This is a poem I wrote several years ago during a period of healing transformation in my life. Although this is a poem about my life, I think it is actually a poem about all of our lives:
“The Philosopher’s Stone”
Long after the Ancient Chemist
Set aside his trade,
I found the Philosopher’s Stone
Deep inside of me.
It was a word
That became a Thought
That became a WORLD.
And all the dark, leaden, dying
Turns to shining silver and gold.
O Aqua Benedictus,
O Amor Animi,
I will practice your art,
You beautiful Alchemy.
~By Shelly Johnson, 2014
Questions for Reflection:
1. Ancient alchemists sought for the philosopher’s stone, which many of them believed would turn ordinary metals into gold. I believe the philosopher’s stone is inside all of us. You could say it is a word or a thought or an image. Or you might call it something else. What is it inside of us that could turn all that is dead and decaying in us into gold?
2. When we discover this philosopher’s stone inside of us, what does it mean to practice alchemy? What affect would it have on the world around us?
3. What does it mean to be an alchemist? What is the art of an alchemist?

If you enjoyed this post, you might like this one, too:
Published by shellypruittjohnson
My name is Shelly Johnson, and I am a writer and philosopher with a Ph.D. in philosophy. One of my primary personal and philosophical interests is how we can learn to love ourselves and each other better in order to cultivate personal and political resilience. I teach ethics and a variety of other courses at a local college. I am the author of the blog Love is Stronger. I am also the author of three logic and critical thinking books for high school and middle school: _Argument Builder_, _Discovery of Deduction_ (co-author), and _Everyday Debate_, published by Classical Academic Press. You can reach me at shellypruittjohnson@gmail.com.
View all posts by shellypruittjohnson
12 thoughts on ““The Philosopher’s Stone”: a Poem”