The Alchemical Mandala
By Dennis Klocek 1 min read
The charts for the alchemical journey of self transformation often take the form of a mandala or sacred wheel. This is because the sacred journey never ends. It also usually brings you back to where you started but the second time around you know where you have been. The mandala is a dynamic map of the stages of development necessary for transforming ourselves.
The most basic mandala form is the four step diagram known to adepts as the rotation of the elements. There are four stages. Earth (E) is followed by water (W) followed by air (A) followed by fire (F). Then we come back to earth. This pattern follows the laws of nature where earth is on the bottom with water above that and air above that and fire above that.
When an alchemist starts to work on him / herself this beginning stage is known as putting the fire under the earth. When putting the fire under the earth the alchemist is working against the natural order of things or working against nature. To cook a meal is working against nature according to alchemy. To cook my beliefs about myself is to change my unconscious patterns in my life that are not working for me. Changing my unconscious patterns is also a work against nature. In this important work I learn to overcome the things that are holding me back from reaching my goals in life.
Dennis Klocek
Dennis Klocek, MFA, is co-founder of the Coros Institute, an internationally renowned lecturer, and teacher. He is the author of nine books, including the newly released Colors of the Soul; Esoteric Physiology and also Sacred Agriculture: The Alchemy of Biodynamics. He regularly shares his alchemical, spiritual, and scientific insights at soilsoulandspirit.com.
1 Comment
Leave a Comment
Similar Writings
Esoteric steps toward self-renewal
[Ed: This was the first lecture of a series given by Dennis in 2002, but we only have this one transcription. It has been edited to be a stand alone. For a complete series like this, please see The Heart, Warmth and Karma: Integrating Steiner’s Spiritual Practices into Modern Healing, The Healing Power of Symbols,…
Approaching the Witness
The practice of “approaching the Witness” centers on recognizing the quiet part of the self that observes life without becoming overwhelmed by anxiety. By regularly asking a simple question, such as “What am I grateful for in this moment?”, and then listening into the silence that follows, we train the mind to shift attention away from worry and toward awareness. The goal is not to find perfect answers but to build a rhythm of question and listening, allowing gratitude and observation to gradually replace anxious thinking. Practiced daily, even for a few minutes, this exercise strengthens our connection to the inner Witness, helping us respond to life’s uncertainties with greater calm, flexibility, and understanding.
Working with mandala as self>Self; viewing representations of E-W-A-F..what if one instead of moving in a circular fashion ordered as above, One move E-W-F-A..?
Or demarcing these as spheres of influence, each primarily ‘ordering’ hemispheric ‘positionings’. …each influencing the others as colors hued as veil painted pigmentation -intense at a polar/focused position…and …then-‘ this sphere rolls into ‘incarnation thru time and space – influencing Earth…?