Modern Alchemy with James Arthur Ray and Bersabeh Ray James & Bersabeh Ray

Episode 108: Transmute Your Body into a Powerhouse: The Enemy is Lack of Recovery



Stress is not the enemy. The enemy is lack of recovery

There are two types of stress—distress and eustress (Hans Selye). Distress is what we typically call stress. It ages us, wears us out, and affects both our stamina and endurance.

Eustress is the creative tension between where you are and where you choose to be. This type of stress is really healthy and drives us to close the gap.

So, stress can be a good thing. In fact, anyone who works out knows that your body grows under stress—but it’s vitally important that you get plenty of recovery...

No one would intentionally drink Strychnine and think they’re going to be healthy and live a long life. Yet how many of us poison our bodies a little bit at a time and think nothing of it?

We’ve talked a lot in previous episodes about poisons like alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and other recreational drugs so we won’t repeat them again now, but let’s discuss some of the poisons that are less obvious.

Would like to credit and thank Dr. Simon Goddek for some of this information.

First: vegetable oil. Now this may come as a surprise to you as many have touted them to be healthy, but they’re not.

All Seed oils are oils are extracted from various seeds. The most common include rapeseed (canola oil), soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower, peanut, etc. Unlike coconut oil or olive oil which can be extracted by pressing, these new-fangled oils must be extracted in very unnatural ways...

A very important part of all alchemical training—in fact, a very important part of life—is developing true and complete health.

It’s very difficult to be mentally and spiritually attuned when your body is worn out, toxic, and tired.

Having a healthy body is a somewhat complex topic and for this very reason, obesity is one of the major causes of death in the United States.

According to Clinical Medicine, excess weight was responsible for more than 1300 excess deaths per day (nearly 500,000 per year) and a loss in life expectancy of nearly 2·4 years in 2016, contributing to higher excess mortality than smoking.  This is crazy.

If this was all there was, then this would certainly be more than enough but it’s even more complex than that. 

Remember true alchemy is the art and science of transmutation. To take something of low value and transmute it into something of high value. So, in this episode we’re going to discuss how to transmute a toxic unhealthy body into a healthy one.

We’ll cover a large range of topics from diet to exercise, to toxins and substances, even good sleep. 

We truly hope this is valuable for you and our prayer is that it lengthens your life in long and prosperous ways.

Let me just state: there is so much talk in today’s world about “making a difference”. If you’re someone who wants to have an impact and make a difference in the world then please know, you have to be around a long time to do this—because frankly—it takes a long time to truly make a difference in the world. There is no quick fix...

As we’ve been discussing the concept of “The Great Work” is to become the greatest reflection possible of God in human form. To literally become more than human.

The Great Work is the foundation of all alchemy and mystery teachings.

It doesn’t take much time when you observe the world today to realize that our world is in major disruption. Much more so than it’s ever been previously in my lifetime.

We believe one of the main reasons we are at this point is that we have left the sacred by the wayside and plunged full force into secularism. Money has become our God, work has become our religion, and politics have become our philosophy.

We’ve largely, with few exceptions, lost what we’ll call our Vertical Principal relationship (aka. Relationship with God) and when this was disconnected all we have was a horizontal viewpoint of the world (I cover this in detail in my latest book GMS). The only measure we have for what is right and true is to look around us and see what others are doing.

This is problematic.

To accomplish The Great Work, you must live a life in alignment with Universal Principles and Truth...

In the last episodes we’ve been discussing first what the prime objective of all alchemical traditions is: entitled The Great Work. In other words, to become God in human form or more specifically to reflect God in your body and mind through your human form and into the world.

While very few individuals we meet even think much less contemplate these high ideals, the fact is that for this reason and this reason only are you here.

In the traditions they maintain that prior to coming into this lifetime you meet with your own higher council, and you decide what you need to learn, what you need to heal, and what you need to accomplish in this current incarnation.

Upon exit you meet with them once again and check in to see how well you’ve done. 

If you fail, your mission you’re recycled and sent back in once again to go through another entirely different life and to play the same game over again.

I don’t know about you, but this is incentive enough for me to do everything possible in this life to ensure that I accomplish and become all I can accomplish and become.

If you pass and did a great job then you are rewarded with a new life with new challenges or possibly if you have truly evolved to a very high level of awareness. You move on toward greater adventures.

Now who really knows for sure if this is true… but again for us we’d rather be safe than sorry. How about you?

Are you adding value to the world or just seeking it for yourself?

This is a fundamental question in all alchemical and Hermetic traditions. 

We’re told that we’ve been created in the image and likeness of God. We know that God is a creative being, and therefore so too are you.

But think about this: God is the life force; and God therefore must create more comprehensive life. You cannot create anything other than its own nature. 

Compassion cannot create hatred. Gratitude cannot create jealousy. Expansion cannot create contraction. And life cannot create death.

Life always seeks more life. And that life is comprehensive. Not specific but general. Meaning good for self, good for others, and good for the entire world.

That’s the measure of anything you choose to do. Ask yourself: is this good for self, good for others, and good for the entire world?