“The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words.”
―
Alchemy is a form of chemistry in which substances are transformed. It is a power or process of changing one thing into another.
While medieval chemists yearned to transform metals into gold, alchemy also transpires when people interact. Each of us carries energy, and when that energy meets another, it creates different effects. This also is alchemy.
Imagine a painter’s palette of colors; your energy may be blue, mine may be yellow, and together we make green; however, the shade of green will vary depending on through whose eyes it is seen. Pure magic happens when we see the same shade of green, if only briefly. Regardless a transformation has taken place. It is this change that colors our individual stories.
The stories we tell are as varied as the people who repeat them. Each of us has a unique filtration system, witnessed by asking a group of people about the same event or encounter. You may have experienced this when you share family tales. The same story can be retold, with the plotline and outcome as varying as the storytellers. Our realities are our perceptions, which come from our interactions.
Recently, I lost my mother and three friends; as death often does, it brings people together.
Death can happen with the flip of a moment. When one has transitioned, it leaves those grieving looking for comfort, often through community and shared stories. As sadness may be many’s overriding feeling, it often lessens with sharing anecdotes and experiences.
In each case, with the gathering and reminiscing of friends and family, a complicated and diverse profile of someone we all felt we knew emerged. Through the tales told, we gained a deeper understanding of that individual.
Each of our relationships with a person brings its tones and hues novel to the parties involved. Revealing the many shades of a connection illuminates a broader picture of a person.
Woven through each recollection may be similarities or common threads where the soul’s essence is felt. It may be the strength of the character, the face that is presented to the world, or the darker facets of the soul that are exposed.
Transformations can result in those who bring a joyous and lively feeling to everyone they meet, and others may bring out the devil in us. So, while one’s interaction with someone may be inspirational, another may feel they bring out the worst in us.
Alchemy is a combined process of what can and cannot be; our actions and reactions are all integral ingredients, so we can also improve the outcome by altering the input. This input begins with our points of view, our lifelong perceptions, our belief systems of how things are, and our intent.
While the stories were varied, all of them reflected someone’s truth; all were authentic to the person telling them. Perception, recollections, plus alchemy combine, making it their reality. While facts are real, one’s reality is subjective.
By being open to the multifaceted shared stories, each reflecting a one-of-a-kind relationship serves as a reminder to let go of a single-minded way of thinking about someone. We are all complicated and intricate beings, and if viewed from one person’s opinion, we will fail to see the full spectrum of a personality.
Let us relish in the differences of our truth and be uplifted by the many hues our interactions have created. Expressing our realities may produce a full and robust picture of an otherwise single portrait. Let us remember that Alchemy is real. Through our energies combining with one another, we can create a world we delight in living in.
May we honor each other’s beautiful colors without judgment. Taking our lead from ancient ways, these simple words express the essence of so much.
In Lak’ech is a Mayan concept: you are my other me.
Sawubona is a Zulu greeting: “I see you, you are important to me, and I value you.”
Namaste, a Sanskrit word, has several translations; this being one of them: My soul honors your soul. I honor the place in you where the entire Universe resides.
“This is why alchemy exists,” the boy said. “So that everyone will search for his treasure, find it, and then want to be better than he was in his former life. Lead will play its role until the world has no further need for lead, and then lead will have to turn itself into gold. That’s what alchemists do. They show that when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”
― The Alchemist
