THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE

Are we all Alchemists?

Yesterday morning, during our Certification programme (2012 PD Course), I had the reason to believe: Yes, we all are!

Our students – the young ones, the little ones and the middle-aged – were profusely thanking each of the teachers for making difference in their lives. They were absolutely sincere while expressing their feelings. And, for the teachers, it is an incredible feeling of satisfaction. To feel that you have been able to touch someone’s life – be an agent of change… transforms him into some fine soul – honestly, for a teacher, it is an incredibly satisfying feeling.  

Last morning, while addressing our graduating students, my friend - a very loving and committed teacher and trainer himself – Mr. Uday Acharya – said some nice things about me. He told the audience about the fabled ‘Philosopher’s Stone’. The legend has it that, the Alchemists would use a Philosopher’s Stone to convert the base metal into precious gold. Metaphorically, it referred to an ‘elixir of life’… Something that was capable of infusing zest and immortality in humans.

“Whenever I think of Gerry, I remember the legendary Philosopher’s Stone,” Uday told the audience, “Like an Alchemist, who used a Philosopher’s Stone to convert the raw metal into fine Gold, Gerry uses his ‘special gift’ to convert ordinary lives into extra-ordinary.”

It was very humbling to be compared to an Alchemist’s fabled Stone of magic and power… Oh yes, I have been able to help and empower hundreds of souls over all these years… Yes, I have been able to impact many lives, help transform them. Thus, though it felt good to be compared to the Philosopher’s Stone, it felt a lot scary too to allow that feeling to go into my head.

I began to wonder: “Have there not been Alchemists in my own life?”… “Have not their Philosophers’ Stones transformed me – a base metal – into solid gold?”… “Don’t we all perform this magic in some way or the other?”… “Don’t’ we all convert raw lives into fine ones?”…  “Yes, are we all not Alchemists?”

I really believed, yesterday, that we were… Yes, we all were!

According to the legend, one of the properties of the Philosopher’s Stone was that it could create perpetually-burning lamps. Last morning, Uday did mention about this special power endowed upon a teacher like me. “A teacher like Gerry is blessed with this power: of lighting a lamp… which in turn will light another… which will light another… then, another… another!”

I was impressed with this analogy. 

I kept asking in my mind: 

“Has not some one lit the lamp in me?”

 “Every time the lamp would become dim, 

has not some one – with his Philosopher’s Stone – 

come up to re-charge it?” 

“Don’t I do the same to others?” … 

“Don’t we all do it?” 

“Yes, are we not all the Alchemists 

with a Philosopher’s Stone?”

There is a teacher in all of us. There is an Alchemist. We all have been endowed with Philosopher’s stones… so that we all could perform the magic: to turn ordinary into extra- ordinary. So, what Uday said kindly about me applies to all of us. The Alchemy still exists… The Philosopher’s Stone is still at work… The raw metal still needs to be transformed… The lamps still need to be kept aglow…

Last morning, I, in deed, had a reason to believe: “We all ARE Alchemists!”

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pics.: Roopa Sushil