When you hear the word “alchemist,” what comes to mind? You likely imagine a magician producing something out of nothing or a scientist turning lead into gold. However, people who transform themselves are alchemists, too.
Indeed, if you apply personal and spiritual growth strategies to yourself, you are an alchemist. Why? In the process, you create a better version of yourself. You change yourself from who you were to who you want to be—someone who can achieve your potential and fulfill your purpose.
That’s alchemy.
If you apply personal and spiritual growth tools, you probably have transmuted negative stories, thoughts, and habits, as well as reactive tendencies. And, in their place, you developed supportive internal chatter, ways of being, and responses to your life. As a result, you became someone different.
That’s alchemy. Thus, you are an alchemist. You create internal change that impacts you and your external world.
What is an Alchemist?
It’s possible that the concept of alchemy, or being an alchemist, is new to you. So, let’s look at what these words mean.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an alchemist practices “alchemy,” which is the medieval chemical science and philosophy that aims to transmute base metals into gold, discover a universal cure for disease, and find a means of indefinitely prolonging life. Those are some big aspirations that may not seem attainable to the average person.
But alchemy also is defined as a power or process that changes, transmutes, or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way.
And here’s an even more straightforward meaning: an alchemist is someone who transforms things for the better.
You are an alchemist because as you “work on yourself,” you transform yourself for the better. And when you do that, you change your relationships, the people you encounter, your life, other people’s lives, and the world around you for the better.
You are Transforming Yourself
I got the idea for this blog post while reading Deepak Chopra’s book, The Way of the Wizard: Twenty Spiritual Lessons for Creating the Life You Want. Before that, I didn’t think of personal and spiritual growth as alchemy.
In his book, Chopra writes, “What is a wizard? Not someone who can perform magic but someone who can cause transformation. A wizard can turn fear to joy, frustration to fulfillment. A wizard can turn the time-bound into the timeless. A wizard can carry you beyond limitations into the boundless.”
Reading that was an aha moment for me. I realized that my pursuit of personal transformation made me a wizard in my own life. As a transformational coach, I am a wizard helping others go beyond their limitations.
I am an alchemist.
The Real Purpose of Alchemy
Chopra also writes, “Alchemy is about turning things into gold, that perfect, incorruptible substance. In human terms, gold is a symbol for pure spirit.” He explains that alchemy is achieved when you have moved beyond all limitations, thrown off all fear, and realized the pure spirit inside.
That is the true purpose of alchemy—to realize your pure spirit.
I believe that you can create whatever you desire if you do so from pure spirit. That’s why I named my company Pure Spirit Creations.
You are Pure Spirit
You and I come into this life as pure spirit. And we immediately forget who we are. Also, our spirit gets covered in layers of beliefs, fears, rules, and expectations. It gets buried inside our physical being, and we forget we are spiritual beings having a human experience.
Alchemy is a process of remembering who we are, uncovering that pure spirit, and expressing it. When we do that, we transform our physical selves, our lives, others, and the world.
Those who feel compelled to pursue personal and spiritual growth do so because our spirit calls from beneath those layers. It wants to express!
In fact, it is our job as human beings to remember, uncover, and express our pure spirit. To do that, we must become alchemists.
Proof that You are an Alchemist
If you don’t believe you are an alchemist, take an accounting of the changes you’ve made in your mindset, health, habits, relationships, career, or circ*mstances in the last year or more. If you see changes, you are an alchemist.
Sometimes changes are hard to identify or recognize in ourselves. So, if you don’t see differences despite your transformational efforts, ask friends or family members if they think you’ve changed. You might be surprised at what they say…
I had been involved in a personal and spiritual growth program for six months when a friend commented on how different I seemed. “Really?” I said. “I don’t feel like I’m that different.” I only could see minor changes in myself, but she saw major ones.
One caution:Don’t ask for feedback from people who tend to be critical of you already. They will not give you the most accurate read on your transformation.
Likewise, those who always say something nice may simply tell you that you were terrific before…and now. While well-intentioned, their feedback may also not be accurate.
Everyone is an Alchemist
If you can’t find any positive changes you’ve made in yourself or your life, that doesn’t mean you aren’t a wizard or alchemist. You are.
Maybe you simply haven’t applied what you learned in your personal and spiritual growth study. Perhaps you can’t see your blind spots and need a personal growth coach to help you see them.
Possibly, you’ve simply been too scared to change. After all, anything different triggers your brain to protect you. (Things that are different are perceived by the brain as threats.)
But you have a pure spirit within, and it is calling to you…asking for you to bring it forth. It is compelling you to transform yourself.
So put on your wizard hat. And pick one personal or spiritual growth tool or strategy and apply it. Stick with it. Commit to it.
Then watch as the change happens. Pay attention, and you’ll notice when you alchemize yourself from who you were into who you want to—and know you can—be.
You might transform just one old, destructive habit, like overeating, into intermittent fasting. Or you might transmute your tendency to keep feelings to yourself into the ability to be more vulnerable in relationships. Perhaps you will simply change your negative mindset to a more positive one.
That’s alchemy.
Do you see yourself as an alchemist? Tell me in a comment below. And please share this post with a friend or on your favorite social media site. If you feel challenged to create transformation on your own, reach out or join the Inspired Creator Community.
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Photo courtesy of Aziz Acharki .
