Hello everyone and welcome to session four of Betrayal Alchemy.
Today we enter into the first stage of the traditional alchemical process known as calcination.
This stage is aligned with the element of fire and this session draws upon imagery inspired by earth-based traditions including elements that are reminiscent of Native American sweat lodges and fire ceremonies.
Before we begin I want to take a moment to acknowledge with deep respect and gratitude that this is not a recreation of any specific indigenous practice.
Rather what you will experience is symbolic and a visionary journey that is informed by my own lineage,
Personal research,
And shamanic path work.
So without further ado let's begin.
Take a slow deep breath in through your nose and sigh it out through your mouth.
Take a moment to find stillness.
To find a position that will allow you to deeply relax and to sink into this moment.
You may choose to sit or lie down.
The important thing is that you allow yourself to become comfortable and heavy and that you're in a position to visualize and to breathe and to simply allow.
I'm going to count down from five to one and as I do I invite you to allow your body to relax.
Allow it to sink deeply into the surface that you are sitting or lying on and allow yourself to land fully in this moment.
Five Four Three Two One Cast yourself out into a field at night.
You find yourself standing in a wide open field beneath the sky filled with stars.
The air is cool and alive on your skin.
Somewhere in the distance you can hear the steady beat of drums slow rhythmic and ancient.
This sound calls to you without fully knowing or understanding why you begin to walk towards it.
With each step you are drawing yourself deeper into the unknown.
As you move closer golden embers begin to rise into the night.
Their glowing sparks mix with the stars above.
You pause for a moment watching the way they dance in the dark.
Listening to the rhythm as it vibrates in your chest.
Then with one conscious breath you choose to move forward.
You walk through one final cluster of trees and step into a clearing.
Before you a great fire burns and around it you notice tents and teepees and people gathered in a sacred circle.
You take a moment to look at each of the faces.
Some of them you may recognize,
Others you may not,
But all of them greet you with warmth and knowing.
An elder steps forward and extends their hand to you.
You feel the welcome in their eyes as they guide you over to the fire and invite you to sit.
You take your place among them and as you settle in you notice everyone is working with their hands.
Shaping,
Crafting,
Creating.
You can't make out what it is,
But you know that it holds deep meaning.
You know that they are making a physical offering.
The elder turns to you and places something in your hands.
Something that you will use to make your offering for what you are ready to release.
It may be a piece of clay,
Wood,
A piece of paper,
Something unformed waiting for your touch,
Your creativity,
Your spark.
You begin to work with it.
As your hands move,
Imagine placing into it everything that you're ready to release.
Old pain,
Betrayal,
Illusions,
Expectations,
False stories.
You breathe it all into this project.
The light from the fire flickers over your hands as you shape and carve and fold and mold.
Around you,
The group begins to stir.
You rise and carry your offering with them to an altar near the fire.
You place it down gently among all the others,
Taking one quiet breath of release.
The group turns from the altar,
Moving towards one of the tents,
And you follow them.
As you enter,
The space is dim and warm.
There is a scent of wood smoke that hangs in the air.
You take a seat inside the circle,
And in the center,
A small fire burns,
Glowing red and alive.
The door closes behind you,
Sealing the space.
And somewhere inside the circle,
Drumming begins,
Deeper now.
Those in the circle begin chanting,
And it echoes off the walls.
You close your eyes and you allow the sound to move through you,
Vibrating through your bones and stirring your heart.
Perhaps you begin to sway and move with the sound,
Allowing it to loosen what has been stuck and breaking open what has been hardened.
Your breath finds the rhythm of the drum.
As emotions rise,
You move to release it.
You allow your body to move rhythmically in any way that feels right.
As sounds swell up in your throat,
You allow them to be released.
This is your body remembering its own fire.
You allow the rhythm to move through you,
Allowing your body to gently return to feel your breath,
Your heartbeat,
Feeling your body heavy and safe.
Those within the circle begin to stir again,
And the door opens.
You step back outside into the cool night air.
Looking up,
The sky is vast and full of stars.
You follow the group towards yet another fire,
This one low to the ground,
Glowing along a spiral path of bare earth.
The elders and those in the circle move to the side and make way for you to walk.
The spiral path.
You look around the circle,
Around the group for recognition.
And instantly,
You know that it's safe,
That you will not be harmed in any way.
And you take your first step forward,
Stepping slowly and mindfully.
The path leads you around it three times,
With each step drawing you closer to the flame at the center.
This is your sacred walk of release.
When you reach the heart of the spiral,
You stand before the fire,
Toe to toe with transformation.
You look up to the sky and take one more deep breath in and sigh it out,
Stepping forward into the heat.
The flames rise around you,
But they do not burn,
They purify.
You feel the fire moving through you,
Burning away all illusion,
All pretense,
All that no longer belongs.
You see it dissolve into light,
Smoke,
And freedom.
When you are ready,
You step out of the sacred flame to the other side.
And you begin to walk the spiral back in the opposite direction now,
Three times around again,
Sealing the energy and integrating what is new.
Each step says,
It is done.
I am free.
I am whole.
As you complete the spiral,
The night begins to shift and you look up.
The horizon glows with a soft light of dawn.
The sky begins to blush with color,
A promise of renewal.
Walking along and looking up at the sky,
You make your way back to the earth.
You return to the original fire,
On the altar,
You're offering weights.
You pick it up and now in the dawn of this new day,
You notice its shape and its weight.
It feels different now and you hold it to your heart.
Then with deep gratitude,
You turn and face the flames and place it inside.
You watch as it burns completely,
This final act of calcination.
Everything that is not truth is turned to ash.
You stand there for a moment,
Feeling the heat on your skin,
Feeling the weight lift from your chest.
You turn and see the elder in the circle watching you with quiet pride,
With recognition,
With reverence.
You bow your head in gratitude to them,
To the fire,
And to yourself.
Take a deep breath in and as you sigh it out,
Allow yourself to return to your body.
Notice your feet,
Your hands,
And the rhythm of your own heart.
You begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes,
Bringing yourself back gently to this space.
Placing one hand on your heart and one on your belly,
Holding yourself here in this moment,
Feeling whatever you feel,
Allowing it to come through.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
I would like to offer you a few journal prompts as you think about the experience that you just had.
But the first one I will ask or provide is to write down anything that came up for you,
Any feelings that you had along the way,
Any imagery,
Everything that you saw.
And then when you're ready,
You can come back to this recording and we'll finish with the prompts.
Here are some journal prompts that you may want to sit with between now and the next session.
What was burned away for you tonight?
What new energy or truth revealed itself in the flame?
Which of the three fires left you or gave you the biggest experience?
How did each fire feel different?
You had the original fire that we started and ended with.
You had the fire in the sweat lodge.
And then you had the fire that you walked the spiral to get through and stand in.
Each with a very different energy.
I would invite you to take some time and sit with that to realize that one substance,
One thing can look and feel very different based on the intention and the attention that we give it.
Let the silence hold you.
Allow yourself to let this session fully sink in.
And then when you're ready,
We will meet again in session five.
Thank you so,
So much for trusting me,
For sharing your time and energy.
But mostly thank you for showing up for you,
For giving yourself what you needed in this moment and in all the moments to come.
Blessed be,
Blessed be,
Blessed be.
Until next time,
Namaste,
Beautiful souls.
