Daoist Alchemy
Daoist alchemy is a knowledge system, a worldview, which underlies the process of personal transformation and lets you free yourself from all crude energy by transforming it. Its fundamental concepts are based on the knowledge about the Macrocosm and the nature of the Soul. Its basic principle is the nurturing of the soul (shen) and its elevation to the rank of the Absolute, or the Yang concept.
In the Chinese tradition, Daoist alchemy is also known as the Art of the Yellow and the White, or the Way of the Cinnabar – this is a system of practical knowledge aimed at developing the abilities for energy regeneration and conversion. This leads to a partial or complete transformation of the body through the gradual cultivation of the germinal pill located at the confluence of the prenatal energy Su Yun Liu Cheng Yin.
Daoist alchemy was formed as a result of the need to overcome the temporary (actually, death). The most intriguing and interesting aspect here is that initially the human body was perceived as a kind of consciousness. The life and immortality of the mind achieved through the Mother Body state (a body endowed with a crucible) became the main impulse for the formation of Daoist alchemy.
This is why, if we want to understand Daoist alchemy, we need to comprehend the following two concepts: the original consciousness and the developed consciousness. Of course, at the beginning of its formation, when nature had a different rhythm, and people had a different energy intensity, the primary model for Daoist alchemy was the Woman. According to Daoist ideas, the female body is by nature whole, that is, it is capable of transformation, (a process that must be taken under control) – these are in fact the characteristics of the Alchemical body.
A body that is whole follows the basic energy principle: energy conservation and accumulation, alchemical cultivation and transformation. If energy cannot be accumulated, the mind cannot control it. This is why it is so important to form the Alchemical body and the Alchemical mind at the very beginning of the path. In fact, the female body and mind have these characteristics by nature, i.e. by nature the female body is characterised by certain energy processes, associated with the concepts of the Flower body and the Purified body (silver).
This materialization and transformation of life processes leads us to the concept of the Jade Emperor, or the circle of transformation, consisting of the three energy conditions qi, jing and shen. What is in fact important here is the way these three kinds of energy combine with each other, forming trigrams, which are the precondition for consistency. A trigram is a knot, a connection that forms six conditions in space, or a hexagram.
Thus, the Alchemical body formed through alchemical practice is a kind of body capable of internal transformation. Its creation is the most important prerequisite for achieving a deep transformation. The alchemical body has the ability to change many natural processes, it does not rely on natural temporary energy, but on transformed energy, which harmonizes the inner forces and forms timeless parameters.
The Alchemical body is a body that can create additional energy resources by changing the energy frequency, this is why it has specific physiological and biochemical characteristics. Daoist alchemy focuses precisely on the improvement of these factors.
Meanwhile, the simple form of the body cannot be considered the essence of the substance. The essence is revealed within the laws of the prenatal, and not in the laws of the postnatal, since the form interferes here. The essence is expressed in the well-proportioned form.
+The essence of Daoist Alchemy (daojia neidan)
Form cannot be considered the essence of substance, although some sources try to assert this. Essence is manifested in the laws of the prenatal, but not in the laws of the postnatal, where the form interferes. However, as essence is expressed by the form, form also depends on essence. This means that the form should be changed so that it does not interfere with the essence even if it does not depend on it. Moreover, such a form, in which the essence is not oppressed, must have the appropriate proportions.
This leads us to the question: Why do thing exists? Human nature, or man’s essence, can be examined either externally or internally. To do this however we need to penetrate into the mother’s womb and rebuild our true nature. Rebuilding our nature is easier than knowing it. The next question we face is: How can we delineate the boundaries of reality?
+Daoist body (daojia tu)
The Daoist body is a fundamental concept in the inner work system of Daoist yoga and alchemy. This concept is used within sacral anatomy, and it is extremely important for those who want to understand inner development.
Note that the Daoist body concept is specific and does not correspond to the modern understanding of the body. The Daoist body is a form that represents something or a form, which contains something. We need to understand not only the form itself but also the connections it builds in the body. This will help us perceive our body as a Single, united body, a body with internal support. The Daoist body requires “Kinship of the Three” (Can Tong Qi), it is a body endowed with consciousness.
Bringing the body to a state of absolute inseparability is the first step to the practical implementation of the idea of the Immortal Embryo, which symbolizes the return to the prenatal embryonic stage. This stage helps you to distinguish between embryonic, abdominal and energy breathing, and also allows you to initiate the alchemical processes with your whole body. This starts with the creation of crucibles in the body, next, Yin thickens into mercury and then Yang thickens into lead. This allows the shi seed to merge with the breath – a process, which begins with the formation of the Inmost Embryo that is nurtured within the body.
+Elixirs in Internal Alchemy (neidan)
The list of elixirs used and obtained in internal alchemy (Nei Dan, 內丹, internal elixir, cinnabar) is quite large. Moreover, elixirs can be both external and internal. The most famous animate elixir bearers are the tortoise, the stork and the bat, which symbolize immortality in Daoism.
The very process of obtaining the elixir (as well as, in fact, its use) is an alchemical process, correlated with the idea of metal transmutation, which is associated with a certain effort and certain properties. The process itself is not associated with a particular metal, but rather with particular properties. Its implementation relies on the spiritual properties of the energy received, and the use and cultivation of better ingredients (associated with the vapours produced during smelting).
Vapours are also conceptualized as light, and the highest quality achieved through the alchemical process is associated with gold. However, gold is not the adept’s only goal. At the beginning and even in the middle of the path, the alchemical process involves other, lower-quality ingredients, which are vital to the alchemical process. This is also associated with the idea of the philosopher’s stone, which represents the whole spectrum of minerals and even processes that are important for the cultivation of mercurial consciousness, which transcends the limits of lower human nature.
