Questions & Answers

Exploring the Alchemy of Not

What is "Not"?

Simply put, Not is the absolute absence of everything.

That is to say, the absence of everything, everywhere.

But it turns out that it is not really possible for us to comprehend the absence of everything, so in order to help conceptualize this, the Alchemy of Not breaks Not down into four distinct attributes. Each of these attributes is a core precept of Not.

The four attributes (core precepts) of Not are coldness, darkness, stasis, and emptiness.

Not Symbol for Coldness
Not Symbol for Coldness
Not Symbol for Darkness
Not Symbol for Darkness
Not symbol for Stasis
Not symbol for Stasis
Not Symbol for Emptiness
Not Symbol for Emptiness

What is "Not Metaphysics"?

a ferris wheel lit up at night with colorful lights
a ferris wheel lit up at night with colorful lights

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality. (Wikipedia)

Not Metaphysics is an entire system of Metaphysics based on the Philosophy of Not.

We begin with Not (the cold, dark, static, emptiness of nothingness) as the strata underneath reality itself. From there, Not proves the existence of the warm, light, active, presence of All (everything in existence).

With this fundamental basis, the Metaphysics of Not continues to add additional layers explaining how the world came to be the way it is.

We can use this knowledge of how the world came to be this way to show us how to be in the world we find around us. In other words, Not Metaphysics gives us a basis for how to navigate the Landscape of Being.

Is this all there is?

Shopping, scrolling through social media, binge watching Netflix, YouTube and TikTok videos... Clocking in, clocking out, getting paid, spending our money then doing it all over again. Going through the motions, day-in and day-out...

Is there more to life than this?

photo of green grass field at sunrise
photo of green grass field at sunrise

Yes, there is! There is a deeper essence to reality and the Alchemy of Not illuminates this underlying strata. Through understanding the perfect purity of the cold, dark, static emptiness of Not, we can't help but find proof of the perfect purity of the warm, light, active presence of All.

Following the Ascent from Not upward, we climb from the depths of the Self into the Landscape of Being, where we go about our day-to-day lives with a strong foundation of belief in ourselves (Who and What we are) and a confidence in How we are being.

Find out more about the Landscape of Being

What does "manifestation" really mean?

Manifestation is essentially "directed intention." Think of it this way: You are a living being with actual pulses of electricity (aka. energy) running through your brain and body. In addition to the literal electrical energy running through your mind and body, there are also thoughts running through your mind (and body).

These thoughts may roam freely or you might wrangle them in with meditation or directed intention. If you do not focus on anything in particular, your thoughts may continue to run freely and you might decide to go for a walk, take a nap, watch some Netflix, eat a snack, etc.

If you take over your thoughts and direct them - for instance, you think "I want to take a walk," then that previously free flowing but scattered energy begins to flow in a single direction.

person wearing knit cap facing mountain
person wearing knit cap facing mountain

In this example, in a single "manifestation session" you have literally manifested "taking a walk" into your life. This may seem absurdly simple, but this is exactly what "manifestation" really is.

Manifesting "taking a walk" is fairly easy and straightforward and only required a single "session of manifestation." In other words, you had the thought (you imagined yourself walking) and acted on it and the thought became the reality. When it comes to manifesting something like "a loving partner" or "a better job," the results may not come so quickly. When there is a greater span of time between the thought and the reality of the thing, more "manifestation sessions" are required. Over the course of days or weeks, it is easy to let oneself lose focus. When the "manifestation sessions" stop, or change direction, the whole process must start over again.

Thus, manifesting something like "love" or "money" into your life requires the long game. The quickest way to make these things a reality is to dedicate some time each day. For instance, make a pact with yourself that every day at 7:05 AM, you will close your eyes, imagine the feeling you have from already having the loving partner you wish to manifest (this is like imagining yourself walking from our earlier example), then remind yourself that it will happen, open your eyes and move on with your morning.

You see, it only takes a minute. If you can do that two, three, or more times, every day, it will generally happen sooner. The more you do it, the more directed is your intention to manifest what you want into your life.

How is Alchemy relevant in 2024?

The Alchemists of old were on to something. They were trying to figure out what the world was made of. In their attempt to break down reality into the most fundamental building blocks, they identified four core components which they believed everything in existence was made from: fire, water, air, and earth.

profile of man
profile of man

They were on the right track, but they had not yet looked deep enough. The four elements of fire, water, air and earth are things we see in the world around us, but there are four fundamental building blocks of reality which are even more fundamental.

In order to define them, however, we must drop all the way down to "the bottom" of reality itself. We must look beneath reality to see the bedrock on which reality is built. The bottom is the pure and perfect nothingness of Not. And Not is defined by the four attributes of coldness, darkness, stasis and emptiness.

In order to arrive at perfect coldness, we have to remove all warmth. In order to arrive at perfect darkness, we have to remove all light. In order to arrive at perfect stasis, we have to remove all activity. In order to arrive at perfect emptiness, we have to remove all presence.

the Not Symbols for warmth (a flame), light (a sun), activity (boiling water) and presence (meditati
the Not Symbols for warmth (a flame), light (a sun), activity (boiling water) and presence (meditati

In describing Not, we had to remove the most fundamental building blocks of reality: warmth, light, activity and presence.

The identification of the metaphysical basis of all of reality (warmth, light, activity and presence) is extremely significant in our present lives. Everything is made from these four fundamental building blocks.

landscape of photography of desert
landscape of photography of desert
woman wearing green jacket walking on the pedestrian lane during daytime
woman wearing green jacket walking on the pedestrian lane during daytime

Barren landscapes are comprised of warmth, light, activity and presence.

black hole galaxy illustration
black hole galaxy illustration

People and cities are comprised of warmth, light, activity and presence.

Space and everything in it is comprised of warmth, light, activity and presence.

You are comprised of warmth, light, activity and presence. And so am I. It is through these four fundamental building blocks of reality that we find perfect unity in all things.

What really matters?

What really matters most in this world?

Is it getting a good job? Having lots of Likes? Looking your best? Having the nicest car? Being smart? Having a more expensive, bigger and better [insert material possession] than they do?

Is it being the best Muslim? Christian? Jew? Buddhist? Hindu [insert any other religion]? Is it paying your taxes? Paying your tithing?

We believe that what matters most in this world is actually being. This may sound ridiculous at first. After all, how could "being" really matter when we don't even have to try to be?

It's true though. Whether you are from the "We are all created by something greater" camp or you are from the "We all just accidentally evolved" camp, being is the most important function we can engage in.

a person holding a baby
a person holding a baby

If we were created, we were probably created on purpose. And if we were created on purpose we were probably created to fulfill a purpose. As such, it is safe to assume we are fulfilling that purpose. (After all, when we create cool things to help us, like screwdrivers or cell phones, they fulfill their purpose, don't they?) The only commonality between all religions, all philosophies, all cultures and all peoples is that all of us are being. We are over eight billion humans, being. When I say "being" I mean just that. I mean taking in sensory input, processing it, emanating our own energy, and navigating the Landscape of Being. Until "the creator(s)" come before all of us at the same time to clarify the agenda, being is the only thing we all have in common.

If we were not created or we were created on accident, this really doesn't change what I just said about what we share in common. If this is random chance, it does not change the fact that there are over eight billion of us humans just being. It is important to embrace this opportunity to experience being here. Nobody knows what was before or what comes after, but we all know now.

Do screwdrivers and smart phones wonder why they exist? As frustrating as it is to not know why we are being, it's somewhat of a salve to know that 1. We cannot fail at doing it. 2. We can enjoy being while we're doing it.

Why does "Not" matter?

It is by removing everything and starting over with nothing that we see what is true, what is real, and what matters.

  1. What reality really is

  2. Perfect clarity

  3. That we can start over

  4. That what is really important is what we decide is really important

  5. That we are authorized to be here

  6. That we have a right to be here

  7. That we cannot fail

  8. The universal truth of nothingness (Not)

  9. The universal truth of existence (All)

The reason Not matters is because Not shows us:

These assertions are not just pulled out of thin air. The Metaphysics of Not is based in scientific, rational thought and withstands the rigors of logic and philosophical discourse.