Alchemy - The process of transmutation
While Alchemy brings to mind the concept of changing Lead into Gold, studying alchemy deepens the meaning to focus on the transmutation of the human soul from a "base metal" to a "noble metal". The root of much of our current science and medicine knowledge stems directly from alchemical practices and obviously the root of Chemistry. From ancient scholars in Egypt and Greece to revolutionary thinkers such as Newton, alchemy has not only influenced thought but became the basis for physical experimentation in all sciences. For our purposes it is the transmutation of the soul that holds the most interest. A process by which one can move to a higher vibration in harmony with all things above and below. Even as we progress as a species, the allure of alchemy persists and is still highly influential today among some of our most forward thinking scholars.
The incredible symbolism of alchemy combined with the hidden history of its teaching entice us to seek out this ancient wisdom for our own ends, namely the perfection of our souls and integration of physical and metaphysical realms. From the Egyptians to modern day philosophers this esoteric discovery awaits any willing to set aside our one sided view on life and dive deep into the sea of being.
The incredible symbolism of alchemy combined with the hidden history of its teaching entice us to seek out this ancient wisdom for our own ends, namely the perfection of our souls and integration of physical and metaphysical realms. From the Egyptians to modern day philosophers this esoteric discovery awaits any willing to set aside our one sided view on life and dive deep into the sea of being.
Wikipedia says this:
Alchemy is a philosophical and protoscientific tradition practiced throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. It aimed to purify, mature, and perfect certain objects. Common aims were chrysopoeia, the transmutation of "base metals" (e.g., lead) into "noble metals" (particularly gold); the creation of an elixir of immortality; the creation of panaceas able to cure any disease; and the development of an alkahest, a universal solvent. The perfection of the human body and soul was thought to permit or result from the alchemical magnum opus and, in the Hellenistic and western tradition, the achievement of gnosis. In Europe, the creation of a philosopher's stone was variously connected with all of these projects. In English, the term is often limited to descriptions of European alchemy, but similar practices existed in the Far East, the Indian subcontinent, and the Muslim world. In Europe, following the 12th-century Renaissance produced by the translation of Islamic works on science and the Recovery of Aristotle, alchemists played a significant role in early modern science (particularly chemistry and medicine). Islamic and European alchemists developed a structure of basic laboratory techniques, theory, terminology, and experimental method, some of which are still in use today. However, they continued antiquity's belief in four elements and guarded their work in secrecy including cyphers and cryptic symbolism. Their work was guided by Hermetic principles related to magic, mythology, and religion. Modern discussions of alchemy are generally split into an examination of its exoteric practical applications and its esoteric spiritual aspects, despite the arguments of scholars like Holmyard and von Franz that they should be understood as complementary. The former is pursued by historians of the physical sciences who examine the subject in terms of early chemistry, medicine, and charlatanism, and the philosophical and religious contexts in which these events occurred. The latter interests historians of esotericism, psychologists, and some philosophers and spiritualists. The subject has also made an ongoing impact on literature and the arts. Despite this split, which von Franz believes has existed since the Western traditions' origin in a mix of Greek philosophy that was mixed with Egyptian and Mesopotamian technology, numerous sources have stressed an integration of esoteric and exoteric approaches to alchemy as far back as Pseudo-Democritus's first-century AD On Physical and Mystical Matters (Greek: Physika kai Mystika) |
The Emerald Tablet
One of the most interesting Alchemy related artifact is the Emerald Tablet. Considered one of the most important treatise on the process, it has been studied and interpreted as the recipe for the ultimate goal of transmutation. Much controversy on it's origin and meaning throughout history has allowed it to remain an enigmatic piece of the the puzzle. Some claim it is over 38,000 years old, while others are content to believe it is more recent and around 1500 years old. Regardless of age it is considered an amazing work worth studying. Below is a translation into English along side a much older Latin translation. The phrase "As Above, So Below" is familiar in both religion and new age philosophy and points to the common origins of many of human kinds beliefs.