Business Transformation…and the Ancient Art of Alchemy

As business leaders, we tend to think that our corporate challenges are modern maladies that must be managed with contemporary constructs. We lean towards an insular approach to achieving excellence, guided by only the latest intelligence (increasingly of the artificial kind). And we tend to see business transformation as the prerogative of those organisations that are truly progressive. However, what we need to remember is that the idea of transformation is not a modern one. It has existed for millennia, and the ancient alchemists understood the process perfectly.

It does not matter whether you want to turn lead into gold, become a better version of yourself, or have your organisation achieve its fullest potential; the transformation process is identical. Moreover, alchemy provides deep insight into critical transformation challenges you may have yet to hear about in your management textbooks. Alchemy is not wacky wizardry. A magnificent store of wisdom is available within that can be used for renewal in both personal and professional spheres.

Defining transformation

Before diving in, though, let’s clarify what we mean by transformation. The dictionary tells us that it is a change in either composition, construction, character or condition[1]. When we use the term in personal or professional life, though, three elements of transformations are implied, and that distinguish them from other types of change being that it is:

1. Significant. Transformation suggests a change that is extensive in either scope or scale. It may touch many people or things or many dimensions of one thing.
2. Enduring. Transformational change is difficult to undo or to revert to the original condition, as the underlying foundations have shifted during the process.
3. An improvement. A change can be helpful, harmful or neutral concerning achieving an ultimate aim or goal. When we use the word transformation, we suggest that the change made propels the object closer towards its fullest and most positive potential and the achievement of its highest-order goals.

In this way, we can further refine the definition of transformation to be:

“A change that is significant in scale or scope, is difficult to disrupt, and which moves an object towards its highest purpose.”

Understanding alchemy

It was the achievement of exactly this kind of change that was the ultimate aim of our alchemist ancestors, and it still is for those practising pure alchemy today. We may associate alchemy with crazed conjurers churning, burning, mixing and melting substances to make the most prized of possessions — gold. In reality, though, alchemists were masters of transformation on multiple dimensions.

Any credible alchemist knew that their work on the physical plane was just one aspect of the entire field of transformation, which also, to be complete, needed to consider the mental, emotional and spiritual as well. Alchemy worked across all dimensions to continually remove unnecessary elements and refine the results to deliver the purest and most perfect essence. While the goal of finding the Philosopher’s Stone was seen by some as a tangible triumph, for alchemists, it represented so much more than touching a trinket. It signified the attainment of a higher level of consciousness[i].

In this way, alchemy was not just manipulating the material world but sought to transmute the mundane to the magical. It worked to turn mortal and material manifestations into their invisible and immortal incarnations. It used physical substances to derive essences that can transform the invisible spirit of people and places. And why was this important? It is no better described than by the French poet Lucien Jacque:

“Humans are nourished by the invisible. We are nourished by that which is beyond the personal. We die by preferring its opposite.”

Alchemy transformed the tangible things that satisfy us into the invisible conditions, qualities and essences that sustain us.

The chemistry we know today is a complex and comprehensive science. Still, it is merely the superficial layer of the work of an alchemist who applied what they learnt in their labs to their own lives. This was because alchemists were guided by the Hermetic law of correspondence that states, “ as above, so below; as below, so above.” They understood the intimate connection of activity across all planes of existence and, most importantly, the interdependence between their level of mastery and maturity and the outcomes of their work. Their results represented their internal states, and to progress in their work, they also had to push further towards their potential.

Removing impurities from their concoctions required a similar internal process of expelling blemished beliefs and tarnished thoughts. Likewise, their experiments would endow them with further education about the true nature of things they applied to their growth process. At the same time, they were gaining extensive experience in the world around them and deep knowledge about themselves. Their work and their wisdom combined in one conscious and escalating dance.

Transformation is natural

Alchemists detailed knowledge of transformation was gained through thousands of years of observation of how the natural world works and was captured well by the wisdom of Maria Prophitessa (Mary the Jewess), who practised alchemy around the 2nd century A.D.

“Invert nature and you will find that which you seek.”

One of the most wonderful examples of transformation we encounter in nature is that of the caterpillar to the butterfly. The transition from prickly ground dweller to pulverised pupa and then to pretty papillon captures the imagination and provides inspiration about how we can become our best selves. The metaphor is meaningful on many levels. It shows the caterpillar in its current state, chunky, clumpy, and very clumsy. It is also inherently vulnerable, having to employ prickly protections to survive. To morph into a butterfly, it must undergo a dramatic dissolution, whereby its digestive juices are used to break down the current form and create the slime that supports the development of new forms, such as the wings. Some essential forms remain, such as the airways, brain and digestive system, while others melt into the mush and are reborn as new mechanisms. This nature-bound metamorphosis became an accurate analogy for the process alchemists used to spiritise substances and tap into their power.

The transformation process

The example of the transition from caterpillar to butterfly shows that transformation follows three main stages.

The Black Phase

This is a stage of putrefaction, breaking apart and breaking down of existing structures to their most essential elements so that contaminants can be removed. It is called the Black Phase, representing the death of what is known. It could be achieved in a dry way using an intense fire to roast the material, which may only take several hours, or a wet way using decomposition resulting in pots of stinking, rotting material melting away for months until then becoming mush.

The theory behind this stage is that something must be lost before it can be gained and that the old form must be destroyed to create a new life. Putrefaction is the longest and most difficult phase of the alchemy process and is described as torturous work.

“the substance at hand suffers and is forced to surrender any superfluous characteristics in order to reveal its true nature.”i

At a psychological level, the Black Phase can also be incredibly traumatic. It is characterised by stripping away of ego and pride, which can result in distressing emotions such as worthlessness, shame, guilt, and embarrassment.

The White Phase

This is a stage of purification and involves separating the matter’s essence from contaminants. Purification was one of the most important processes and took incredible care, patience, attention and discipline. If impurities were allowed to proceed to the next phase, the entire experiment could be ruined. Methods of purification used included filtration and distillation and aimed at isolating the essential energies that could be captured and infused into further processes.

The Red Phase

The third and final stage is known as the Red Phase, where the pure essence is captured in a solution or powder that can be shared. The Red Phase denotes confidence and empowerment but is achieved only by progressing through another dark stage to ensure no more impurities remain. Before the purified essences are brought together in a newly perfected body, they are again heated to let go of any remaining contaminants and go through another struggle to stay alive. Fermentation may be used in this phase to inject further life, inspiration and vision into the essence. Months of repeated distillations may be conducted to create a new spiritised body that can survive all realms and whose magnified powers can bring life and healing to others.

The following table summarises the three stages of the transformation process.

Business transformation as Alchemy

Looking at business transformation through the lens of these three phases highlights the vast resources, both organisational and personal, that need to be brought to the table to achieve success. Transformation is not just an add-on to existing structures and systems. It is not a simple process of attaching wings to a caterpillar or shuffling things around to create an alternate appearance. True transformation requires upheaval, vulnerability, dissolution and loss, and an incredible amount of courage to let go of those things that no longer serve the spirit of the organisation and discipline to dedicate time and energy to those things that do.

Generally, the alarming signs of the Black Phase push leaders to consider a transformation process within their organisation. At a tangible level, a loss of performance, profits, and partnerships herald the need for change. At the psychological level, the dent to pride, ego, reputation and status that comes with failure drives leaders to act. Sometimes the cause of loss is crises, which, like fire, rips through the organisation forcing a breakdown of the existing business. In other cases, a leader may finally see the stinking pot of a rotting culture that has been decomposing for decades.

Regardless of the cause of the putrefaction, the leaders’ reaction at this stage is crucial. While business leaders may try and protect themselves from a perfect performance and work quickly to record a recovery, alchemists know that pain and suffering could be the antecedents to valuable alterations. Some leaders may respond with fear and cannot deal with the difficult emotions that come with this phase. They may feel threatened and layer bandaids over broken bits to placate their pride and the settle stakeholder storm. Others, the wise and courageous ones, know that these signals suggest more dissolution work must be done. As we have heard in alchemy, this transformation phase is long, arduous, and filled with the anxiety of letting go. And it is only if the leaders are willing to let go of the dirt in their daily duties, the poisons in their processes, the contaminants in their culture, the impurities in their ideals and the pollutants in their principles that space will be created for a better business to emerge. Suppose these things are not identified, separated and expelled. In that case, there is always the risk that dirt will dislodge the cogs, and sour dregs will spoil the taste of success.

This is where the work of business leaders during transformation is akin to that of alchemists. To succeed, the work done to renew and reform cannot just be done on the external and tangible plane. That is, it is insufficient for leaders to make changes in markets, services, processes, policies and management practices. To transform their organisations, leaders must also transform themselves. Remember the Hermetic law of correspondence? If the leaders do not change their inner worlds, the outer organisation they lead will also be unable to transform. We know from our alchemist ancestors that there must be a deep commitment to change at the individual and invisible level for the required results to be achieved in tangible and external circumstances.

We have heard that the White Phase of purification, stripping away unhelpful beliefs and behaviours, takes immense patience, care, dedication and discipline. For a full transformation that brings flourishing, this is exactly what the leaders are called to deliver. Transformation cannot be simply outsourced to a consulting firm with milestones merely managed on a Gantt chart. Transformation requires significant self-awareness and generous guidance to work through both the mess of the Black Phase and the diligence and dedication required in the White Phase.

Interestingly, when I read the description of the Red Phase, I can’t help but dwell upon the similarities it has with the fundamental purpose of strategic planning. Strategic plans (but more importantly, the process used to develop them) have a massive potential to unite and excite the entire organisation, influencing the well-being of many. This is exactly the intention of the Red Phase as well, which seeks to capture the essence of a substance into a form that can be shared to heal, energise and elevate. In the business context, the strategic plan can be a tonic developed through a devoted process of deep examination, eradication and extraction of the organisational essence. And this tonic can is captured, shared and spread to bring a sense of purpose, vision and positive energy to the entire establishment. Using this analogy, the strategic plan is not an isolated exercise. It is informed by much soul-searching, created from the courage to let things go, and used to unite people around what is truly important. This potential for strategic planning is a radical shift from the dull strategic planning days I have experienced and the “set and forget” mentality that seems to appear once the plan on a page is published.

The mundane to the magical

I have mentioned previously that alchemy is concerned with turning the mundane into the magical. It does this on both the physical level, transmuting tangible substances into essences that work on invisible energies. However, this is also done at the psychological level, using the objective chemical process as a conduit to challenge the consciousness of the alchemist. On both planes, it shifts the focus from material conditions and considerations to the underlying foundations of invisible integrity and inspiration. The process of transformation through alchemy involved letting go of the very normal fears around loss, change and challenge and embracing the one thing above the laws of science and nature — love. And just like alchemists, leaders working through business transformations must find the courage to face their materialistic fears and take action to help themselves, their people, and their organisations achieve their fullest potential.

I do not doubt that the wisdom of our ancestors is as relevant today as it was centuries ago. Sure, the context has changed dramatically, and still does daily, with cities, corporations and cultures shifting at an incredibly fast past. However, beneath the façade of our fancy cars, fast fashion and fetish with followers, we are all still children of the Earth and subject to the same ebbs and flows that our forebears knew intimately. We are also still sustained by the invisible inspirations that come from a sense of purpose, self-awareness, community and connection that our predecessors made a priority. Sure, we have become smarter, and through science, we have found the ability to make technological tools that surpass our natural mental capacity. However, neither the increase in intelligence nor the glut of gadgets can eradicate the need to care for our spirits and to nourish ourselves with the invisible. So, my final message is this. Sure, take a scientific approach to business transformation and allow your decisions to be data-driven. But know that by dismissing the spiritual, you are missing the opportunity to tap into a source of magic.

[1] Transforming Definition & Meaning — Merriam-Webster and TRANSFORMATION | English meaning — Cambridge Dictionary

[i] Hauck, D.W. (2021) Alchemy. New York, NY: DK.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.