The Great Work is fire and pain.
The reward is You.

Then we have the choice of adding the catalyst to transmute ourselves

The Great Work.

The process of personal evolution is referred to as a Magnum Opus, a “Great Work” of alchemy because through the actions of our human body our soul is transformed from what it once was, into a most precious commodity; and at the conclusion of the process we may stand forth golden, resplendent and incorruptible.

Such an image of personal transformation and evolution is, perhaps, the zenith of earthly accomplishments and it implies that fire has been applied.

Fire, Crucible and The Catalyst.

Fire has been applied to that base metal. It has melted and with the introduction of some mysterious catalyst, the base metal becomes gold.

In this image you and all your being are that base metal, your body, your emotions are the crucible. Then fire comes in the form of spiritual, emotional, psychological or physical pain and then we have the choice of adding the catalyst to transmute ourselves into gold.

At the moment of crisis, when the fire is hottest and the pain is unbearable and the metal is molten, adding that catalyst seems less of a choice and more a necessity, but the choice is not whether to add the catalyst or not; the choice is about which catalyst to add.

In my previous blog about React / Create (here) I explored the choice of how we can choose to react or create in any circumstance.

Similarly, we have choice in how we respond to the things life throws at us; and it is that choice that becomes the catalyst. Will you use this experience to help you to grow, or will it make you more bitter?