Glossary
The following is a glossary of terms that I included in the back of my book The Second Half of the Mountain.
By setting forth this glossary of terms, I’m by no means claiming to be an authority on what any of these words mean, as many of them mean different things in different traditions. I’ve done my best to give you definitions of the lesser-known terms I use frequently in this book in order to help you understand how I’m using them. Some of them are long-standing terms from the alchemical tradition, and some of them are terms I made up along the way to help myself better understand certain processes. So I hope you won’t cling too tightly to any of it. And of course, feel free to make up your own words and definitions as you see fit.
the Above
The nonphysical realms of spirit, the unseen and the formless perceived through subtle perceptions.
alchemical metabolism
The ability to move through alchemical stages faster and smoother as a result of constant transmuting. Situations that used to send you into a tailspin become intuitive. Places that used to get sticky and jam you up for days become easier to navigate or don’t stick at all. Over all, you move faster through the cycles and begin to alchemize more than one thing at the same time.
the Below
The physical realms of matter and form perceived through the five physical senses.
body double
The energy body or eternal self that can carry out purpose and intent in nonphysical reality while your attention and efforts are also on physical reality. The well-developed body double is independent from but congruent with your physical self, making it easier to be in both realities at once. This is also known as the dreaming body in shamanic traditions as it’s developed through dreaming states, either awake or asleep. It can also be developed through the higher operations of alchemy as you travel the vertical axis and expand your awareness of the nonphysical realms.
the between
The relational space or middle ground between two opposing things in which magic is created. For example, the space between the subtle perceptions of the formless and the physical form. The coagulated person who has formed the Philosopher’s Stone within also becomes the between in which the powers of the Above and the Below meet for the wielding of sacred magic.
Burning Man
An annual gathering in the Nevada desert of the United States, which becomes a temporary city of art built on the principles of self-expression, inclusion, and leaving no trace. Community building, participation, and selfless offering of one’s talents for the enjoyment of others are central to the experience.
calcination
The first stage of the alchemical pattern in which the substance is heated by fire. Calcination works to loosen the ego’s rigid grip on and identification with material reality.
coagulation
The seventh stage of the alchemical pattern in whichthe soul and spirit unite in an inseparable union, creating the Philosopher’s Stone within.
conjunction
The fourth stage of the alchemical pattern in which the soul and spirit unite for the first time, creating a creative and spiritual awakening that forms the Lesser Stone within and that marks the beginning of the journey up the second half of the mountain.
cycle
There’s a difference between vicious cycles that keep us stuck in repetitive and destructive ruts (think hamster wheel) and cycles that propel us forward (think spiral or corkscrew that reaches a deeper level with each turn). When I use the word cycle, I’m referring to thecycles of alchemy that, by nature, help us evolve as long as we are engaged in transmuting along the way.
dissolution
The second stage of the alchemical pattern in which the ashes that remain from the fire are dissolved in the waters of the subconscious soul.
distillation
The final procedure before the formation of the stone wherein the soul is cleansed to absolute purity so as to unite with the spirit in inseparable union.
ego
Ego is a word that gets thrown around a lot in many thought camps—spiritual, psychological or otherwise. I use it in this book to mean any unalchemized bit in the psyche that may be getting in the way of fuller mind, body, spirit, and soul alignment. I also use it to mean the part of the psyche that carries your concept of self and life at any given stage on the path, which is a necessary and useful component for alignment.
the Emerald Tablet
The ancient and cryptic text depicting the secrets to alchemical transmutation and making the Philosopher’s Stone. Hermes Trismegistus—the “Father of Alchemy”—is often cited as the author, although its true source is also said to be unknown. The Emerald Tablet serves as the foundation for Hermetic literature and practice. Endless commentaries and interpretations of the ancient text (including this book) have unfolded and continue to unfold throughout time.
fermentation
The fifth stage of the alchemical pattern in which the conjunction of the soul and spirit begins to break down and create darkness and decay. The dark nights indicate a powerful process in which the ego is suppressed so as to grow the soul.
the Great White Nothing
The no man’s land of the Dark Night of the Spirit.
the Great Work
The efforts and journey through the alchemical procedures required to form and subsequently wield and maintain the purity of the Philosopher’s Stone within.
the Hermetic Network
A living, pulsating, dynamic network of physical and non-physical entities who study, live, and breathe the practices of alchemy, adding to its ever-growing and changing body of knowledge and experience throughout time/no time. It’s a network that resists organization by its very nature and thus has no hierarchy or leadership and resides nowhere and everywhere at the same time.
higher operations of alchemy
The stages and procedures that take place after the formation of the Lesser Stone at stage four, conjunction.
karma
In this book and work, I use this word to mean everything in the soul that is not cleared or healed, thus creating a loop or pattern that keeps our story on repeat and must be broken in order to form the Greater Stone within.
magical will
An intuitive awareness that bypasses thoughts of right or wrong born in us through the procedures of distillation, aiding in the wielding of the stone. When we learn to act on magical will without understanding or being privy to its deeper meanings and implications, great and astounding magic is possible. This is the magic of our entire being at work, not just the magic of the thinking mind. However, before the procedures of the Second Journey, our psyches are still too fragile to realize, trust, and work fully with magical will. Once we’ve alchemized the psyche to a certain point, the soul receives pure downloads from spirit and turns it into the will to act without thought processes slowing us down and getting in the way. I first heard the term “magical intuition” in Catherine MacCoun’s book On Becoming An Alchemist.
the Philosopher’s Stone
The non-physical substance or “One Thing” needed to turn base metal into gold. Through the Great Work, we are creating our own unique versions of the Philosopher’s Stone—the unique touchstone or magical essence formed through the union of soul and spirit within that can transform any situation or thing in our lives. No one can do this for us and no two stones are alike. The Lesser Stone is a term used for the first formation of the stone upon awakening at stage four, but it’s a fragile conjunction susceptible to breakdown, thus we undergo subsequent procedures and take the Second Journey in order to form the second or Greater Stone within the heart. The words “greater” and “lesser” are unfortunate in the sense that they may carry bits of “better than/worse than” judgment or shame, but it’s helpful to remember that the two stones are not separate from each other or made from different substances. The Greater Stone is a magnification of the Lesser Stone.
prima materia
The first matter or the starting matter, which can be found in all things and is needed to create magic and form the Philosopher’s Stone within.
radiation
A term for the seventh stage in the alchemical cycle in which the alchemist has surrendered all attachment to material and spiritual identifications and offered up his or her entire being for the use of sacred magic, radiating all energy outwardly and feeling nothing on the inside.
Rainbow Gathering
An annual gathering of individuals upholding shared values of unity, peace, freedom, and respect. Focused on creating an experience and culture free of hierarchal authority, consumerism, and mass media, the gathering takes place in different forests across the United States as well as other places around the world.
Rapid Cycle Alchemy
After journeying through all the alchemical stages to form the Philosopher’s Stone, we take on a type of maintenance program to keep the stone free of impurities. Alchemy doesn’t stop; it just happens at a quicker pace. You can experience any or all stages from fire to gold within a day or an hour or even a minute, sometimes without thought. If this sounds emotionally exhausting, well, yes, sometimes it is, but not in ways it once would have been before you formed the stone within. At this point, you are the gold and must take all measures necessary to keep it that way. Reserving and replenishing your energy for your work becomes of utmost importance. You may find yourself developing new patterns with the stages based on your specific needs, magic, and work in order to do so.
sacred magic
The magic that cannot be said or named, the magic that goes beyond what we can create with our conscious thoughts and efforts, the magic of the soul and spirit working together, made possible by transmuting and surrendering everything within ourselves that keeps us from aligning with our greater truth.
separation
The third stage in the alchemical pattern in which air is brought to the water-logged ashes of calcination and dissolution, giving the alchemist space and time to identify his or her true essence within.
the Second Journey
The journey up the second half the mountain after awakening at conjunction to form the Greater Stone within.
the Secret Fire
Fire not of the earth, but of the soul. The invisible fire that burns within and cleanses the dross from the psyche during fermentation and the dark nights, making way for True Imagination.
soul
The passive part of the eternal self, represented by feminine, lunar, and unconscious energies. The soul is more comfortable in the gravity of the Below and holds blueprints to memories, wounds, and stories from its entire existence. The soul is also the will that, when aligned, can provide the driving force or passion to carry out conscious intent.
spirit
The active part of the eternal self, represented by masculine, solar, and conscious energies. The spirit is boundless and moves freely through the light realms above. The spirit strives for perfection, feeds on ideals, goals, and limitless imagination, but needs the roots, depths, and groundedness of the soul to manifest through matter.
Spirit’s Little Bitch
What you might feel like when going through the processes of the dark nights and distillation, unable to do anything you want to do in the physical world because it seems to be all about what everything the divine or spirit realms want of you.
spiritual bypass
A term coined by psychologist John Welwood in the 1980s and popularized in recent years by author Jeff Brown and other spiritual workers to explain the tendency to jump to spiritual conclusions, identify solely with our spiritual selves, or use spirituality as a crutch at the expense of doing the inner work that awaits us through physical reality.
Spiritual Margaritaville
A term I coined to describe the base camp of light and love encountered halfway up the mountain upon spiritual awakening (conjunction).
stone
(See Philosopher’s Stone)
the subtle body
A nonphysical or energetic body of our being that radiates from and through our physical being. The subtle body perceives beyond the five senses, which connects us to information from the timeless and essential parts of ourselves and helps us align the physical and nonphysical aspects of our being.
transmute
The soul-baring process of taking what is harmful within and turning it into something helpful, painful to peaceful, and ordinary to extraordinary.
the transpersonal self
The self that exists beyond your personal story in this lifetime.
True Imagination
The imagination not of the thinking or fantasizing mind, but of the subtle body—pure unsolicited images, dreams, ideas—dawning through the fermentation process and carried forth for the wielding of the stone.
vertical axis
The continuum of energy accessed within that has no beginning and no end and contains the totality of existence. The spirit naturally resides in the realms above, the soul in realms below, and the human in the middle. The axis is traveled and explored through expanded or altered states of awareness aside from every day consciousnesses at first. With dedicated focus and practice, access to the vertical becomes a permanent state and merges with everyday life in the heart of the coagulated individual.
will
In alchemy, will is associated with the soul and is the driving force behind things. The conscious mind can hold an intention or a plan, but the will has to be on board to carry it out. Will is the magical and elusive power behind manifestation. Alchemical procedures continually aim at aligning will and intent.