Ive been thinking about this a lot recently, but I feel like people hear the term "alchemy" and think anime or harry potter or some other form of pop-culture presentation of alchemy. It's high fantasy magic. It's easy. A snap of the fingers or a flick of the wrist.
But alchemy in the real world is hard and slow. Before there was science, there was alchemy, and I think we take that for granted sometimes.
Alchemists came from a multitude of faiths, but pervading all of them was the idea that the world was the Great Work, a gift given to us by whatever intelligence was responsible for our existence. Yet, the world defied our understanding. The world held secrets, locked doors that could be opened if only we were clever enough to find the keys.
I think that too is a gift, that mystery. The work of an alchemist is one of empathy, even love. Every discovery made us closer to God, not in the sense that we became holier, but in the sense that the more we learn about a painting, the more we learn about the painter.
When god made saltpeter, sulphur, charcoal, and flame, he made fireworks. I think he wants us to make fireworks too. I think for a painter, there is no greater act of love than teaching others to paint. Why should god be any different?
As a trans person, my body has always been a mystery. There is a distance between us, a separation, as if my body is just another stone or tree or clump of earth. It doesn't feel like me, and truly I don't think it ever will.
But that's okay with me.
I find comfort in the idea that I am both the alchemist and the great work. If I am to be a stranger to myself, I will revel in the labor of discovery. I will be tender in my alchemy.
