Pilgrim writers, greetings from the laboratory of life, where writing is alchemy.
Writing is the sacred transformation of thought into form, the invisible into the visible. Self made matter.
Like the alchemists of old who sought to turn lead into gold, writers take the raw material of life – memories, feelings, emotions, ideas – and transform this raw material into words on a page.
This process is not just about creation; it is about transformation. Writing is not just a tool for expression, it is a crucible for health, wellness, and change.
The act of putting words on the page alters us. It calls forth what haunts the feeling body and is yet to be languaged, or made meaning of. The process of making meaning demands we shape in words that which has no shape, no form, no material - and to be shaped in transformational turn by languaged memories, feelings, emotions and ideas.
At its core, alchemy is a process of purification. The ancient alchemists worked with fire to burn away impurities, believing that through destruction of matter something purer and more powerful could emerge.
Writing mirrors this process. We begin with the raw, unfiltered matter of thought – chaotic, contradictory, incomplete. As we write, we sift through the noise, discarding what no longer serves us, refining our insights through language – not just words, but words on the page: self made matter.
This sounds straightforward, yet is not necessarily an easy process.
There are times the words flow effortlessly, and we are astonished by what appears on the page. There are times when the writing is slow, a heavy slog. And yet, inside all these moments transformation is at work. Each languaged word on the page is a turning of the wheel, a slow, steady refinement of our understanding, our voice, our way of being in the world.
The alchemical nature of writing is its ability to reveal. It is not uncommon to have no idea what we truly think or feel until we write it down. The page reflects us back to ourselves, mirroring the fears we hide, the hopes we barely dare speak, the wisdom we did not know we possessed.
This is why writing is such a powerful tool. It does not simply document our journey, it is the journey.
For brave new writers, this alchemical process requires trust. Trust that the leaden weight of uncertainty, doubt and resistance will, with persistence, yield gold. Trust that when the words feel clumsy, the act of writing itself will transform our relationship to life’s challenges. Trust that the fire of creation will burn away what is unnecessary and leave behind something ‘true’, which is to say: self-aligned words on a page that express who you know yourself to be in the world.
So write. Write through the discomfort. Write through the resistance. Write when you don’t feel ready, write when you don’t have the perfect words, write when the sentences are messy and incomplete.
Alchemy lies not in perfection, it is in the showing up, the willingness to engage with the unknown, the endurance to keep going and the courage to make way for transformation.
The languaged self as you know yourself to be – this is the gold.
Write Your Way Home: if you would like writing guidance as you step into the alchemical nature of writing, Write Your Way Home offers 12 writing journeys for the brave + 3 for the bold. Available now from Amazon in print and ebook.
Find out more about my research here.
Ultreia, we keep going.
Thank you for reading,
Steph