Alchemy: It Was Always Literal and Symbolic

Let’s get something straight. Alchemy was never just a bunch of wizards playing with chemicals in a medieval basement, and it wasn’t just some dreamy metaphor about self-growth either. It was both. At the same time. And that's the key no one teaches you.

The people who lived this path—who walked the fire, studied the stars, tracked their breath, and moved metals by hand—weren’t confused. They didn’t scribble down weird symbols just for fun or create rituals just to feel magical. They encoded something—something powerful. Something that could heal a soul, unlock perception, and yes, even alter matter itself.

But here’s what happened. Over time, the literal side got mocked. And the symbolic side got spiritualized into airy nonsense. One half got lost in labs, the other in poetic books. But the real work? The real system that taught how to refine yourself through the same process as purifying gold? That got buried. Hidden. Or dismissed.

So let’s bring it back. Let’s strip it down. Because what the mystery schools taught—the Egyptians, the Gnostics, the Hermetics, the Kabbalists, the Yogis, the Rosicrucians, the Freemasons—it was a full-body, full-spirit, full-life transformation. And it all followed the same map. You just weren’t taught how to read it.

The Core of It All: Sulfur, Mercury, Salt

This isn’t just random. These three elements were the backbone of alchemy. Physically, they were used in the lab. Symbolically, they reflected what’s going on inside you.

• Sulfur = the soul. The part of you that burns, chooses, drives, desires. Your fire.

• Mercury = the spirit. Not just “the Holy Spirit,” but your motion. Your mind. Your breath. Your adaptability.

• Salt = the body. The crystallized foundation. The matter that holds your consciousness here.

In the lab, these were actual substances. Alchemists observed how they reacted, dissolved, combined, separated. But inside you? The same things are happening. The fire of your soul (sulfur) reacts with your inner thoughts and currents (mercury) and stabilizes in your physical body and choices (salt). Every ritual. Every stage. Every practice was based on balancing, refining, and mastering these three forces.

That’s why it wasn’t just chemistry. And it wasn’t just journaling with candles either. It was you becoming the lab, and your own soul being the philosopher’s stone.

The Great Work: It Was a Process—Always

If you’re familiar with terms like Nigredo, Albedo, Citrinitas, and Rubedo—cool. But forget the memorization. This wasn’t about memorizing Latin to sound deep. This was about living transformation.

Nigredo – The Blackening
In the lab, this is where the material breaks down. It's decay. Rot. Chaos.
In you? It’s the breakdown of your false self. The ego cracks. The illusions fall. You realize most of what you thought you were…was conditioning. That’s your first death. That’s the real “dark night of the soul.” And it sucks—but it’s sacred.

Albedo – The Whitening
Now that the lies are burned off, what remains? This is purification.
This is when you start getting clarity. It doesn’t feel like bliss. It feels like sobriety. You stop lying to yourself. You face your guilt, shame, your need for approval. You clean the lens. You stop blaming others. You start seeing things for what they are.

Citrinitas – The Yellowing
Rarely talked about today, but crucial. This is when wisdom begins to shine. You start forming a new internal order. You don’t just react anymore—you respond. The soul begins to lead. Discernment shows up. You start feeling alignment. Not because someone told you what to believe—but because it feels clean.

Rubedo – The Reddening
This is the final stage. The integration. The marriage of spirit and matter.
Not floaty spirituality. Not escapism. But real presence. You become someone who lives what they’ve seen. Someone who carries clarity without trying to prove anything. This is resurrection, not performance.

It’s not always loud. It’s not always exciting. It’s solid. Quiet. Direct. That’s what transformation feels like when it’s real.

Why It Was Hidden in Symbols

They didn’t hide this knowledge because it was too magical. They hid it because it was too powerful.

Symbols are a filter. To the uninitiated, a symbol is just a drawing. But to someone who knows, it’s a roadmap.

The ouroboros (the snake eating its tail) = the cycle of internal death and rebirth. Not just a cool design. It means refinement never ends.
The philosopher’s stone = not just a mythical object, but the moment your soul, mind, and body come into full alignment.
The elixir of life = not just a drink, but the state of being that happens when you live from your true nature. Not fake peace. Real sovereignty.

Every temple, every statue, every myth—you’ll find these symbols. Why? Because they all point to the same inner transformation. Literal for those with the tools. Symbolic for those who can feel it.

The Mystery Schools All Taught the Same Thing

Different names. Different gods. Same blueprint.

In Egypt, you had Osiris being dismembered and resurrected. That wasn’t just a story—it was a map of the soul being shattered (nigredo) and reintegrated (rubedo).

In Greece, Persephone descends into the underworld and returns. That’s the descent into the shadow and the climb back to awareness.

In Kabbalah, you climb the Tree of Life. 10 spheres, 22 paths—mapped directly to the inner psychological and spiritual processes of alchemy.

In Freemasonry, the building of Solomon’s Temple was never just about stones. It’s about you. Your temple. You’re the builder, the initiate, and the gatekeeper.

Even early Christianity had this before Rome hijacked it. Christ wasn’t just an external savior. “Christ in you” was the soul reawakening through rubedo—the resurrected, aligned self.

It was never about belief. It was about initiation. You didn’t just memorize prayers. You went through the fire. That’s why the mystery schools kept it encoded. Power without maturity is chaos. Only the ones willing to actually do the work were given the keys.

The Work Never Died

Here’s the thing—they didn’t kill the path. They just rebranded it.

• Therapy? That’s psychological alchemy.

• Inner child work? That’s albedo.

• Breathwork? That’s sulfur activation.

• Shadow work? Nigredo, plain and simple.

• Archetype embodiment? That’s rubedo.

Even Carl Jung knew. He studied alchemy and said plainly that the entire system was an image of the psychological process of individuation.

You don’t need to wear robes. You don’t need to join a secret society. You just need to understand what you’re actually doing when you meditate, journal, fast, breathe, feel, or purge emotion.

You’re doing the Great Work.
And it’s not new. It’s ancient.

They Told You It Was Just a Metaphor

They had to. Because if you understood this fully—if you realized that your breath, your emotions, your thoughts, your body, your will were all tools in an ancient system of soul mastery—you wouldn’t need their approval.

You wouldn’t need their medication, their entertainment, their gods, their priests, or their rules.

You would walk as a sovereign being. With fire in your lungs. With clarity in your eyes. With purpose in your steps.

And that kind of person doesn’t fit into a world designed to keep people asleep.

So no—it wasn’t just metaphor.
And no—it wasn’t just chemistry.
It was the process of becoming real.
Of turning chaos into clarity.
Of burning away the mask until what’s left is gold.

This was the heart of the ancient world.
And it still beats in you.

You just have to start the fire.