2 Extremes - Hermits and Lovers

Archetype	Response to Desire	The Cost
The Hermit	Withdraws, suppresses, and labels desire as “kilesa” (defilement).	A dry, flat, and “soulless” existence; loss of vitality and depth.
The Lover	Chases the object literally; acts out desire without the imaginal lens.	Entanglement, “craving” (contraction), and potential ethical harm.
The Alchemical Middle Way: The goal is to be a “Lover” who retains the “Hermit’s” mindfulness. We remain in the “heat” of the desire but translate it into Psyche (image) and Logos (understanding).

”Staying in the Fire”

Instead of “solving” the problem of desire by getting what we want or letting it go, Rob suggests “staying in the fire” of the wanting. By holding the desire as an image, the energy starts to “cook” the being, leading to a “transmutation” of the self.

The Alchemical Crucible

• The Fire: The “heat” of longing, desire, and even suffering (dukkha).

• The Cooking: By staying in the “fire” of wanting without acting it out literally, the being undergoes a transmutation.

• The Gold: The “alchemical gold” is a “transformed perception” where the self and the world are no longer seen as flat, material facts, but as “divine appearances.”

Principles for the Practitioner

Principle	Explanation	Purpose
Stay in the Fire	”Cooking the self in the crucible.”	To transform craving into Soul.
Dual Sovereignty	”Duty to the human vs. Duty to the soul.”	To maintain ethical integrity.
Duty to Image	”Granting autonomy to the Other.”	To move beyond a self-centered path.
Non-Reduction	”Refusing to flatten/explain away.”	To protect the mystery and depth.
Create & Discover	”The razor’s edge of fabrication.”	To navigate the paradox of emptiness.
Play	”The agility of the artist.”	To keep the practice from getting “stiff.”