Betrayal Alchemy: Session 3 - Foundations Of Transformation

Welcome back beloved souls to session three of betrayal alchemy.

Today's session is going to be a little different than the first two and different than the ones that follow.

Think of this as an educational session.

Before we move forward into the heart of the alchemical process.

I just want to take a moment to pause,

Not to delay our journey but to deepen it.

Think of this as a grounding moment where we get clear on terms.

Reorient ourselves to why we've landed here in the middle of this process in the first place.

And to reflect on where we've been,

Where you've been.

If you are a note taker,

You may choose to grab something to write with and write on as we explore these concepts of alchemy and how they fit into this series.

As we move through the series,

If you have a question about how a particular stage fits in.

I invite you to use this recording as a point of reference to come back to recenter yourself to give you some additional insight and information.

All right.

Let's get into it.

I have already shared with you that this work was born as a result of my own brush with betrayal and the work I did to heal myself.

As I reflected back on that journey and while trying to determine the sequence to help guide you through the same process.

I realized that I didn't start with healing.

And then I thought about the alchemical process.

And before the process can even begin,

The alchemist must first prepare.

And in alchemy,

That preparation is known as the prima materia or first matter.

Think of session one and two as that prima materia.

And I have decided to refer to it as the pre alchemy stage.

It's where we prepare for the healing that lies ahead.

So prima materia in alchemical terms is this primitive formless base of all matter.

It is raw chaotic material.

That contains all and it has the potential to be converted into anything.

In the context of this series.

In the pre alchemy stage,

The raw necessary work must be done to prepare the self for transformation.

If you've gone through spirals of healing through any portion of your life,

You know that the beginning is always messy,

Right?

We usually talk of hitting rock bottom in a situation or having it exhaust all other avenues before we actually begin healing and changing and moving forward.

In order for healing or any real change to occur,

It has to be more uncomfortable to continue down the same path that you've been than it is to make the changes that are necessary.

And within that,

It is a lot of chaotic energy,

A lot of mess and a lot of just raw emotion.

We have to realize what is happening and we have to be able to separate ourselves from the situation.

You have to see that raw chaotic potential that the self has and that the situation has.

So I broke this out into two parts to help because this is really deep work.

And it's also,

As I've said,

Really messy.

So awakening and detachment in session one,

Which is called breaking the spell.

This is the awakening stage.

It's that raw chaotic moment when you get hit with the reality that everything is not as it always seemed to be.

When you first catch a glimpse of the situation,

That literally brings you to your knees.

This is the part of the journey where you begin to see the situation.

You see the decisions of another.

And in that moment,

The shift occurs.

And it leaves you in this complete upheaval situation.

But it is the moment of awakening,

The moment of something has to change.

And it's almost like it's an anchoring into truth.

Then in session two,

Rising above,

This is where the detachment begins to occur.

Where you've seen the situation and you know that you need to shift and make a move.

So you shift your perspective and claim your space.

This is where you learn to move yourself out from the center of the storm.

And also work with your own power and energy to reclaim what's truly yours.

You realize the potential that exists now that the storm is not yours to carry.

When you let go of that,

You're able to open up additional energy and doorways for something new to emerge.

You get to witness the raw chaos,

But realize that you're not a part of it.

But you then have the power to transform and transmute it with your own power,

With this internal power,

With this awareness.

And you gather all of your strength into the palm of your hands to begin to harness what is your rightful power.

If you haven't explored those two,

I invite you to do that because they are an important part of the foundational work before traditional alchemy can begin.

So up to this point,

We've looked at betrayal through a feeling lens.

And throughout the series,

We will continue to work with our feelings.

But for a moment,

I want to get present on the definitions,

The framework,

And some structure.

I want to look at it through a logical lens versus a feeling lens.

So let's start with the definition.

Simply stated,

Betrayal is the violation of trust.

When someone breaks a bond,

Promise,

Or expectation,

Causing emotional or moral harm.

Merriam-Webster defines it as a violation of trust or moral standards.

Dictionary.

Com adds that it involves disappointing a person's hopes or expectations.

Now,

There are numerous ways that betrayal can strike,

And I want to take a moment just to explore a few of them.

Emotional betrayal.

When someone you trust,

A friend,

Family member,

Partner,

Lover,

Someone very close to you,

Acts in a way that deeply hurts you.

This could be through lying,

Cheating,

Or abandoning you.

And I want to be clear that that abandoning you could be in a situation.

Moral betrayal is when someone violates shared principles or values.

And this could be in a work context,

Like a leader going against their stated ideals or a colleague undermining a team.

Rational behavior.

Relational behavior.

Often involves secrecy,

Deception,

Disloyalty in our close relationships.

This is where infidelity or revealing private information can come into play.

And then there's political or social betrayal.

When institutions or leaders fail to uphold their promises to protect the people they serve.

I think there's probably a lot of people out there who feel that one right now.

Although the above examples do differ in betrayal,

There are some common themes that are true for all of them.

At the root of all relationships,

There is trust.

And when that trust is broken,

Betrayal occurs.

Betrayal often involves intentionality,

Meaning the betrayer knows what they are doing.

There is usually a power imbalance or vulnerability when someone is exposed or dependent.

The impact of betrayal is both emotional and structural.

Emotional in terms of pain,

Anger and confusion,

Which is what we focused on so far.

But then structural with the loss of safety or a change in relationship dynamics.

Although we think of betrayal as external,

As in someone betrayed me.

There's also times when it's internal,

When we betray ourselves.

And this can be by ignoring your values or boundaries to please others.

Or to stay silent in a situation when you know that you should speak up and share your voice.

And these can create inner conflict and regret.

Okay,

Now that we've covered what betrayal is through this lens.

Let's get into the classic alchemical stages.

How they mirror the journey of healing from betrayal.

This process moves us from the initial shattering to the integration of strength,

Wisdom and grace.

Alchemy at its essence is the art of transmutation.

The turning base matter into gold.

Shadow into light.

Pain into wisdom.

It is both a spiritual and psychological process.

It's a map for inner awakening that guides us through cycles of breaking down,

Purifying and rebirthing into a form of higher self.

The classical stages of alchemy,

There are seven of them.

Calcination.

Dissolution.

Separation.

Conjunction.

Fermentation.

Distillation.

And coagulation.

And we'll get into those here in a moment.

They form a symbolic blueprint for this inner journey.

In traditional alchemy,

We work with lead.

In spiritual alchemy,

Think of this as shadow,

Pain,

Attachments and unhealed wounds.

The gold that we speak of in traditional alchemy,

In terms of spiritual,

Is that refined self.

That which is aware,

Sovereign,

Aligned with sole purpose,

Emotionally free.

The work of alchemy is both internal and external.

It asks us to move through challenges,

To witness ourselves honestly,

And to transform what is heavy into something light.

Even outside the context of betrayal,

Alchemy offers a guide for anyone seeking personal evolution,

Emotional mastery and spiritual awakening.

I personally chose betrayal because it was an emotion.

I call it an emotion because that's just how it shows up for me.

That was so deeply connected to the core of my being.

And once I was able to separate from that,

I was able to see the freedom and I was able to see how it transformed and how it aligned so perfectly.

But these concepts can be used for any sort of spiritual awakening.

And I think that's important to know.

The process reminds us that transformation is rarely linear.

And I'll tell you that in my own experience,

It is never linear.

It is cyclical,

It is spiraled and it is layered.

And when we think that we've solved it,

Then we take another pass around the spiral and go a little deeper.

It requires patience,

Courage and attention.

Alchemy is not about forcing change,

But about creating conditions for change to emerge naturally and aligning ourselves with the deeper currents of life.

I think this is really important because so often we try to force something into being.

When in reality,

If we can soften into the change,

Structure our environment to support what we are wanting to invite in,

And be open to the possibility that something new or different can emerge,

Then we naturally begin to take the necessary steps in our lives to allow space for this change to occur.

So again,

Alchemy is not about forcing change,

But creating conditions for the change to emerge naturally.

And that's what you're doing in this work.

That's what you're doing in this series.

We form this framework as a sacred container to navigate the emotional,

Mental and spiritual challenges of behavior.

But alchemy itself is a universal process.

It is a timeless art that applies to every wound,

Every shadow,

Every area of life where transformation is needed.

By understanding alchemy,

We gain a language for the invisible work.

The burning,

Melting,

Separating,

Integrating,

Fermenting,

Refining and eventually embodying that happens not in a moment,

But across the arc of growth,

Across the spiral.

The ancient alchemists used physical symbols and processes to describe what was happening within the soul.

Fire,

Water,

Air,

Earth and spirit.

But these were never just elements.

They were teachers,

Each guiding us through stages of release,

Purification and awakening.

In Betrayal Alchemy,

We move through these same elemental gates and enter into the sacred rhythm of transformation that leads us towards that inner wholeness and sovereignty with spirit.

So let's get into it.

First,

Let's look at the full arc of transformation through the classical phases of the alchemical process so that we can move into the embodiment of the golden self.

I'm going to give you an overview of how the next seven sessions align with the process.

I'm going to include the classical definitions for each stage,

As well as how I shifted these to align with this series.

All right,

Here we go.

Stage one of traditional alchemy begins with calcination.

Calcination is the process of heating a solid material to a high temperature in an environment with a limited supply of oxygen.

And you do this to drive off volatile substances like moisture and carbon dioxide.

In the context of healing and for the purpose of this series,

This is where we confront the painful aspects to allow for growth to occur,

Where old beliefs and behaviors are broken down and burned away.

Here we work with the element of fire so that we can burn away what no longer serves and to dissolve illusions and attachments once and for all.

Stage two is dissolution.

Dissolution is the process of dissolving a substance such as ashes into a liquid to break down the rigid structures and return them to a fluid,

Formless state.

We will use introspection to soften into the grieving process and release.

I think of this as the sacred unmaking.

Here we will work with the element of water for flow and surrender.

Stage three is separation,

And that is the process of dividing a mixture into its individual parts to isolate the pure essence.

And this often uses methods like filtration,

Settling,

Or decomposition.

For us in this series,

This is where we learn to separate our thoughts and habits from a situation or a person.

And we will perform a cord-cutting ritual to create boundaries that will allow for inner liberation and energetic clearing.

And with this,

We'll be working with the element of air.

When I think of air,

I think of swords in traditional tarot that really just cut through,

Slice through,

Clear out,

And that's what we'll be doing.

Stage four,

Conjunction.

We take the purified element and recombine them to create a new substance.

So you've got all of this that's been broken down and separated,

Purified and cleansed,

But now they're still separate elements.

Here in stage four,

You bring them back together,

And because they've been purified and cleaned,

You now have a new substance.

In betrayal alchemy,

This is where we integrate shadow and light.

Where the healing that we've been through starts to become wisdom.

We find harmony with all parts of ourselves.

Here we'll work with the earth as our element,

And we'll journey into the underworld to invite in the shadow self fully so that we can embrace all parts of the self,

Uniting the light and the dark.

Stage five,

Fermentation.

This one is a spiritual metaphor,

And it represents the breakdown of the old self to allow for the rebirth of a new true self.

It signifies the death and decay that is necessary for the formative process,

Leading to a rebirth and an enlightenment.

So I always think of it like this.

When you start something new,

There is a grieving period that has to occur.

There is something that has to be released in order for something new to come into being,

And that's really what this fermentation process is.

It's often referred to as putrefaction or spiritization.

And in this series,

This is where your new life emerges from that decay.

This is where you shine the inner light,

Inspiration and trust begin to return to the soul so that it can bloom.

We will work with the element of spirit to perform a rebirth visualization and journaling session.

And really,

If you think of session four and session five,

Or stage four and stage five together,

You can see that there is a death,

Dying decay,

And then a rebirth.

So we go into the underworld in four to grab our shadow self and to work with that.

And then in five,

We reemerge.

I think of Inanna.

I think of Inanna going into the underworld,

Gathering all the wisdom and everything that she needs.

And then five is like her coming back to the upper world,

Coming back to the light to share that wisdom with the earth from a rebirth place.

Okay,

Stage six,

Distillation.

This is a crucial process that's used to separate and purify substances.

This is where the alchemist works with ether for distillation and refinement.

This is extracting the spirit or soul of a substance.

Think of it as the plant essence that you believe could be used then to create new elixirs or the transmutation of metals.

It's getting to the root of the juicy goodness that's at the center of this new structure.

It's like separating what is truly valuable from the basic and achieving an inner state of purity.

Really just getting rid of the extra fluff.

We use this state to elevate our consciousness,

Refine our energy,

And embody wisdom.

Where we take what we have learned about ourselves so far in this process and determine what we need to bring with us that will have the most impact on our journey ahead.

Think of this as like what tools do I want in my toolkit as I move forward and what have I picked up along the way that really isn't helping me,

But it's just kind of there.

This is what is essential.

Will you stillness reflective meditation and really distill our wisdom from the soul itself?

Okay,

Stage seven,

The final stage.

We made it.

Coagulation or the golden stage.

This is the integration of spirit and matter where the purified distilled essence of earlier stages is combined and embodied.

Resulting in a unified consciousness,

A transformed self that is now grounded and enlightened.

If you've heard of the philosopher's stone,

This is where the philosopher's stone is formed.

Here you live as the transmuted self,

Sovereign,

Whole,

And radiant.

We will perform a closing ceremony of gratitude and integration as well as a grounding ritual to solidify the new self.

Okay,

That's it.

Those are the stages.

That is an overview.

Take a deep breath in and exhale fully.

You have heard a lot and it can feel overwhelming,

But we're going to take it a step at a time,

A stage at a time.

And allow the energy to really settle into the body.

This is the sacred science of transformation,

And you have begun to see how its ancient wisdom can mirror your own healing.

In this moment,

Honor yourself for showing up for your courage,

Your presence,

And your willingness to explore what transformation truly means.

In this series,

You are the alchemist.

Your life,

Your heart,

Your healing.

These are the sacred materials that you are refining into gold.

Before you move on with your day,

Take a moment to feel your feet on the ground.

Feel how you are supported and held by the earth.

With each breath,

Feel the steadiness of your own becoming.

The quiet knowing that every step,

Every realization is part of your unfolding wholeness.

As we prepare to enter session four,

We will begin the true alchemical process,

Starting with calcination.

The sacred fire that burns away the illusion and initiates your transformation.

But for now,

Simply rest in gratitude.

Gratitude for your journey so far,

For the clarity that has begun to emerge,

And for the wisdom that continues to awaken within you.

When you are ready,

Bring yourself back to this present moment.

And know that you carry the golden thread of awareness with you.

Always.

May you walk gently,

Breathe deeply,

And remember that even in the breaking,

You are becoming remade.

Blessed be,

Beloved alchemist.

Until next time.

And so it is,

And so it is,

And so it is.

Aho.

Awen.

Os.

Bye,

Loved ones.

I'll see you in session four.