Taiji on Maui   Balance and Harmony for a Better Life

Find your Way to the top

First, combine lead and mercury
Second, form the gold pill
Third, refine the gold into the elixir….

In the first three articles, Taoist Meditation Basics, I laid out the foundation for a skill known as “Spiritual Alchemy”. It is a profound and yet simple path and in a way even fun. Don’t let the next few paragraphs throw you off, I’m just writing them for “full disclosure” on the topic.

The Taoist alchemical texts such as “The Book of Balance and Harmony”  uses metaphorical language that seems at times to contradict itself. I will try to simplify the jargon from the arcane and purposely cryptic text.

For example, try to comprehend the following typical (paraphrased) instructions:

Combine lead and mercury into the crucible. Then fire them in the furnace to form the gold pill.  Refine and rarify the gold pill and the elixir will form. Then you may enter the mysterious pass.

Let’s look at the symbolic language. Lead, represents essence, sort of like your physical energy, body and common sense. Mercury (quicksilver) represents mental/emotional energy, thinking etc. The crucible, is the body‘s energy channels and dantien at your center. The furnace, represents the mind, used to cook lead and mercury with the fire of discipline, concentration and insight.

The gold pill, is an understanding of energy, a nugget of primordial energy released, an awakening within, a “spiritual embryo” if you will. Refine and rarify refer to practicing cultivation arts like qigong and meditation.

The elixir is a reborn energy system, a full understanding of the principles and practice, being one with primordial energy. The mysterious pass is (a mystery) between Heaven and Earth, the gate into Tao … immortality in Taoist code.

This meditation practice is designed to bring about enlightenment.  For Taoists that term is more like “let go of your burden” (mental excess) if you “lighten your load” you are “enlightened.” Also let’s redefine “immortality” to mean “longevity” not necessarily “for all time.” Because you cannot create or destroy energy, the fully realized Taoists, quantum physicists that they are, know that true immortality does indeed exist in some  form; to be content with that knowledge is a sagely thing.

To start the practice of spiritual alchemy, remember what the famous sage told the king.

“My mind is merged with my body; my body is merged with my energy, my energy is merged with my spirit, and my spirit is merged with Tao.”

The first step is to merge your mind with your body.
1.     Open up your energy channels with some qigong
2.     Focus your mental energy into your body
3.     Use your mind to dissolve all thoughts and emotions

The second step is to merge your body with your energy.
4.     Embrace the pure unadulterated dissolved energy
5.     Become one with this energy, refining out imperfections
6.     Learn the truth about your true make up

The third step is to merge your energy with your spirit.
7.     Repeat the process until you meditate unceasingly
8.     Know that you are reborn continually in Tao
9.     Live confidently, contentedly, with no fears, forever.

Then your spirit will merge with Tao.

First, combine lead and mercury
Second form the gold pill
Third refine the gold into the elixir….

In the following articles, I will explain how we do these steps and I will give you some tools for performing the work of “Combining Lead and Mercury,“ yielding a “Spiritual Embryo” that you will cherish and nurture until it gives birth to a new you!

Until then learn the essential skill of Tuning your Breath

Previous Lesson                                                                        Next Lesson