The Alchemy of Possibility: Reinventing Your Personal Mythology

by Carolyn Mary Kleefeld

Alchemy is at once a universal handbook for creative growth and an intimate record of one artist s passionate journey to the edges of perception. It is possessed of a chant-like quality, and like a chant, its subtle powers gather by accretion to a final message that is both transcendent and ultimately useful. Each chapter is introduced with an original full-color painting paired with text and poetry; each group is further keyed into an I Ching hexagram or tarot card. These multiple forms provide the basis for an interactive reading, inviting you into a remapping of your own journey. The book moves through themes that are practical such as Leadership, to more inspirational matters such as Fanning Our Unique Flame. Not since Blake and Chagall has an individual successfully combined multi-media forms into an evocative integrated whole. What Natalie Goldberg s Writing Down the Bones did for the craft of creative writing, The Alchemy of Possibility does for the process of creative work in general. For every working artist, and for every person who wants to live artfully, Alchemy is a work of living inspiration. It promises to take a unique place in the spiritual libraries of seekers everywhere.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Art

263 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1998

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one all-time favorite books. I absolutely love the artwork, prose and poetry--the diversity of styles, the Heavenly visions, the profound insights, and the powerful unleashing of the imagination can all be quite dazzling. However, most interestingly, I've also found that this magical book can serve as a reliable tool for divination, or as an oracle, like a deck of Tarot cards. In other words, if I ask a question aloud, and then open up the book at "random," I'm often delighted to discover just the bit of wisdom that I needed to hear at that time. I've kept a copy of this treasure of a book close to my bedside for years, and refer to it frequently for guidance.