Recently, we have returned to our original focus on making Spagyrics to support meditation, ritual, and spiritual practice of all kinds. Many Spagyrics fitting this category were already part of our work, and as promised, here are a few more.
We’ll start with the herb that has become Paul’s favourite in this new collection, Shankhpushpi. This morning glory relative has beautiful flowers and is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine as a tonic to the mind and a rejuvenative to the emotional body.
Shankhpushpi has a good balanced energy which boosts intelligence and focus, while at the same time calming the nerves and mind. This combination of still but sharp attention is perfect for many types of meditation, as well as being a support to a balanced mental state in daily life.
Emotionally, Shankpushpi’s effects are also balanced, and it is used in cases of anxiety and worry, but also as a mood-lifter in depression. It calms racing thoughts, but also helps the thought processes be more clear and useful.
In Paul’s recently renewed energy circulation practice, he found that Shankhpushpi greatly assists in the flow of subtle energy through the body, and especially to the higher centers and beyond, into the divine realms of the highest self.
We have also heard from a few friends and customers that as an herb, Shankhpushpi brings predictive and clairvoyant visions, and we look forward to learning if this is the case with the Spagyric, also. Our Shankhpushpi Alchymical Initiatic was created under the rulership of the Moon.
Hibiscus, our next new Spagyric, is well-known as a lovely flower and in “zinger” type teas, as well as my personal favourite tropical drink, Jamaica. Hibiscus drinks are popular in hot climates because this flower has amazing cooling properties- so much so that as crazy as I am about Jamaica, I can only drink it in the very hottest weather, or else I shiver and feel like I’m freezing!
The cooling effects of our Hibiscus Initiatic are not as pronounced physically, but it does help the mind to “chill” and open to devotional energy through the heart center and especially through the vibration of sound. This quality is hinted at by Hibiscus’ Ayurvedic name, japa, which is also the name of the spiritual practice of the repetition of a mantra, or spiritual word or phrase.
To practice japa, one’s energy needs to be open and calm, so that the divine intelligence the mantra calls upon can be accessed; but the mind must also remain attentive and focused so that the words of the mantra can be pronounced correctly and repeated easily. Like many spiritual/musical practices, japa engages both sides of the brain and creates unity in their purpose, leading to the harmonious states of “entrainment” common to many mystical experiences.
Hibiscus supports this balance between open flow and controlled communication, and we also find that it makes the creation of any sound very pleasurable. And, as the vibrations of sound flow out from the practitioner, so the flow of positive creation is created, with Hibiscus breaking down any obstacles to the realization of the purpose of the mantra or prayer being said. Our new Hibiscus Initiatic is here in our store- we hope you enjoy it!
Our next Initiatic, Guayusa, is an interesting plant, traditionally used at the liminal space between sleep and waking. Revered by the Kichwa of Ecuador, Guayusa is related to Yerba Mate, and shares its stimulating properties. At the same time, it is high in L-theanine, like Green Tea, and acts in a similar balanced way.
In Kichwa use, Guayusa is drunk in sessions in the very early morning in circles of discussion linking the dreams of the night before to the plans for the day ahead. It creates a bridge between the dream state that brings wisdom to the waking state of action, guided by the insights of the night before.
We have found our Guayusa Initiatic to be useful in many of the same ways as Green Tea, bringing the alpha wave state of sharpness with tranquility that can be very helpful for meditating on real-world issues, plans and activities that also need direction from deeper levels of awareness.
Our final new meditation formula is one that comes up in modern Hermetic literature, in the writings of Aleister Crowley. In honour of a man we consider a spiritual “uncle”, we’re calling this new Somalixir Uncle Al.
Uncle Al is a simple formula- just Turmeric and Galangal, both known as spices in Asian cooking. For this formula, though, we’re not working with the usual forms of these plants, but rarer alpine versions of both. How and where a plant grows can make a big difference to its intelligence, and with Turmeric and Galangal, the alpine versions carry a strong meditative and initiatic quality that Crowley discovered in his travels through Nepal in the early 1900’s.
The combination of alpine Turmeric and Galangal was introduced to Crowley as a formula for dreamwork, and as being connected to the Rasa Yoga tradition of “light-containing herbs”, plants which increase the light of wisdom and knowledge of the Divine. One of Crowley’s key practices was the creation of a “Body of Light” through which the magician could act on the subtle levels, performing ritual work in a disembodied state. He saw this formula as a help to this practice, particularly the Galangal, which also plays a role in the sacred blend Abra-Melin.
About Galangal, Crowley wrote:
Galangal represents both Kether and Malkuth, the First and the Last, the One and the Many.
Our experience with Uncle Al Somalixir is a similar unifying quality, linking the Solar Plexus with the Crown chakra. The formula is also quite calming, and we can imagine it being useful for dream work, easing you into that state while also keeping your subtle body collected and coherent.