Alchemy blog dos

The book that Hauck wrote on the Emerald Tablet actually begins by telling us the story of Balinas who was born in the year 16 C.E. in Cappadocia (now Turkey). He found the Emerald Tablet and it changed his life. He became famous in Turkey for his healing powers and lived in the temple of Asclepius. He traveled all over the world meeting with many religious groups including the Essenes and Gnostics.

Balinas felt that religious groups were slowly forgetting and losing touch with the higher powers of themselves and he wanted to help them reestablish their link. Also he was worried that religions were becoming too materialistic . On page 8 of Hauck's book, he says of Balinas, "To set an example for others, he never entered a temple or church without uttering the prayer in which he said : Grant, Oh gods, that I may have little and feel the need of nothing." This notion has a huge resonating impact with me because one of my main reasons for not going to church is to avoid the "church" itself. Beautiful buildings, Popes decked out in gold and ornate clothing, or any signs of outward riches or bodily worship have nothing to do with spirit or God and I have always deeply felt this.

I also felt that Balinas was an inspiring individual in that he spoke bluntly at times to wake people up out of their comfortable lives and impart wisdom. Found on page 11 in Hauck's book, "Balinas attacked people's laziness and overindulgence, pleading with them to share their possessions with those in need by saying, "What else, then, have we to do but shut ourselves up at home, like birds to be fattened for use, and indulge our appetites in darkness till we burst with fat?". This might have just as well been my wake up call, stop sitting around don't forget who you are (or aren't as the case may be)! That statement continues to echo in my mind and speaks directly to me.

Balinas also urged Romans to stop watching sporting events where cruelty reigned ( on opening day alone of the "Games" 9,000 -power animals- such as lions, tigers, and panthers were slaughtered for human entertainment). Instead he encouraged them to raise their consciousness level and participate in the Universe directly and not vicariously, by witnessing creation moment by moment. He claimed nothing could be more exciting than that (as you can imagine, it didn't go over well). It kind of reminds me of the saying, "Don't do drugs, be high on life". Balinas stated that he could never harm another creature because who was he to judge the life worth of "any potential vehicle of light" (a very Buddhist statement, to come many years later).

Balinas also spoke out boldly against and without fear of Roman Emperors like Nero and he was also called to influence others such as Emperor Titus. He did not just sit around and meditate and reflect but boldly went out into the world to share his great knowledge. To someone who has always been too shy to speak her opinion and has even lied about being religious just to avoid a confrontation, this sets a new idea for me of what I would like my life to be like hence forth.

Balinas had many amazing experiences that I would encourage anyone to read about. I am glad he took his thoughts to the streets, in doing so he shared his life and knowledge with us. Many others such as Jesus and Buddha did the same thing, possibly endangering their lives and with the worry that their teachings would be misunderstood but they were spiritual worriers that risked everything to teach us anyway. They risked persecution and being misunderstood, and they were but they did it for love of people. Lastly it is important to note that by living what you teach and not compromising you are become the living incarnation of your ideal.

I realize I have talked very little in this post about the actual teachings on the Tablet or Alchemy, so I will save that post for next time.