I began seriously studying alchemy in late 1983. While doing so, I repeatedly came across references to the products made in the alchemist laboratory and how transforming they were when ingested. Even modern-day writers about alchemy, like Frater Albertus, Manfred Junius, and Jean Dubuis, state that using alchemical products and practices raises one's vibrations.
I'm not sure what I expected; this 'raising of vibrations' was supposed to entail back then; actually, I did not give it much thought at all. The modern authors' mentioned above said to use herbs like caraway, rosemary, lemon balm, and chamomile, none of which have psychoactive properties within the bounds of regular use.
There was a certain level of internal preparation that was necessary before using alchemical products for inner work goals. In truth, they are simple and easy to incorporate into one's life. Still...
Imagine my surprise when my inner experiences started shortly after taking my first 7 Basic Extracts1. Over a year or so, a series of dreams occurred that corresponded to the seven levels of experiences I would learn of later. These dreams were extraordinarily vivid and made me question more than once my mental stability (they indeed were no different from being in a waking state). In any event, these dreams continued, and my lab work improved; in the end, I received instructions on how to do certain things in the lab, even with minerals!
I use the term Alchemical Gnosis™ to describe the ends achieved from the use of these specially prepared products. Even though this practice has existed for thousands of years, few know of or utilize this treasure. There are two reasons for doing this type of work. First, to help people better understand themselves and seek reconciliation with their disparate internal forces. The second is for Hermetic Initiation like that offered by Inner Garden, a subject even more closely guarded than the methods of Alchemical Gnosis™. The InnerWork.Guide™ is concerned with the first endeavor.
While many people are aware of indigenous peoples using psychoactive herbal preparations to enter into altered states of consciousness, the alchemical approach uses common herbs that, nonetheless, because of their method of confecture, enable a unique type of inner work to be undertaken.
From the alchemical perspective, contact with the arcanum of the matter (plant or mineral) is sought. The arcanum is the plant's actual intelligence, knowing its myriad uses and modes of preparation that allow it to emanate its entire sphere of influence.
For this to happen, the intelligence domiciles within what is known as a Quintessence. A Quintessence is the balanced marriage of the four states of the plant into a fifth that freely emanates the plant's full sphere of influence.
Such Alchemical Oblations™ are not toys or candy, and it is hard to obtain them mainly because of the skill and inordinate amount of time it takes to create them.
I have seen on numerous occasions how these elevated herbal preparations affect casual users in profound ways, often giving them immensely lucid views into the esosphere or touching forgotten pain. We use these products as a physical mnemonic catalyst to aid the traveler in engaging with those inner conflicts needing reconciliation.
Because of the potency of Alchemical Oblations™, they are generally obtained in diluted form, though this is not in a homeopathic sense. The cyclical nature of alchemical composition puts the matter through refinement, and each repetition of the operation increases the end product's efficacy by ten. Direct dilution of alchemical products to ratios of 1:5, 1:10, 1:20, 1:30, 1:50 and 1:100 have been helpful for inner work.
