allowed certain foods, which were said to interfere with the process. I couldn't really give an overview and it's difficult to describe my experience, except that energy did shift and it was a cleansing process. At the end of it, I was on a real high.

Don't know whether that helps or not.

Thanks for sharing that experience Singing Fish, and it has given me food for thought. It would, for instance, be interesting to discover whether alchemists went on special fasts or diets during their work. I get a strong sense they must have. Becoming silent and patient can be so therapeutic, allowing our resistances or defences to drop and putting us in touch with who we really are (i.e. beyond the realm of ego/the personna). It interests me that Zen describes man/woman as being *3* things: who we think we are; what others think we are; and who we actually are. The history of colour symbolism is also of interest - and I remember reading something about black, white and red as primary colours in certain indigenuous cultures.
Isn't that heavenly feeling of being "high" so like the albedo stage, as opposed to the grossness of nigredo. Pity the magic carpet ride doesn't last. I always look at the rubedo stage as putting theory into practice. Never an easy task.
So long

Wow - this sure is a good entry going into detail.

In the first paragraph you say "...almost impossible to phathom.". Do you mean fathom?

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Congratulations!

You're quite right. I did mean fathom; I don't know what I was thinking of - maybe phantoms . Thanks!

Congrats!

Cheers and thanks (he says rather belatedly) to fellow researchers who contributed to reviewing my entry. I really appreciated your comments.
Thanks again!
Zaphod