The Greatest Kan and Li is called Soul/Heart Alchemy, as it opens up a direct relationship between your personal Heart shen and the Great Shen of the Sun (or Solar Logos in the West). You can cultivate that body and bring spirit into it rather than get rid of the body so that you can go somewhere else. I gradually stopped doing kundalini yoga because the Taoist practices were more effortless and more grounded. He had seven alchemical formulas, seven stages of internal alchemy and had transmitted the formulas to Mantak Chia. In internal alchemy you are separating your shen/soul, your qi, and your jing/body essence for the purpose of refining and recombining them back together into a pure spiritual essence. The personal heart shen controls the flow of qi to the other body spirits, just as the physical heart controls the flow of blood to the vital organs. The high level method of internal alchemy is to train your internal spirits to manage the balance of yin and yang qi. These practices tap into different fields of polarized yin and yang qi to dissolve jing and build original (yuan) qi and yuan shen. It’s what gives you your personal pattern, your personality. Yes, this is ultimately the function of the local shen which resides in the heart/brain. You will feel stuck, even if your level of qi cultivation appears much higher than that of ordinary people. The unhappy voices are from the shen that are being suppressed. So your qi may feel strong, you may be able to whip your opponent? But it’s not you that’s immortal, it’s your inner souls. Your Great Spirit is experiencing and witnessing all the lives simultaneously, as opposed to the personal Heart Shen which is limited to experiencing our local lives or local reality. They are all happening simultaneously, so from the point of view of the cosmic self, your Great Spirit (“da shen”), there are no past lives. When you come into earth time you get a new batch of po souls that goes with the new body. This is the rebirth of their original shen and the original qi within physical time/space. Yang and five element theory underlies all qigong and Chinese medicine, and is found in internal alchemy as well. The local universe is a vast alchemical cauldron that has already separated itself into different densities or dimensions that we call body, mind and spirit. It describes practices but the translation is ambiguous, so you cannot actually practice from that book unless you know how to do those internal processes already. The Lesser Water and Fire is called sexual alchemy, as it couples the inner male and inner female essences within the physical body. I began studying these as well as taiji at the same time. In other words, my qi was coming out of my head, my ears and out my crown and I was not recycling it. I was using the chakra model where you’re just trying to get up and out of your crown to somewhere. The Sealing of the Senses (Star Alchemy) relates to the upper dan tien, the pole star and the black hole at the center of this universe. We connect our personal inner souls to the planetary soul powers of the five directions (north, south, east, west, and center). We meditate in the very core of the planet, its central dan tien and doorway to the original shen of the earth being. You can trash the body in order to get liberation or to transcend. Basically there is no value attached to the body. Now I had always heard about enlightenment, I had never heard anyone talking about immortality. So I met Mantak Chia and he started talking about immortality. The microscosmic orbit should really be the foundation rather than the culmination of the practice. The seven alchemical formulas are already stripped down to core practices.In other words, my qi was coming out of my head, my ears and out my crown and I was not recycling it.So I met Mantak Chia and he started talking about immortality.In fact, that expansion of your shen may even amplify your so-called lower self.The Greatest Kan and Li is called Soul/Heart Alchemy, as it opens up a direct relationship between your personal Heart shen and the Great Shen of the Sun (or Solar Logos in the West).That’s really about finding the yin and yang spirits of the body and getting them to have what we call self intercourse. But you don’t just sit there and circulate energy around in a circle and think that you’re enlightened. Well there are a lot of people who have been studying the microcosmic orbit now. The shen is the subjective quality of the experience. It’s good for Westerners to investigate and be able to see that these internal processes have been objectified in some sense by thousands of years of study. All of these are natural forces and they are all represented microcosmically within your body. The key secret of these formulas is that the usual positions of fire and water are reversed mentally in the physical body to release sexual energy. In fact, each time you practice Fusion, it is such that the energy of the essences gathered from the organs is fused, purified, and transformed into a life energy of enhanced quality. In the alchemical practices of FUSION, various Pakua (Ba Gua) and energy collecting points are used to extract, bind, and harmonize adherent, emotional energies from the organs. As we begin to practice the meditations of higher inner alchemy without successfully balancing and harmonizing our mind-body system, unpleasant phenomena may arise from the deeper parts of our soul. And of course once they get into it deeply they find out it’s not really about sex or about getting qi. Two, they’re interested in exploring their sexuality in relationship to spirituality. I thing we’ve all come here to have a body and I think the Taoists have a wonderful attitude of cultivating not only your spirit but your body. I think that this immortal body that is evolving is not just going back to the origin, back to the womb of wu ji which birthed our shen. I think that physicality may have started as an exploration by spirit, but is now a stable state. Taoist alchemy is one way of speeding up the flow between jing, qi and shen by accelerating the balanced flow between yin and yang qi at each of those levels. When the yin and yang internal spirits are integrated, the yuan shen, or original spirit, begins to live inside you. Because you are constantly changing jing to qi to shen and back again, you never feel limited to a physical body. All that counts is the harmonious merger of these shen in the present moment. You’re drawing from a whole pool of po souls and a whole pool of hun souls from different shens. That’s why they are referred to as your “inner gods.” They’ll just split off from the body at death and go on their separate ways unless they’ve fused into a greater identity. If we’re all immortal already why go through the great amount of work it takes to complete this process? Daily practice of this qi gong awakens self-love, inner peace & physical longevity. As alchemical practice makes you more sensitive, you become aware that all qi flow is shaped by an infinite field of collective intelligence the ancients called shen. Your physical body may feel like it is literally swimming in a great sea of qi. There’s a doubly rich interplay between the qi flow and play of shen in my inner life and my outer life. You take the yin and yang energies to the very deepest levels of the core channel and begin neutralizing them, which emits a kind of yuan qi. The yuan qi emerges from the wuji, which has no polarity. Matter itself is nothing other than spirit that has not yet come home or is refusing to reintegrate with the formless aspect of spirit. It creates confusion in the universe if you fail to integrate. THE TAOIST VEIW OF FREEDOM His alchemical practice uses a different inner fire and water method, but is similar in principle. I think that we are in the midst of a technology transfer, that inner alchemy will be revived as a popular science of consciousness in the next century. Traditionally, the Chinese are prohibited from teaching these openly, lest they fall into the wrong hands and bring the wrath of heaven. These last three formulas connect to the three levels of immortality beyond enlightenment. This spiritual notion has led to male dominant, nature exploiting, anti-female cultures. Your lesser or personal shen will pull you back if they don’t feel complete. The Tao, however, does not favor yang over yin, it embraces both and thus reveals its original non-dual nature. We’re trying to find and gather the rest of us and integrate in with the other parts of the shen that have been fragmented and scattered here from previous incarnations. I think most people who practice taiji in this country don’t even know they have a microcosmic orbit. Inner Alchemy, also known as Neidan in Chinese, is a transformative spiritual practice that aims to achieve immortality or longevity by cultivating and refining the inner energies of the body. With the opening and activating of the Microcosmic Orbit (Du Mai and Ren Mai), the ascending central channel (Chong Mai), the belt channels and the yin and yang Bridge and Regulator Channels in the arms and legs, the body is now completely permeable to the circle of life energy. Paradoxically, one feels more human, more aware of the precarious hold spirit has on its physical body. That will really link your spirit to the energy channels of the body and to the physical body. S why it is possible to unite an entire universe of spirits “inside” the microcosm of your body. This practice helps to balance the Yin and Yang energies, strengthen the body’s vital functions, and promote overall health and well-being. By visualizing a pathway along the midline of the body, practitioners can guide the flow of Qi through the energy centers known as the Dantian points. The Microcosmic Orbit, also known as the Small Heavenly Cycle or the Circulation of Light, is a central practice in Inner Alchemy aimed at circulating and harmonizing the energies of the body. These elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water – are believed to govern different aspects of the body, mind, and spirit. I love all forms of meditation, and explored many different methods, but for me none of them engage the multiple levels of reality as deeply as Taoist inner alchemy. Alchemy has given me a very rich inner life at the same time I’m leading a rich outer life. I took it as a message from the wood element, confirming that my expansion into a deeper level of early heaven was being mirrored here in later heaven. I was in too deep, so my body could not move to investigate. That’s what allows the original shen to infuse itself into physicality.I think one of the main tasks of internal alchemy is to organize or manage our soul team.We connect our personal inner souls to the planetary soul powers of the five directions (north, south, east, west, and center).The Tao, however, does not favor yang over yin, it embraces both and thus reveals its original non-dual nature.To comprehend the Taoist viewpoint, you must accept the presence of multiple internal body spirits, sometimes called the “inner gods of the vital organs.”You can cultivate that body and bring spirit into it rather than get rid of the body so that you can go somewhere else.The exoteric, popular one is that Tao is learning how to harmonize and balance your qi flow for a long and happy life. People study yin-yang and five elements theory of qi but there’s not a lot taught about yuan qi. The polarities of the yin and yang within you come together and this produces the yuan qi. This method shows you how to get the yin and yang energies in your body to make love. I don’t see a lot of information about just what internal alchemy is yet. Most Chinese have language difficulties in teaching these subtle practices to Westerners. This practice releases your fear of death and dissolves the karmic, genetic and planetary influences of your personal astrology. Yin and Yang Dynamics: The Interplay of Forces Certainly, this skill in controlling qi is necessary at the beginning and intermediate levels. It took me a while to accept this idea but I now see that it is the ordinary human process. Yes, it’s a bit odd to think of yourself as being run by a committee. Whether seeking physical longevity, emotional balance, or spiritual enlightenment, Inner Alchemy offers a holistic approach to well-being that can benefit practitioners in all aspects of their lives.On a collective level, if even one modern human being attains immortality, it will open the door for everyone to follow.Perhaps we can begin by talking a little bit about what this internal alchemy really is.He had seven alchemical formulas, seven stages of internal alchemy and had transmitted the formulas to Mantak Chia.These practices were influenced by Taoist philosophy, Chinese medicine, and ancient alchemical texts.Most Chinese have language difficulties in teaching these subtle practices to Westerners.Matter itself is nothing other than spirit that has not yet come home or is refusing to reintegrate with the formless aspect of spirit.The Three Treasures, also known as the Three Jewels or San Bao in Chinese, are essential components of Inner Alchemy practice. I had an experience back in 1981 that still propels me on the path of inner alchemy. Inner alchemy is the very deep memory of how we originally regenerated and rebirthed ourselves. I believe this is very ancient knowledge that is many thousands of years older than 3,500 year old medical texts or the schools that revived inner alchemy in the third century AD. It requires a whole multi-dimensional understanding of how your consciousness moves between subtle and physical bodies and into your thoughts, feelings and desires. It is very different from simply expanding your consciousness or transcending the physical plane. This is really the key to internal alchemy. In this way you begin to develop a relationship with your personal shen. You can look at qi as the language shen uses to communicate objectively with. But that is essentially just a new consciousness that has a certain substance, that needs to be guarded and protected until it’s strong enough to have a life of its own. Do you think it is possible to learn alchemical practices from a book? These are the five main kinds of internal soul groups that the texts identify. This gets into the whole question of what constitutes a human being. My conclusion is that on a personal level it is the most worthwhile thing you can do, because it is the only thing you can take with you. In addition, in Zhuangzi, we find terms such as the Fast of the Mind ( 心齋 Xinzhai ) and Sitting in Oblivion ( 坐忘 Zuowang ), which, as methods for spiritual manipulation, should be traced back to the"Refinement of Spirit" ( 煉神 Lianshen ), an antique tradition.By interchanging the positions, the heat of the body fire gets under the cool of body water.This original qi has a dissolving effect and is, in effect, creating more space between the molecules of your body, more emptiness.A surge of energy shot up through my body and exploded out the top of my crown like a big mushroom cloud.The personal heart shen controls the flow of qi to the other body spirits, just as the physical heart controls the flow of blood to the vital organs.It creates confusion in the universe if you fail to integrate.The high level method of internal alchemy is to train your internal spirits to manage the balance of yin and yang qi.The Enlightenment Journey is a remarkable collection of writings authored by a distinguished group of experts in the fields of spirituality, new age, and esoteric knowledge. As for the Elixir Cauldron, the Guidebook for the Elixir Field said that it referred to the container and burner in the process of refinement; the Elixir Medicine referred to the Essential Matter, Vital Breath and Spirit in human bodies; the Fire Phase, the book explained, referred to the skill and timing in manipulating the Elixir Medicine. After the Song dynasty, the Cultivation of Inner Alchemy became a dominant trend in Daoism thanks to the efforts of scholars such as Chen Tuan, Zhang Boduan and Wang Chongyang. According to the Record of Mt. Luofu, Shu Yuanlang, a Daoist scholar in the Sui dynasty, said, “human bodies should serve as Cinnabar Cauldrons, and human hearts as carriers of Spirit” in refining Inner Alchemy. By processing these internal substances, Daoist scholars claim, Ultimate Medicine ( 大藥 Dayao ) is produced. In contrast, Inner Alchemy, Daoist scholars claim, ought to be reached from inside through refining substances in human bodies, consisting of Essential Matter ( 精 Jing ), Vital Breath ( 氣 Qi ), and Spirit ( 神 Shen ). Qi is often described as the life force or vital energy that animates all living things. In Inner Alchemy, Qi and Jing are two fundamental concepts that play a crucial role in the cultivation of energy within the body. These practices were influenced by Taoist philosophy, Chinese medicine, and ancient alchemical texts. Connecting with spiritual lineage. – 2 wisdom streams, opening the spiritual “lineage”. The benefits of Inner Alchemy are manifold and encompass physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. These practices may include meditation, breathwork, qigong exercises, herbal medicine, dietary guidelines, and visualization techniques. Inner Alchemy encompasses a wide range of practices aimed at cultivating and refining the energies of the body. Inner Alchemy was seen as a way to achieve harmony with the universe, balance the energies of the body, and ultimately attain immortality. The Taoist quest for physical immortality is holding open the doorway to the practical realization of that new body.It takes practice to remember continuously that this field of collective shen is who you really are.It requires a whole multi-dimensional understanding of how your consciousness moves between subtle and physical bodies and into your thoughts, feelings and desires.We published books on the six healing sounds, the sexual practices, bone marrow breathing, Iron Shirt, taiji, the microcosmic orbit, and others.So basically that’s why the shen is bothering to incarnate in the first place, because it’s trying to recover its missing fragments.I decided to investigate more deeply and continued to do my kundalini practices for many hours a day. – Connecting the light of the earth and the essence of heaven. – The mirror of heaven and earth. – Connecting with the life field through the 5 elements. – Rediscover your original core of life. By incorporating Inner Alchemy techniques into their daily routine, people can cultivate resilience, vitality, and inner peace in the face of life’s challenges. By embarking on the path of Inner Alchemy, individuals can unlock their full potential and lead a more balanced, harmonious, and fulfilling life. The Five Elements, also known as the Five Phases or Wu Xing in Chinese, are a foundational concept in Taoist philosophy and Inner Alchemy practice. Inner Alchemy is based on several core principles that guide practitioners on their path towards immortality. On a collective level, if even one modern human being attains immortality, it will open the door for everyone to follow. T even own yourself, you’re just a temporary composite of various spirits. A surge of energy shot up through my body and exploded out the top of my crown like a big mushroom cloud. That’s really about finding the yin and yang spirits of the body and getting them to have what we call self intercourse. You could say human incarnation is a process invented by Great Spirit as a means of recovering and reintegrating the lesser spirits that are still hanging out as matter, as jing shen. My understanding is that all of these spirits, whether it’s the hun, the po, the jing shen, the heart shen or the yi, are all immortal; none of them actually die. Jing is the physical essence of the body, Qi is the energy that flows through the meridians and organs, and Shen is the spiritual essence or consciousness. By harnessing and refining these energies through various practices, Inner Alchemy practitioners aim to strengthen their physical bodies, nourish their spirits, and attain higher levels of consciousness. The ancient texts speak of the endless flow of qi between heaven and Earth, but I’ve never seen any reference to reincarnation of the same physical human being. There is too much shen trapped within our jing, our physical body substance, and within the earth’s body itself. Allusions are made to a older golden period when spirit and matter, yin and yang spirits co-created without struggle or sense of separation. When I began to practice taiji, Iron Shirt qigong and internal alchemy, I also got much stronger and rooted and that impressed me. But there is a whole other aspect of Taoist cultivation, Taoist spiritual work, which is often referred to as internal alchemy. These principles include the cultivation of virtue, moderation in all things, alignment with the natural rhythms of the universe, and the practice of mindfulness and meditation. Balancing and harmonizing these three treasures is key to achieving optimal health, longevity, and spiritual enlightenment in Inner Alchemy. These treasures consist of Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit). Jing, on the other hand, is considered the essence or primal energy that is inherited from our parents and stored in the body. Extraordinary experiences are to be expected on these highest levels of sinking into one's own body chemistry. In the absence of light and distraction, deeper exploration of one's inner alchemy can begin. Without this interchange, the fire simply blazes up and heats or burns the body from within. I decided to investigate more deeply and continued to do my kundalini practices for many hours a day. Perhaps we can begin by talking a little bit about what this internal alchemy really is. Don’t worry—we continue to publish a lot of articles on spirituality! Now these qi effects and shen communications are my ordinary process. This original qi has a dissolving effect and is, in effect, creating more space between the molecules of your body, more emptiness. That begins dissolving the density of the physical body on a very deep level. – Opening the 7 energy centers in the body. According to the Inner Book of the Yellow Emperor ( 《黃帝內經》 Huangdi Neijing ), the Yellow Emperor used to do the exercises of the "Transformation of Essential Matter into Vital Breath" ( 移精變氣 Yijing Bianqi ), which was regarded by scholars in later times as a breakthrough leading to the Refinement of Essential Matter into Vital Breath ( 煉精化氣 Lianjing Huaqi ), an important concept in the Theory of Inner Alchemy, which came into being in a much later period. Above all, in the process of “producing the internal elixir”, the manipulation of the human mind and breath were highly stressed. Broadly speaking, Inner Alchemy refers to the “elixir” inside the human body as well as the theories on its refinement and production. These advanced high practices of Inner Alchemy are taught by Grand Master Mantak Chia in the Darkroom, following the tradition of Taoist masters, meditating in dark caves to keep the mind free from distractions. The Three Treasures, also known as the Three Jewels or San Bao in Chinese, are essential components of Inner Alchemy practice. It is a profound and ancient practice that has been passed down through generations in various cultures, particularly in Taoist and Chinese medicine traditions. Trust us, we get it—it’s not the prettiest look, but they help us keep this blog alive and kicking. – Symbols in the different energy centers and bodies. – Forming the soul body. The personality dies because there’s nobody there to hold it together. But your personal heart shen is not really an oversoul until it merges with the heart of the Big Shen, the greater or cosmic self. Eventually your qi practice will tire you because of this unconscious resistance. This ultimately means we must not only integrate them locally within our person, but also connect them back with the larger Heaven and Earth spirits that birthed them. I think one of the main tasks of internal alchemy is to organize or manage our soul team. Your Great Spirit is experiencing and witnessing all the lives simultaneously, as opposed to the personal Heart Shen which is limited to experiencing our local lives or local reality.This is really the key to internal alchemy.In Inner Alchemy, Qi and Jing are two fundamental concepts that play a crucial role in the cultivation of energy within the body.The Five Elements, also known as the Five Phases or Wu Xing in Chinese, are a foundational concept in Taoist philosophy and Inner Alchemy practice.Alkahest and Azoth represent alchemy’s highest ideals—mastery over matter and spirit.Connecting with spiritual lineage. Immortality by my definition is the integration of the jing, qi and shen within their matrix in the wu ji, the Supreme Unknown. But I think immortality is about dissolving the boundaries between your mind and your body and the universe? Many people are currently familiar with Taoist practices such as taiji quan, qigong and Chinese medicine. Whether seeking physical longevity, emotional balance, or spiritual enlightenment, Inner Alchemy offers a holistic approach to well-being that can benefit practitioners in all aspects of their lives. By cultivating and refining the energies of the body, mind, and spirit, practitioners can achieve optimal health, vitality, and spiritual enlightenment. In fact, that expansion of your shen may even amplify your so-called lower self. The body is the difficult part to really integrate. I concluded that a lot of teachers were actually teaching enlightenment which I would say is concerned with connecting your mind with the universe in a certain way. I began to investigate the difference between enlightenment and immortality. Otherwise I wouldn’t be wasting my time practicing alchemy and teaching people. My point is that beings who have achieved a state of immortality do exist. My body was just going wild and was overheated. A lot of people might do meditations where they visualize dissolving but the Taoist practice kind of works from the inside out. It’s not just about how to get the qi flowing, but how to actually reverse it back on the pathway from which it came. In the Fusion of the Five Elements you learn how to absorb energy in and start to fuse it into a pearl and open up all the eight extraordinary channels. You can do that twenty-four hours a day if you include Taoist dream practice. It’s laying down some pathways so that you can begin the deeper cultivation of moving into the chong mo, the thrusting or core channels. It is very important to clarify this because it’s very confusing in a lot of the texts. By “produces” I mean it just grows more of it to be available for us personally. It’s merely trying to stop people from depleting themselves with unconscious sex habits. But the sexual energy and emotional energy are the two biggest sources of confusion for people. It’s really one of infusing mater with spirit and integrating it. The glands, as well as the nervous and lymphatic system are regenerated, the circulation of energy and body fluids intensified. At this, already very high level of Taoist energy work, the sexual energy Jing Chi (creative power) is transformed into life force. To continue studying your own body chemistry in the higher levels, the mastering of the 3 levels 'FUSION of the 5 Elements' is required, to your own mental safety. Qi is often described as the life force or vital energy that animates all living things.This raises the question of just who is managing your qi?Yet I believe something new is evolving, which is a hybrid of spirit and matter, in which a less dense physical body or a light body would be standard.Wu Ji Gong is a simple to learn & extremely powerful form of qi gong, that has been passed down from master to student for the last 800 years.Basically there is no value attached to the body.When I began to practice taiji, Iron Shirt qigong and internal alchemy, I also got much stronger and rooted and that impressed me. The Enlightenment Journey is a remarkable collection of writings authored by a distinguished group of experts in the fields of spirituality, new age, and esoteric knowledge. While Inner Alchemy has its roots in ancient traditions, its principles and practices are still relevant in the modern world. These mythical beings are revered for their wisdom, compassion, and mastery of Inner Alchemy practices. It adds an exciting dimension to daily meditation and my teaching inner alchemy. The term used for this new heaven was Song Tien. In Taoist terms, the ceaseless lovemaking between the Later Heaven realm and Early Heaven realm is birthing a whole new realm or heaven. The Tao is not just going to wave a wand and end all the suffering and problems of physicality. There is a popular illusion, promoted by Hindu transcendentalism, that all matter is maya and is going back into spirit. In this stage, you build an extraordinary psychic protective field and learn techniques to solve energy blockages that prefer to attach to the spine, but also to other parts of the body. This website and all it’s content is property of The Eagles Will Fly, LLC Wu Ji Gong is a simple to learn & extremely powerful form of qi gong, that has been passed down from master to student for the last 800 years. Taoist alchemy is one of the oldest forms of deep ecology. One of the main virtues of practicing alchemy I have observed in my students is their greater serenity and contentedness. Our blog originally focused on spirituality and metaphysics, but we’ve since expanded to cover a wide range of niches. While our primary focus is on spirituality and esotericism, we are equally passionate about exploring a wide range of other topics and niches . The Enlightenment Journey is a testament to the collective expertise of these luminaries, providing readers with a rich tapestry of ideas and information to illuminate their spiritual path. Together, they offer readers a transformative journey into the realms of spiritual growth, self-discovery, and esoteric enlightenment. Taoist Yoga: Practices for Inner Peace The exoteric, popular one is that Tao is learning how to harmonize and balance your qi flow for a long and happy life. Only the Fusion of the Five Elements begins to explore some of the alchemical processes, with a few techniques downloaded from the kan and li practices. We published books on the six healing sounds, the sexual practices, bone marrow breathing, Iron Shirt, taiji, the microcosmic orbit, and others. I have, of course, written many books on neigong with and for Mantak Chia but we have not published any books on the internal alchemy formulas. You can directly tap the energy of the sun, the moon and the stars, volcanoes, water, wind and rain. I personally decided my time was better spent practicing nei gong than learning spoken Chinese. The yuan qi or original qi is sort of like a super conductor, a highway or pathway that one can travel on comfortably and is a stable home here on earth. In conclusion, Inner Alchemy is a transformative spiritual practice that offers a profound path towards immortality and self-realization. Many individuals today are turning to Inner Alchemy as a way to cope with the stresses of modern life, improve their health and well-being, and deepen their spiritual practice. By incorporating these practices into their daily routine, practitioners can gradually transform their energies, purify their spirits, and awaken their true potential. Starting with the theory of the Mutual Corresp ondence of Heaven and Man ( 天人相應 Tianren Xiangying ), Daoist scholars regard the human body as parallel with the whole universe. The shift is practised in dream yoga and the connection to the universe with the building of an energy body that enables the transition between earth and universe and leads to immortality. The goal of the alchemist is to gradually increase over time the proportion of yuan qi which remains stable and present here in this dimension. The yuan qi is an active and present third force at any moment. I think it’s much more useful to think of there being three forces, not just two forces. Understanding Qi and Jing This raises the question of just who is managing your qi? If you get too controlling, the qi flow is limited by your ego. You slowly begin to absorb the principle that your manipulations of qi must flow in accord with some higher principles of the Tao. Alkahest and Azoth represent alchemy’s highest ideals—mastery over matter and spirit. In that moment, the outer universe becomes the inside of your body. It’s a practical way to honor the presence of all the intelligence’s within heaven and earth, and unite them with the beings that live in our own human form. It takes practice to remember continuously that this field of collective shen is who you really are. Your personal shen are generally more happy, and it shows up as a kind of personal glow. This third dimension physical reality is mostly polarized into yin and yang energy. So you start on the personal or body level, then gradually begin working up to the planetary and then stellar levels of yin-yang-yuan interplay until you feel complete on all levels. This union of spirits from heaven and earth within a human seems to be in deep alignment with the Tao. This is a collection of earth spirits and heaven spirits living under a common human roof. To comprehend the Taoist viewpoint, you must accept the presence of multiple internal body spirits, sometimes called the “inner gods of the vital organs.” So if you can integrate those energies and the spirits that are creating that confusion, that are having those conflicted sexual and emotional desires, then your life gets much easier. The Taoist quest for physical immortality is holding open the doorway to the practical realization of that new body. Yet I believe something new is evolving, which is a hybrid of spirit and matter, in which a less dense physical body or a light body would be standard. This entire physical universe may be the place where spirit junkies go to get their physical fix. So basically that’s why the shen is bothering to incarnate in the first place, because it’s trying to recover its missing fragments. You learn how to gather the lesser elixir and greater elixir, the essence of your consciousness distilled from “cooking” the jing, qi and shen from the microcosm and macrocosm. I think that’s why the Chinese put so much emphasis on longevity, because it takes a long time to cultivate and refine the shen, the spirit hidden within the body. To the Tao because I realized that my body was not only spiritually important for me, but that most Westerners value their bodies. My alchemical tradition works with the polarities of qi in nature and with the natural shen, which manage the natural flow of qi. The seven alchemical formulas are already stripped down to core practices. That’s what allows the original shen to infuse itself into physicality. I teach the higher level of sexual alchemy as part of the Kan and Li or Lesser Water and Fire practice. By interchanging the positions, the heat of the body fire gets under the cool of body water. The spread of sexual energy throughout the organism can be thought of as water vapor rising as soon as the water begins to boil above the fire. This branch serves human's highest goal of ultimately reconnecting with universal oneness. – Forming the spiritual body. In addition, in Zhuangzi, we find terms such as the Fast of the Mind ( 心齋 Xinzhai ) and Sitting in Oblivion ( 坐忘 Zuowang ), which, as methods for spiritual manipulation, should be traced back to the"Refinement of Spirit" ( 煉神 Lianshen ), an antique tradition. Clues can be found in books such as Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals ( 《呂氏春秋》 Lushi Chunqiu ), and Zhuangzi ( 《莊子》 Zhuangzi ), which mention, in a hope of curing diseases caused by humidity and coldness, a man called Mr. Yinkang who invented a kind of gymnastics to stimulate the movement of vital breath and blood in human body. Although, as a term, Inner Alchemy first occured many centuries later than the term Golden Elixir ( 金丹 Jindan ), nevertheless, as an idea or method about extending human life through internal exercise, it should be traced back to very ancient times. Inner Alchemy( 內丹 Neidan), by its name, refers to the concocting of elixirs in the human body, in parallel with Outer Alchemy ( 外丹 Waidan ), the practice of medicine allegedly refined from minerals.