Daily Meditation: Friday, June 28, 2002

When you feel distressed, troubled, understand that this …

06/28/2002

When you feel distressed, troubled, understand that this state is like a poisonous substance that has entered your body, and that you must not simply accept it and do nothing about it. Instead of waiting for it to disappear of its own accord, you must set to work on your distress to rid yourself of it or transform it. A true alchemist is he who has developed the habit of considering all the events that happen to him as raw material that he must elaborate. This is how he becomes strong and powerful, whereas those who remain passive, who do nothing, are poor unfortunates who will always be manhandled and down-trodden all their lives. Our instincts, our selfish impulses also represent a material that must not be left in its crude state. We must endeavour to add an element to it that will give it a spiritual dimension. Since matter is nothing but the condensation of energy, it is up to human beings to transform this energy, and as such they enter the field of alchemy.