Eastern/Western Alchemy

[Leo]

[90_1494798740]

Eric Steven Yudelove's book The Tao and the Tree of Life: Alchemical and Sexual Mysteries of the East and West gives a good comparison of the different traditions.

There is also an article by R. Fletcher and F. Stone Acupuncture Point Names in a Medieval Welsh Manuscript (appeared in the Pacific Journal of Oriental Medicine; Bryn Orr has put an official copy of it in his book Flying Without Wings). In this article Fletcher and Stone are showing the parallels between Pagan (Druidic) Oral Traditions and Taoist Alchemy: the story of King Vortigen and Merlin as a secret description of an alchemical process - so to speak. For the initiated the story is a description of an alchemical process / handbook - whereas the common man considers it just a myth.

John and Caitlin Matthews work The Western Way (I have read a translation) seems to cover your interest best.

Well, there are so many parallels and Christianity really is full of alchemy - just think of the Last Supper or the Quest for the Holy Grail!

There is even evidence for a mixture of Taoism and Christianity in China long before the Church reached it ...

[Lozen]

John and Caitlin Matthews work The Western Way (I have read a translation) seems to cover your interest best.

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Can you tell me more about the Matthews' book? I studied with them for a short time. Got some of the Celtic shamanism books here somehwere...

[GrandTrinity]

http://www.pharmacratic-inquisition.com

[90_1494798740]

Can you tell me more about the Matthews' book? I studied with them for a short time. Got some of the Celtic shamanism books here somehwere...

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Well, it's quite a good overview (nonetheless very detailed) about a lot of Western Traditions. Unfortunately I don't have it anymore - like most of my books (but that's another story ...). That's why I can't give you more information. According to the customer reviews on the given link it starts with some Celtic tradition and goes on with Hermeticism, Christian Traditions and Alchemy ... That's also what I remember. It also has a detailed bibliography - something those works usually don't have. Really practical to read on in a certain direction. Hope that helps!

[GrandTrinity]

Check out the book "the secret teachings of all ages" if you havent, it details the alchemy, but perhaps less detail on the historical route, in the sense that Manly P. Hall discludes Asian alchemy in this comprehensive book on Western...

[RON JEREMY]

CHEK OUT JOHANN GEORG GICHTEL, HE WAS A CHRISTIAN MYSTIC WHO KNEW ABOUT DA CHAKRAS:

 

http://www.ways-of-christ.net/images/gichtel.htm

 

AS FAR AS PURE BUDHISM, IT AINT GOT NOTHANG TO DO WITH ALCHEMMY, IN FACT, ALCHEMMICAL PRACTICES BE EXPLICITELY FORBIDEN BY DA HINNAYANA MONKS (DA MAHAYANA BE A DIFERENT PAIR O HUEVOS THOU).

 

MINE VIEW BE THAT ALCHEMMY BE *MORE* PRIMMORDIAL THAN BUDHISM. ALSO, DA TAOIST CANON SAY THAT DA CHINAMEN LEARNED ALCHEMY FROM DA WHITE FOLKS FROM DA SKY.

 

CHEK OUT LEVITY.COM AS WEL.

 

BYE NOW

 

RJ

[rex]

Edited April 23, 2007 by rex

[GrandTrinity]

Another awesome book is the one by Michael Frost called Choosing Life...he details about how the ultimate fighters came from egypt originaly...maaaad good info.

[peter falk]

i practiced western alchemy for 13 years. ther's too much fire in it. they also focus on chakras and don't have a complete orbit. they focus (at least in my experience) on the immortality of the flesh, while at the same time burning it up with fire. my cousin got into it the same time i did and switched to daoist methods and led me to them also. something for which i am very grateful.

 

one thing i really respect in western alchemy though is the work with ego that HT and other daoists i've encountered often neglect.

[GrandTrinity]

can you elaborate on the "work with ego" that we taoists often neglect?

[peter falk]

can you elaborate on the "work with ego" that we taoists often neglect?

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the ego is the psychological elements that imprison the soul and prevent its realization, in daoist terms, the fulfillment of its destiny. psychjological here goes beyond the mere chemical reactions in the brain and the models of freud, jung, berne and others. it includes transcental asp[ects of the psyche.

 

the ego is actually comprised of soul fragments that are polarized, or focused on, the material world and all its "problems" and "illusions"--fame, wealth, sadness, jealousy, attachment, and so on. these fragments need to be repolarized with your authentic self--the "Being".

 

michael winn and mantak chia address this issue to some extant with the fusion work and michael gives specific meditations to do it. however, there is very little elaboration of what he's doing and no discussion at all about this work in the context of cultivation.