Hermeticism is often misunderstood and thought of as a religion, but it is more of a philosophy. Within Hermeticism there are a few goodies that the greater public like to often reference, but spend little time actually studying. One of those is alchemy. Consequentially alchemy is more often known about than it is understood.
In short, alchemy is tightly tied to the Hermetic "law of correspondence". This can be paraphrased into what happens above in the spiritual realm, happens down here in the physical realm. Likewise what happens within us, is reflected outside of us. It is one of the central principles of Hermeticism. If correspondence is the principle, then alchemy is the process. But alchemy is not the process of literally turning one metal into another - this is a trap for fools. Alchemy is all about having the ability to transmute the energy you receive from above into energy you can use here on the physical plane.
Life is a dance between spirit and matter. The goal of life isn't to deny one in favor of another, but to recognize and harmonize both. This is true alchemy - understanding that you must integrate the spiritual world with your material life. One needs to realize that each aspect of our physical existence has a spiritual reflection and that each spiritual experience can be lived and played out in material existence. You are a spiritual being having a physical experience, and you are here to be a conduit between the two planes.
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