The Alchemy of Transformation | Martin Goodson

Depiction of Ouroboros from the alchemical treatise Aurora consurgens (15th century), Zentralbibliothek Zürich, Switzerland

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Folklore
Jun 1, 2020
Martin Goodson

Martin Goodson takes a fascinating look at the parallels between western Alchemy and the Buddhist tradition.

A Crooked Heart Misses the Target

The contrasted effects of a calculating versus a non-grasping attitude are demonstrated in Eugen Herrigel’s book, Zen in the Art of Archery.

Buddhism & Folklore - The Naive Heart

We begin a series of articles looking at the transformative process of individual psychology through folk stories and look at how the motifs contained therein shed a light on those described by Buddhist practice formulae

Spiritual Medicine Begins as Poison

The restraint of behaviour whilst suffering out the energies of the passions in the body leads to a lasting change and old outmoded forms of behaviour are purged.

The Blindness of the Calculating Self

A classic motif that appears across folkloric stories can help us discover a more open way of being.

The Stoppered Vessel

The transformation of energies from poison to medicine takes place using containment a magical process that is mirrored in the uses of the magic vessel.

Atlantis

The myth of Atlantis, the city that sank beneath the waves, is a tale of pride before a fall. A civilisation that grew so strong that the gods feared them and destroyed the city overnight sending it to the bottom of the ocean that still bears its name.

The Round Table of King Arthur

Our spiritual and moral values arise from ancestral influences. The process of adaptation develops wisdom that is recognised and eventually codified as moral strength. Our traditions and legends preserve this wisdom to be handed down for posterity.

From Familiars to Zombies:

The Horror of Bodily Invasion in Folklore and Films
From the archive - The stronger the sense of a separate self, the greater the horror of bodily invasion.

William Blake and the Mind-made Worlds of Mahayana Buddhism

The Alchemy of Transformation
Parallels to the Yogacara teaching on 'Mind-only' or 'consciousness-only' as the basis of reality exist in the writings of William Blake as well as in some of the 'New Thought' movement; although directed to quite different ends.

Epiphany: The Cult of the 3 Magi

The Alchemy of Transformation
The Feast of Epiphany in the Christian calendar celebrates the arrival of the 3 Kings to the nativity. The idea of the spiritual journey is also found in Buddhism, this article looks at some of the reasons why a person may undertake such a journey.

A Plague on Both Your Houses

The Alchemy of Transformation
It has been over a year since the start of the COVID19 pandemic. At the time we published a series of articles around the spiritual implications of 'disease', 'contagion' and 'lockdown' exploring themes this time has evoked. As we now see light at the end of this tunnel and begin to count

The Spirituality of Place

The Alchemy of Transformation
From the ‘Genius Loci’ of the Roman era to the psychogeographists of the 20th Century, the effects that places have on the human psyche and the effect that the human psyche has had on  different places, has been a constant source of fascination across different cultures.

The Water of Life

The Alchemy of Transformation
Martin examines the mythical imagery of water. From folk tales to Arthurian legends; we look at how water has been used to convey the mystical workings of the inner world, it’s powers for healing and what it can tell us about our own practice.

As Above, So Below

The Alchemy of Transformation
 The mysterious Emerald tablet is as enigmatic as it is short, but what does it have in common with the Buddha's teachings?

The Limits of Human Will

The Hidden Art of Spiritual Transformation
In the quest to rid the culture of old superstitions, we may have lost an important way of interacting with the unconscious.

Bargaining with Spiritual Powers

The Hidden Art of Spiritual Transformation
The spiritual world may or may not be real but the way in which humans have bargained with these powers has remained consistent for millennia across many different cultures. Martin investigates what this can teach us about how to approach Buddhist practice.

The Power of Non-Intentional Spiritual Relations

The Hidden Art of Spiritual Transformation
How do magical ideas around manifesting and attracting the things you want in life relate to Buddhist practice and Bodhisattvas?

Attracting without Asking

The Hidden Art of Spiritual Transformation 
If there is ‘no-one’ to realise enlightenment then who are we doing this practice for? The ancient Romans and Greeks may give us a clue.

Curse of the Werewolf

The Alchemy of Transformation
Martin takes a look at how spiritual power can turn humans into monsters.

A Solstice Celebration

The Alchemy of Transformation
The symbolism of the summer solstice points to our true nature.

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Further reading

What Floats Your Vote?

Blog
What does Buddhism have to say about the world of political power and money?

Life on Dry Land: A dialogue with Master Torie

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When training for something it's sensible to keep track of our progression. When it comes to Zen training however, this doesn't quite seem to work, in fact it can become quite a serious obstacle.

Extract | The Four Noble Truths by Ajahn Sumedho | Part III

Book Extract
Ajahn Sumedho explains how to let go when suffering arises through the contemplation of the Four Noble Truths.

Mumonkan: The Gateless Gate by Mumon Ekai with commentary by Soko

Book Review
Even before opening this book, I knew that this review would be whole-heartedly endorsing it and recommending it to our readership.