The 7 Steps in Alchemical Transformation

By

Joseph D. Dismore
The Transformative Processes
There are seven steps in the transformative processes, both for physical
Alchemy as well as spiritual Alchemy. Here is a brief list of the 7 Steps of the
Emerald formula.
1.
Calcination
2. Dissolution
3. Separation
4.
Conjunction
5.
Fermentation
6. Distillation
7.
Coagulation

In this series of posts I shall endeavour to give examples of the Physical

Alchemical Processes and the Psychological Process of Transformation that
each of these 7 Steps includes. We shall start with the First of the Seven Steps:
Calcination.

1. Calcination – Calcination is the first of the seven major operations in the

Alchemy of Transformation.

Chemically, the Calcination process involves heating a substance in a crucible

or over an open flame until it is reduced to ashes. In the Arcanum
Experiment, Calcination is represented by Sulfuric Acid, which the alchemist
made from a naturally occurring substance called Vitriol. Sulfuric Acid is a
powerful corrosive that eats away flesh and reacts with all metals except Gold.

Psychologically, this is a destruction of ego and our attachment to material

possessions. Calcination is usually a natural humbling process as we are
gradually assaulted and overcome by the trials and tribulations of life, though
it can be a deliberate surrender of our inherent hubris gained through a
variety of spiritual disciplines that ignite the fire of introspection and self-
evaluation.
Psychologically, the Fire of Calcination can be experienced as the metabolic
discipline or aerobic activity that tunes the body, burning off excess from
overindulgence and producing a lean, mean, fighting machine. Calcination
begins in the Base or Lead Chakra at the Sacrel Cup at the Base of the Spine.

On the Planetary level, it is the Fire of Creation, the formation of a liveable

environment from molten matter and volcanic ashes.

“The Emerald Formula”

by: Alchemy Lab

“Calcination represents the beginning of a Black Stage, Calcination is

described as the destruction of the ego and all its defence mechanisms. For
most of us, Calcination is a natural process that takes place over time, as we
are gradually assaulted and overcome by the trials and tribulations of life. But
for Alchemists, Calcination is a controlled burn achieved by a deliberate
surrender of our materiality through a variety of spiritual disciplines that
ignite the passion in our souls. In all the instances, Calcination is working with
Fire to burn away mental constructs and reveal a person’s true essence.”

“The Emerald Tablet…Alchemy for Personal Transformation”

by: Dennis William Hauck
Pg. 158

In the above short descriptions I have given two examples of the 1st Step
toward Alchemical Transformation as described in “The Emerald Formula”,
and in Dennis William Hauck’s book ” The Emerald Tablet…Alchemy for
Personal Transformation.” These are very brief examples of the process but I
hope it sheds some small light on the 1st Step of the Process of
Transformation, both physical and spiritual.
 The Second Section covers the Process of
“Dissolution.”
According to the Oxford English Dictionary the word
“Dissolution” is defined as – The action or process of
dissolving or being dissolved. From Latin – Dissolutio(n),
from Dissolvere (See Dissolve).

Dissolve – With reference to a solid – become or cause to

become incorporated into a liquid so as to form a solution.

Dissolution is the second major operation in the Alchemy of

Transformation.

Chemical, it is the dissolving the ashes from Calcination in

water. In the Arcanum Experiment, Dissolution is
represented by iron oxide or rust, which illustrated the
potentially corrosive powers of water on even the hardest of
metals. When Processed, Vitriol breaks down into sulfuric
acid and iron oxide, which are the first two arcana or secret
ingredients. The Egyptians smelted Iron as far back as 1500
BCE and used iron compounds in tonics as disinfectants.

(Alchemy Dictionary, Alchemy, Magick, Mysticism,

Mysticism Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul.)

Alchemy: Alchemy is the art and science of Transformation.

This is not an easily understood art, because the primal
medium of alchemical expression is through the use of
allegory and mythological symbols, which can be interpreted
simultaneously both at a material and a spiritual level.

(Alchemy: Magickal Traditions Dictionary on ALchemy.)

Alchemy: (from the Greek, Chemeia, “Chemistry”, the

Arabic, Al Kimya, “The Chemistry”, or the Egyptian,
Khemeia, “the Preparation of Black Ore”): A form of
ceremonial magick commonly believed to be focused on the
Transmutation of base metals into precious metals (e.g.:
converting lead to gold). The ultimate goal of the Alchemist
is to transform the chaotic primordial First Matter (the
Khem) into perfection; a goal that is accomplished through
spiritual enlightenment.
We shall be concerned with the Spiritual Transformative
qualities of each of these 7 Steps in the Process of Spiritual
Transformation.

Psychologically, this represents a further breaking down of

the artificial structures of the Psyche by total immersion in
the unconscious, non-rational, feminine or rejected part of
our minds. It is for the most part, an unconscious process in
which our conscious minds let go of control to allow the
surfacing of buried material. It is opening the floodgates and
generating new energy from the waters held back.
Dissolution can be experienced as “flow,” the bliss of being
well-used and actively engaged in creative acts without
traditional prejudices, personal hang-ups, or established
hierarchy getting in the way.

Inwardly this represents a further breaking down of the

artificial structures of the psyche and a unifying of the
different aspects. Traditionally the approach was such that
the initiates conscious minds must let go of control, opening
the “floodgates” and generating new energy from the waters
held back; again potentially a painful process. If the
approach involves deeper integration and alliance of the
subconscious and even the unconscious to a certain degree
then Dissolution can be experienced as a flow of bliss. We
are not speaking of traditional psychological therapy but
rather a conscious spiritual process available now. through
Dissolution one becomes more integrated and able to
actively engage in creative acts with less personal or cultural
prejudice or limited conditioning entering in to the creative
process.

Physiologically, Dissolution is the continuance of the

kundalini experience, the opening-up of energy channels in
the body to recharge and elevate every single cell.
Dissolution takes place in the Genital or Tin Chakra and
involves the lungs and spleen.

“Dissolution”- The second circle depicts the black Soul Bird

watchi9ng itself undergoing Dissolution literally dissolving
before it’s eyes in the powerful force of the unconscious.
This internal “water which does not wet the hands” takes the
form of dreams, voices, visions and strange feelings which
reveal a less ordered and less rational world existing
simultaneously with our everyday life. Also reflecting back
from the pool of Dissolution is the white image of the
essence of the Soul Bird which is exposed in this
operation….

Just as Calcination works on the mind and ego to destroy

deceptions and impure thoughts, so does Dissolution work
on the heart and id to release buried emotions that conceal or
distort our true nature….

~*~
~*~
 This Third Section covers the Process of
“Separation”

According to the Oxford English Dictionary the word

“Separation” is defined as – The action or state of separating
or being separated. “Separate”= Move or come apart; make
or become detached, disconnected. From Latin: Separat,
Separare ‘ disjoin, divide’, from se- ‘apart’ + parare
‘prepare’.

Separation is the third of the operations of transformation in

alchemy.

Chemically, it is the isolation of the components of

Dissolution by filtration and then discarding any ungenuine
or unworthy material. In the Arcanum Experiment,
Separation is represented by the compound sodium
carbonate, which separates out of water and appears as white
soda ash on dry lakebeds. The oldest known deposits are in
Egypt. The alchemists sometimes referred to this compound
as Natron, which meant the common tendency in all salts to
form solid bodies or precipitates.

Psychologically, this process is the rediscovery of our

essence and the reclaiming of dream and visionary “gold”
previously rejected by the masculine, rational part of our
minds. It is for the most part, a conscious process (that has
become conscious through the process of Dissolution), in
which we review formerly hidden material and decide what
to discard and what to reintegrate into our refined
personality. Much of this shadowy material is things we are
ashamed of or were taught to hide away from our parents,
churches, and schooling. Separation is letting go of the self-
inflicted restraints to our true nature, so our true personality
can shine through.

Physiologically, Separation is following and controlling the

breath in the body as it works with the forces of Spirit and
Soul to give birth to new energy and physical renewal.
Separation begins in the Naval or Iron Chakra located at the
level of the solar plexus.

The third circle shows the operation of Separation in which

black, earthbound Soul Bird splits into two white birds that
descend to retrieve the saved remains of Calcination and
Dissolution. This is the first coming together of Soul and
Spirit, and the newly acquired vantage point allows the
discernment of what is worthy of being saved from the two
previous operations. In Psychological terms, the process of
Separation retrieves the frozen energy released from the
breaking down of habits and crystalized thoughts
(assumptions, beliefs, and prejudices) and hardened feelings
(emotional blockages, neuroses and phobias). This misspent
energy is now available to drive our Spiritual
Transformation. Above this circle is written “Terrae” which
means “Of the Earth” and refers to the real essences and
energy being separated out from the dregs of matter at this
stage…

To summarize, Separation is the letting go of the self-

inflicted restraints to our true nature and saving the hidden
essence, which becomes the subject of the following
operations. The essence is made up of the best parts of our
Spirit and Soul, our Mind and Heart. “The Wind Carried It
In Its Belly,” says the Emerald Tablet, and this stage is the
application of the Element of Air in the work. Separation
delivers the retrieved Spiritual Essence safely through the
processes of Calcination and Dissolution to the First
Incarnation, which is Earthly Conjunction.

~*~
 Conjunction-A Joining Together.

Conjunction is the fourth of the seven operations of alchemy.

Chemically, it is the recombination of the saved elements from

Separation into a new substance. In the Arcanum Experiment,
Conjunction is symbolized by a Nitrate compound known as cubic-
saltpeter or potassium nitrate, which the alchemist called Natron or
simply salt. Blue-colored Natron acid (aqua fortis) was made by
mixing potassium nitrate with sulfuric acid and was used to separate
silver from gold. The inert residue precipitated from the acid during
the reaction like a child being born.

Psychologically, It is empowerment of our true selves, the union of

both the feminine and masculine sides of our personalities into a
new belief system or an intuitive state of consciousness. The Union
of opposites can also be seen as the integration of the Conscious and
Unconscious aspects of the Psyche, when combined and in
cooperation bring about a wholeness that generates the Child of the
Union, which, can be seen as the Hermaphroditic Essence of the
True Self which is freed from the restraints of preconditioned and
preconceived moral and social beliefs, that have restricted the True
Inner Self from being freed. The alchemist referred to it as the
Lesser Stone, and after it is achieved, the adept is able to clearly
discern what needs to be done to achieve lasting enlightenment,
which is union with the Overself. Often, synchronicities begin to
occur that confirm the alchemist is on the right track.

Inwardly this corresponds to the union of both the masculine and

feminine sides of our nature into a unified state of consciousness.
With this unification comes the potential for direct nonlinear
knowing that is more than intuition; but rather a direct knowing by
being able to become “part of” that which would be known; a
“grokking”.

Physiologically, Conjunction is using the bodies sexual energies for

personal transformation. Conjunction takes place in the body at the
level of the Heart or Copper Chakra

“The fourth circle depicts the Birds of the Soul the “Anima” and
“Spiritus” leaving the earth together, lifting a five-spiked crown (the
Quintessence recovered from the preceding operations) into heaven
on the realm of the One Mind. This Conjunction is the turning point
of the whole alchemical process and denotes the change from Forces
of (Anima-Soul) in the triangle of the left to the forces of the
(Spiritus-Spirit) in the triangle on the right. Above the circle is
inscribed the word RECTIFICANDO, which means “by
rectification” or setting things right, and the wings of the Ascended
Essence spread over this operation to bless it.”

On the personal level, Conjunction is the empowerment of our True

Selves, the union of both masculine and feminine sides of our
personalities into a new belief system that must still be nurtured to
survive. The alchemist describes this fragile child as a crude
hermaphrodite, but alas it grows in strength, The Child of the
Philosophers solidifies into the Lesser Stone, a State of
Consciousness in which the Initiate is able to clearly discern what
needs to be done to achieve lasting enlightenment. This Lesser
Stone is often equated with the Emerald Tablet itself, which every
one of us must create anew within…

~*~
 Fermentation is the Fifth operation in the
Alchemy of Transformation.

Fermentation – The chemical breakdown of a substance by

bacteria, yeasts, or other microorganisms, especially that
which is involved in the making of beers, wines, and spirits
in which sugar is converted to ethyl alcohol. 2. Archaic-
Agitation and Social Unrest.

Fermentation is a two-stepped process that begins with the

putrefaction of the Hermaphroditic “Child” from the
Conjunction resulting in the death and resurrection to a new
level of being. The Fermentation phase then begins with the
introduction of new life into the product of Conjunction to
strengthen it and inure its survival.

Chemically, Fermentation is the growth of a Ferment

(bacteria) in organic solutions, such as occurs in the
fermenting of milk to produce curds and cheese or in the
fermenting of grapes to produce wine. In the Arcanum
Experiment, the process of Fermentation is represented by a
compound called Liquor Hepatis, which is an oily, reddish-
brown mixture of ammonia and the rotten-egg-smelling
compound hydrogen sulfide. Egyptian alchemists made
ammonia by heating camel dung in sealed containers and
thought of it as a kind of refined Mercury that embodied the
life force. Liquor Hepatis means “Liquor of the Liver,”
which they believed was the seat of the Soul, and the colour
they associated with the compound was green, the colour of
bile. Surprisingly, Liquor Hepatis exudes a wonderful
fragrance, and the alchemists made a perfume of it called
“Balsam of the Soul.”

Psychologically, The Fermentation Process starts with the

inspiration of spiritual power from Above that reanimates,
energizes, and enlightens the alchemist. Out of the blackness
of his Putrefaction comes the yellow Ferment, which appears
like a golden wax flowing out of the fowl matter of the Soul.
Its arrival is announced by a brilliant display of colours and
meaningful visions called the “Peacock’s Tail.”
Fermentation can be achieved through various activities that
include intense prayer, desire for mystical union, breakdown
of the personality, transpersonal therapy, psychedelic drugs,
and deep meditation. Fermentation is living inspiration from
something totally beyond us.

Fermentation is the rousing or lifting of the “River of Life”

through the Crucible of the Heart and into the Throat
Chakra. It is expressed as vibratory tones and spoken truths
emerging from the Throat or Mercury Chakra.

Physiologically, Fermentation is the rousing of living energy

(chi or kundalini) in the body to heal and vivify. It is
expressed as vibratory tones and spoken truths emerging
from the Throat or Mercury Chakra.

“The fifth ray of the Axoth points to the area where the left
wing of the Ascended Essence touches the standing bird
spirit. The ray is with the cipher for the metal copper and the
planet Venus. This section is often coloured turquoise or
green, which is associated with the Emerald Vision… This is
the ray of the inspired Spiritual Warrior, the alchemical
adept who has seen the way and wants to tell others of his or
her discovery and to spread his vision of higher
consciousness throughout the world.”

“The fifth circle is under the inscription INVENIES, which

means ‘You Will Discover’. This is the operation of
Fermentation in which the mystic substance forms the
ambrosia of the gods, which represents the first solidification
of the result of Conjoining of Soul and Spirit…Fermentation
is the introduction of new life into the Product of
Conjunction to completely change its characteristics- that is,
to completely raise it to a new level of being.”

“Fermentation is flooding the mind with meaningful and

profoundly real images from something totally beyond us
that lies at the edge of our personal reality. It is like a
swinging door between one level of consciousness and
another, between Soul and Spirit, between Matter and
Mind.”

~*~
Distillation – Purify (a Liquid) by heating it until it
vaporizes, then cooling and condensing the vapor and
collecting the resulting liquid. 2. Extract a volatile
component of (a substance) by heating, often with a solvent.
Extract the essential meaning of.

Distillation is the Sixth Major Operation in

the Alchemy of Transformation.
Chemically, it is the boiling and condensation of the
fermented solution to increase its purity, such as takes place
in the distilling of wine to make brandy. In the Arcanum
Experiment, distillation is represented by a compound
known as Black Pulvis Solaris, which is made by mixing
black antimony with purified sulfur. The two immediately
clump together to make what the alchemists called a
“bezoar,” a kind of sublimated solid that forms in the
intestines and brain.

Chemically, distillation is the boiling and condensation of

the fermented solution to increase it’s purity, which is why
this is known as the white stage of alchemy.
Psychologically, the agitation and sublimation of psychic
forces is necessary to ensure that no impurities from the ego
or id are incorporated into the next and final process. “It
Rises From The Earth to Heaven and Descends Again to
Earth” is how the tablet describes the operation, which
represents the second or higher application of the Water
element in the tablet. The alchemist thought of this phase as
working with the heavenly element Mercury to extract and
refashion the metals. The ferment, the soft amalgam or
balsam resulting from this operation, must be hardened into
a Stone before it can be made permanent, and the final phase
of Distillation is a Sublimation in which the vapor turns
solid, or the Spirit is made Corporeal.

Psychologically, Distillation is the agitation and sublimation

of psychic forces is necessary to ensure that no impurities
from the inflated ego or deeply submerged id are
incorporated into the next and final stage. Personal
Distillation consists of a variety of introspection techniques
that raise the content of the Psyche to the highest level
possible. Free from sentimentality and emotions, cut off
even from one’s personal identity. Distillation is the
purification of the unborn Self – all that we truly are and can
be.

Physiologically, Distillation is raising the Life Force

repeatedly from the lower regions in the cauldron of the
body to the brain (what Oriental alchemists called the
Circulation of Light), where it eventually becomes a
wondrous solidifying light full of power. Distillation is said
to culminate in the Third Eye are of the forehead, at the
Level of the pituitary and pineal glands, in the Brow or Ajna
Silver Chakra.

The important Distillation process is referred to in the

Emerald Tablet “It rises from Earth to Heaven, and then
descends again to the Earth, and receives Power from Above
and from Below. Thus you will have the Glory of the whole
world.”

“Your feelings and thoughts are the feelings and thoughts of

the whole universe.” (from The Emerald Tablet by Dennis
William Hauck.) This statement describes the process of
Distillation, where we become far more interested in the
greater good then merely in our own. It is the
transformational stage where we spiritually and emotionally
mature enough to merge with the collective conscious and
unconscious without becoming devasted by what we find
there. The reason we can keep our balance after having
arrived at the distillation stage is that the Ego no longer
controls us and we can therefore appreciate the mysteries of
the collective – and personal- shadow material without the
ego’s intrusion. (The shadow is that part of our
consciousness, as well as societies, that holds the darker,
rejected, denied and powerful aspects. It not only holds
difficult material that sometimes feels demonic in nature, but
it also is the repository of our gifts, talents, and Soul’s voice
until such time as we are ready to fully take them on.)

Distillation brings the creative out of us. It encourages all

that we are to manifest in balanced and serenely powerful
ways. It heralds the entry of the influence of the higher
forces and the balancing of those forces with the lower ones,
which provide our “groundedness,” so crucial to wholeness.
A distilled person would know that the Soul, rather than the
Ego, was now guiding His/Her Life. A distilled person
surrenders to the higher forces while celebrating and
honoring the existence of the lower ones. A mystical symbol
of this state of consciousness which appears in many
spiritual and religious logos is the images of two triangles,
one with its point coming down to either touch or merge into
a second triangle whose point rises up to meet or merge with
the other.

~*~
In this seventh and final section of “The 7 Steps In
Alchemical Transformation” I shall endeavor to explain the
process of Coagulation. Once again I am attempting to
represent the Psychological Transformation or Mystical and
Spiritual Alchemy rather than the Physical Transmutation of
Baser Metals into Gold. The Process of Transformation is
seen to be one of a series of from four to seven stages of
Transforming the Lower Personality and Baser Self, into
Uniying with the Higher Self or Higher Genius. This Union
often occurs after a period of Breakdown some have called
the Union with Kether or the Union of the Higher Self with
the Lower Self the Seventh Death, called this because the
individual loses desire to be in a functioning with the world
in which they sought to be a part of.There are Three main
Abyss crossings reprented in the becoming whole stage and
with each of these Crossings there are changes in
Consciousness. In ancient times (and in modern occult
lodges) these events were called Initiations. Today, such
initiations can happen “automatically” to people who know
nothing of the Western Mystery Traditions or of the
ALchemical Transformations, these “automatic” Changes of
Consiousness are usually diagnosed by medical men and
experienced by the patient as a Nervous Breakdown or
Temporary Psychosis. The usual symptoms of the First
Change or Transformation from the brute lower instinct of
man to a higher more mentally and emotionally refined man
is proceeded with Emotional and Mental Upheavel, usually
they can work things out given time, and some
recapitualtions occur almost simultaneously with the
Crossing of the particular abyss.
The Second stage is the “Journey into Self”, as Union with
the Higher Self,” and is called by Dr. Carl G. Jung “The
Process of Individuation.” The Third Crossing is only
accomplished by those ready to Transition from Life to the
Next Life, so the experience being nbeyond mere words to
relate is something that is best left unspoken until the time of
our Passing.

This Seventh Section is on the Alchemical

Transformative Function of (Coagulation).
Coagulation- Change to a solid or semi-solid state. From:
Latin: Coagulare ‘Curdle’.

Coagulation is the Seventh and Final Operation in Alchemy.

Chemically, Coagulation is the precipitation or sublimation

of the purified Ferment from Distillation. In the Arcanum
Experiment, Coagulation is represented by a compound
called Red Pulvis Solaris, which is a Reddish-Orange
Powder of pure Sulfur mixed with the Terapeutic Mercury
compound, Red Mercuric Oxide. The name Pulvis Solaris
means “Powder of The Sun” and the alchemists believed it
could instantly perfect any substance to which it was added.

Psychologically, Coagulation is first sensed as a new

confidence that is beyond all things, though many
experience it as a Second Body of Golden Coalesced Light,
a permanent vehicle of Consciousness that embodies the
highest aspirations and evolutions of the Mind. Coagulation
incarnates and releases the Ultima Materia of the Soul, the
Astral Body, which the alchemists also referred to as the
Greater or Philospher’s Stone. Using the magical Stone, the
alchemists believed they could exist on all levels of reality.

Physiologically, this stage is marked by the release of the

Elixir in the blood that rejuvenates the body into a perfect
vessel of health. A brain ambrosia is said to be released
through the interaction of light from the phallic-shaped
pineal gland and matter from the vulva of the pituitary. This
heavenly food or viaticum both nourishes and energizes the
celss without any waste products being produced. These
physiological and psychological processes create the Second
Body, a body of solid light that emerges through the Crown
or Gold Chakra.

There is said to be a Continuity of Consciousness using the

Greater Philospher’s Stone. From the Emerald Tablet:
“Thus you will have the Glory of the Whole World. ALl
obscurity will be clear to you. This is the Strong Power of
All Powers because it Overcomes Everything Fine and
Penetrates Everything Solid.”

“The final seventh circle shows an androgynous youth

emerging from an open grave, with the Latin word
LAPIDEM, meaning “the Stone,” next to it. This is the stage
of Coagulation, in which the Feremented Soul Child of the
Conjunction is fused with the sublimated spiritual presence
of Distillation. The resurrection of the soul is accomplished
by bringing together only the purest essence of our bodies or
matter into the Light of Meditation and Reflection on Life
Experiences. It becomes a permanent and always available
state of consciousness that embodies the highest aspirations
and evolution of mind and is sensed as a new strength of
personality to survive any onslaught. In the Mystical sense,
this “Turning into Earth” is the realization of the eternal
spirit body, often confirmed in an Out-Of- Body Experience.

Coagulation then is the Recombination of Purified and

Distilled Ferment of the Lower Personality and Baser Self to
admixture in a Union with the Higher Self or the Purified
Astral Body or Second Body which when combined and
fused, the whole person is then Conscious to a Greater
Degree of all things both Inner and Outer, both Subjective
and Objective in the Realm of Reality. The Whole Person or
Transformed Individual is operating on All Levels of
Existence Simultaneously, and a New Vigourousness and
Strength fills them with Light and Life.