You Don't Need to be a Wizard to Use Alchemy

How to transform your anxiety

Photo by Uday Mittal on Unsplash

Dear Power Source subscribers:

Anxiety is something I’ve struggled with my entire life. Primary, for me, it manifests as social anxiety. But, I have learned over the years as my daughters have also experienced anxiety (they would not mind me telling you this, we don’t have any shame or embarrassment around these things), that it feels and looks different in everyone.

Thus, there is no one-size-fits-all remedy, and any article or person who tells you there is should be regarded with some suspicion.

My journey with anxiety has long stopped being one of conquering it, but instead one of befriending it. In my book, Embodying Soul: A Return to Wholeness, I describe Anxiety as an actual character I learn to live alongside. Often, the messages from anxiety are actually meaningful, if we can take some time to investigate rather than bat them back. For instance, my social anxiety arises when I’m in a group where I no longer belong, fit in, or feel I can be completely myself. Thus, suppressing this emotion disregards the message and the truth behind it.

Several years ago, I started studying alchemy, both as a way to transform raw herbs into healing elixirs, and also to experience what it means to apply the concepts to our mental health. My question was: Instead of ignoring or beating back anxiety, can it be transformed?

In this article I wrote for Spirituality and Health Magazine, I explore this question in detail. Here is a snippet:

“We are not likely to eliminate anxiety from our lives forever. Nor would we necessarily want to, as anxiety is a messenger letting us know there is an imbalance that needs attention. It’s important to recognize that while anxiety may always be a part of your life, you can turn it into gold through emotional alchemy.”

If this idea is helpful for you, I am currently writing a series of articles exploring the use of alchemy for other things as well, such as sleep, gut health, and pain, so stay tuned!