The Art of Alchemy
"The alchemists in their search for gold discovered many other things of greater value." ~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Alchemy is the study of transformation, and this discipline overlaps the worlds of art, science, philosophy, medicine and spirituality. Practitioners of the alchemical arts were located in ancient India, Arabia, China, Egypt, with later adepts based in Europe.
It is experiencing a revival as of late, with a variety of people exploring it as a multi-denominational spiritual vehicle. The laboratory side is also making a comeback in the healing/medical realm as people seek more organic means to treat disease.
The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismigestus
It is said that all the secrets of alchemy are contained below, hidden in full sight within the text of the Emerald Tablet, as composed by Hermes Trismigestus, author of many mystical tracts.
True, without falsehood, certain and most true, that which is above is as that which is below, and that which is below is as that which is above, for the performance of the miracles of the One Thing.
And as all things are from One, by the mediation of One, so all things have their birth from this One Thing by adaptation. The Sun is its father, the Moon its mother, and the Wind carries it in its belly, its nurse is the Earth. This is the father of all perfection, or consummation of the whole world. Its power is integrating, if it be turned into earth.
Thou shalt separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross, suavely, and with great ingenuity. It ascends from earth to heaven and descends again to earth, and receives the power of the superiors and of the inferiors. So thou hast the glory of the whole world; therefore let all obscurity flee before thee.
This is the strong force of all forces, overcoming every subtle and penetrating every solid thing. So the world was created. Hence were all wonderful adaptations, of which this is the manner. Therefore am I called Hermes Trismigestus, having the three parts of the philosophy of the whole world. What I have to tell is completed, concerning the Operation of the Sun.
Alchemists have studied and analyzed the preceding words for centuries, basing many of their physical and spiritual experiments on its phrases.My Alchemical Library - books I've read and collected on alchemy
The Emerald Tablet Explored
This is considered by many to be the core text of Alchemy. This thirteen line composition is said to contain all the answers to the workings of the Universe. These links lead to various translations and discussions of this seminal work.
- Emerald Tablet of Hermes
The Tablet probably first appeared in the West in editions of the psuedo-Aristotlean Secretum Secretorum which was actually a translation of the Kitab Sirr al-Asar, a book of advice to kings which was translated into latin by Johannes Hispalensis c. - The Emerald Tablet
Tabula Smaragdina, The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistos - Emerald Tablet of Hermes
Many years ago, a group of people decided to publish different translations of the Emerald Tablet and various commentaries upon it. The group broke up, the work was never finished.... Here is some of what remained. - The Emerald Tablet: Time Capsule of Wisdom from Mankind's Unknown Benefactors.
The Emerald Tablet is an ancient artifact that reveals a profound spiritual technology, which has survived to this day despite centuries of effort to suppress it. Encoded within the tablet's mysterious wording is a powerful formula that works in very - Emerald Tablet, The
The Emerald Tablet, or the Emerald Table as it is frequently called is part of the Hermetica and is one of most revered magical documents in Western occultism. Hermes Trismegistus is portrayed in art as holding an emerald upon which he inscribed the
The Great Work - Ora et Labora
"Ora et Labora" translates roughly as "work as prayer." The alchemist's laboratory is seen as a place of both work and enlightenment.
- Alchemy Lab
A mega-website devoted to transforming your reality using the mental and spiritual operations of ancient alchemy. - Alchemy Index
Although the alchemists' fundamental goal of elemental transmutation was flawed, on a deeper level the work of alchemy (cloaked in allegorical images) also represented the transformation of the soul. - Newton's Alchemy, recreated
"Alchemy is the science by which the principles, causes, properties, and passions of all the metals are known radically, so that those of them which are imperfect, incomplete, mixed, and corrupt may be transmuted into genuine gold." Petrus Bonus, 14t - alchemy
over 400 skeptical definitions and essays on occult, paranormal,supernatural and pseudoscientific ideas and practices with references to the best skeptical literature - Alchemy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alchemy refers to both an early protoscientific and an early philosophical discipline, both combining elements of chemistry, metallurgy, physics, medicine, astrology, semiotics, mysticism, spiritualism, and art. Alchemy has been practiced in Ancient - Alchemy - Philosopher's Stone
Alchemy is an ancient path of spiritual purification and transformation; the expansion of consciousness and the development of insight and intuition through images. Alchemy is steeped in mysticism and mystery. - CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Alchemy
The art of transmuting baser metals into gold and silver. It was the predecessor of the modern science of chemistry, for the first steps in the development of the modern science were based on the work of the old alchemists. - From Alchemy to Chemistry: Five Hundred Years of Rare and Interesting Books
In the exhibit, the curators tried to convey some of the major shifts in the study of chemistry - not just the movement from alchemy to modern science - but also the way chemists changed the way they talked about their field. - The Alchemy Web Site
Alchemy is a complex subject with many different interconnected aspects. Many people still only think of the quest of the philosophers' stone to change base metals into gold. - Terence McKenna-- Lectures on Alchemy
In the spirit of that last sentence, I decided to post here the transcriptions, given to me by a friend, of a lecture series that Terence presented on alchemy. I do not know where or when the lectures were given. Note: I have not edited the transcrip - The Spellbinder: Alchemy
Contrary to popular opinion, alchemy was not merely a quest for the recipe to make gold and neither was it a purely mediaeval venture. Alchemy has its origins in ancient Egypt and in ancient Babylonia, well before the birth of Christ. - Inner Alchemy--Gurdjieff, Taoism, Self-Transformation
Inner Alchemy is a quarterly newsletter-journal dedicated to the art & science of self-transformation. - Islamic Culture and the Medical Arts: Pharmaceutics and Alchemy
The Arabic word al-kimiya, from which we derive the word alchemy, was used for both chemistry and alchemy, and no clear distinction was made between the two activities.
The Expanding Alchemy Library - books for those who've learned the basics and want to go deeper
Slowly but surely, the alchemy section of my book collection has been getting larger and larger. Here are some titles I found to be good for both broadening and deepening my explorations of alchemy.
Famous Alchemists
The men and women who worked with Alchemy and whose notes and experiments still provide guidance today.
- Famous Alchemists
from the University of Bristol School of Chemistry - Alchemists
An alchemist was a person versed in the art of alchemy, an ancient branch of natural philosophy that eventually evolved into chemistry and pharmacology. Alchemy flourished in the Islamic world during the Middle Ages, and then in Europe from the 13th - Timeline of alchemists
This chart depicts the lifes of key alchemists and related writers, from the 13th to the end of the 18th century. By placing each writer in a historical context, this will help us understand the influences and borrowing of ideas. - Famous Alchemists
"Alchemy: The Struggle for Immortality" Copyright Gerald del Campo 1995 - Alchemy: Turning Rocks to Gold Since the Middle Ages!
Alchemy. Such a misunderstood science. I hope this article can help set things straight for whomever reads it. - The Alchemists
The alchemists are a sub-group somewhere between Order of Hermes and the Sons of Ether. While they use the terminology and symbols of the Order, they share the solitary attitude and the interest in the sphere of matter with the Sons.
Alchemy Around The Fire - some modern alchemists are using the fire circle as the crucible
Lesser Alchemy
- Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab: Potions, Perfumes, and Esoteric Brews
Purveyors of gothic, Renaissance, and Medieval themed potions, aromatherapy blends, bath and body products, and herbal household accoutrements. - Alchemy Works Seeds & Herbs - The Raw Materials of Magick
Whether you practice witchcraft, ritual magick, or simply enjoy unusual seeds and botanicals, you will find something here of interest. All these seeds, herbs, and resins have traditionally played a role in ancient or modern Earth-based spirituality - Alchemy - Play at Shockwave.com
Turn lead into gold with Alchemy. The goal is to convert an entire lead playing board into gold pieces by placing runes into matching configurations. But be wary of snap judgments. Alchemy requires a forward-thinking mind. - Chemistry Instruction at Merlin's Academy of Alchemy
The best Chemistry courses on the Internet. Self-learning, self-paced, hypertextbook and exams. Low cost, high quality chemistry education for home school or institutions. - Al-Qemi Homepage
Spagyric & Alchemical Products.
Physical Transformation or Inner Quest? - what is your approach to alchemy?
The above and the below. For some this means physical transformation but for others, the pursuit of alchemy is more of an inner quest. How do you approach the Great Work?
How do you practice or approach alchemy?
