Alchemy

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"Alchemist" redirects here. For other uses, see Alchemist (disambiguation) and Alchemy
(disambiguation).

The Emerald Tablet, a key text of Western Alchemy, in a 17th-century edition

Alchemy is an influential tradition whose practitioners have, from antiquity, claimed it to

be the precursor to profound powers. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied but
historically have typically included one or more of the following goals: the creation of the
fabled philosopher's stone; the ability to transmute base metals into the noble
metals (gold or silver); and development of an elixir of life, which would confer youth
and longevity.
Though alchemy played a significant role in the development of early modern
science,[1] it differs significantly from modern science in its inclusion
of Hermeticprinciples and practices related to mythology, magic, religion,
and spirituality. It is recognized[by whom?] as a protoscience that contributed to the
development of modern chemistry and medicine. Alchemists developed a structure of

basic laboratory techniques, theory, terminology, and experimental method, some of

which are still in use today. However, alchemists predated modern foundations of
chemistry, such as scientific skepticism, atomic theory, the modern understanding of
achemical element and a chemical substance, the periodic table and conservation of
mass and stoichiometry. Instead, they believed in four elements andphlogiston, and
cryptic symbolism and mysticism was an integral part of alchemical work.
Contents
[hide]

1 Overview
o 1.1 Relation to chemistry
o 1.2 Relation to Hermeticism
2 Etymology
3 History
o 3.1 Alchemy in Greco-Roman Egypt
o 3.2 Alchemy in the Islamic world
o 3.3 Alchemy in medieval Europe
o 3.4 Alchemy in the Renaissance and modern age
o 3.5 The decline of European alchemy
o 3.6 Indian alchemy
3.6.1 Representative works in Sanskrit
o 3.7 Chinese alchemy
o 3.8 Alchemy as a subject of historical research
4 Modern alchemy
o 4.1 Alchemy in traditional medicine
o 4.2 Psychology
5 Magnum opus
6 Relationship to magic
o 6.1 Similarities
o 6.2 Differences
o 6.3 Convergence
o 6.4 Symbolism as a Key
7 Alchemy in art and entertainment
8 See also
9 Notes and references
10 Bibliography
11 External links

Overview[edit]
The ostensible goals of alchemy are often given as the transmutation of common metals
into gold (known as chrysopoeia), the creation of a panacea, and the discovery of
a universal solvent.[2] However, these only highlight certain aspects of

alchemy. Alchemists have historically rewritten and evolved their explanation of

alchemy, so it is difficult to define it simply.[3] H.J. Sheppard gives the following as a
comprehensive summary:
Alchemy is the art of liberating parts of the Cosmos from temporal existence and
achieving perfection which, for metals is gold, and for man, longevity, then immortality
and, finally, redemption. Material perfection was sought through the action of a
preparation (Philosopher's Stone for metals; Elixir of Life for humans), while spiritual
ennoblement resulted from some form of inner revelation or other enlightenment
(Gnosis, for example, in Hellenistic and western practices).[4]
Modern discussions of alchemy are generally split into an examination of
its exoteric practical applications and its esoteric aspects. The former is pursued by
historians of the physical sciences who have examined the subject in terms of
protochemistry, medicine, and charlatanism. The latter interests psychologists, spiritual
and new age communities, hermetic philosophers, and historians of esotericism. [5] The
subject has also made an ongoing impact on literature and the arts. Despite the modern
split, numerous sources stress an integration of esoteric and exoteric approaches to
alchemy. Holmyard, when writing on exoteric aspects, states that they cannot be
properly appreciated if the esoteric is not always kept in mind. [6] The prototype for this
model can be found in Bolos of Mendes's 3rd-century BCE work Physika kai
Mystika ("On Physical and Mystical Matters").[7] Marie-Louise von Franz tells us the
double approach of Western alchemy was set from the start, when Greek philosophy
was mixed with Egyptian and Mesopotamian technology. The technological, operative
approach, which she calls extraverted, and the mystic, contemplative, psychological
one, which she calls introverted, are not mutually exclusive but complementary since
meditation requires practice in the real world and vice versa.[8]

Relation to chemistry[edit]
Main article: History of chemistry

Scientific apparatus in the alchemist's workshop, 1580

Practical applications of alchemy produced a wide range of contributions to medicine

and the physical sciences. The alchemist Robert Boyle[9]is credited as being the father
of chemistry. Paracelsian iatrochemistry emphasized the medicinal application of
alchemy (continued in plant alchemy, or spagyric).[10] Studies of alchemy also
influenced Isaac Newton's theory of gravity.[11] Academic historical research supports
that the alchemists were searching for a material substance using physical methods.[12]
Alchemists made contributions to the "chemical" industries of the dayore testing and
refining, metalworking, production of gunpowder, ink, dyes, paints, cosmetics, leather
tanning, ceramics, glass manufacture, preparation of extracts, liquors, and so on.
Alchemists contributeddistillation to Western Europe. The attempts of alchemists to
arrange information on substances, so as to clarify and anticipate the products of their
chemical reactions, resulted in early conceptions of chemical elements and the first
rudimentary periodic tables. They learned how to extract metals from ores, and how to
compose many types of inorganic acids and bases.[original research?]
During the 17th century, practical alchemy started to disappear in favor of its younger
offshoot chemistry,[13] as it was renamed by Robert Boyle, the "father of modern
chemistry".[14] In his book, The Skeptical Chymist, Boyle attacked Paracelsus and
the natural philosophy ofAristotle, which was taught at universities. However, Boyle's
biographers, in their emphasis that he laid the foundations of modern chemistry, neglect
how steadily he clung to the scholastic sciences and to alchemy, in theory, practice and
doctrine.[15] The decline of alchemy continued in the 18th century with the birth of
modern chemistry, which provided a more precise and reliable framework within a new
view of the universe based on rational materialism.

Relation to Hermeticism[edit]
In the eyes of a variety of esoteric and Hermetic practitioners, the heart of alchemy is
spiritual. Transmutation of lead into gold is presented as an analogy for personal
transmutation, purification, and perfection.[7]This approach is often termed 'spiritual',
'esoteric', or 'internal' alchemy.[by whom?]
Early alchemists, such as Zosimos of Panopolis (c. AD 300), highlight the spiritual
nature of the alchemical quest, symbolic of a religious regeneration of the human
soul.[16] This approach continued in the Middle Ages, as metaphysical aspects,
substances, physical states, and material processes were used as metaphors
for spiritual entities, spiritual states, and, ultimately, transformation. In this sense, the
literal meanings of 'Alchemical Formulas' were a blind, hiding their true spiritual
philosophy. Practitioners and patrons such as Melchior Cibinensis and Pope Innocent
VIII existed within the ranks of the church, while Martin Lutherapplauded alchemy for its
consistency with Christian teachings.[17] Both the transmutation of common metals into
gold and the universal panacea symbolized evolution from an imperfect, diseased,
corruptible, and ephemeral state toward a perfect, healthy, incorruptible, and everlasting
state, so the philosopher's stone then represented a mystic key that would make this
evolution possible. Applied to the alchemist himself, the twin goal symbolized his
evolution from ignorance to enlightenment, and the stone represented a hidden spiritual
truth or power that would lead to that goal. In texts that are written according to this
view, the crypticalchemical symbols, diagrams, and textual imagery of late alchemical

works typically contain multiple layers of meanings, allegories, and references to other
equally cryptic works; and must be laboriously decoded to discover their true meaning.
In his 1766 Alchemical Catechism, Thodore Henri de Tschudi denotes that the usage
of the metals was a symbol:
Q. When the Philosophers speak of gold and silver, from which they extract their matter,
are we to suppose that they refer to the vulgar gold and silver?
A. By no means; vulgar silver and gold are dead, while those of the Philosophers are full
of life.[18]
During the renaissance, alchemy broke into more distinct schools placing spiritual
alchemists in high contrast with those working with literal metals and chemicals. [19] While
most spiritual alchemists also incorporate elements of exotericism, examples of a purely
spiritual alchemy can be traced back as far as the 16th century, when Jacob
Boehme used alchemical terminology in strictly mystical writings.[20] Another example
can be found in the work of Heinrich Khunrath (15601605) who viewed the process of
transmutation as occurring within the alchemist's soul.[19]
The recent work of L. M. Principe and William R. Newman, seeks to reject the 'spiritual
interpretation' of alchemy, especially as applied to medieval, 16th- and 17th-century
alchemy, stating it arose as a product of the Victorian occult revival.[21] There is evidence
to support that some classical alchemical sources were adulterated during this time to
give greater weight to the spiritual aspects of alchemy.[22][23] Despite this, other scholars
such as Calian and Tilton reject this view as entirely historically inaccurate, drawing
examples of historical spiritual alchemy from Boehme, Isaac Newton, and Michael
Maier.[24]

Etymology[edit]
Main article: Chemistry (etymology)
The word alchemy may derive from the Old French alquimie, which is from the Medieval
Latin alchimia, and which is in turn from the Arabic al-kimia (). This term itself is
derived from the Ancient Greek chemeia() or chemia ()[25] with the addition
of the Arabic definite article al- ().[26] The ancient Greek word may have been derived
from[27] a version of the Egyptian name for Egypt, which was itself based on the Ancient
Egyptian word kme (hieroglyphic Khmi, black earth, as opposed to desert sand).[26]
The word could also have originally derived from the Greek chumeia () meaning
"mixture" and referring to pharmaceutical chemistry.[28] With the later rise of alchemy in
Alexandria, the word may have derived from , and thus became spelled as ,
and the original meaning forgotten.[29] Its etymology is still open to question.

History[edit]

Kimiya-yi sa'dat (The Alchemy of Happiness) a text on Islamic philosophy and spiritual
alchemy by Al-Ghazl (10581111).

Alchemy covers several philosophical traditions spanning some four millennia and three
continents. These traditions' general penchant for cryptic and symbolic language makes
it hard to trace their mutual influences and "genetic" relationships. One can distinguish
at least three major strands, which appear to be largely independent, at least in their
earlier stages: Chinese alchemy, centered in China and its zone of cultural
influence; Indian alchemy, centered around the Indian subcontinent; and Western
alchemy, which occurred around the Mediterranean and whose center has shifted over
the millennia from Greco-Roman Egypt, to the Islamic world, and finally medieval
Europe. Chinese alchemy was closely connected to Taoism and Indian alchemy with
the Dharmic faiths, whereas Western alchemy developed its own philosophical system
that was largely independent of, but influenced by, various Western religions. It is still an
open question whether these three strands share a common origin, or to what extent
they influenced each other.

Alchemy in Greco-Roman Egypt[edit]

Ambix, cucurbit and retort of Zosimos, fromMarcelin Berthelot, Collection des anciens
alchimistes grecs (3 vol., Paris, 18871888)

The start of Western alchemy may generally be traced to Hellenistic Egypt, where the
city of Alexandria was a center of alchemical knowledge, and retained its pre-eminence
through most of the Greek and Roman periods.[30] Here, elements of technology,
religion, mythology, and Hellenistic philosophy, each with their own much longer
histories, combined to form the earliest known records of alchemy in the West. Zosimos
of Panopolis wrote the oldest known books on alchemy,[citation needed]while Mary the
Jewess is credited as being the first non-fictitious Western alchemist. They wrote
in Greek and lived in Egyptunder Roman rule.
Mythology Zosimos of Panopolis asserted that alchemy dated back to Pharaonic
Egypt where it was the domain of the priestly class, though there is little to no evidence
for his assertion.[31] Alchemical writers used Classical figures from Greek, Roman, and
Egyptian mythology to illuminate their works and allegorize alchemical
transmutation.[32] These included the pantheon of gods related to the Classical
planets, Isis, Osiris, Jason, and many others.
The central figure in the mythology of alchemy is Hermes Trismegistus (or Thrice-Great
Hermes). His name is derived from the god Thoth and his Greek counterpartHermes.
Hermes and his caduceus or serpent-staff, were among alchemy's principal symbols.
According to Clement of Alexandria, he wrote what were called the "forty-two books of
Hermes", covering all fields of knowledge.[33] The Hermetica of Thrice-Great Hermes is
generally understood to form the basis for Western alchemical philosophy and practice,
called the hermetic philosophy by its early practitioners. These writings were collected in
the first centuries of the common era.
Technology The dawn of Western alchemy is sometimes associated with that
of metallurgy, extending back to 3500 BCE.[34] Many writings were lost when
the emperor Diocletian ordered the burning of alchemical books[35] after suppressing a
revolt in Alexandria (292 CE). Few original Egyptian documents on alchemy have
survived, most notable among them the Stockholm papyrus and the Leyden papyrus X.
Dating from 300 to 500 CE, they contained recipes for dyeing and making artificial
gemstones, cleaning and fabricating pearls, and manufacturing of imitation gold and
silver.[36] These writings lack the mystical, philosophical elements of alchemy, but do

contain the works of Bolus of Mendes (or Pseudo-Democritus) which aligned these
recipes with theoretical knowledge of astrology and the Classical elements.[37] Between
the time of Bolus and Zosimos, the change took place that transformed this metallurgy
into a Hermetic art.[38]
Philosophy Alexandria acted as a melting pot for philosophies
of Pythagoreanism, Platonism, Stoicism and Gnosticism which formed the origin of
alchemy's character.[37] An important example of alchemy's roots in Greek philosophy,
originated by Empedocles and developed by Aristotle, was that all things in the universe
were formed from only four elements: earth, air, water, and fire. According to Aristotle,
each element had a sphere to which it belonged and to which it would return if left
undisturbed.[39] The four elements of the Greek were mostly qualitative aspects of
matter, not quantitative, as our modern elements are. "...True alchemy never regarded
earth, air, water, and fire as corporeal or chemical substances in the present-day sense
of the word. The four elements are simply the primary, and most general, qualities by
means of which the amorphous and purely quantitative substance of all bodies first
reveals itself in differentiated form."[40] Later alchemists extensively developed the
mystical aspects of this concept. Alchemy coexisted alongside emerging
Christianity. Lactantius believed Hermes Trismegistus had prophesied its
birth. Augustine (354430 CE) later affirmed this, but also condemned Trismegistus for
idolatry.[41] Examples of Pagan, Christian, and Jewish alchemists can be found during
this period.
Most of the Greco-Roman alchemists preceding Zosimos are known only by
pseudonyms, such as Moses, Isis, Cleopatra, Democritus, and Ostanes. Others authors
such as Komarios, and Chymes, we only know through fragments of text. After 400 CE,
Greek alchemical writers occupied themselves solely in commenting on the works of
these predecessors.[42] By the middle of the 7th century alchemy was almost an entirely
mystical discipline.[43] It was at that time that Khalid Ibn Yazid sparked its migration from
Alexandria to the Islamic world, facilitating the translation and preservation of Greek
alchemical texts in the 8th and 9th centuries.[44]

Alchemy in the Islamic world[edit]

Main article: Alchemy and chemistry in medieval Islam

Jabir ibn Hayyan (Geber), considered the "father of chemistry", introduced

a scientific and experimentalapproach to alchemy.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the focus of alchemical development moved to the
Islamic World. Much more is known about Islamic alchemy because it was better
documented: indeed, most of the earlier writings that have come down through the
years were preserved as Arabic translations.[45] The word alchemy itself was derived
from the Arabic word al-kimia. The Islamic world was a melting pot for
alchemy. Platonic and Aristotelian thought, which had already been somewhat
appropriated into hermetical science, continued to be assimilated during the late 7th and
early 8th centuries.
In the late 8th century, Jbir ibn Hayyn (known as "Geber" in Europe) introduced a
new approach to alchemy, based on scientific methodology and
controlled experimentationin the laboratory, in contrast to the ancient Greek and
Egyptian alchemists whose works were often allegorical and unintelligible, with very little
concern for laboratory work.[46]Jabir is thus "considered by many to be the father
of chemistry",[47] albeit others reserve that title for Robert Boyle or Antoine Lavoisier. The
historian of science, Paul Kraus, wrote:
To form an idea of the historical place of Jabir's alchemy and to tackle the problem of its
sources, it is advisable to compare it with what remains to us of the alchemical literature
in the Greek language. One knows in which miserable state this literature reached us.
Collected by Byzantine scientists from the tenth century, the corpus of the Greek
alchemists is a cluster of incoherent fragments, going back to all the times since the
third century until the end of the Middle Ages.
The efforts of Berthelot and Ruelle to put a little order in this mass of literature led only
to poor results, and the later researchers, among them in particular Mrs. HammerJensen, Tannery, Lagercrantz, von Lippmann, Reitzenstein, Ruska, Bidez, Festugiere
and others, could make clear only few points of detail ....
The study of the Greek alchemists is not very encouraging. An even surface
examination of the Greek texts shows that a very small part only was organized

according to true experiments of laboratory: even the supposedly technical writings, in

the state where we find them today, are unintelligible nonsense which refuses any
interpretation.
It is different with Jabir's alchemy. The relatively clear description of the processes and
the alchemical apparati, the methodical classification of the substances, mark an
experimental spirit which is extremely far away from the weird and odd esotericism of
the Greek texts. The theory on which Jabir supports his operations is one of clearness
and of an impressive unity. More than with the other Arab authors, one notes with him a
balance between theoretical teaching and practical teaching, between the `ilm and
the `amal. In vain one would seek in the Greek texts a work as systematic as that which
is presented, for example, in the Book of Seventy.[46]
Jabir himself clearly recognized and proclaimed the importance of experimentation:
The first essential in chemistry is that thou shouldest perform practical work and
conduct experiments,
for he who performs not practical work nor makes experiments will never attain to the
least degree of mastery.[48]
Early Islamic chemists such as Jabir Ibn Hayyan ( in Arabic, Geberus in Latin;
usually rendered in English as Geber), Al-Kindi (Alkindus) and Muhammad ibn Zakarya
Rzi (Rasis or Rhazes in Latin) contributed a number of key chemical discoveries, such
as the muriatic (hydrochloric acid), sulfuric and nitric acids, and more. The discovery
that aqua regia, a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids, could dissolve the noblest
metal, gold, was to fuel the imagination of alchemists for the next millennium.
Islamic philosophers also made great contributions to alchemical hermeticism. The most
influential author in this regard was arguably Jabir. Jabir's ultimate goal was Takwin, the
artificial creation of life in the alchemical laboratory, up to, and including, human life. He
analyzed each Aristotelian element in terms of four basic qualities
of hotness, coldness, dryness, and moistness.[49] According to Jabir, in each metal two
of these qualities were interior and two were exterior. For example, lead was externally
cold and dry, while gold was hot and moist. Thus, Jabir theorized, by rearranging the
qualities of one metal, a different metal would result.[49] By this reasoning, the search for
the philosopher's stone was introduced to Western alchemy. Jabir developed an
elaborate numerology whereby the root letters of a substance's name in Arabic, when
treated with various transformations, held correspondences to the element's physical
properties.
The elemental system used in medieval alchemy also originated with Jabir. His original
system consisted of seven elements, which included the five classical
elements (aether, air, earth, fire, and water) in addition to two chemical
elements representing the metals: sulphur, "the stone which burns", which
characterized the principle of combustibility, and mercury, which contained the idealized
principle of metallic properties. Shortly thereafter, this evolved into eight elements, with
the Arabic concept of the three metallic principles: sulphur giving flammability or
combustion, mercury giving volatility and stability, and salt giving solidity.[50] Theatomic
theory of corpuscularianism, where all physical bodies possess an inner and outer layer
of minute particles or corpuscles, also has its origins in the work of Jabir. [51]

From the 9th to 14th centuries, alchemical theories faced criticism from a variety of
practical Muslim chemists, including Alkindus,[52] Ab al-Rayhn alBrn,[53] Avicenna[54] and Ibn Khaldun. In particular, they wrote refutations against the
idea of the transmutation of metals.

Alchemy in medieval Europe[edit]

Painting by Joseph Wright of Derby, 1771

The introduction of alchemy to Latin Europe occurred on 11 February 1144, with the
completion of Robert of Chester's translation of the Arabic Book of the Composition of
Alchemy. Although European craftsmen and technicians preexisted, Robert notes in his
preface that alchemy was unknown in Latin Europe at the time of his writing. The
translation of Arabic texts concerning numerous disciplines including alchemy flourished
in 12th-century Toledo, Spain, through contributors like Gerard of Cremona andAdelard
of Bath.[55] Translations of the time included the Turba Philosophorum, and the works
of Avicenna and al-Razi. These brought with them many new words to the European
vocabulary for which there was no previous Latin equivalent. Alcohol, carboy, elixir, and
athanor are examples.[56]
Meanwhile, theologian contemporaries of the translators made strides towards the
reconciliation of faith and experimental rationalism, thereby priming Europe for the influx
of alchemical thought. Saint Anselm (10331109) put forth the opinion that faith and
rationalism were compatible and encouraged rationalism in a Christian context.
Peter Abelard (10791142) followed Anselm's work, laying down the foundation for
acceptance of Aristotelian thought before the first works of Aristotle had reached the
West. And later, Robert Grosseteste (11701253) used Abelard's methods of analysis
and added the use of observation, experimentation, and conclusions when conducting
scientific investigations. Grosseteste also did much work to reconcile Platonic and
Aristotelian thinking.[57]

Through much of the 12th and 13th centuries, alchemical knowledge in Europe
remained centered around translations, and new Latin contributions were not made.
The efforts of the translators were succeeded by that of the encyclopaedists. Albertus
Magnus and Roger Bacon are the most notable of these.[58] Their works explained and
summarized the newly imported alchemical knowledge in Aristotelian terms. There is
little to suggest[original research?] that Albertus Magnus (11931280), a Dominican, was himself
an alchemist. In his authentic works such as the Book of Minerals, he observed and
commented on the operations and theories of alchemical authorities like Hermes and
Democritus, and unnamed alchemists of his time. Albertus critically compared these to
the writings of Aristotle and Avicenna, where they concerned the transmutation of
metals. From the time shortly after his death through to the 15th century, twenty-eight or
more alchemical tracts were misattributed to him, a common practice giving rise to his
reputation as an accomplished alchemist.[59] Likewise, alchemical texts have been
attributed to Albert's student Thomas Aquinas (12251274).
Roger Bacon (12141294) was an Oxford Franciscan who studied a wide variety of
topics including optics, languages and medicine. After studying the PseudoAristotelian Secretum Secretorum around 1247, he dramatically shifted his studies
towards a vision of a universal science which included alchemy and astrology. Bacon
maintained that Albertus Magnus' ignorance of the fundamentals of alchemy prevented
a complete picture of wisdom. While alchemy was not more important to him than any of
the other sciences, and he did not produce symbolic allegorical works, Bacon's
contributions advanced alchemy's connections to soteriology and Christian theology.
Bacon's writings demonstrated an integration of morality, salvation, alchemy, and the
prolongation of life. His correspondence with Pope Clement IV highlighted this
integration, calling attention to the importance of alchemy to the papacy. [60] Like the
Greeks before him, Bacon acknowledged the division of alchemy into the practical and
theoretical. He noted that the theoretical lay outside the scope of Aristotle, the natural
philosophers, and all Latin writers of his time. The practical however, confirmed the
theoretical through experiment, and Bacon advocated its uses in natural science and
medicine.[61]
Soon after Bacon, the influential work of Pseudo-Geber (sometimes identified as Paul of
Taranto) appeared. His Summa Perfectionis remained a staple summary of alchemical
practice and theory through the medieval and renaissance periods. It was notable for its
inclusion of practical chemical operations alongside sulphur-mercury theory, and the
unusual clarity with which they were described.[62] By the end of the 13th century,
alchemy had developed into a fairly structured system of belief. Adepts believed in the
macrocosm-microcosm theories of Hermes, that is to say, they believed that processes
that affect minerals and other substances could have an effect on the human body (for
example, if one could learn the secret of purifying gold, one could use the technique to
purify the human soul). They believed in the four elements and the four qualities as
described above, and they had a strong tradition of cloaking their written ideas in a
labyrinth of coded jargon set with traps to mislead the uninitiated. Finally, the alchemists
practiced their art: they actively experimented with chemicals and
made observations and theories about how the universe operated. Their entire
philosophy revolved around their belief that man's soul was divided within himself after

the fall of Adam. By purifying the two parts of man's soul, man could be reunited with
God.[63]
In the 14th century, alchemy became more accessible to Europeans outside the
confines of Latin speaking churchmen and scholars. Alchemical discourse shifted from
scholarly philosophical debate to an exposed social commentary on the alchemists
themselves.[64] Dante, Piers the Ploughman, and Chaucer all painted unflattering
pictures of alchemists as thieves and liars. Pope John XXII's 1317 edict, Spondent quas
non exhibent forbade the false promises of transmutation made by pseudoalchemists.[65] In 1403, Henry IV of England banned the practice of multiplying metals
(although it was possible to buy a licence to attempt to make gold alchemically, and a
number were granted by Henry VI and Edward IV [66]). These critiques and regulations
centered more around pseudo-alchemical charlatanism than the actual study of
alchemy, which continued with an increasingly Christian tone. The 14th century saw the
Christian imagery of death and resurrection employed in the alchemical texts of Petrus
Bonus, John of Rupescissa and in works written in the name of Raymond Lull and
Arnold of Villanova.[67]
Nicolas Flamel is a well known alchemist, but a good example of pseudepigraphy, the
practice of giving your works the name of someone else, usually more famous. Though
the historical Flamel existed, the writings and legends assigned to him only appeared in
1612.[68][69] Flamel was not a religious scholar as were many of his predecessors, and his
entire interest in the subject revolved around the pursuit of the philosopher's stone. His
work spends a great deal of time describing the processes and reactions, but never
actually gives the formula for carrying out the transmutations. Most of 'his' work was
aimed at gathering alchemical knowledge that had existed before him, especially as
regarded the philosopher's stone.[70]
Through the late Middle Ages (13001500) alchemists were much like Flamel: they
concentrated on looking for the philosophers' stone. Bernard Trevisan and George
Ripley made similar contributions in the 14th and 15th centuries. Their cryptic allusions
and symbolism led to wide variations in interpretation of the art.

Alchemy in the Renaissance and modern age[edit]

Further information: Renaissance magic and natural magic

Page from alchemic treatise ofRamon Llull, 16th century

During the Renaissance, Hermetic and Platonic foundations were restored to European
alchemy. The dawn of medical, pharmaceutical, occult, and entrepreneurial branches of
alchemy followed.
Francis Melville, in his translation of the Arabic Book of the Composition of Alchemy,
commented on the Emerald Tablet and the Hermetic texts by stating, "Here was an
ancient body of theological, philosophical, scientific, and medical writings of
extraordinary beauty, intellectual power, and spiritual authority, in which Jews,
Christians, and Muslims could find confirmations, amplifications, and refinements of
their own sacred teachings."
In the late 15th century, Marsilo Ficino translated the Corpus Hermeticum and the works
of Plato into Latin. These were previously unavailable to Europeans who for the first
time had a full picture of the alchemical theory that Bacon had declared
absent. Renaissance Humanism and Renaissance Neoplatonism guided alchemists
away from physics to refocus on mankind as the alchemical vessel.
Esoteric systems developed that blended alchemy into a broader occult Hermeticism,
fusing it with magic, astrology, and Christian cabala.[71][72] A key figure in this
development was German Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (14861535) who received his
Hermetic education in Italy in the schools of the humanists. In his De Occulta
Philosophiahe attempted to merge Kabbalah, Hermetism, and alchemy. He was
instrumental in spreading this new blend of Hermeticism outside the borders of Italy.[73][74]
Philippus Aureolus Paracelsus, (Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, 14931541)
cast alchemy into a new form, rejecting some of Agrippa's occultism and moving away
from chrysopoeia. Paracelsus pioneered the use of chemicals and minerals in medicine
and wrote, "Many have said of Alchemy, that it is for the making of gold and silver. For
me such is not the aim, but to consider only what virtue and power may lie in
medicines."[75]

His hermetical views were that sickness and health in the body relied on the harmony of
man the microcosm and Nature the macrocosm. He took an approach different from
those before him, using this analogy not in the manner of soul-purification but in the
manner that humans must have certain balances of minerals in their bodies, and that
certain illnesses of the body had chemical remedies that could cure them. [76] Paracelsian
practical alchemy, especially herbal medicine and plant remedies has since been
named spagyrics (a synonym for alchemy from the Greek words meaning to
separate and to join together, based on the Latin alchemic maxim: solve et
coagula).[77] Iatrochemistry also refers to the pharmaceutical applications of alchemy
championed by Paracelsus.
John Dee (13 July 1527 December, 1608) followed Agrippa's occult tradition. Though
better known for angel summoning, divination, and his role as astrologer, cryptographer,
and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I, Dee's alchemical Monas Hieroglyphica, written in
1564 was his most popular and influential work. His writing portrayed alchemy as a sort
of terrestrial astronomy in line with the Hermetic axiom As above so below.[78]

"Alchemist Sdziwj" (15661636) by Jan Matejko, 1867

Entrepreneurial opportunities were not uncommon for the alchemists of Renaissance

Europe. Alchemists were contracted by the elite for practical purposes related to mining,
medical services, and the production of chemicals, medicines, metals, and
gemstones.[79] Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, in the late 16th century, famously
received and sponsored various alchemists at his court in Prague, including Dee and
his associate Edward Kelley. King James IV of Scotland,[80] Julius, Duke of BrunswickLneburg, Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lneburg, Augustus, Elector of Saxony, Julius
Echter von Mespelbrunn, and Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel all contracted
alchemists.[81] John's son Arthur Dee worked as a court physician to Michael I of
Russia and Charles I of England but also compiled the alchemical bookFasciculus
Chemicus.
Though most of these appointments were legitimate, the trend of pseudo-alchemical
fraud continued through the Renaissance. Betrger would use sleight of hand, or claims
of secret knowledge to make money or secure patronage. Legitimate mystical and
medical alchemists such as Michael Maier and Heinrich Khunrath wrote about
fraudulent transmutations, distinguishing themselves from the con artists.[82] False
alchemists were sometimes prosecuted for fraud.
The terms "chemia" and "alchemia" were used as synonyms in the early modern period,
and the differences between alchemy, chemistry and small-scale assaying and
metallurgy were not as neat as in the present day. There were important overlaps

between practitioners, and trying to classify them into alchemists, chemists and
craftsmen is anachronistic. For example, Tycho Brahe (15461601), an alchemist better
known for his astronomical and astrological investigations, had a laboratory built at
his Uraniborg observatory/research institute. Michael Sendivogius (Micha Sdziwj,
15661636), a Polish alchemist, philosopher, medical doctor and pioneer of chemistry
wrote mystical works but is also credited with distilling oxygen in a lab sometime around
1600. Sendivogious taught his technique toCornelius Drebbel who, in 1621, applied this
in a submarine. Isaac Newton devoted considerably more of his writing to the study of
alchemy (see Isaac Newton's occult studies) than he did to either optics or physics.
Other early modern alchemists who were eminent in their other studies include Robert
Boyle, and Jan Baptist van Helmont. Their Hermetism complemented rather than
precluded their practical achievements in medicine and science.

The decline of European alchemy[edit]

Robert Boyle

The decline of European alchemy was brought about by the rise of modern science with
its emphasis on rigorous quantitative experimentation and its disdain for "ancient
wisdom". Although the seeds of these events were planted as early as the 17th century,
alchemy still flourished for some two hundred years, and in fact may have reached
itsapogee in the 18th century. As late as 1781 James Price claimed to have produced a
powder that could transmute mercury into silver or gold.
Meanwhile, Paracelsian alchemy led to the development of modern medicine.
Experimentalists gradually uncovered the workings of the human body, such as blood
circulation (Harvey, 1616), and eventually traced many diseases to infections with
germs (Koch and Pasteur, 19th century) or lack of natural nutrients
and vitamins (Lind, Eijkman, Funk, et al.). Supported by parallel developments in
organic chemistry, the new science easily displaced alchemy from its medical roles,
interpretive and prescriptive, while deflating its hopes of miraculous elixirs and exposing
the ineffectiveness or even toxicity of its remedies.

During the 17th century, a short-lived "supernatural" interpretation of alchemy became

popular, including support by fellows of the Royal Society: Robert Boyle and Elias
Ashmole. Proponents of the supernatural interpretation of alchemy believed that
the philosopher's stone might be used to summon and communicate with angels.[83]
The words "alchemy" and "chemistry" were used interchangeably during most of the
17th century; only during the 18th century was a distinction drawn rigidly between the
two.[21][84] In the 18th century, "alchemy" was considered to be restricted to the realm of
"gold making", leading to the popular belief that most, if not all, alchemists were
charlatans and the tradition itself nothing more than a fraud.[84] The obscure and
secretive writings of the alchemists was used as a case by those who wished to forward
a fraudulent and non-scientific opinion of alchemy.[85] In order to protect the developing
science of modern chemistry from the negative censure of which alchemy was being
subjected, academic writers during the scientific Enlightenment attempted, for the sake
of survival, to separate and divorce the "new" chemistry from the "old" practices of
alchemy. This move was mostly successful, and the consequences of this continued
into the 19th and 20th centuries, and even to the present day. [86]
Robert Boyle (16271691), better known for his studies of gases (cf. Boyle's law)
pioneered the scientific method in chemical investigations. He assumed nothing in his
experiments and compiled every piece of relevant data; in a typical experiment, Boyle
would note the place in which the experiment was carried out, the wind characteristics,
the position of the Sun and Moon, and the barometer reading, all just in case they
proved to be relevant.[87] This approach eventually led to the founding of modern
chemistry in the 18th and 19th centuries, based on revolutionary discoveries
of Lavoisier and John Dalton which finally provided a logical, quantitative and reliable
framework for understanding matter transmutations, and revealed the futility of
longstanding alchemical goals such as the philosopher's stone. The foregoing
developments in alchemy and 'chymistry' from the 16th to the 18th centuries have led
many historians of science to argue that Lavoisier's work represented less of 'revolution'
and more of an simple extension of the theories, methods and techniques that had been
developed in previous centuries.[88] In the words of Matthew Daniel Eddy, the Chemical
Revolution was a series of sparks that took place over time and not one big explosion
that occurred when Lavoisier first published his work.[89]
During the occult revival of the early 19th century, alchemy received new attention as an
occult science.[85][90] The esoteric or occultist school, which arose during the 19th
century, held (and continues to hold) the view that the substances and operations
mentioned in alchemical literature are to be interpreted in a spiritual sense, and it
downplays the role of the alchemy as a practical tradition or protoscience. [21][91][92] This
interpretation further forwarded the view that alchemy is an art primarily concerned with
spiritual enlightenment or illumination, as opposed to the physical manipulation of
apparatus and chemicals, and claims that the obscure language of the alchemical texts
were an allegorical guise for spiritual, moral or mystical processes.[92]
In the 19th-century revival of alchemy, the two most seminal figures were Mary Anne
Atwood and Ethan Allen Hitchcock, who independently published similar works
regarding spiritual alchemy. Both forwarded a completely esoteric view of alchemy, as
Atwood claimed: "No modern art or chemistry, notwithstanding all its surreptitious

claims, has any thing in common with Alchemy."[93][94] Atwood's work influenced
subsequent authors of the occult revival including Eliphas Levi, Arthur Edward Waite,
and Rudolf Steiner. Hitchcock, in his Remarks Upon Alchymists (1855) attempted to
make a case for his spiritual interpretation with his claim that the alchemists wrote about
a spiritual discipline under a materialistic guise in order to avoid accusations of
blasphemy from the church and state. In 1845, Baron Carl Reichenbach, published his
studies on Odic force, a concept with some similarities to alchemy, but his research did
not enter the mainstream of scientific discussion.[95]

Indian alchemy[edit]
Main article: Rasayana
See also: History of metallurgy in the Indian subcontinent
According to the Encyclopdia Britannica, the Vedas describe a connection between
eternal life and gold. The use of Mercury for alchemy is first documented in the 3rd - 4th
century CE Artha-stra. Buddhist texts from the 2nd to 5th centuries CE mention the
transmutation of base metals to gold. Greek alchemy may have been introduced to
Ancient India through the invasions of Alexander the Great in 325 BCE, and kingdoms
that were culturally influenced by the Greeks like Gandhra, although hard evidence for
this is lacking.[96]
The 11th-century Persian chemist and physician Ab Rayhn Brn, who visited
Gujarat as part of the court of Mahmud of Ghazni, reported that they
have a science similar to alchemy which is quite peculiar to them, which
in Sanskrit is called Rasayna and in Persian Rasavtam. It means the art of
obtaining/manipulating Rasa: nectar, mercury, and juice. This art was restricted
to certain operations, metals, drugs, compounds, and medicines, many of which
have mercury as their core element. Its principles restored the health of those
who were ill beyond hope and gave back youth to fading old age.
The goals of alchemy in India included the creation of a divine body (Sanskrit divyadeham) and immortality while still embodied (Sanskrit jvan-mukti). Sanskrit
alchemical texts include much material on the manipulation of mercury and sulphur,
that are homologized with the semen of the god iva and the menstrual blood of the
goddess Dev.
Some early alchemical writings seem to have their origins in the Kaula tantric
schools associated to the teachings of the personality of Matsyendranath. Other
early writings are found in the Jaina medical treatiseKalyakrakam of Ugrditya,
written in South India in the early 9th century.[97]
Two famous early Indian alchemical authors were Ngrjuna Siddha and Nityantha
Siddha. Ngrjuna Siddha was a Buddhist monk. His book, Rasendramangalam, is
an example of Indian alchemy and medicine. Nityantha Siddha
wrote Rasaratnkara, also a highly influential work. In Sanskrit, rasa translates to
"mercury", and Ngrjuna Siddha was said to have developed a method of
converting mercury into gold.[98]

Reliable scholarship on Indian alchemy has been advanced in a major way by the
publication of The Alchemical Body by David Gordon White.[99] Trustworthy
scholarship on Indian alchemy must now take the findings of this work into account.
An important modern bibliography on Indian alchemical studies has also been
provided by David Gordon White at Oxford Bibliographies Online.[100]
Representative works in Sanskrit[edit]
The contents of the following thirty-nine Sanskrit alchemical treatises have been
analysed in detail in G. Jan Meulenbeld's History of Indian Medical Literature.:[101]

nandakanda
yurvedapraka
Gorakasahit
Kkacaevarmatatantra
Kkacavarakalpatantra
Kppakvarasanirmavijna
Pradasahit
Rasabhaiajyakalpanvijna
Rasdhyya
Rasahdayatantra
Rasajalanidhi
Rasakmadhenu
Rasakaumud
Rasamajar
Rasamitra
Rasmta
Rasapaddhati
Rasapradpa
Rasaprakasudhkara
Rasarjalakm
Rasaratnadpik
Rasaratnkara
Rasaratnasamuccaya
Rasrava
Rasravakalpa
Rasasaketakalik
Rasasra
Rasataragi
Rasyanasra
Rasayogasgara
Rasayogaataka
Rasendracintmai
Rasendracmai

Rasendramagala
Rasendrapura
Rasendrasambhava
Rasendrasrasagraha
Rasoddhratantra (or Rasasahit)
Rasopaniad

The discussion of these works in HIML gives a summary of the contents of each
work, their special features, and where possible the evidence concerning their
dating. Chapter 13 of HIML, Various works on rasastra and
ratnastra (or Various works on alchemy and gems) gives brief details of a further
655 (six hundred and fifty-five) treatises. In some cases Meulenbeld gives notes on
the contents and authorship of these works; in other cases references are made
only to the unpublished manuscripts of these titles.
A great deal remains to be discovered about Indian alchemical literature. The
content of the Sanskrit alchemical corpus has not yet (2014) been adequately
integrated into the wider general history of alchemy.

Chinese alchemy[edit]
Main article: Chinese alchemy

Taoist Alchemists often use this alternate version of theTaijitu.

Whereas European alchemy eventually centered on the transmutation of base

metals into noble ones, Chinese alchemy had a more obvious connection to
medicine. The philosopher's stone of European alchemists can be compared to
the Grand Elixir of Immortality sought by Chinese alchemists. However, in the
hermetic view, these two goals were not unconnected, and the philosopher's stone
was often equated with the universal panacea; therefore, the two traditions may
have had more in common than initially appears.
Black powder may have been an important invention of Chinese alchemists. As
previously stated above, Chinese alchemy was more related to medicine. It is said
that the Chinese invented gunpowder while trying to find a potion for eternal life.
Described in 9th-century texts and used in fireworks in China by the 10th century, it
was used in cannons by 1290. From China, the use ofgunpowder spread to Japan,
the Mongols, the Arab world, and Europe. Gunpowder was used by the Mongols
against the Hungarians in 1241, and in Europe by the 14th century.
Chinese alchemy was closely connected to Taoist forms of traditional Chinese
medicine, such as Acupuncture and Moxibustion, and to martial arts such as Tai Chi
Chuan and Kung Fu(although some Tai Chi schools believe that their art derives

from the philosophical or hygienic branches of Taoism, not Alchemical). In fact, in

the early Song Dynasty, followers of this Taoist idea (chiefly the elite and upper
class) would ingest mercuric sulfide, which, though tolerable in low levels, led many
to suicide. Thinking that this consequential death would lead to freedom and access
to the Taoist heavens, the ensuing deaths encouraged people to eschew this
method of alchemy in favor of external sources (the aforementioned Tai Chi Chuan,
mastering of the qi, etc.).

Alchemy as a subject of historical research[edit]

The history of alchemy has become a significant and recognized subject of
academic study.[102] As the language of the alchemists is analyzed, historians are
becoming more aware of the intellectual connections between that discipline and
other facets of Western cultural history, such as the evolution of science
and philosophy, the sociology and psychology of the intellectual
communities, kabbalism, spiritualism,Rosicrucianism, and other mystic
movements.[103] Institutions involved in this research include The Chymistry of Isaac
Newton project at Indiana University, the University of Exeter Centre for the Study of
Esotericism (EXESESO), the European Society for the Study of Western
Esotericism (ESSWE), and the University of Amsterdam's Sub-department for the
History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents. A large collection of books on
alchemy is kept in the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica in Amsterdam. Journals
which publish regularly on the topic of Alchemy include 'Ambix', published by the
Society for the History of alchemy and Chemistry, and 'Isis', published by The
History of Science Society.

Modern alchemy[edit]
Due to the complexity and obscurity of alchemical literature, and the 18th-century
disappearance of remaining alchemical practitioners into the area of chemistry; the
general understanding of alchemy has been strongly influenced by several distinct
and radically different interpretations.[104] Those focusing on the exoteric, such as
historians of science Lawrence M. Principe and William R. Newman, have
interpreted the 'decknamen' (or code words) of alchemy as physical substances.
These practitioners have reconstructed physicochemical experiments that they say
are described in medieval and early modern texts.[105]
At the opposite end of the spectrum, esoteric alchemists interpret these same
decknamen as spiritual, religious, or psychological concepts. Today new
interpretations of alchemy are still perpetuated, sometimes merging in concepts
from New Age or radical environmentalism movements.[106] Groups like the
rosicrucians and freemasons have a continued interest in alchemy and its
symbolism.

Alchemy in traditional medicine[edit]

Traditional medicine sometimes involves the transmutation of natural substances,
using pharmacological or a combination of pharmacological and spiritual techniques.
In Ayurveda the samskaras are claimed to transform heavy metals and toxic herbs

in a way that removes their toxicity. These processes are actively used to the
present day.[107]
Spagyrists of the 20th century, Albert Richard Riedel and Jean Dubuis, merged
Paracelsian alchemy with occultism, teaching laboratory pharmaceutical methods.
The schools they founded, Les Philosophes de la Nature and The Paracelsus
Research Society, popularized modern spagyrics including the manufacture of
herbal tinctures and products.[108] The courses, books, organizations, and
conferences generated by their students continue to influence popular applications
of alchemy as a new age medicinal practice.

Psychology[edit]
Alchemical symbolism has been used by psychologists such as Carl Jung who
reexamined alchemical symbolism and theory and presented the inner meaning of
alchemical work as a spiritual path.[109][110] Jung was deeply interested in the occult
since his youth, participating in seances, which he used as the basis for his doctoral
dissertation "On the Psychology and Pathology of So-Called Occult
Phenomena."[111] In 1913, Jung had already adopted a "spiritualist and redemptive
interpretation of alchemy", likely reflecting his interest in the occult literature of the
19th century.[112] Jung began writing his views on alchemy from the 1920s and
continued until the end of his life. His interpretation of Chinese alchemical texts in
terms of his analytical psychology also served the function of comparing Eastern
and Western alchemical imagery and core concepts and hence its possible inner
sources (archetypes).[113][114][115]
Jung saw alchemy as a Western proto-psychology dedicated to the achievement
of individuation.[109][115] In his interpretation, alchemy was the vessel by
which Gnosticism survived its various purges into theRenaissance,[115][116] a concept
also followed by others such as Stephan A. Hoeller. In this sense, Jung viewed
alchemy as comparable to a Yoga of the East, and more adequate to the Western
mind than Eastern religions and philosophies. The practice of Alchemy seemed to
change the mind and spirit of the Alchemist. Conversely, spontaneous changes on
the mind of Western people undergoing any important stage in individuation seems
to produce, on occasion, imagery known to Alchemy and relevant to the person's
situation.[117] Jung did not completely reject the material experiments of the
alchemists, but he massively downplayed it, writing that the transmutation was
performed in the mind of the alchemist. He claimed the material substances and
procedures were only a projection of the alchemists' internal state, while the real
substance to be transformed was the mind itself.[118]
Marie-Louise von Franz, a disciple of Jung, continued Jung's studies on alchemy
and its psychological meaning. Jung's work exercised a great influence on the
mainstream perception of alchemy, his approach becoming a stock element in many
popular texts on the subject to this day.[119] Modern scholars are sometimes critical of
the Jungian approach to alchemy as overly reflective of 19th-century
occultism.[21][90][120]

Magnum opus[edit]
Main article: Magnum opus (alchemy)
The Great Work of Alchemy is often described as a series of four stages
represented by colors.

nigredo, a blackening or melanosis

albedo, a whitening or leucosis
citrinitas, a yellowing or xanthosis
[121]
rubedo, a reddening, purpling, or iosis

Relationship to magic[edit]
Similarities[edit]
Medieval Europe was primarily an agrarian culture, which meant that most aspects
of their lives were in direct or indirect response to agriculture. Magic,
alchemy, medicine, philosophy, and religion were all tied together through
agriculture.[122] A major philosophy that pulled from agrarian life and largely affected
alchemy and magic was cosmology.[123] Cosmology had ruling over the philosophies
of the four elements, like for like, and ultimately the belief in the essence of
things.[122] These philosophies makes distinguishing between alchemy and magic
difficult, blurring the lines and creating huge grey areas where all aspects of
medieval life can be mixed at some point.[123]
Alchemy and Magic are often seen together in the modern world because of blurred
lines between them. This is because medieval people were, "Living in a world
infused with purpose." From ants to cosmic movement, "[a]like things shared a
relationship deeper and wider than they do in our modern view."[123] It is from the
notion of things sharing commonalities that the philosophy of essences came about.
All of this resulted in magicians, philosophers, alchemists, and physicians to have
blurred lines. Magic and alchemy especially were interrelated because both were
interested in the essences of things or the, "inner structure of existence, [operating]
as the principle of form for each kind of being."[123] The essences of things were not,
"simply conceptual entities, but to be real and have existence, they were regarded
as discoverable and even at times transferable (as in alchemical operations and in
the use of talismans)."[123] And so alchemy, like magic, pursed the 'powers' of
minerals, plants and animals to control nature through those forces that were more
powerful than themselves. "The fundamental notion of exploiting secret powers in
nature was part of a common culture that scientists and philosophers shared with
practitioners and observers generally."[124]

Differences[edit]
Alchemy and magic were distinctive from each other through the terminology of the
time that distinguished each aspect of magic and philosophy. The modern
term magic was broken down into, (enchantment,necromancy, conjuration,
or sorcery) but the generic term magic was not common until the 16th

century.[124] Even though alchemists could have and did participate in any form of
magic, and even though "Magic might accomplish the same effects as prayer or
natural techniques [alchemy]; its distinguishing feature lay not in its effects but in the
causal principle it invoked."[124] This is where alchemy is distinguished from magic.
Magic involves the will of demons or other spiritual forces, whereas alchemy
focused more on the essences of physical materials. Even though both trades
worked at times for the same goal, and even crossed paths, the large distinction
was the use or not of supernatural forces. Another distinction is in the superstition of
the time where, "a person using the generally unknown properties of some herb was
doing magic, even though the effect might be perfectly "natural" in modern
terms."[123] This meant that many practices were clumped together under the
umbrella of magic even though the practices were solely physical. Finally, it wasn't
until the Victorian era that, "occultists reinterpreted alchemy as a spiritual practice,
involving the self-transformation of the practitioner and only incidentally or not at all
the transformation of laboratory substances."[125] This transition blurred the lines
even more between the practices and would give alchemy the negative and cultic
connotation that would cause it to fall out of the history of science.

Convergence[edit]
Despite the convergence of many aspects of medieval life into alchemy, "careful
contextual readings of alchemical texts now continue to reveal that alchemy was
never monolithic or static." and that, "Early modern European alchemy alone
displays a staggering diversity of theories, practices, and purposes: Scholastic and
anti-Aristotelian, Paracelsian and anti-Paracelsian, Hermetic, Neoplatonic,
mechanistic, vitalistic, and moreplus virtually every combination and compromise
thereof."[125] The relationship between alchemy and magic is complex and different
from case to case and in each era they were practiced. It is easy to conclude then
that alchemy and magic were neither completely different nor completely the same
at any given time, but rather that they have blurred lines between them. [125]

Symbolism as a Key[edit]
Symbolism is used in both Magic and Alchemy as a codifier to confuscate powerful
and controversial knowledge, as a meditation to reveal the meaning of the symbols,
as talismans of power - and to the advanced, as a language very similar to that of
the psyche. It is this aspect which is the fundamental link between Magic and
Alchemy. These concepts are preserved in the symbols of the Tarot, which show
(astro)religious, shamanic, magical and alchemical symbolism drawn into a single
tradition. From this symbolic perspective, the physical 'Great Work' of transmuting
metals in the laboratory is itself a meditation on the symbolic processes inherent
nature.

Alchemy in art and entertainment[edit]

Main article: Alchemy in art and entertainment
Alchemy has had a long standing relationship with art, seen both in alchemical texts
and in mainstream entertainment. Literary alchemy appears throughout the history

of English literature from Shakespeare to J. K. Rowling. Here, characters or plot

structure follow an alchemical magnum opus. In the 14th century, Chaucer began a
trend of alchemical satire that can still be seen in recent fantasy works like those of
Terry Pratchett.
Visual artists had a similar relationship with alchemy. While some of them used
alchemy as a source of satire, others worked with the alchemists themselves or
integrated alchemical thought or symbols in their work. Music was also present in
the works of alchemists and continues to influence popular performers. In the last
hundred years, alchemists have been portrayed in a magical and spagyric role in
fantasy fiction, film, television, novels, comics and video games.

See also[edit]

The Alchemist
Alchemy in art and entertainment
Biological transmutation
Chemistry
Chinese alchemy
Cupellation
Hermes Trismegistus
Historicism
List of alchemists
List of topics characterized as pseudoscience
Magnum opus (alchemy)
Mary the Jewess
Nuclear transmutation
Outline of alchemy
Philosopher's Stone
Physics
Porta Alchemica
Scientific method
Superseded scientific theories
Synthesis of precious metals

Notes and references[edit]

1. Jump up^ Matthew Daniel Eddy, Seymour Mauskopf and William R.
Newman (Eds.) (2014). Chemical Knowledge in the Early Modern World.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
2. Jump up^ Alchemy at Dictionary.com.
3. Jump up^ Linden 1996, pp. 7,11
4. Jump up^ Linden 1996, pp. 11

5. Jump up^ For a detailed look into the problems of defining alchemy,
see Linden 1996, pp. 636
6. Jump up^ Holmyard 1957, p. 16
7. ^ Jump up to:a b Antoine Faivre, Wouter J. Hanegraaff. Western esotericism
and the science of religion. 1995. p.96
8. Jump up^ von Franz 1997, p. [page needed]
9. Jump up^ Arthur Greenburg. From alchemy to chemistry in picture and
story.
10. Jump up^ H. Stanley Redgrove. Alchemy Ancient and Modern p.60
11. Jump up^ Mitch Stokes. Isaac Newton p. 57
12. Jump up^ Principe & Newman 2001, pp. 3978,400
13. Jump up^ William R Newman & Lawrence M Principe (1998) "The
Etymological Origins of an Historiographic Mistake" inEarly Science and
Medicine, Vol. 3, No. 1 pp. 3265
14. Jump up^ Deem, Rich (2005). "The Religious Affiliation of Robert Boyle the
father of modern chemistry. From: Famous Scientists Who Believed in God".
adherents.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved17
April 2009.
15. Jump up^ More, Louis Trenchard (January 1941). "Boyle as
Alchemist". Journal of the History of Ideas (University of Pennsylvania
Press) 2 (1): 6176. doi:10.2307/2707281. JSTOR 2707281.
16. Jump up^ Allen G. Debus. Alchemy and early modern chemistry. The
Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry. p.34.
17. Jump up^ Raphael Patai. The Jewish Alchemists: A History and Source
Book. Princeton University Press. p.4
18. Jump up^ Thodore Henri de Tschudi. Hermetic Catechism in his L'Etoile
Flamboyant ou la Socit des Franc-Maons considere sous tous les
aspects. 1766. (A.E. Waite translation as found in The Hermetic and
Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus.)
19. ^ Jump up to:a b Raphael Patai. The Jewish Alchemists: A History and Source
Book. Princeton University Press. p.3
20. Jump up^ Daniel Merkur. Gnosis: an esoteric tradition of mystical visions
and unions. State University of New York Press. p.75
21. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Newman & Principe 2002, p. 37
22. Jump up^ Newton and Newtonianism by James E. Force, Sarah
Hutton, p211
23. Jump up^ Principe & Newman 2001, pp. 3956
24. Jump up^ Calian 2010, p. [page needed]
25. Jump up^ alchemy, Oxford Dictionaries
26. ^ Jump up to:a b "alchemy". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford
University Press. September 2005. Or seeHarper,
Douglas. "alchemy". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 07
April 2010. Check date values in:|accessdate= (help).

27. Jump up^ See, for example, the etymology for in Liddell, Henry
George; Robert Scott (1901). A Greek-English Lexicon (Eighth edition,
revised throughout ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-910205-8.
28. Jump up^ See, for example, both the etymology given in the Oxford English
Dictionary and also that for inLiddell, Henry George; Robert Scott;
Henry Stuart Jones (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon (A new edition, revised
and augmented throughout ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19910205-8.
29. Jump up^ The original source for this analysis is the article on pp. 8185
of Mahn, Carl August Friedrich (1855).Etymologische untersuchungen auf
dem gebiete der romanischen sprachen. F. Duemmler.
30. Jump up^ New Scientist, 2431 December 1987
31. Jump up^ Garfinkel, Harold (1986). Ethnomethodological Studies of Work.
Routledge &Kegan Paul. p. 127. ISBN 0-415-11965-0.
32. Jump up^ Yves Bonnefoy. 'Roman and European Mythologies'. University of
Chicago Press, 1992. pp. 211213
33. Jump up^ Clement, Stromata, vi. 4.
34. Jump up^ Linden 1996, p. 12
35. Jump up^ Partington, James Riddick (1989). A Short History of Chemistry.
New York: Dover Publications. p. 20. ISBN 0-486-65977-1.
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