“In true Gnostic fashion, the alchemists were aware that the capacity for creation and the capacity for destruction were very finely balanced – nowhere more so than in themselves. Whoever held the secret of life had a power for evil that was as great as his power for good. These were the men who ultimately understood the symbolism of the prime rule of alchemy: use only one vessel, one fire and one instrument, which is the self. Through their work they were aware of the Power of their own Being. They knew the characteristics of the Secret Fire, the serpent power that moves upward in spirals and of the great primitive force hidden in all matter both organic and inorganic.” ~Bernard Simon
Creation and Destruction
Many believe that creation and destruction go hand-in-hand. That you cannot create a new thing without destroying something else. That is not true. Real creation doesn’t destroy. Carving a statue out of rock is not creation or destruction. It is modification. The shape of the rock was changed, but noting really new was created.
On the other hand, chopping down trees to make room for houses or farms is destruction because you are replacing something living with something dead. Even if the wood from those trees is used to build the houses, you have destroyed living trees to make something artificial. That is destruction, not creation. True creation gives you something where there was previously nothing except energy.
Finely Balanced
Something many don’t understand is that natural energy, even spiritual energy, is neutral. It isn’t good or evil. The good or evil part depends on how you use that energy. If you take in that energy, and send it out to other full of thoughts of peace, love, and harmony, you are making it positive energy. But you can just as easily send forth that same energy embedded with thoughts of hate, fear, and prejudice and it will be a negative influence on those receiving it.
The Story of Two Wolves
Those energies and feelings within us may be “finely balanced” but we can choose which to use and which not to use. As the old Native American saying goes, we decide whether we will be like the good wolf or the bad wold by which one we choose to feed. As we continue to evolve, we will eventually rid ourselves of that dark side. Until then, we must be careful not to let it take control. Creation and destruction may walk hand in hand in the material world, but that can be corrected. Continue reading “Creation and Destruction, Positive and Negative”
