Back in the Middle Ages alchemists sought to transform base metal
into gold. They searched for an elusive substance, the philosopher’s
stone, which would bring about this conversion, known as alchemy.
But to initiates of the ancient mystery schools, alchemy was primarily
an allegory for the real work of spiritual and mental alchemy.
Spiritual alchemy is the process of transforming
a less evolved soul personality into a more refined one. The founders
of all
major religions have attempted to expedite this transformation
by providing rules to help people achieve this goal and also lead
happier and more productive lives. Enlightenment, illumination,
the perfection of the soul all point to this ultimate goal. Mystics
from all religions have studied the universal laws to speed up
this process, which they believe occurs over many lifetimes.
Mental alchemy is the process of transmuting your thoughts to
improve your life and expand your mind. The good news is that
this discipline can produce immediate, beneficial results in your
current life, in some cases instantly.
Mental alchemy involves the replacement of beliefs that are hindering
your development with positive ones that will help you. You might
say that sounds straightforward — why would this be so difficult?
It turns out it’s extremely difficult to change beliefs.
There
are three reasons for this:
Most people mistake their beliefs for the truth. Even if
it’s
not in their best interest, some people resign themselves to
their
fate because they mistakenly accept a belief as true.
Beliefs operate at the subconscious level. Most people are
unaware of their subconscious beliefs, which are often in conflict
with their conscious thoughts. For example, a woman may consciously
be seeking love, but subconsciously she may feel she’s
unworthy.
Unless her belief is made conscious and transmuted, it will continue
to sabotage her efforts. For more information, click on Get Out
of Jail Free: How to Identify Unconscious Beliefs.
You see what you believe. Less than 100 years ago physicists
were trying to determine whether light was a wave or a particle.
The answer depended on what you believed you would find. If
you
believed light was made of particles, then you could design
an
experiment that proved it. Conversely, if you believed light
consisted
of waves then you could design another experiment to prove
that.
The placebo effect provides another
example. In drug trials required to gain FDA approval, 40% of patients,
on average, will obtain
relief from placebos. They get better simply because they believe
they will get better. Placebos have actually helped people with
Parkinson’s disease.
The mystic principle behind these results is called the Law of
Attraction or “like attracts like.” In the mystic world,
and now
in the world of quantum physics, we know that everything is energy.
Everything has its own vibration, including a belief. People attract
to themselves those experiences that match their existing belief
system. They get to see what they believe.
So how does Mental Alchemy work?
Neurologists tell us the brain doesn’t know the difference
between
what’s actually experienced and what’s imagined to
be experienced.
The same electrical patterns are fired between the neurons in
the brain. The electrical patterns in the brain reflect how we
store and process information, including beliefs.
The ramification of this is profound: you can change your beliefs
using your imagination. It doesn’t matter whether the belief
is
true or not.
Let’s take an example of a basketball player who misses
the final
shot of the state championship game and his team ends up losing
by one point. This experience can be traumatic and will often
reinforce negative beliefs that he’s a choker or a loser.
Had
he made the shot, he would be a hero and filled with the confidence
of a winner.
Let’s say you are the basketball player. What should you
do?
First, go to a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed
for 10–15
minutes. Make sure that none of your objective senses (sight,
hearing, smell, touch, taste) is being stimulated. Take a few
deep breaths. Your goal is to relax and get into an alpha state.
Scientists have shown that you can learn new skills much more
readily while in this state. Meditation is ideal for this.
At this point, you should replay the end of the game in your
mind. Only this time, when you take the final shot, do it with
confidence and watch it go in. Visualize all the fans going wild
as the buzzer sounds and your teammates carry you off the court.
Involve all your senses and imagine how it feels to be the hero!
Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player of
all time, but he probably missed just as many shots at the end
of the game as he made. But you can be quite certain he didn’t
dwell on the missed shots, but simply remembered the game-winning
shots. You can do the same. Use the technique of Mental Alchemy
and change your life. •
