5 Powerful Steps to Transform Your Self Concept

The Great Work & The Alchemical Marriage

True transformation is not merely about changing habits or adopting new affirmations—it is the Great Work, the sacred alchemy of the self. Rooted in esoteric traditions, the Great Work is the process of transmuting the lead of our conditioned self into the gold of our divine essence. It is the sacred marriage of the inner masculine and feminine—the union of Will and Imagination, Action and Embodiment.

This alchemical wedding is the key to transformation, where the old self dissolves, and the authentic self emerges. At the heart of this process lies your self-concept, the internal blueprint that shapes your reality.

At the root of The Great Work is your self concept.

What Is Self-Concept? (The Internal Thermostat)

Your self-concept is like an internal thermostat—it dictates how much success, love, health, and fulfillment you allow yourself to experience. No matter what external changes you make, if your self-concept remains the same, you will always return to the same baseline.

This idea is echoed in the teachings of Neville Goddard, who emphasized that “You must assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled” to truly manifest change. Transformation is not about forcing change externally—it is about shifting your inner state to become the version of yourself that already lives the life you desire.

But how do you actually change your self-concept? This is where the real alchemy begins.

The 5 Powerful Steps to Transform Your Self-Concept

1. Determine Where Your Internal Thermostat Is Set

Before transformation can begin, you must identify the invisible limits you have unconsciously set for yourself. These limits show up as recurring patterns in your finances, relationships, health, and confidence.

Ask yourself:

  • Where do I consistently hit a plateau in my life?

  • What areas feel resistant to change, no matter how much effort I put in?

  • What beliefs do I hold about my worth, abilities, and destiny?

By understanding where your self-concept is set, you can begin to raise the temperature to a higher standard.

2. Discover the Dominant Archetype That Dictates Your Self-Concept

The way you do anything is the way you do everything.

Your self-concept is shaped by a dominant archetype—an internal pattern that influences your thoughts, actions, and decisions. This archetype has been reinforced through childhood experiences, societal expectations, and unconscious programming.

Some common archetypes include:

  • The Martyr – Always sacrificing for others, feeling unworthy of receiving.

  • The Rebel – Rejecting authority but struggling with self-discipline.

  • The Perfectionist – Never feeling “good enough,” stuck in over-analysis.

  • The Visionary – Dreaming big but struggling with execution.

Recognizing your archetype is crucial because it reveals why you operate the way you do. By shifting this internal narrative, you can break free from its constraints.

3. Shadow Work: Releasing Trauma, Childhood Patterns & Societal Programming

Your self-concept is deeply influenced by past experiences—trauma, childhood conditioning, repetitive thoughts, and groupthink. Many of the beliefs you hold about yourself were not chosen by you; they were absorbed.

Shadow work allows you to:

  • Confront the fears, wounds, and limiting beliefs stored in your subconscious.

  • Identify how childhood patterns still dictate your adult life.

  • Break free from societal programming that keeps you in a false identity.

Through journaling, dream work, meditation, and ritual, you begin the process of dissolving old identities and reclaiming your sovereignty.

4. Shift Self-Concept Through Embodiment & Plant Initiation (Feminine Energy)

Transformation is not just mental—it must be felt in the body.

Shifting your self-concept requires embodiment, a deeply feminine practice of allowing yourself to become the new identity rather than just intellectualizing it. This is where esoteric herbalism and plant initiations come in.

Certain plants carry spiritual intelligence that can help rewire the subconscious and initiate deep transformation. For example:

  • Mugwort – Enhances dream work and reveals hidden aspects of the self.

  • Holy Basil – Clears mental fog and elevates the spirit.

  • Rose – Opens the heart and softens rigid self-perceptions.

By working with plant allies, ritual baths, anointing oils, and ingestion of high-vibrational herbs, you integrate new archetypal energies and shift your self-concept at a cellular level.

5. Overcoming Self-Doubt & Taking Inspired Action (Masculine Energy)

Recognizing that your external reality is a direct reflection of your internal world is only the first step. To solidify transformation, you must take conscious, inspired action to overwrite the old program.

This requires:

  • Subconscious reprogramming – Using affirmations, visualization, and repetition to implant new beliefs.

  • Deliberate action – Making bold moves that reinforce your new identity.

  • Trusting discomfort – True change feels unfamiliar; learning to lean into the unknown is essential.

Just as in the Great Work, where the philosopher's stone is created through fire and transmutation, your new self-concept must be forged through action.

The Great Work Begins Within

Transforming your self-concept is the foundation of all spiritual and personal alchemy. It is the moment when the lead of old identity is dissolved, and the gold of the higher self is revealed.

Ready to take this transformation deeper? Watch the full video where I break down these steps with practical exercises and esoteric wisdom. The Great Work is calling.

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Angel Quintana

ANGEL QUINTANA, High Priestess of the New Aeon & Founder of Sacred Anarchy

Angel is the High Priestess of the New Aeon and the visionary architect behind Sacred Anarchy — a movement dedicated to building the next era of awakened leadership and personal sovereignty. As an initiator of The Great Work, she guides those who are ready to step beyond conditioning, claim their true power, and shape the future. She teaches initiates how to amplify their inner frequency, decode the esoteric solution behind every obstacle, and awaken the archetypal forces within, the servitors who walk beside them, strengthening their mission in this lifetime. A fierce advocate for personal freedom and a lifelong student of the Western Occult Traditions, Angel attributes her success to the mastery of hidden knowledge, sacred law, and the unwavering will to create. Those who enter her world do not simply learn—they are transformed.


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Angel Quintana

Angel is a Leadership Mystic and the the Founder of Sacred Anarchy, a society, mystery school, temple, and destination for rising leaders of the new aeon. She support soulworkers with the sacred knowledge of Esoteric Psychology, Western Occultism, Healing & Divination, and Self-Rulership so they can lead meaningful lives and reshape the world as we know it today. She teachers others how to strengthen the signal of their antenna, find the esoteric solution behind every problem, and unlock and elevate the archetypes that live within themselves — who are in service to their assignment in this lifetime. Angel is an activist for personal freedom (found within) and a lifelong student of the divination arts, which she attributes all her success to.

https://sacredanarchy.org