“Life’s a forge! Yes, and hammer and anvil, too! You’ll be roasted, smelted, and pounded, and you’ll scarce know what’s happening to you. But stand boldly to it! Metal’s worthless till it’s shaped and tempered!”
― Lloyd Alexander
“I will bring the one–third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.”
Isaiah 48:10
Temperatures escalate unbearably as salty sweat drips from a weary brow.
A strained arm crashes forcibly downward as metal strikes metal.
Deafening sounds reverberate off surrounding walls.
The hammer hits again, over and over
as the bellows work furiously pumping life into smoldering embers
The hotter the heat the more impurities are expunged.
What makes a metal precious?
Is it easily forged?
Does it corrode?
Is it strong?
Does it conduct a current?
Does it possess a monetary value?
Does it hold a luster?
Is it not the heat?
The fire?
The hammering?
The beating?
The cooling?
The polishing?
Is it not the work,
the forging,
the tempering
which exposes the value?
The focused hand raises the hammer.
The soul lays bare on the anvil.
The continued strikes disperse the molecules.
As it is thrust, without regret, back into the fire.
Heated throughout until glowing red,
The hammer strikes again.
Suddenly without warning is the emersion
The cold water drawing back the stretched fibers
Over and over, again and again
in and out, heated and cooled. . .
Until what was once weak, dirty and unrecognizable,
is finally made strong.
The sheen now reflecting the image of the
satisfaction of the blacksmith.
(*****Thank you all for prayers yesterday for my son. We don’t know much more than we did before the procedure but that there is no surgery for now, just more meds. The thought is that there may be nerve damage, of which Prayer, most assuredly, will be what is imperative to the healing process—I am grateful for the continued prayer of healing)
cookiecrumbstoliveby 
Thank you for the update on your son. God asks us to rest in God and know that all will be well. May you and your family be able to take rest in God. Prayers will continue.
Lovely alchemical imagery Julie!
All the best to you and your family and prayers for your son’s healing.
xxx
Debra
Thank you Debra—as an art ed major in college eons ago, I had to take a metals class. I became quite intrigued over the whole heating, hammering, cooling process with metals—that whole heat and beat to make it stronger seemed so counter intuitive– couple that with a keen interests in the symbology of our ancient faith…it’s just kept my interest —
And thank you for your concern and prayers for Brenton—we’ve got to get him feeling better ! 🙂
Hope all is well in Oregon!
hugs—Julie
Amazing post! And I’m glad you hear that there is no surgery for the moment. Maybe now the wedding can go ahead with no more hiccups. You said there might be nerve damage?
Where and to what? Hugs, Natalie 🙂