What’s your first thought about Alchemy? Medieval charlatanry of turning lead into gold? That was mine too. However, life taught me the hard way the truth about Alchemy — the hidden secret behind obscure terms and strange practices. In one of my darkest hours, I learned that Alchemy is primarily an internal process. It explains 7 steps to master any challenge in life. Summarized it is about turning the inner heaviness and dross into light.

We don’t learn much from our easy times but from our hardships and challenges. Lightworkers are not sent from heaven but rise from their ashes. Once I came across the teachings of Alchemy, I understood that all the ups and downs are part of our journey on Earth. They are all learning lessons. So, we can either go the hard way of fighting them or acknowledging and using them for our personal evolution.

Why do the same challenges arise repeatedly?

If you are already on the path of self-development, have you ever wondered why the same challenges arise repeatedly? We create our world in our minds, so the only way to overcome hardships is by changing our minds. Alchemy is about evolving something from its current state to a higher one. Through this process, we intentionally raise our consciousness. This evolution allows us different perspectives. Thus, challenges turn into learning lessons we pass. Once we get the false ego out of the way, our realignment happens naturally.

The original Alchemy based on the Emerald Tablet describes the 7 steps to master any challenge. We either unconsciously stumble or consciously evolve through them. There is no way around it. But first, let me summarize these steps into three phases. In the first phase, we unlearn and unblock ourselves by eliminating everything that is not our True Essence. We purge all habits, patterns, beliefs, and expectations, in short, our obstacles. In the second phase, we discover and nurture our True Essence, gifts, and soul mission. Finally, in the third phase, we perfect our True Essence by living our soul mission.

This process might sound challenging, but that’s where the 7 steps to master any challenge come in. We perceive them as a “Handbook for Life” to realign with our soul mission. Let me explain them.

Step 1: Calcination – Purge negative thinking

Life keeps challenging us with hardships until we realign with our soul mission. When we feel that nothing is in flow and that any direction has only obstacles, it is time to pause and reflect. So often, what feels totally natural to us is what we are here for to evolve. This can even be a mundane thing.

Calcination works on the mind and ego to destroy deception, impure thoughts, false concepts, habits, neuroses, illusions, defense mechanisms, dogmas, dramas, traumas, and patterns, in short, obstacles that block our full potential. We are burning off the false ego and impurities to reveal our True Essence.

Step 2: Dissolution – Dissolve blocked emotions

“Emotions are for wimps” — that’s the attitude why we learn to suppress them our whole life. At one point, we are either rigid and stiff as stone because of all emotions that we continuously suppress, or they finally break free. Perhaps we have a closed heart because it was hurt too much. Emotions are the beautiful spices of life. We can enjoy them and let them go again.

Dissolution works on the unconscious to release buried emotions that overshadow our True Essence. First, we wash away the rigid belief systems, psychological projections, judgments, assumptions, and mental habits to regenerate new patterns. Next, we let go of control, allowing our feelings to flow and surrender to our deepest pains and greatest fears.

Step 3: Separation – Uncovering our True Essence

The first two steps are challenging. We burned and washed away all obstacles we got used to. Then, finally, our hard shell cracks open. Now we can eventually glimpse our True Essence. We filter out who we truly are and who aligns with our soul mission. Old friendships go, and new ones come. Increased awareness of our environment and focus in life arise.

Separation filters out and separates what is worthy and belongs to your True Essence. This process requires a sharp and decisive will to conquer the temptations of your false ego. We gain an elevated awareness and a new perspective by consciously confronting previously unconscious patterns. Eventually, there is a coming into focus of your True Essence, and we gain a deeper insight into your life’s meaning and purpose.

Step 4: Conjunction – Unify Body, Soul & Spirit

Finally, we see the fruits of our inner work. Alignment and synchronicities cross our paths. After getting rid of our layers of conditioning and obstacles, there is no doubt that we are all part of a higher divine force. We get a glimpse of our infinite being. But beware, this is the easiest step to get stuck in, as it feels so good. Therefore, we must keep working through all seven steps.

Conjunction merges all the sparks of your True Essence, the creative and receptive forces, the spirit and the soul on the border between physical and spiritual reality. We are birthing a new reality by creating a new belief system less tied to convention and more aligned with your True Essence. Thus, we start molding a unified Self that listens to our inner essence and universal truths.

Step 5: Fermentation – The final death of the ego

Did you ever hear about the “dark night of the soul”? That’s what this step is about. Our environment, family, and friends want the old us they got so used to. However, we know that a new us is evolving, and we can’t deny it anymore. We feel torn apart between old and new, often resulting in depression. All good; this is part of the process. Stay on your path, and the light at the end of the tunnel will shine.

Fermentation guides us through two distinct steps — death and rebirth. First, we descend into a final death of the old ego self through Putrefaction. As a result, our identity suffers an absolute and complete death, allowing the incubation of a newly aligned spirit. Still connected to our old identity, this stage is uncomfortable but necessary to disconnect from our old Self completely. Second, true Fermentation brings new life to death, opening us up to higher realms where we start accepting the reality of transpersonal forces.

Step 6: Distillation – Infusing our True Essence with Spirit

We finally found who we are and our gifts for our soul mission. Furthermore, we use not only our physical powers but also our divine, metaphysical powers. We connect every talent with the forces from Above, our higher guidance, for a complete alignment on our soul mission.

Distillation ensures nothing old remains from the Ferment before it can be reborn with a higher consciousness. The aim of Distillation is to get into the flow state of life by getting the human out of the way. It allows the gentle infusion of a divine perspective connecting the forces of Above and Below. As a result, your Soul and Spirit become united and grounded into the Body. Eventually, this step is the rebirth into the transpersonal Self.

Step 7: Coagulation – Solidifying our True Essence

In this final step of one cycle of Alchemical Transformation, we have realigned a big part of our being with our soul mission. Instead of stumbling and mumbling around, we know who we are and what we are here for. Furthermore, we live and share our divine selves in humbleness and inspiration.

Coagulation is the final step of one cycle of transformation. We intentionally raised our consciousness through this process. As a result, we feel a harmonious union between body, soul, and spirit creating synchronistic events and an entirely new way of problem-solving. Finally, we experience what Einstein said: “You cannot solve a problem with the same mind (or consciousness) that created it.” Now we are ready to approach any challenge from many perspectives, ultimately creating the best outcome for all.

And what’s coming after the 7 steps to master any challenge?

We go through the cycle again, but this time with an evolved consciousness. Do you ask yourself when this process finishes? As long as you are alive, it is not finished.