Seven Alchemy Formulas of Immortality
as taught by Michael Winn
Preparation Practices
Purification, grounding, and centering through various forms of qigong (meditation as
movement). Examples:
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Ocean Breathing to open dantien,
Five Animals & Six Healing Sounds to purify organs.
Chi Nei Tsang (Deep Organ Massage) to detoxify.
Iron Shirt & Internal Chi Breathing & Rooting to ground.
Healing Love to recharge, harmonize, spiritually guide sexual energy.
Tai Chi Chuan, Ba Gua Chuan, other internal martial arts to refine and express outward
qi flow using body movement.
Primordial Qigong (spiritual tai chi) movement ceremony to return qi flow to its Origin in
the wuji (Supreme Unknown).
1st Formula of Inner Alchemy
1a. Inner Smile to radiate Heart Presence of spirit body into the physical body-mind and the
larger body of humanity and nature. Perhaps the simplest and thus most profound practice of
all, used to integrate outer life with inner meditation.
1b. Microcosmic Orbit to contain and store qi of Energy Body. It is a dynamic meditation
creating a balanced, yin-yang flow of perpetual golden light qi circling around the spine and
chest. Also known as “small heavenly round” or “embryonic breathing”, this meditation
balances the pre-natal qi (from Heaven) and post-natal blood (from Earth, body, and ancestors)
and stabilizes all yin-yang qi flow in the meridians.
1c. Fusion of the Five Elements 1 is about harmonizing the five phases of qi flow (wu xing).
Fusion 1 practice transforms negative emotions into positive, virtuous qi flow. It harmonizes the
Five Shen, the biological-psychological intelligences of the personal self. In this practice these
Five Vital Organ spirits, also known as the “Interior Gods”, fuse their essence and natural virtue
( de) into a pearl of original qi (yuan qi) in the belly cauldron (lower dantian).
1d. Fusion of Five Elements 2 and 3. The pearl activates the yin-yang pulsation of the eight
cosmic forces (I Ching trigram energy) that flow into the Eight Extraordinary Vessels of the
human body. These deep energy channels form the blue print or matrix of our personal Energy
Body, and supplies the twelve regular meridians with qi.
When these eight psychic energy channels are activated, they collectively open the
Macrocosmic Orbit (or “large heavenly round”) and can heal at a very deep level. Faster and far
more powerful than acupuncture or herbs for healing chronic illness. This practice opens deep
awareness of qi field beyond the body, hence its reputation for awakening psychic powers
(known as the eight Siddhas in a parallel Indian tradition).
2nd Formula of Inner Alchemy
2. Inner Sexual Alchemy or Lesser Enlightenment of Kan and Lii (Water & Fire). This
practice presupposes some skill in the Daoist external sexual cultivation art of semen
retention for men and partial lessening of the menstrual cycle in women. (see Tao of Sex
home study course). The Kan & Li method of “spiritual self-intercourse” couples primal
fire and water qi in the body. This dissolves the personal mind-body split (and its
resulting diseases) by coupling and unifying all male and female soul fragments in the
lower belly cauldron (the navel center), our center of gravity.
When primal fire and water qi are “steamed” in the belly, it produces original qi that dissolves
deep genetic patterns. It opens our Inner Eye and our ability to “see” inside our body and
matter. This meditation creates a feeling of spiritual pregnancy, a deep body bliss known as the
formation of the “immortal embryo”.
3rd Formula of Inner Alchemy
3. Sun-Moon Alchemy, or Greater Enlightenment of Kan and Li (Water & Fire). It
advances the previous level integrates the 5 inner essences of the personal self with the
5 directional forces of the planetary self (north, south, east, & west meeting in the
center of earth) at the solar plexus cauldron.
The powers of the Sun and Moon “cook” the planetary essences and are coupled to spiritually
birth the “immortal child” or the greater elixir. It is the experience of our reborn inner self
playing in the outer fields of reality. This dissolves the boundary between the adept and nature
(including humanity) and dissolves many geo-mantic (feng shui) and ancestral patterns that
need healing.
4th Formula of Inner Alchemy
4. Planet and Soul Alchemy, or Greatest Enlightenment of Kan and Li. This third Water &
Fire practice integrates the 5 body spirit-essences of the personal self and the 5
planetary forces of the collective Solar system Self (symbolized by the Sun) in the middle
cauldron at the heart. This is “living astrology”, in which cosmic forces are interiorized
inside the body, where they continue to function through planetary tones (music of the
spheres).
It involves, for example, direct experience of and making friends with the planetary spirit of
Saturn, the ruler of the earth element, the core unity of living matter and controller of the
astrological forces of manifestation. Successful practice removes all fear of death and dissolves
deep karmic patterns of resistance and struggle that plague humanity. This allows us to clearly
receive and transmit our inner solar logos or Way of knowing, the maturation of our Inner Sage
or Immortal Self.
5th Formula of Inner Alchemy
5. Star Alchemy, or Sealing of the Five Senses. This unifies the five shen, the five streams
of personal consciousness that operate through our senses, with the five forces of the
collective Stellar Self. The body of our stellar mind can be viewed in the four quadrants
of fixed stars in the night sky, originally symbolized by heraldic animals (Black Turtle,
Red Phoenix, Green Dragon, White Tiger).
The fifth, the quintessence, is the Purple Pole Star in the center of the sky, with the Great Bear
of the Big Dipper marking the progression of the seasons as its handles rotates like the arm of a
cosmic clock. These personal and stellar essences are fused in the upper dantian, the cauldron
in the head. This is the process of our Inner Sage attaining the stellar logos, celestial level of
immortality.
The pure open space connecting the three cauldrons is integrated. This stabilizes the celestial
axis and activates what Lao Tzu calls the “Great Tone”. Profound peace and different spiritual
qualities continuously manifest from this activated core and radiate sonically into our physical
becoming. Our soul pattern expands its conscious destiny to include dimensions of life beyond
the physical plane.
6th Formula of Inner Alchemy
6. Heaven and Earth Alchemy, or the Congress of Heaven and Earth. This practice
integrates the Early Heaven or formless Self with the Later Heaven (Earth) physical Self.
The Self here identifies itself here with two dimensions that co-exist and co-create: the
“formless form” of our being and the “substantial form” of our becoming. These two
polar dimensions of our greater Self engage in cosmic sex. They couple in order to reopen the portal to their Original state, or “Pre-Self”. This pre-state or Primordial Heaven
is called hundun, the primal chaos-unity that preceded the “big bang” of the cosmic egg
cracking open.
The Three Originals (san yuan) of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity are gathered in the three body
cauldrons as original jing, original qi, and original shen. This three-tone harmonic chord is
resonated with the fundamental or original tone of time and space. Consciousness then
stabilizes in the axial center where our true multi-dimensional nature can now be embodied.
This is symbolized by a tonal double vortex spinning faster than the speed of light within the
void of space. Into this is fused our inner sage’s immortal presence, the quintessence of
humanity meditating in the center of a cosmic torus (spiritual black hole). We must enter this
portal to complete our journey of Return to the Origin.
(Note: this course is taught once every two years; the audio tapes are not sold to the public.
Live transmission of this subtle level I consider essential.).
7th Formula of Inner Alchemy
7. Union of Human and Dao. This stage is the integration of the six previous levels of
consciousness into the experience of living simultaneously in the present moment in all
dimensions, from physical linear time to spirit’s eternal time. This state cannot be fully
known or defined conceptually for others. From my limited glimpse of it I would say it is
the experience of living fully in the wuji, the Supreme Unknown — which I define as the
godhead without a ruling god.
This is the true achievement of the authentic or Immortal Self, a permanent state of grace
known as wu wei, “effortless action”, or “spontaneous action without acting”. Creation (of the
manifest) and Return to Formless Origin seamlessly complete each other. I believe attainment
of this seventh level is spontaneous, and happens when the inner will of our immortal sage
within has reached complete alignment with the Dao. I am not yet qualified to teach this and
frankly am not certain it is teachable. It may occur only by direct transmission from the Dao to
the mature and receptive adept.