The Year of the Alchemist
This is my ‘/word page’ - a place to document my intent for the next chapter of the life of timall.red
It’s all part of the Choose One Word ‘Ritual of Becoming’ from Dr Jason Fox and The Cleverness.
Backstory
I allowed the Year of the Zen Archer to extend past 2020 into the beginning of 2021. It was continuing to serve a purpose for me, as something to hold on to and anchor me in the tailings of the impacts of COVID-19. I have benefited greatly throughout 2020 using the Zen Archer as my reference and guiding word as I was challenged to maintain attention and focus, clarity of mind, and intentionality and purpose.
2021 continues my ritual of Choosing One Word as an anchor / reference point for my year, building on the previous years of the Zen Archer (2020), Phoenix (2019) Rogue Scholar (2017) and Warrior (2016).
The Year of the Alchemist.
The Alchemist practice revolves around transmutation. They have a desire to witness and effect change in people and objects around them and change in consciousness.
The Alchemist is on a lifelong quest for the Master Work. The Alchemist connection with the Soul of the World allows them to harnesses their intuition and instinct, and be a catalyst for change and transformation.
Principles
1. Take Action. Create Ripples.
Actions will flow out of having confidence in your decision. The Alchemist knows that you can study, read, and listen until you turn blue in the face, but there is only one way to learn, and that is through action.
The Alchemist focuses on growth and transformation because it is weaved into the fabric of the World. Through becoming a better version of themselves, the Alchemist creates a ripple effect that benefits everything around them.
“That’s what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”
2. Embrace the Present.
The Alchemist has come to understand that there is no point dwelling in the past and letting it define you, nor getting lost and anxious about the future. But in the present moment, you’re in the field of possibility — how an Alchemist engages with the present moment will direct their life.
The Alchemist looks for the silver lining and the good things that happen in their lives each day.
“Because I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man.”
3. Maktub. It is written.
Maktub means that we must not let fear and most importantly, the fear of failure, to get in the way of our own pursuit of our Personal Legend. For it is written, and what is meant to be, will be. Everything that we do, everyone that we come across, and each lesson learned is a part of the story of the Universe. A story that has been already written. But it is our duty, to contribute to it.
The Alchemist must remember to not let fear get in the way. Any new pursuit requires entering uncharted territory. But with any great risk comes great reward. The experiences gained in pursuing our Personal Legend will make it all worthwhile.
“No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it”
Patterns
For centuries, Alchemists have used rituals as a way to effect transformation. These patterns and behaviours for the Year of the Alchemist will be infused into my daily rhythms over the course of this year.
Flow - I will incorporate blocks of time dedicated for focused work. For those familiar with Maker vs Manager time, this is my Maker time. I find my mornings are best for, and I will use the Pomodoro Technique to minimise mental fatigue and maintain focus during these periods. I will build focused writing time into my week before work and weekends.
Experimentation - I will be a catalyst for change through experimentation and transformation. I will approach use the new knowledge discovered to bring about change.
Observation - I will embrace curiosity and wonder of the physical world through observation. I will practice gratitude and deep listening techniques into my day to ensure I’m being present with and aware of those and what is around me.
Projects
Over the course of this year I intend to form a diverse group of high performing / ambitious / focused individuals to be a peer accountability network. I’m still in the draft thinking of what this will look like, however anticipate that it will start to take shape around the middle of the year.
How you can help
As I’m sure you can appreciate, being in my final year of my doctoral studies, I may have to withdraw from a few social activities in order to focus on finalising my thesis. I will be scheduling time for fun, as this will also be required.
You may see me sporting a fancy pin - a way for me to symbolise the Alchemist. So ask me how I'm going embedding the Alchemist into my daily rhythms. Better yet, share with me your Word and we can journey on this together!
Head over to the Choose One Word ‘Ritual of Becoming’ program and sign up today.
Quotes from “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho