Alchemical Circulation of the Light
From Alchemergy by Dennis William Hauck
March 14, 2025 · 19 min · Episode 143
About this episode
This episode explores the ancient practice of Circulation of the Light in Chinese alchemy, focusing on the inner cauldrons and their significance in spiritual distillation.
Chinese alchemists became proficient at spiritual Distillation thousands of years ago. In a discipline called “Circulation of the Light,” the aspirant is taught to concentrate on the light of the inmost region and, while doing so, to free himself from all outer and inner entanglements. The basic practice in the Circulation of the Light is known as “The Microcosmic Orbit” or “The Lesser Heavenly Cycle” (as opposed to the greater cycle of the rotation of stars and constellations). The “light” that is circulated is the chi (or lifeforce), guided by thought and imagination through three inner cauldrons or vessels (known as tan tien or “elixir fields”). The first of these inner cauldrons is the Lower Tan Tien, which is situated in the abdomen between the pelvis and navel. It is where the alchemist gathers, blends, and cooks their sexual, vital, and spiritual essences. In Western alchemy, the operations carried out there are Calcination, Dissolution, and Separation, which are equivalent to energizing the Tantric chakras muladhara (or base), svadhisthana (or genitals), and manipura (or solar plexus) or the Wheel of Emanation in the Buddhist tradition. The next cauldron is the Middle Tan…
People in this episode
Host: Dennis William Hauck
Topics covered
- Chinese alchemy
- spiritual distillation
- Circulation of the Light
- Microcosmic Orbit
- Tantric chakras
- inner cauldrons
Keywords
- Chinese alchemy
- Circulation of the Light
- Microcosmic Orbit
- Tan tien
- spiritual distillation
- inner cauldrons
- chi
- Tantric chakras
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Circulation of the Light, The Microcosmic Orbit, The Lesser Heavenly Cycle, Calcination, Dissolution, Separation, Wheel of Emanation, anahata
Places: China
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