The Spirit in the Glass

Alcohol as a Bridge of Consciousness

Today, alcohol sits on almost every table, poured as freely as water.It accompanies our meals, our celebrations, our escapes.Yet behind this ordinary liquid lies an ancient force a substance once seen as a doorway to the invisible.Alcohol was never meant to numb us, but to remind us.

The word itself tells the story.Al-kuḥl, in Arabic, originally meant a fine, invisible essence the purest part of a substance.In alchemy, it came to represent the subtle, refined soul of wine, known as Spiritus Vini the spirit of the vine.When alchemists distilled, they weren’t seeking intoxication.They sought to free the life within the plant

The vapor that rose was seen as the breath of the Earth

Distillation was a sacred act of transformation: matter purified by fire, the visible becoming transparent, the earthly turning to spirit

Every plant carries its own vibration

When fermented and distilled, its consciousness changes.Alcohol becomes the carrier of that awareness the plant’s memory, its elemental intelligence.To drink, in ancient times, was a ceremony, a dialogue with nature itself

Today, it has become an escape from presence.We drink not to feel more, but to feel less

What was once a tool for awakening has become a tool for avoidance

The substance itself has not changed only the intention has been lost

To drink unconsciously lowers our frequency, closes the heart,

and weakens the energetic field

To meet alcohol consciously is to recognize it as a symbol of purification: matter transformed by the fire of awareness into light

My Story with the Spirit

I grew up behind a bar counter.

My family owned a Bar, and alcohol was always in my hands and before my eyes.

For years I watched how people changed after a drink some became lighter, others more melancholic, and many simply tried to escape from themselves.

That was when I began to understand that alcohol was not just a beverage, but a vehicle

In 2015, I felt the need to go deeper.

I enrolled in a professional bartending course to truly understand the language of spirits the history of each distillate, the precision of blends, and the mystery of extraction.

It was during that time that I discovered how the world behind the bar and the world of herbalism, or even energy work in the treatment room, are deeply connected.

Extraction, transformation, and blending whether behind a bar or within a healing space are acts of alchemy.

They are ways of knowing and liberating essence.Learning the stories of each spirit and distillate allowed me to recognize the same truth I now live in my work: the spirit is everywhere, and it only asks to be treated with awareness.

Alcohol is not an enemy

It is a teacher

It shows us who we are in the moment we meet it.If we drink to forget, it separates us.If we honor it, it brings us back.To drink consciously is to acknowledge the spirit that lives within the substance and to stop misusing it

A Simple Ritual of Awareness

When you hold a glass of wine or any drink, pause.Take a slow breath.Sense the aroma, the origin, the sunlight, the soil, and the time held within this liquid.Place the glass near your heart.Whisper inwardly:

“I receive this being with awareness and respect.

May it clarify me, not confuse me.

May it help me remember, not forget.”

Then sip slowly, in silence

Feel how the plant’s fire moves through your body not as intoxication, but as information.

Energetic Qualities of Different Alcohols

Red Wine 

Grounds the body and opens the heart. Strengthens sensual and earthly connection. Too much can create heaviness or melancholy.

White Wine 

Lighter and more solar, stimulates perception and mental clarity. In excess, leads to nervousness and restlessness.

Gin 

Carries the vibration of juniper. Clears the mind, antiseptic on an energetic level. Too much dries the heart, brings distance and emotional coldness.

Whisky 

Fire and earth combined. Awakens willpower and transformation. When unconscious, it feeds pride and control; when sacred, it is purifying flame.

Beer 

Strongly grounding, carries the energy of grain. Can nourish and calm, but in excess lowers frequency and density of the field.

Champagne / Sparkling Wine 

Holds the vibration of joy, light, and celebration. In moderation it uplifts the heart; in excess, it disconnects the body from presence.

To drink is to practice alchemy.Each glass is an encounter with a spirit of the plant, of the fire, of the earth, and ultimately of yourself.

Consciousness is the difference between intoxication and illumination