{"id":151341,"date":"2013-11-27T06:53:37","date_gmt":"2013-11-27T04:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/espirited.com\/one-more-thing-about-calcination\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T19:47:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T17:47:43","slug":"one-more-thing-about-calcination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/espirited.com\/en\/one-more-thing-about-calcination\/","title":{"rendered":"Calcination as the Transformation of Ego-Based Thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Transformation of Thinking During Calcination<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For those who are passing through the fire of calcination<\/a>\u2014the purification of our desiring nature through suffering\u2014there is something else of great importance that needs to be understood. The primary object of transformation at this first stage of spiritual transformation is thinking itself<\/strong>. In other words, at the core of the alchemical work at this stage lies the way we think: how we perceive ourselves, the world, and our place within it; how we interpret what happens to us.<\/p>\n

The Resistance of the Mind in the Service of Ego Defenses<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The first challenge here is the mind\u2019s ingenuity in evading what is obvious. It is literally as slippery as a fish. The expression \u201clike the devil reading the Gospel\u201d<\/em> describes very precisely how the mind operates at this point. It is no coincidence that some authors (for example, Eckhart Tolle) place an equals sign between the ego and the mind\u2014the mind is an excellent refuge for those parts of us that resist change. When I speak with people who are in calcination and try to draw their attention to a certain fact or inner contradiction, they often respond with \u201cyes, but\u2026\u201d and begin to argue instead of attempting to understand what is being pointed out to them.<\/p>\n

Another difficulty in dealing with the resistance of the ego-mind is that it directs our attention outward rather than inward. It prefers to preoccupy us with thoughts about what the other person (or people) are or are not doing, and with how we might get them to give us what we want. In doing so, it avoids the more important question: what is it that now needs to be changed within ourselves?<\/strong><\/p>\n

And here comes the third trap\u2014when we feel powerless to change the external circumstances of our lives, we develop a victim mentality. We fail to see that we do, in fact, have a choice, but we do not want to make it, because it would require accepting limitation and respecting the other person\u2019s right to free will. In such situations, I am always reminded of Viktor Frankl\u2019s thought: \u201cWhen we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Turning Thinking into an Ally of the Soul<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This is why I want to add further clarification regarding the stage of calcination and how to pass through it\u2014the inner transformation in question begins with a transformation of thinking. Like a knife that, in the hands of a murderer, takes a human life, but in the hands of a surgeon saves one, thinking in itself can be neutral. It is connected to the ego only to the extent that it serves its hidden interests: resisting pain and the inevitable limitations of life, and refusing to relinquish its dominant role. But when we begin to care more about understanding the meaning of what is happening to us, thinking becomes an ally of the soul.<\/p>\n

The transformation of thinking during calcination is profound. It is like believing that the Earth revolves around the Sun, and suddenly realizing that the truth is exactly the opposite. This is what the dethroning of ego-dominated thinking looks like\u2014we give up the childish wish that the world revolve around us and our desires. In its place, we develop a sense of humility, and even reverence, toward the mysterious source of life that orchestrates the truly important events that happen to us.<\/p>\n

Seeking the Meaning of What Happens to Us<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For this reason, the most essential condition for transforming the suffering of our frustrated passions into an act of spiritual initiation is to engage our thinking with questions about the spiritual meaning of what is unfolding. Questions such as: \u201cWhat exactly is life trying to tell me by not giving me what I want?\u201d<\/em> \u201cWhat can I turn this experience into?\u201d<\/em> \u201cWhat lesson is my soul learning right now?\u201d<\/em> \u201cWhere is the area of my inner expansion at this moment?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The Act of Sacrifice<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Another crucial point is to understand that the transition from an ego-dominated life to a soul-led life is inevitably grounded in sacrifice. The most neurotic part of our thinking\u2014the victim mentality\u2014is the expression of a sacrifice that has not been fulfilled. And the most important sacrifice we are called to make is the desire not to suffer<\/strong>. I am referring here to the pain that is an inevitable part of life and that, together with pleasure, forms the two poles of the pain\u2013happiness duality.<\/p>\n

Only after we have passed through the suffering involved in uniting the opposites within ourselves do we become capable of loving truly for the first time. Once we have lived through the pain of rejection and frustrated desire, we are no longer afraid of being hurt or rejected. The ability to relate to others from this new, fear-free space has a radically different quality.<\/p>\n

(See the articles \u201cMarie-Louise von Franz: The Sacrifice and That Which Is Sacrificed Are One and the Same\u2014the Self<\/a>\u201d and \u201cLiz Greene on What True Sacrifice Is.<\/a>\u201d)<\/em><\/p>\n

A New Definition of a Fulfilled Life<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Thus, the most important requalification of consciousness at this stage of inner transformation is the understanding that the burning process of calcination is a process of sacrifice<\/strong>. Very often people become stuck at this stage because they do not understand what it means to sacrifice something that is valuable in order to gain something that is \u201ceven more valuable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

What could be more valuable than loving and being loved, being healthy, successful, and enjoying the pleasures of life? These, however, are the values of our earthly self<\/strong>. The soul incarnates in order to develop, and development takes place outside our comfort zone. When we begin to distinguish between a \u201chappy life\u201d<\/em> and a <\/a>\u201cfulfilled life,\u201d<\/em> we take the first step toward synchronizing the desires of the ego with the needs of the soul.<\/p>\n

\u201cBurn in order to give light\u201d is an expression that perhaps best describes the spiritual meaning of suffering at the stage of transformation through fire. Another similar saying is that if you want to become a light for others, you must learn to endure the heat of the fire (Viktor Frankl). When I picture the faces of people I know who have burned in the flames of calcination without fleeing from them, I see the heroism of their souls. I see their passion, commitment, and immense capacity for love. Without these qualities, they would not have been able to endure the burning.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Calcination is hell only for those who fear pain, and an invaluable opportunity for those who are willing to make the sacrifice and care for their soul. For this alchemical reversal to occur, we need the Mercurius<\/em> of the alchemists\u2014the function of thinking that has been differentiated from our desiring nature and is therefore able to look at things neutrally, perceiving the meaning of what is happening to us.<\/p>\n

Kameliya Hadzhiyska<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Transformation of Thinking During Calcination For those who are passing through the fire of calcination\u2014the purification of our desiring nature through suffering\u2014there is something else of great importance that needs to be understood. The primary object of transformation at this first stage of spiritual transformation is thinking itself. In other words, at the core […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":150152,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[646],"tags":[671,738,676,720,683,674],"class_list":["post-151341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spiritual-intelligence","tag-alchemy","tag-calcination","tag-desire","tag-selected-articles","tag-spiritual-transformation","tag-the-mind"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t