Chinese 5 Phases: Extraction of Metal from Ore
As mentioned, Alchemists employ the Firing Process as a metaphor for the self-actualization process. An exploration of this external process presumably reveals the codes of the matrix for personal transformation. The Western Alchemists were involved in the same transformational process in their quest to transmute the base metal of the unrefined self into the gold of the realized Self.
Alchemists employ the Chinese Five Phase terminology to identify the components of the Firing Process.
Water nourishes the Earth creating the Wood.
Wood is used as the fuel of the Fire.
The Fire extracts the Metal from the Ore,
The Ore is contained in a Cauldron, also symbolized as Earth.
If the Fire is hot and regular enough
And the Cauldron is strong enough to contain the energy,
Then and only then will the Firing Process be successful.
The Process includes Extraction & Casting.
The polluted Metal must first be extracted from the Ore.
The purified Metal can then be cast into something permanent,
and achieve Immortality.
If the Fire is not hot enough or the Cauldron is not strong enough,
Then the Firing Process won’t be successful,
And the Metal won’t separate from the Ore.
If the Metal isn’t separated from the Ore,
Then the Metal can’t be cast into something permanent,
And the Metal won’t achieve Immortality.
Understand the True Component; Don’t Quibble the False
Aside: Each of these words is meant to convey a non-verbal understanding. Because of the inherent ambiguity of words, as well as the subject of the discussion, the Author is like the poet who throws up multiple images to create a holistic image. We are attempting to communicate not be right. We request that the Reader attempt to understand the True component of what is being said, rather than wasting time picking apart the False components.
This is not an attempt to deflect criticism and discussion. Instead we want to direct the Reader towards refinement rather than destruction.
We are attempting to convey what it takes to have a very real and specific experience. Unfortunately, the experience is non-verbal, while the chosen means of communication is words. We are trying to communicate a non-verbal experience with the very words that the experience transcends. Not to worry. Be patient and understanding, and the Transmission will occur.
You won’t regret it.
Firing Process based in Chinese Alchemy of the Metal Age
The above diagram is based in Chinese alchemy, normally called Taoist alchemy - although the Confucians also participated in the same metaphor. Also, it began long before Taoist and Confucians even existed - at least as any type of organization. Perhaps the metaphor could be called proto-Taoist and proto-Confucian because it arose in the time before they split apart. Actually the roots of Chinese Alchemy are found in the beginnings of metallurgy, which preceded any of our modern religions by hundreds, if not thousands of years.
These metaphors then are based in the Metal Ages, which includes both the Bronze and Iron Age. Although these ideas emerged from Chinese alchemists the same processes were going on wherever Bronze and Iron were being produced whether in China, Japan, Europe, Africa, or Central Asia - and eventually the Americas and Australia too. Therefore we will call these metaphors Alchemical. They are human universal, except in the preceding Stone Age cultures.
Alchemical Taoist Terminology
To avoid confusion, or maybe add to it, we will refer to these symbols as both Taoist and Alchemical because many of the names come from Taoist sources, although the processes are cross-cultural. The Taoist Alchemical metaphor is that our physical energy, many times called jing, or sexual energy, is cooked by the internal chi energy - turning it into shen, or spiritual energy.
If the Firing is entirely successful,
Then all the material energy is converted into spiritual energy
And the Person achieves Immortality.
Another way of putting this: If our Desires are contained by our Body,
And they are cooked by our Internal Energy,
This will lead to greater Vitality.
Vitality produces a greater chance of maximizing our Person's potentials -
Self actualization.
Conversely, if the Person spends internal (shen) energy satisfying personal desires,
This dissipates desire (jing) energy.
Without jing energy there is no Vitality.
If there is no Vitality,
Then the Person becomes a victim of their Fate.
Isomorphic Systems:
While the systems we have been speaking about are very different, they are isomorphic. Isomorphic is a mathematical word referring to systems having the same properties. Because isomorphic systems have the same properties, certain common conclusions can be drawn about the systems. This is true despite the dissimilarity in the rest of their parts. As an example, if a system can be identified as a mathematical field, which means that they have some distinct properties in common - including the operation of distribution and having an inverse - then this means they have all the other common properties of a field. The fact that the above-mentioned systems are isomorphic is why we can talk about meta-principles -- which transcend the substance of matter and energy -- referring to system principles rather than laws of materialism.
Sun/Matter = Metal Casting = Human Transformation
Thus the System of the Solar Energy cooking the Matter of the Earth in Pulses over an incredibly long time to create Life is isomorphic to the System of Fire from Wood cooking the Ore and turning it into Metal - which are both isomorphic to the System of a Person’s Internal Energy cooking Material Energy turning it into Spiritual Energy, which leads to transformation - growth - Emergence. Same difference.
The entire mechanism: the Firing Process
Each of these Isomorphic Systems has a few features in common. They each feature Emergence, i.e. the transformation of something into something else. This transformation occurs through the application of energy to the old to transform it into the new. Further the old must be held in a container, while it is cooked. We will call this whole mechanism the Firing Process.
Note that the Firing Process, which is ‘the’ System of this Paper, applies to all the isomorphic systems listed below.
1. The application of the Solar Energy to the Earthly Matter until Life emerged.
2. The heating of Metal Ore by Fire to yield Metal.
3. The cooking of Material Energy by the Internal Energy to yield Spiritual Energy.
We are looking at a basic transformational process and applying it to the interaction of Matter and Energy, in both a material and spiritual sense.
Life emerges from the interaction of Solar Energy and Earthly Matter.
Being emerges from the interaction of Spiritual Energy and the Body of our Person.
Purified Metal emerges from the interaction of Fire and Ore.
The last is the metallurgical metaphor that Alchemists employ to describe this transformational process.
Emergence, a key feature of a successful firing
In each of these isomorphic = analogous systems, a successful Firing is one in which the miraculous principle of Emergence occurs. Emergence occurs over a period of Time. It took Billions of years for Life to occur. It sometimes takes a Life Time for personal transformation to occur. Metal casting and refinement is measured in days and hours, maybe even minutes, sometimes. If Emergence occurs, the Firing is Successful. This is defined as True, which equals 1. If Emergence doesn’t occur, the Firing is deemed Unsuccessful. This is defined as False, which equals 0.
If (Emergence = 1), Then (Firing = 1)
If (Emergence = 0), Then (Firing = 0)
Emergence = Transformation
Parameters for success
Everything must go right for the Firing to be Successful.
These are the parameters for a successful firing.
The Fire must be hot and long enough duration.
The Cauldron must be strong enough to Contain the Energy generated by the Fire.
If there is not enough sustained Heat from the Fire,
Then not enough energy is transmitted to Matter to transform it into Life.
Further if the Cauldron is not strong enough to hold energy,
Then cracks occur and the Energy leaks out.
Leakage threatens the Firing Process.
Cauldron must be strong and able to contain energy
The Cauldron has two linked parameters:
It must be strong enough to take the Energy;
And it must also be able to retain the Energy.
This is due to a simple reason.
The Storage of accumulated Energy is required to reach the next level – whether purification or transformation. As an example: If enough money is earned and accumulated, it is transformed into wealth - with its own emergent principles, i.e. interest and investments. While if little money is earned and none is accumulated, it remains money - with no emergent principles. (Money could be called a fourth isomorphic system based upon the Firing Process.)
Thus retaining, or Containing, the Energy is an essential ingredient in Emergence. The Container of the Matter is the force of gravity that binds energy and matter together in a tight little dance. The Container of Life is the Cell. The Container of collection of Cells is called the Body. The Container of a collection of Bodies is called a Corporation, (in the most general sense, as defined earlier.) In each case the Container receives energy and accumulates it for greater power.
Energy leakage destroys the cast
Further the successful Containers, i.e. those that lead to Emergence, don’t leak Energy unnecessarily. Energy leakage is an important problem, or obstacle, to Transformation, which is the magically unpredictable quality of Emergence.
This is why it took billions of years for Life to Emerge. Matter kept leaking all that Solar Energy. But finally after all that time, Matter finally accumulated enough Energy, to ‘discover’ how to store this Energy in a Cell. After a few more billion years these Cells got together to save their Energy more efficiently in larger Organisms - and then the Organs got together to make Bodies, which were even more efficient Energy Containers. And then after millions of years these Bodies became ever more complex. But they always remained Bodies, although more complex. Of course the Bodies grouped together in Colonies, Hives, Packs, Flocks, Herds, Schools, Tribes, Cities, Countries, Empires, and eventually Corporations.
Self Reflection, an emergent feature of complex Life
When enough collective energy had been generated the Collective Consciousness finally began reflecting back upon itself. While self-reflection is a self-evident truth, we will offer a pseudo scientific explanation for it. Russell and Whitehead wrote a book called Principia Mathematica in 1913, which is the ultimate work on logic. They developed a notation for this symbolic logic that is still in use. While others have developed other logical systems that were equal in power to this system, none have surpassed it. One feature of this System, which less sophisticated logical systems did not have, was the ability to self reflect. Symbolic logic just mimics natural human logic, albeit on a more formalized level. Thus with the increase in our ability to logically analyze our environment came our unique ability to Self Reflect.
Choice emerges from Self Reflection
Along with the ability to Self Reflect the Individual Human Bodies called People became aware that they had a Choice. They could choose to store the Energy to undergo Emergence or they could choose to Dissipate Energy and remain Matter. This apparent Choice based upon Self Reflection was an Emergent Feature of Consciousness.
Emergence transcends logic
Remember Emergence is a feature of Existence, which is outside the realm of Logic. In 1931 the mathematician Gödel formally conclusively proved that the System of mathematical logic developed in Principia Mathematica is incomplete. Emergence is one of the true features that Logic can’t see. Logic doesn’t know whether it is true or false and can’t predict it no matter which logical branch is traversed. (More on this later.)
Choice, an essential ingredient of Human Casting
Because Choice is an Emergent feature of Self Reflection, it can’t be explained scientifically or logically. It just Is - Or at least appears to be - Or at least we will employ it as a useful construct to organize human existence. Choice is an essential ingredient in the Alchemical Process.
2 parts: Refinement of Metal Ore and creating Alloys
While the refinement of Metal Ore was the first step, casting metals into a usable form and the creation of alloys to improve the original metals was a second step of metallurgy. To indicate the importance of this step, Bronze is the alloy of Tin and Copper. An entire Age of Humanity is named after this alloy - The Bronze Age. Extraction of metal from ore, casting metal, and creating alloys from a mixture of metals, all participate in the Firing Process, although they each have unique individual features.
Summary: Firing Process, Cauldron, and potential for Success
Reviewing: the Firing Process is the System of this Paper. It includes certain key elements. Roughly speaking: Matter is cooked by Energy. This cooking transforms the Matter into a more useful form. The combination of Matter and Energy is contained to concentrate the transforming power. That which holds this Mixture is called the Cauldron. Finally the Firing Process, which occurs over time, can be successful or unsuccessful.
Features by definition
These features of our System are not subjective as much as they are definitional. If the intended transformation occurs, it is successful. If it doesn’t, it is unsuccessful. We are defining it that way - not placing value judgments on what happens.
Alchemist apply Firing Process to humans
In Alchemical Fashion we apply this Firing model to Humans. We humans seek to transcend ourselves - to better our condition. In short, we seek personal transformation and growth. This is part of the emergent features of consciousness. Our self-reflective nature understands that there are choices to be made to optimize our situation. The Alchemists say that the Firing Process is the only way to achieve the optimum transformation. Anything less, leaves us as Human Ore rather than the purified Metal. Master Ni, Chinese Master: “As long as any Yin remains, Immortality will not be achieved.”
Parameters of Transformation
This section has been focusing upon the transformational process. We have mentioned that Life is a transformation of matter by the application and containment of energy. While the evaluation that Life is superior to Matter is subjective, probably based in the viva-centric view that we are alive, the evaluation that Life is a transformation of Matter is descriptive, not subjective. This paper, then, is an attempt, if somewhat pathetic, at defining what this transformational process is and what the parameters for success are.
Transformation & Perfection Model - different facets of the same gem
Again let it be stressed that this transformational model is just another facet of the Whole. There could be other Systems, which describe other features of Reality from another perspective, which seem to be mutually exclusive with this perspective. The tendency would be to think that one perspective is right and the other is wrong - when they are both right within their own Systems. This paradoxical nature of thought and ideas is inherent to the nature of verbal communication.
The aforementioned Gödel proved that consistent Systems are incomplete. Thus the logical system of Buddhism, while consistent within itself, is incomplete within the greater whole. This simply means that there are truths that are not apprehended within the confines of the logic of Buddhism. This is true of every consistently logical System.
Buddhist: If Perfect then no need for Transformation
The Buddhist thought that we are already perfect seems to be in direct contradiction to the Transformational Metaphor, which we are pursuing herein. How and why would we crave transformation, if we were already perfect? If one is a logical Buddhist, one might reject the transformational metaphor outright, just because it seems, on the surface, at least, to violate one of the basic tenets of Buddhism. This logical, although spiritual, Person mistaking Form and Function rejects the whole transformational premise of this paper, out of hand - “We are already Perfect. Why bother with Transformation?” - Rather than looking for the truth, and weeding out the false - which exists inherently in every verbal circumstance.
In the next section we will spend some time on the Differentiation & Integration of the Alchemical notion of Transformation versus the visionary or Buddhist notion of Inherent Perfection - that we are already perfect as we are.
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