Ekstatic Alchemy™

THE DANCE OF HUMAN & HOLY

…bringing the Alchemical Work (Opus) to Life through the Body-Crucible

GROUNDED IN WESTERN ALCHEMY MYSTICISM, EKSTATIC ALCHEMY™ IS A SOMATIC DEPTH-WORK MODALITY THAT CREATES A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE PERSONAL AND THE TRANSPERSONAL PARTS OF OURSELVES, BETWEEN PSYCHE AND SPIRIT, SO THAT WE CAN EXPERIENCE OUR WHOLENESS;
OUR SOUL, THROUGH THE BODY. 

ecstasy {ek·sta·sis}

/ekˈstæt.Ik/ •  noun

from the Greek ἐξίστημι (exístēmi, “I displace”),

from ἐκ (ek, “out”) and ἵστημι (hístēmi, “I stand”)

• any situation in which (part of) the mind or body is removed from its normal place or function; standing out of normal, waking consciousness / the rational mind

• the central condition for escape from restraints of either a bodily or a rational-intellectual nature and thus becomes the gateway to the union with the Divine (unio mystica)

alchemy {al·chy·mia}

/ˈælkəmi/ • noun

from the Arabic al (“the”) and the Greek χυμείᾱ

(khēmeía, “art of alloying metals / chemistry”)

• a series of operations for transmuting base metals into gold

• the process of inner transformation culminating in the hieros gamos; the union between the conscious & unconscious parts of the psyche

• the psychospiritual journey to Wholeness;
a map to the Process of Individuation

Ekstatic Alchemy

/ekˈstætIk ˈælkəmi/ • path

rooted in the Greek/Egyptian, Gnostic & Depth traditions

• A PSYCHOSPIRITUAL MOVEMENT MODALITY THAT WEAVES TOGETHER EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION AND ARCHETYPAL EMBODIMENT, SO THAT WE CAN GROW WHOLE, AND WHOLLY

• A DIONYSIAN, SENSUOUS PRACTICE, IN WHICH THE ECSTATIC CURRENT BECOMES THE VEHICLE FOR THE DEEP SURRENDER OF THE MIND, TO ACCESS AND EXPERIENCE PARTS OF THE SOUL; EMBODIED SOUL-MAKING

  • AN ARTFUL SYNTHESIS OF JUNGIAN, SOMATIC & PARTS PSYCHOLOGY + TANTRIC EMBODIMENT + ARCHETYPAL SPIRITUALITY

embodying the Opus

THE ALCHEMICAL WORK UNFOLDED THROUGH FOUR DISTINCT, PROGRESSIVE STAGES:
THE NIGREDO (BLACKENING), THE ALBEDO (WHITENING),
THE CITRINITAS (YELLOWING) AND THE RUBEDO (REDDENING)

…CULMINATING IN THE CREATION OF THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE;
THE ULTIMATE UNION OF OPPOSITES.

IN EKSTATIC ALCHEMY, WE EMBODY EACH STAGE, DANCING OUR WAY INTO WHOLE(I)NESS…

{click here for a video introduction to the philosophy behind the practice}

The axiom of Maria Prophetissa, a core mystical precept of Alchemy

earth & sky uniting

We move from the ground up.
We drop into our Earthy body.
We dive into our inner emotional ‘mess’; our prima materia, our massa confusa.
We feel. We experience. We express.

{THE ONE}

We engage our inner consciousness.
We witness ourselves in our humanity.
We lovingly (re)parent our inner child.
We give our feeling selves what we need.

{ONE BECOMES TWO}
 
We open up to the Sky.
We attune to the Ekstatic realm.
We activate our Energy body.
We call the archetypal and the symbolic down and in.

{TWO BECOMES THREE}
 
We bring it all into the Heart.
Into Soul.
Into Whole/Holy-ness.

The Alchemical Mystic Rose blossoming.

{THE ONE OUT OF THE THIRD AS THE FOURTH}

Τhe Personal and the Transpersonal, the Emotional and the Archetypal;
Psyche and Spirit.

BOTH/AND.
ALL. HERE.
THROUGH THE BODY-BRIDGE.

communing with the archetypal

ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOGY ARE SISTER ARTS AND SCIENCES. 

EACH EKSTATIC ALCHEMY EXPERIENCE IS DEDICATED TO AN ARCHETYPE, ALIGNED WITH THE ASTROLOGICAL LANDSCAPE AT THE TIME OF OUR DANCE. 

IN THE SECOND PART OF OUR DANCE, WE JOURNEY TO MEET THE ARCHETYPE IN EMBODIED IMAGINATION, PLACE ITS SYMBOLS INSIDE OUR SOMA, AND THUS ACTIVATE ITS ENERGY IN BOTH OUR INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE SOUL; THE ANIMA MUNDI.

beautiful words from those who have practiced with me…

“Stella’s teachings are a gift you give yourself. Mystical Alchemy at its best! I’ve tried to find the words to express what I’ve felt after learning from Stella…life-changing, heart-expanding, empowering, healing, connected…in the end, I always truly feel that I am a Divine and Sacred Being. Thank you so much Stella!”

-T.C.

“Utterly transformative.”

“It made even my most rigid parts move.”

“All parts of myself marvelled at the other parts.”

“Beautiful, profound, rich”

“I remembered the joy I felt dancing as a child!”

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • No. There are no specific steps to follow in Ekstatic Alchemy. I offer movement suggestions and imagery, but you are always encouraged to follow the wisdom of your unique body, adjust the movement to your needs and do only what feels right to you.

  • Absolutely! Similarly to above, this is meant to be your practice. Ekstatic Alchemy is a psychospiritual, inner-work modality that uses the body as the gateway to the psyche/soul. We are not at all concerned with how our movement looks or with doing it “right” -all that matters is your inner experience and how you feel on the inside. I offer some alternatives, but don’t go into detailed modifications, as that would affect the flow of the dance -but you are always welcome to move as little or as much as you are able to, do the entire practice seated, take frequent breaks…anything that works for you, and there is nothing you will miss out on.

  • No. This practice is open to all genders.

  • You don’t need any specific background in spirituality to participate -just openness and curiosity! The purpose of Ekstatic Alchemy is to translate psychospiritual theories and principles into embodied, felt experience . So, you can enter the space and trust your body/soul to receive what’s meant for it, without worrying about understanding, grasping or analysing anything.

  • No, you don’t have to! Even though I love seeing you all on my screen, you are welcome to dance away from the camera, keep it off completely, or turn it on and off during our dance, so that you can dive deeper into the practice. Your experience.

  • Yes, a replay is always uploaded on the course platform within 24 hours, and remains available for 2 weeks.