Spagyrics or Alchemy, a Mind Body Discipline
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SPAGYRICS
A mind/body discipline
Background.
As an attorney we got involved in a case about spagyrics. In a nutshell the case is as follows. An alchemist in Holland sells alchemical, or spagyric, products, which he claims heal all kinds of diseases. Now the Dutch government does not want to allow all kinds of quackery to be freely sold on the market and therefore the Dutch Act for the Provision of Drugs contains very stringent and costly rules which any supplier of drugs has to comply with, if he wants to sell drugs legally on the market.
If, however, any product is not considered a ‘drug' but a ‘health product', the supplier does not have to comply with these stringent rules. The difference between a ‘drug' and a ‘health product' is, of course, a matter of definition. The case aims to persuade the government to recognize that a number of specifically named spagyric products, prepared by a specific manufacturer, are health products. The government holds that these specific products are drugs, which in itself is quite remarkable, because the government - quite implicitly! - considers all alchemical ‘potions' to be quackery anyway. So, how can they be considered to be ‘drugs' then?
Need for a scientific methodology
The case has laid bare the need for developing a scientifically acceptable methodology to research spagyric products. We personally have no knowledge of spagyrics, but from our own experience we have a rudimentary knowledge of energetic streams flowing in the body. These steams are presumably also used in acupuncture and other Eastern disciplines, such as yoga and tao. In other words, we know that phenomena like, for instance, ‘Chi-energy' and ‘Kundalini' do exist. We know, because we have personally experienced it.
However, in our science-based culture we want more than a personal conviction. We want objective proof. If we can't detect something by means of our senses, or by means of instruments which are extensions of our senses, it does not exist. And what does not exist we call ‘metaphysics' and that is the end of the discussion.
This attitude is quite reasonable on the one hand, because science must be practical for it to be of any value. How could one research something that does not exist? On the other hand, this attitude is also limiting, for it precludes scientific research into a vast array of psychic or metaphysical phenomena which could be very beneficial to humanity, if only we understood them better and were able to use them practically.Qabalah
For instance, the Qabalah, which is Jewish mysticism, teaches that our bodies are basically a reflection or extension of ten energetic globes, called ‘sephiroth' (sg. ‘sephira'). Now science would dismiss this contention offhand, because we cannot show you where these ‘sephiroth' are. As far as we know, there is no instrument with which it has been possible to prove the existence of these sephiroth.
And when we mention the fact that these sephiroth are known by various ‘God-names', the great majority of scientists have lost all interest. They will reason that the notion of ‘sephiroth' is nonsense, because how could one begin to study energetic formative globes with God-names scientifically? So the question is: ‘Should we dismiss such contentions as mere ‘quackery' or metaphysical claptrap, or should we try and develop a scientific methodology to seriously research such contentions?' We believe a thorough methodology should be developed.
Why do spagyric products heal?
It has been observed that spagyric products (as well as other alternative medicinal products) can and do indeed effect some quite unexpected and inexplicable cures. But we do not know why and how. We hypothesize that spagyric ‘products' affect the Qabalistic sephiroth. We also surmise that these sephiroth are the creative matrices which form and maintain our bodies.
Now, if we study all this carefully and in a scientifically acceptable way, who knows what we will uncover? We will probably find many new cures. And no doubt many of the subjective findings underlying spagyrics will be proved to be false, or will have to be adapted. That is well and good. That is what research is supposed to do, i.e. improve and expand our knowledge.
We lack knowledge and therefore we do not use these kinds of metaphysical remedies. Spagyrics and similar disciplines should not be dismissed, but should be thoroughly researched. For instance, we surmise that it is possible with the help of these kinds of disciplines, once thoroughly understood, to teach patients to regenerate parts of their bodies after they have been accidentally severed, just like a lizard does. It is known that if a lizard's tail has been severed, it will grow a new one. Why can't people do this? There must be a natural principle involved, if only we knew it. Call it ‘metaphysical' if you will, but a lizard apparently knows something we don't.
Purpose
The purpose of this discussion, then, is to promote interest in spagyrics and more particularly to stress the need for the development of a scientific methodology (including clearly defined research and testing methods) for spagyrics as applied to the science of medicine comprehended in its widest sense (including what could be termed ‘social medicine', i.e. the science of curing the ills of society by medicinal means). It is proposed to call this particular branch of spagyrics: ‘medicinal spagyrics'. In general this distinction is not made, but we believe it serves a purpose to limit the subject to this one aspect. Once a suitable methodology has been developed, it can be used to gather scientific (i.e. testable and repeatable) spagyric knowledge.
Origin and meaning of the word ‘spagyrics'
The word ‘spagyrics' is more apt to describe our field of study than ‘metaphysics', because the latter word implies duality between the physical and that which is beyond the physical (referred to as the ‘metaphysical'), whereas our field of study both transcends and inheres in the physical. This appears to be a paradox, but is quite logical. For instance, ‘life' and ‘mind' both transcend and inhere in the physical. So does the principle used by the lizard to grow new body-parts.
We propose, therefore, that there is no duality between the physical and the non-physical, or rather there is and there isn't. In other words, the paradox is solved at the point where being and non-being are conjoined. This unity in duality is aptly brought out by the word ‘spagyrics', a compound consisting of two Greek root-words meaning separation and joining (or reunification). The word ‘spagyrics', therefore, is most suitable to describe this field of study, which includes both all that is spiritual and all that is physical.
In other words, the spagyric domain of study is the entire universe and beyond, i.e. both the physical and the spiritual realms (whatever these terms may mean). But as this is rather a vast domain, we focus on the science of medicine, more specifically on the art of healing by administering medicinal substances spagyrically prepared. This field of study we will call: ‘medicinal spagyrics'. The aim of this discussion is to try and formulate a theoretical matrix as a basis for the development of a scientific methodology to enable us to do meaningful research. This theoretical matrix has been called the ‘Great Chain of Being', as will be explained below.
Science and religion
Our purpose is not to play the ‘definition game'. When asked: ‘What is science?', we could fill out almost anything we want. If we give a broad definition, like ‘science' is ‘knowledge', then it would include theology and any other superstition we may wish to believe in. By deliberately juxtaposing the words ‘theology' and ‘superstition' we have, of course, drawn in an element which must be addressed in this discussion, i.e. the difference between ‘knowledge' and ‘superstition'.
For we do propose to define science broadly to include religion. Science and religion are one. But at the same time we do not wish to fall into the trap of accepting just any hypothesis or pronouncement as being true and as adding to knowledge. We therefore must insist that for science and religion to be one, for both to be accepted as branches of the one tree of knowledge, their hypotheses or pronouncements must be verifiable, i.e. testable and repeatable. If this kind of knowledge (i.e. the verifiable kind) is still not true, or still does not get to the heart of things, then at least it is practical.
It is not difficult to bridge science and religion in theory. We have just done so by defining them both as ‘knowledge' and naming this universal science ‘spagyrics'. But it is difficult to bridge science and religion in practice. And this is what we propose we should do.
The spiritual realm is researchable and testable
To be able to proceed with this pursuit, we must accept the axiom that the spiritual realm is researchable and testable. For if we do not, we must presume that the spiritual realm (religion) cannot be researched nor tested, which would defeat our purpose from the start. Science as we know it today has generally held the view that religion can indeed not be researched and tested.
The generally held opinion is that religion may be valid in its own right, i.e. it may serve some (obscure) usually benign purpose, but it falls outside the province of science, for nothing with respect to the spiritual realm is verifiable as it does not exist. We do not understand why science has held or still holds this limiting point of view. For never has any real evidence been presented that the physical and spiritual realms are separate, nor that the spiritual realm does not exist.
After all, it is simply impossible to prove that something does not exist! To assume, therefore, without knowing the difference between the physical and spiritual realms (if any), that only the phenomena occurring in the physical realm are real (i.e. researchable and testable), is really as fantastic as the axiom which holds that the spiritual realm is researchable and testable. There is no reason, therefore, to refute either axiom.
Testable and repeatable knowledge
Testable and repeatable knowledge means that whenever certain things are done, certain results will be produced, i.e. results which have been clearly defined in advance. If, for example, water is heated by applying fire to it, at a certain temperature it will start to boil. In the same vein we might demonstrate that if spiritual fire is applied to spiritual water (whatever these may be, which we must clearly define in advance), it will at a certain temperature start to boil (i.e. turn into spiritual gas or ‘air', which may be what religion calls ‘sublimation').
This is just an example. We do not claim accuracy here. In fact, we acknowledge that the statement just made may be absolute gibberish, as it lacks clarity and could mean most anything. It is precisely this indefiniteness and multi-interpretable-ness which is the basic flaw of spiritual science or ‘spagyrics'. And it is this that should remedy.
In other words, we should subject medicinal spagyrics to the same rigorous methods of scrutiny and description as physical science is wont to do. In other words, spagyrics in general and medicinal spagyrics in particular should be turned into an exact and verifiable science. This means that only testable and repeatable knowledge shall be deemed to fall within its pale. All that is beyond will not be considered valid until its validity has been demonstrated in the sense that whenever certain things are done, certain results (clearly defined in advance) will be produced. Every test will yield the same result, or at least every test will yield a significantly similar result (not any random result).
The methods of physical science and spagyrics do not necessarily coincide
The purpose, then, is to find and describe a specific scientific methodology (including clearly defined research and testing methods) for medicinal spagyrics. We assume that there exist research methods suitable to explore the spiritual realm, as well as testing methods suitable to test spiritual hypotheses or pronouncements. The aim is to find and describe these. It is maintained, in other words, that the validity of spagyric hypotheses (or pronouncements) can be researched, tested and demonstrated. What we have to do is find these methods and to produce such evidence.
We do not assert, however, that the research and testing methods of spagyrics should be the same as the ones commonly used by physical science. This should be obvious. The methods used in mathematics also differ from those of, say, physics or biology. As spagyrics focuses on both the physical and spiritual realms, its methodology will of necessity include both physical and spiritual methods.
Now, if asked what on earth ‘spiritual methods' might entail, as the spiritual realm cannot by physical means be demonstrated to exist, we must point to the fact that the existence of mind and mental activity cannot by physical means be demonstrated to exist either. This, however, does not normally convince us that mind as a phenomenon is non-existent. The principle used by the lizard cannot be demonstrated to exist either, but this does not convince us that the phenomenon does not exist.
Neither do we seriously doubt the validity of mathematical logic, for instance, although the physical existence thereof cannot be demonstrated or made visible under a microscope. What we are saying, in other words, is that although spagyric research and testing methods may contain elements which are radically different from physical methods, they may nevertheless be perfectly valid. Just as it would be preposterous to refute mathematical logic because it does not ‘exist' in the physical realm, it would be equally preposterous to refute spiritual logic due to its ‘non-physical existence' (whatever that may mean).
We do have to make sure, however, that spagyric logic and methods are valid. There is no point in pursuing bogus spagyrics, or spagyrics that can only be understood with the use of ‘secret keys'; what we are advocating is that a methodology be constructed with which a body of publicly testable and repeatable spagyric knowledge can be gathered.
Great Chain of Being
At this point it is necessary to add some structure to this discussion. As we are not in the habit of re-inventing wheels, we have reproduced a diagram used by Ken Wilber in his book entitled; ‘Quantum Questions' and referred to by him as the ‘Great Chain of Being'. Running up the diagram 5 objects or fields of study are mentioned; running down the diagram the academic disciplines which generally focus on these fields of study are mentioned. Wilber distinguishes 5 levels of Being, depicted as concentric circles, each ‘higher' level encompassing the ‘lower' one(s). Similarly, each ‘higher' academic discipline encompasses the ‘lower' one(s). Or, more accurately, each more encompassing discipline includes the more limiting one(s).
Scroll down to view the Diagram:
More levels could be distinguished (we would be inclined to say up to 13), but for our present purpose 5 levels are sufficient. We also broadly concur with Wilber's description of the ‘Great Chain of Being'. However, we have taken the liberty of changing the names of a few of the academic disciplines he mentions. With these changes the diagram is more suitable in relation to this particular discussion. Thus for ‘mysticism' we have substituted ‘spagyrics', for ‘theology' we have substituted ‘ethics' and for ‘biology' we have substituted ‘medicine'. This makes it immediately clear that medicinal spagyrics is all-encompassing (level 5), focusing on life (level 2).
Description of the diagram
We will now be as careless as physical science and not bother to explain what the words ‘matter, life' and ‘mind' refer to. We will just presume that you know. However, the words ‘soul' and ‘spirit' require some explanation. The word ‘soul' refers to ‘archetypes' and ‘deity-forms' (which are not to be equated), i.e. the subtlest of mental energy-fields in some way still discernible by the (subconscious) mind, or at least to which the (subconscious) mind may in some way still be responsive.
In the soul-realm there still is, as Wilber points out, ‘some sort of subtle subject-object duality; the soul apprehends Being, or communes with God, but there still remains an irreducible boundary between them'. The word ‘spirit', however, refers to the non-dual state of consciousness where there is unity between being and non-being. It is the realm where things are and are not. In the spirit-realm there is no communion with God, but there is unity with God. ‘My Father and I are one', as Jesus put it. The spirit realm is the all-inclusive circle without circumference and with its centre everywhere, both perfectly transcendent and perfectly immanent.
It will be noted that levels 3, 4 and 5 as described above each refer to what is collectively termed ‘consciousness'. It might therefore be more accurate to call this marvellous diagram the ‘Great Chain of Consciousness' rather than the ‘Great Chain of Being', noting also that the word ‘chain' only conveys the notion of interconnectedness, not of ‘inter-encompassing-ness'.
On the other hand, we are more wont to view matter and life as ‘being' rather than as ‘consciousness'. And a good case could be made that Being and Consciousness are the same. So again, we will not re-invent the wheel and will continue to refer to Wilber's Wheel as the ‘Great Chain of Being'. It should be noted, however, that ‘matter' and ‘life' may just as well be viewed as levels of consciousness as they may be viewed as levels of being. In fact we believe it will be helpful to view them as levels of consciousness.
Consciousness beyond consciousness
Spirit, then, is the ultimate limit of consciousness, or rather it is that and beyond. In so far as it is beyond, it cannot be qualified, quantified or characterized. But as it is both transcendent and immanent it does affect the whole Great Chain. It both encompasses all the other levels and at the same time inheres within them all. It is nevertheless also beyond them all, rendering it consciousness beyond consciousness.
Now all these descriptions serve only one real purpose, namely to imprint on you that we really do not know what spirit is. We do not and cannot offer a definitive description for that which can in reality not be described. That does not mean, however, that its operation cannot be noted, studied and described. In other words, we maintain that its operation may be researched, tested and demonstrated. After all, there are many things we do not know their essence of, but which we nevertheless utilize. In fact, this is probably true of everything. But to be more specific, we point to just one obvious example, namely the fact that we know how to generate and use electricity, but we do not know what its essence is.
But we need a model to prop up our thinking and as such Wilber's Wheel is very useful. However, to better illustrate what has been said about ‘spirit' we have modified this marvellous Wheel in yet one other way, namely the outermost circle. If spirit is both the ultimate limit of consciousness and beyond, then it should not be confined within a circle. If spirit is the circumference-less circle, the outermost circle of the Great Chain should be deleted. However, as it is at the same time the ultimate limit of consciousness it is still (however paradoxically) within our reach, which means that the circle should be drawn. we have therefore half deleted it, leaving a broken line.
The Great Chain of Being
or
Wilber's Wheel modified
Study of the hierarchical levels
Each higher level in the hierarchical ‘Chain of Being' encompasses the lower level. Each higher level does not violate the principles and laws of the lower level, it simply is not exclusively bound to them or explainable by them. Thus medicine (the study of health) is not explainable exclusively by the principles and laws of physics (the level of matter), but it cannot ignore or violate these either. Its study therefore consists of two disciplines encompassing both the level of matter and of life (A + B).
The mind-realm exists quite comfortably within and without the realms of life and matter, i.e. mind encompasses them and is inherent within them, but in addition adheres to laws of its own which are quite distinct from the ones of life and matter. Therefore, the study of mind (psychology) has to take into account the laws and principles of both physics and medicine (or biology). In addition, it has to explain the operation of mind both without and within the realms of life and matter (A + B + C). Likewise the study of soul must harmonize the laws and principles of matter, life and mind with those of soul. Ethics (or theology) therefore cannot violate or ignore the laws and principles directing the ‘lower' levels of ‘matter, life and mind', but must at the same time add its own. And all 4 must be in harmony (A + B + C + D).
Similar remarks could be made for the 5th level of spirit. It encompasses the other 4 and must be in harmony with them all. At the same time its study (spagyrics or mysticism) must deal separately and logically with this ‘highest' level and with that which is beyond. Its methods, laws and principles must be consistent with, but at the same time add an extra dimension to those of physics, medicine, psychology and ethics. Needless to say that the study of spirit (spagyrics) is the most encompassing and most difficult of all. But that does not mean that we should dismiss it!
Is spagyrics just another name for parapsychology?
No. Although parapsychology may by chance touch upon certain phenomena and study-levels included in the study of spagyrics (namely the levels of soul and spirit), its main focus is on psychic phenomena, i.e. mental phenomena beyond ‘normal' mental activity. The spagyric field of study, however, is all-encompassing and explicitly includes matter, life, mind, soul and spirit. Psychic phenomena are, therefore, among those studied, but spagyrics does by no means confine itself thereto. Parapsychology does.
Summary
Spagyrics is the all-encompassing and harmonizing study of all realms, i.e. the physical, mental and spiritual. ‘Medicinal spagyrics' is spagyrics as applied to the science of medicine in its widest sense. In other words, medicinal spagyrics is the science (and art) of curing the ills of both individuals and society by medicinal means.
Our thesis is that we should find and describe a scientific methodology to be applied to medicinal spagyrics. The word ‘scientific' means that the research and testing methods employed by medicinal spagyrics will only be considered valid, if they yield testable and repeatable (i.e. publicly verifiable) (spagyric) knowledge. We hope that this discussion has roused interest in the study of spagyrics and will contribute towards the development of a scientific spagyric methodology.