Old ways (Ora et Labora)
shamans & the ancients had an innate understanding of the intimate relationship they had in their preparations of medicine. they understood that the influencer affected the vibrational and spiritual qualities of the medicine. They saw their medicine making space as both the laboratory & temple.
Ora et labora is a famous alchemical phrase for pray and work. in ancient Egypt, there were certain priests that worked in medicine making temples and during their preparations, they performed rituals, incantations, and spells that were repeated like mantras so that the energy of the priests was imbued into the extractions. When medicine was administered to a patient they were directed to repeat a specific spell while they ingested these medicines. they understood that both spiritual and physical realms had to work together in balance in order to create effective medicines. The alchemist acts as a bridge for these celestial forces to anchor in the spiritual influences of the above into the medicines. Through the practice of intention & presence when ingesting & applying these powerful medicines we integrate the celestial forces within ourselves & into our inner laboratory. If we work with these medicines in conjunction with meditation we may transport to where certain spiritual, psychological, & physical ailments originated, allowing true healing to occur & to come into greater connection with nature. Unlike reductionistic medicine that isolates certain compounds to target very specific symptoms, Spagyric medicines provide healing on a spiritual, emotional, psychological, and physical level making it a truly integrative experience.
The practice of Alchemy, astrology, & ceremonial rituals goes hand in hand. The usage of symbols, incantations, spells, and other magical tools are useful when performing alchemical operations because it allows you to anchor your thoughts into reality. It gives your mind a focal point to manifest. In the alchemical tradition, there is a term we use called “harvesting the cosmos.” When Preparing medicines on the day of the plant’s planetary correspondence this anchors the celestial influence into the medicine creating a vibrational resonance. The alchemist builds a relationship with these archetypal forces working in communion to understand certain psychological processes by acting as a vehicle for these forces to work through. This is what harvesting the archetype is referring to. By ingesting these medicines we are engaging with the planets in an intimate way because we are integrating the signature of that planet’s energy into our bodies. Ultimately restructuring our reality because we are encouraging the change of thought patterns by actively engaging with the celestial frequencies of the planets. Through this method, we are integrating the understandings of the famous alchemical axiom as above, so below.
The practice of Ceremonial ritual enhances our intuition, psychic capabilities, and strengthens our auric energy field. By reciting certain spells and working with certain tools this process encourages the mind to be disciplined similarly to the way meditation works. Active imagination is an important component in Ceremonial magick as well. By aligning specific visualizations & our emotions together, we influence the fabric of our reality with our thoughts, cutting edge research in quantum physics is now proving this. Ritual magick also teaches us through repetition, dedication, & discipline we can train the mind to focus on the things we want to create as opposed to being a victim of our reality we learn to spend less energy on the things we do not wish to create (manifest). The mind is our most powerful tool and we can utilize this practice to train the mind and see it as an instrument that instructs our reality. By doing so we become true magicians and creators of our reality because we learn to take responsibility for where our thoughts perpetually take us, ultimately leading ourselves to become truly sovereign beings. This practice allows us to see our lives as a living prayer & lessens our susceptibility and vulnerability to maligned forces.
