Through the Mystery Gate

A Daoist Alchemy Self-Discovery Journey

By: Leta Herman, Jaye McElroy

Narrated by: Leta Herman, Jaye McElroy

Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

What if you enter the mystery gate of Daoist alchemy and discover how to remove the obstacles in your way, embrace the magic of all that is, and learn to fly in your life? What if there’s no need to wait lifetimes to achieve the spiritual transformation you’re seeking? What if the ancient Daoist alchemists left a clear road map you can start to follow today?

We’ve all experienced what it feels like to be a rudderless boat at sea, being tossed this way and that, trying to get more good stuff in life while desperately avoiding all the bad stuff. What an exhausting way to live! Without clear guidance on how to cultivate authenticity and self-awareness, we can end up being blown here and there at random by the winds of change. We’ve all been there and done that.

But what if life doesn’t have to be this way? Whether your dream is to live without suffering, to overcome creative blocks, to love unconditionally, to achieve your fullest potential, or to reach true enlightenment, Through the Mystery Gate offers a step-by-step blueprint guide. It’s for everyone who has ever secretly wondered, "How on Earth can I do this?" The answer is: modern-day alchemy.

This audiobook emerged from the work of alchemical healer, Leta Herman, and alchemical life strategist, Jaye McElroy, founders of the Alchemy Healing Center and cohosts of the Inspired Action podcast, who have been facilitating alchemical transformations for over 20 years.

The practice of alchemy is a personal journey through spiritual transformation. Based on the oral teachings of Master Jeffrey Yuen, an 88th-generation Daoist priest, the nine stages of alchemy outline the steps of self-cultivation and development that are necessary to achieve freedom and live a wu wei life. Wu wei living is inspired and spontaneous action driven by a deep connection with universal energy so that your whole life becomes an instrument of the divine.

The alchemy process begins with asking what you really want in life and embracing ease in receiving it. From this place of ease, you can finally let go of the baggage of this lifetime and previous lifetimes so that you can return to a child-like state as the great philosophers Laozi and Zuangzi once did. Like them, you can become a wise and fully realized person or a wizard in your own life. You can take off and metaphorically fly in whatever direction you want your life to go. The ancient alchemists who lived in the mountains of China were even purported to levitate or fly among the trees on the mountaintop.

Through the Mystery Gate takes you beyond enigmatic Chinese medicine concepts and dives into what it means to become a modern alchemist and why you might want to be one. You’ll find step-by-step explanations, exercises, and meditations to take you through every turn on the path to personal transformation.

If you feel that living more authentically with a clearer direction in your life will help you achieve the level of happiness you truly desire, or if you simply can’t find your direction or the wind to lift your wings off the runway of life, this is the audiobook for you.

The alchemy path that Leta and Jaye lay out in this audiobook is simple, though it’s not always easy…and the rewards are immeasurable. With this map of the nine stages of alchemy, you can walk through the mystery gate…and into your best and most authentic life.

©2021 Leta Herman and Jaye McElroy (P)2022 Leta Herman and Jaye McElroy

Alchemy Made Accessible for All

I am not a Chinese medicine practitioner but I have had some previous exposure to the practices that Leta and Jaye discuss in this audiobook. So, I’m happy to provide my layperson’s perspective.

If you are open to learning about how to radically change your life using practices that have existed for many thousands of years, I highly recommend this book. It is an excellent introduction to alchemy and how to live your life in a way that will enable transformation to your ideal state of living. It provides an actionable framework for people who are looking to self-cultivate an awakened life.

I learned a ton about the different stages of alchemy and how I can apply these methods to elicit my true essence. I learned why I have certain tendencies and how I can work with them in order to draw out my authentic self and cut through any confusion or self-doubt I may encounter. Beyond learning about alchemy, this book excited me about the process. I gained a new found enthusiasm for this path and it has created a new momentum on my journey for self-discovery and internal truth.

If you are looking for a book to spark your internal fire and help you cut through the noise of your internal and external environments, I cannot recommend Through the Mystery Gate enough.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Inspiring guide for alchemical healers & clients

I love being able to listen to this book and the included meditations — hearing Leta’s compassionate, clear voice helps to ground this wisdom more deeply in my body than just reading it myself!

As an alchemical healer, I’m so glad to have this thoughtful, readily accessible book about the Daoist 9 stages of alchemy available to share with my clients. It’s an inspiring, thorough resource to return to again and again, as they enter (or revisit) different stages. I love that it includes a wide range of personal cultivation practices to support their process, with much greater detail than I am sometimes able to share in our limited time in the treatment room. These practices are powerful!

I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of themselves and their life purpose, who is ready to truly fly in their life!

Unbelievable! Expand & seek more in this lifetime!

I am in the early stages of self-cultivation and found this book to be a great resource and road map. I love knowing the big picture and care about the details in an analytical way too. This book provided both along with a lot of enthusiasm, heart, and stories to illustrate challenging concepts or possibilities to make it real.
Because self-cultivation is personal, and unique, it is great to have a road map and some ideas of what's next, including the fact that it is not a linear path. This book helps guide you, even when the next step might be to revisit a skill you previously mastered or moved through. Recognizing that this type of spiritual self-cultivation is not a step by step linear mastery of skills, but rather, non-linear and uniquely personal road, is one reason this book is so valuable.
I listened to this book twice because there is so much to absorb. I am sure I will listen to it again.
I highly recommend this book if you are on a Taoist alchemical self-cultivation journey or if you are curious about this kind of journey and want to know more.
PS- The readers are the authors and do a great job. Very easy to listen to.

a warm & inviting guide to Daoist Alchemy

This is a wonderful and approachable invitation into the theory and practice of Daoist alchemy. It begins with a personal introduction to the two authors and their own journey of transformation, and follows with a sequential path of stages, each building upon the other, that cohere into a complete path of transformation. It includes theory, stories of students engaged on the path, as well as meditative exercises. The material is deep and profound, but the tone is friendly, warm, informative, and accessible. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Daosim and alchemy!

Great for newbie and experienced alchemists!

Leta delivers a clear and engaging explanation of the world of alchemy. Her stories and exercises pull the reader in and make this book actionable.

Great for people wanting to better understand their true nature, to heal from past and present challenges and grow and “fly in their lives”!

Strongly recommend!!

Wonderful and comprehensive view of Daoist alchemy

Leta and Jaye did an awesome job writing and narrating this book. It serves as a great introductory guide to self realization.

Mind blowing

The knowledge conveyed in this book is incredibly valuable. It comes from both ancient teachings and real world experiences. Alchemy and Daoism are two fairly esoteric traditions with philosophies that are difficult to access and easy to misunderstand. I am immensely grateful for Leta and Jaye for transcribing their knowledge in a very easy to digest book. I also really enjoy listening to the audiobook, which has become a lovely companion for walks and drives.

Sends you into your Zen!

What an exciting new book from Herman and McElroy! A thorough and accessible guide with a new (actually ancient) twist on healing and transforming your life to become your most authentic Self. This amazing audio version sends you into your zen with the author’s calming voice, including meditations that you can listen to again and again. Thank you for this step-by-step guided wisdom!

Alyssa

In Through the Mystery Gate, Leta and Jaye provide a step-by-step guide to radical transformation, mastering the energies of life, and awakening potential. There are many books available on healing these days, but this one uniquely explains how to initiate a tangible shift in your own energy. Leta and Jaye are masterful at explaining how to identify patterns in energy in order to facilitate change. In this book they synthesize, clarify, and expand upon healing strategies from Master Jeffrey Yuen, Sun Si Miao, Ge Hong, and 5 element acupuncture, making them accessible for anyone who is serious about embarking on a healing journey. The writing is clear, the content is innovative, and the authors’ positive, playful energy, and depth of clinical experience, provide inspiration and support to any reader interested in moving beyond limitations and living a truly magical life. This book is a must-have for anyone who is dedicated to healing and transformation.