Just pondering the question of "what is alchemy?" can free your mind and set you on the path of the Great Work.

This enlightened essay by French researcher Maurice Aniane is one of the most penetrating expositions of Western alchemy I have ever read. He is unrelenting in his intention to dishevel the truths of alchemy and deeply fulfilling in his erudite conclusions.

Aniane's essay grounds the Eucharistic tradition of medieval Christianity in alchemical philosophy and radiates the Eucharistic effusion into the heaviest leaden states of matter, transubstantiating not just the bread, wine, and spirit but the Stone, lead, and the human body.

Alchemy in medieval Christianity aimed to transfigure terrestrial substances through sacrificing inanimate matter to reveal its inner essence which is the original divine spark of consciousness. That process revealed the divine light and presence manifest even in the heaviest of objects like lead. Christian alchemy also expressed the sacred nature of time as a stillness transmuted into “moments” of eternity—a beautiful idea you might have experienced as a child.

In return, alchemy gave medieval Christianity a technical application in the psycho-cosmic realm. From the viewpoint of medieval Christianity, alchemy was a powerful spiritual technology that originated in the mind of God.

(Credit: “Alchemy: the Cosmological "Yoga of Medieval Christianity” by Maurice Aniane which first appeared in "Material for Thought" magazine, San Francisco, in the Spring 1976 issue.)

Chinese alchemists became proficient at spiritual Distillation thousands of years ago. In a discipline called “Circulation of the Light,” the aspirant is taught to concentrate on the light of the inmost region and, while doing so, to free himself from all outer and inner entanglements. The basic practice in the Circulation of the Light is known as “The Microcosmic Orbit” or “The Lesser Heavenly Cycle” (as opposed to the greater cycle of the rotation of stars and constellations). The “light” that is circulated is the chi (or lifeforce), guided by thought and imagination through three inner cauldrons or vessels (known as tan tien or “elixir fields”).

The first of these inner cauldrons is the Lower Tan Tien, which is situated in the abdomen between the pelvis and navel. It is where the alchemist gathers, blends, and cooks their sexual, vital, and spiritual essences. In Western alchemy, the operations carried out there are Calcination, Dissolution, and Separation, which are equivalent to energizing the Tantric chakras muladhara (or base), svadhisthana (or genitals), and manipura (or solar plexus) or the Wheel of Emanation in the Buddhist tradition.

The next cauldron is the Middle Tan Tien, which is between the solar plexus and diaphragm. The energies there are associated with the heart, lungs, and throat. This is where the essences from the purification in the Lower Tan Tien are stored and where the soul finds expression. The Tantrists saw this vessel as activating the anahata (or heart) and vishuddha (or throat) chakras. In Western alchemy, it is where the operation of Conjunction takes place.

The final cauldron is the Upper Tan Tien, which is known as the "Crystal Palace." This precious cauldron at the center of the brain is also called the Sacred Square Inch, the Heavenly Heart, the Mysterious Gate, or the Cavity of Spirit. It is where the higher self or spirit from Above dwells. Sufi alchemists call this spirit the “ruh,” while Jewish alchemists refer to it as “ruach.” Tantrists see the Upper Tan Tien as an activation of the ajna (or brow) and sahasrara (or crown) chakras. In Western alchemy, it is where the operations of Fermentation, Distillation, and Coagulation take place. In the cabala, this spiritual center corresponds to the Sefirah " Daat ," located on the Middle Pillar (or spine) between Binah (at the back of the head) and Hokmah (in the forehead area).

In physiological alchemy, the Upper Tan Tien is associated with the center of the brain where the light-sensitive pineal gland is located. When this gland is activated, it is said to become illuminated like thousands of shining crystals, able to receive light (as energy and knowledge) from the universe. In Tibetan Buddhism, this is the source of the “White Drop” that descends from Above to the heart center, where it mixes with the ascending “Red Drop” of condensed sexual energy from Below to coagulate a Body of Light or subtle body.

All this activity is seen as a cosmic sex act in the head. The phallic-shaped pineal gland releases a pure white liquid light that impregnates the nearby bi-lobed pituitary gland, which then releases hormones in the blood that inaugurate a Second (or Spiritual) Puberty in the body.

This final stage is not accomplished in just a single round of operations but must continue until all impurities have been eliminated, and the light is in its most concentrated form. The overall operation is alchemical Distillation, which purifies and transforms the energy. The vapors of the boiling sexual energy in the lower Tan Tien are directed up the Governor Channel along the dorsal side of the spine or back of the body. The Chinese call this solar channel of ascending masculine yang energy the “tu mai,” while Tantrists refer to it as the “ida”.

The vapors condense or sublimate in the Upper Tan Tien, and any unpurified remains are returned to the Lower Tan Tien down the secondary Functional Channel along the ventral spinal cord on the front of the body. The Chinese called this descending lunar channel of feminine yin energy the “jen mai,” which is called “pingala” by the Tantrists. So, essentially, the Circulation of Light is a Distillation process in which the mercurial light of the life force is progressively concentrated. This purified energy is eventually directed inward to the center of the body, where it can be stored in the heart or chest area.