Life Force Attunement - As Within, So Without
Our sacred attention is the dial we use to tune ourselves to all the different frequencies of creation, so when we direct it towards the life-force powering it, we attune ourselves to its limitless potential. Much occult literature references the famous Hermetic axiom, “As above so below,” but the full quote is, “As within so without, as above so below, as the universe, so the soul.” By consciously honoring the expression of this life-giving power in the external world of nature, so too do we activate this energy within ourselves.
We can tap into this energy by taking a moment in meditation to revel in the magic of what makes a flower bloom or the unfathomable distance sunlight must travel to reach us. It’s also a practice for waking life. By appreciating what it takes for a hummingbird to fly or a crystal to form, and really holding the awe in our hearts, we amplify our own internal life-force. This subtle yet potent act of appreciation supercharges our journey to enlightenment by accelerating and expanding our capacity to enjoy the process.
In Paul Foster Case’s 1931 book Hermetic Alchemy: Science and Practice, the physical mechanism by which this occurs is described. Exploring how humans can learn to control the forces of nature by mastering them within ourselves, Case writes about how this life-force is distributed within the body as part of the digestive process. By directing our attention to this power, or chi as it’s known in Chinese medicine, and its expression in nature,, we begin to stimulate increased production and circulation in the body.
“For when the alchemical process is understood and carried out, the adept is able to extract from the chyle a great number of essences which are of inestimable value. These are wasted by the average human being because he does not know how to extract them. By gaining conscious control of the process of intestinal digestion and assimilation, the adepts in alchemy are enabled to fill their veins with the veritable elixir of life,” he wrote. Chyle is a substance produced by the small intestine that allows energy from the food we eat to be carried to the bloodstream. This is the delivery mechanism that distributes the consciously supercharged chi around the body.
Case further explains that while we use this energy in all that we do, most of us are not consciously connected to its essence. “For although we make use of the subtle powers of consciousness daily, though remaining ignorant of the force itself, true adeptship is founded on this actual perception.” Any intentional perception of this force initiates the alchemical process within, but to make honoring its expression part of a daily practice is to embody true adepthood. We can further amplify this energy by eating raw foods that still contain activated chi and being mindful of how our body is making use of it.
“It is a whirling, circulating essence that dances through our veins, moves more slowly through the lymphatic vessels, and gyrates rapidly through the entire nervous system,” Case described. When we’re not consciously connected to this energy, especially if we’re mostly eating dead, processed food, our body operates on a bare-minimum level for survival. The subtle act of consciously honoring what gives life can easily be underestimated, but to become an adept is to be capable of performing magic. And when the act is repeated and combined with the mindful eating of living foods, suddenly we find ourselves inhabiting the body of an adept.
Many occult, religious and spiritual traditions emphasize reverence as a transformative act because awe and gratitude are a form of energetic participation in the living system of Earthly incarnation. To revere the miracle animating existence is to harmonize ourselves with it. Living as an adept means becoming exquisitely intimate with the life-force moving through it. Over time, this conscious relationship begins to refine the body, sharpen perception, and awaken dormant capacities for what can only be described as extraordinary human abilities within us. To realize that magic is woven into the fabric of existence itself, waiting for our conscious participation, is to become part of the magic itself.