What to read during the lockdown – Stories in the Stars

We may be feeling stuck in our isolation, in our separation from each other, with each Groundhog Day seeming exactly the same. We’ve mowed the lawn, pruned back the buddleia, tidied up the clematis …so now, what next?

What we’re experiencing may seem like stasis. However, it’s more like a fission reaction blur of possibilities, according to my perception – which is always looking to see which alchemical process is at play in any given situation.

Separation is a “thing”, a vital part of the seven-stepped process to create the Philosopher’s Stone known as the Great Work. And in this case, the Philosopher’s Stone means the perfection of all of us, as compressed carbon, as we evolve into diamonds.

The lines drawn by our social distancing and isolation provide the walls of the cauldron for this kind of work.

So what are the qualities that tell us we are going through the Separation stage? Well, you might be having some pretty weird dreams for one thing. I’d be very interested to hear, in the comments, if you’re having Apocalyptic visions of double-edged axes, swords hanging from above, knights wielding swords, the parting of the Red Sea, or experiencing dismemberment, because those are all good indicators that someone is going through the Separation phase.

Another term used by alchemists for this seven-stage process of the Great Work that leads to spiritual enlightenment is the Ladder of the Wise.

Separation is the third rung on this ladder, coming after Calcination and Dissolution.

The Separation stage is a time of deep introspection and it can be painful as we can no longer distract ourselves so easily by being too busy to face the inner work.

It is a basic staple of Rom Com movies, without which the path of love would actually run smooth – and that would never do! Even the movie Groundhog Day is broken down into these seven stages, leading to Phil’s eventual enlightenment at the end.

If you want to know more about how the inner alchemical ladder of life, which our ancestors figured out long ago, and wrote stories to teach us about in the stars, it’s all in my book Stories in the Stars, which you can get here and here on Amazon.