Intention and Going with the Flow

Eastern Alchemy is heavily influenced by the spirit of the Tao De Ching. For 81 chapters, Lao Tzu poetically describes what it feels like when the whole breadth and depth of life and nature moves us. As opposed to being moved exclusively by a narrow ego structure that grasps ceaselessly after what it thinks might satiate it. So much of Lao Tzu’s philosophy pointed to the opportunity of giving up control: surrendering to something larger. Tuning into how life wants to move and flowing with that. Not arguing with reality. In a way, this all points to an approach to life in which one opens up to feel Divine intention - trusting that what life intends is likely wiser than something cooked up by the Individual mind. From an ultra-rational or sceptical point of view, this kind of surrender could seem like a great self-compromise. In another way though, it’s the difference between padding a surfboard forward with your hands and feet, versus having the ocean lift and propel you forward with its waves. As any surfer will tell you, it’s more fun to become one with the ocean’s flow.

But much of alchemy is about forming an intention and carefully holding it so that it materialises in the world. How can that be reconciled with the idea of “going with the flow”? First, the principle of listening still holds. It’s important when forming an intention to stop and notice how it feels. Does it feel light and free and peaceful - as if aligned to the Dao? Or does it have more of a grinding, anxious feeling to it. Many magical incantations include a moment of pause to check in with what is often called “God’s will”. Often this is a simple matter of practicality. If what you’re trying to accomplish feels like it runs at cross-purpose to the sense of Nature’s flow, your intention is less likely to bear fruit.

But also: there’s a yin and yang to everything. It’s important to listen for the natural flow of how events may be moving. But sometimes these events only come into being through the focused participation and committed energy of someone with skin in the game. The invisible world is pregnant with possibilities. With our physical bodies and sophisticated minds, we are gifted with the potential to listen for the whisper of those possibilities and tug them steadily through layers of reality until they materialise in the world of form.

Manifesting something in tune with the rhythm and flow of life can be achieved with a spirit of service. As opposed to moving wilfully with a strong focus on personal gains. Through the process of alchemy, a practicitioner may become aware of many inner/outer correspondences. The soaring of an eagle on air currents may be appreciated in the outer world; and at the same time that soaring might exist within - as thinking that can move lightly and elegantly - shifting direction direction with new information as if flowing on the breeze. A tiger might be appreciated out in the world. And inside, a spirit of tiger-strength and tiger-ferocity might be felt. These are not just imagined analogies. They are made real through intention and belief. But more importantly, they are made real through love. If you sense some part of reality which you cherish and admire, it can be a fleeting experience that comes and goes. But the alchemical alternative is to flip a switch inside oneself to say “I put myself in service of this part of reality. I devote some part of the inner real estate of who and what I am to rooting and expressing this quality of reality - letting it saturate me so that it becomes solid within me; so that it makes a home in my cells and expresses through me in a way that is helpful in the world and that accords with its nature. This choice is like plunging a shovel into the earth and saying “this piece of land is my home”. It’s like ritually putting on a wedding ring with the sense that your partner will bond and unite with you - wilfully accepting that life with them will perpetually change you.

So rather than focusing on something in the outside world to get, a person might invest time and intention into rooting the corresponding inner quality within themselves. As the inner builds depth and substance, it naturally attracts the outer expression. For a person wanting a great romantic relationship, he might begin to finding what part of the world reflects the qualities he wants in that relationship. Maybe a thriving sense of passion. Maybe a gentleness through which it’s possible to relax and come to rest. Maybe a sense of sexual regalness that may have been compromised through trauma and insult. When we can root these qualities as part of our inner world, it may solve the apparent problem of something lacking in a way that’s far more substantial and stable than getting something on the outside. But as a bonus, if the old alchemists were right, rooting those qualities within magnetises people to you that mirror those qualities. So - win win.