''The Path of the Sun'' is my imaginary video-game about a transformative journey through oneself, to the higher levels of being. It's based on alchemical teachings, most of all the 7 alchemical processes of metal purification until it's transformed to the most perfect, ultimate matter - the Philosopher's Stone. These 7 alchemical stages of purification and perfection are also equivalents of the 7 psychoanalytic processes one should undergo on a journey through perfection, to the highest states of existence.
The game's supposed to have a psychedelic-like effect on the player (hence the graphics), and inspire him/her to start his/her own transformative journey.
The graphics, animations and music/sounds of this video-game are the main subject of my thesis for Information Technology School (Computer Multimedia). Some animated parts are soon to be added to this project as well (together with sound and music), and I'm also planning on turning this into a graphic novel of some kind upon finishing the visuals.
The protagonist of ''The Path of the Sun'' is a generic human being, neither male nor female, who has fallen to Earth, from the chaotic Primordial Matter, the source of all life, which contains all 4 elements and is able to generate every form of life from and of itself by combining these. Now dangerously away from the source, i.e. the Primordial Matter, the protagonist must climb back to the heights he/she once came from - but not to return to the Primordial Matter, but to reach the highest states of his/her own existence: the ultimate transformation, the Philosopher's Stone, the perfect union of animus and anima, male and female, conscious and subconscious - turning into Gold, the ultimate, most perfect matter.
This journey upwards, to one's ultimate personal transformation, is symbolized by climbing up a mountain: passing each phase is like climbing a giant mountain-staircase. Each phase is symbolised by different surroundings, events and characters, and each phase has its own story, but it's all connected into one. One of the protagonist's main tasks is to get rid of the shield he/she's carrying on his/her back, which is also divided into 7 layers, which means that by passing each phase one layer of the shield is destroyed. The shield is a symbol of the protagonist's dissatisfactory, incomplete, empty existence, the detachment from the spiritual source and from oneself, too great an attachment to the material aspect of reality, inability to function on a higher level and to have a deeper sense of the world, connection to the visibile and physical only. The shield is a burden that's preventing the protagonist to look up, turn around and realize there's more around us and inside us than meets the eye.
The first phase is Calcination. It consists of the following (description taken from http://ordosacerdotalvstempli.net/):
''Chemically, the Calcination process involves heating a substance in a crucible or over an open flame until it is reduced to ashes. In the Arcanum Experiment, Calcination is represented by Sulfuric Acid, which the alchemist made from a naturally occurring substance called Vitriol. Sulfuric Acid is a powerful corrosive that eats away flesh and reacts with all metals except Gold.
Psychologically, this is a destruction of ego and our attachment to material possessions. Calcination is usually a natural humbling process as we are gradually assaulted and overcome by the trials and tribulations of life, though it can be a deliberate surrender of our inherent hubris gained through a variety of spiritual disciplines that ignite the fire of introspection and self-evaluation.
Psychologically, the Fire of Calcination can be experienced as the metabolic discipline or aerobic activity that tunes the body, burning off excess from overindulgence and producing a lean, mean, fighting machine. Calcination begins in the Base or Lead Chakra at the Sacrel Cup at the Base of the Spine.
On the Planetary level, it is the Fire of Creation, the formation of a liveable environment from molten matter and volcanic ashes.''
For ''The Path of the Sun'' I've envisioned Calcination as an allegory of a king trapped by his own material wealth and rendered dysfunctional by it, so he needs to go through the process of cleansing each of the 5 senses (touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight) from the material burden they're clogged by, due to which they can't function properly. The task of the protagonist is to cleanse the King's senses, one by one. By getting rid of the unnecessary material wealth and pointless luxury, one learns to become modest and keep only what he/she really needs, and realizes what really is important in life - and that has nothing to do with the abundance of illusory material wealth, but with inner wealth.
The sense of touch. The King's hands are bound by too many earthly possessions - i.e. cities, castles, gold, etc., or more precisely, by too much governance/power, ruling over too many things, holding too much in your hands. This is symbolized by hands bound by scepters - what you own ends up owning you instead.
The sense of taste. The King's mouth is bound by needless abundance of luxurious foods and drinks - up to the point where its demons have the ultimate power over the King's sense of taste, they control it by feeding the addiction (which they're feeding on in turn), making him incapable of fighting back and feeling the ''taste'' of what really is valuable in one's life.
The sense of smell. The King's nose is overloaded by the abundance of unnecessary, luxurious smells (perfumes, soaps, etc.), and is being tortured by the smell demons, who are keeping it open so that the smelling never ceases.
The sense of sight. The King's eyes are blinded by the illusory, false light of jewels, jewelry and gold, and they're being held open by the jewel demons, so that the eyes could never close and cease looking into the treasures.
The sense of hearing. The King's ears are imprisoned in the Sound Cage, forever to be exposed to myriads of sounds he's been subjected to, as a king: (false) praises, the sounds of disapproval, quarrels, hate-talk, rumors, whispers, plotting, secretive talks, etc.
The Furnace, where the King's senses are supposed to be cleansed, and then put back where they belong, each in its own place, so that the King could start functioning properly, cleansed from all the unnecessities.
The senses, cleansed from the material burden and assembled in a proper way, i.e. returned to the owner.
The protagonist - a generic human being, carrying the seven-layered shield on his/her back.
The King, after his senses have been cleansed and reassembled.
THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!
