ALCHEMY
Posted by anthonynorth on July 1, 2007
Of all the esoteric arts, none are more controversial than alchemy. Indeed, the standard image we have of the Magician – pointy hat, wise look on his ancient face, and surrounded by books and glass vials – is really that of the Alchemist.
Existing in a world of mystery, the Alchemist seemed to be a dark, occult shadow over much of Europe from Medieval times to the birth of the modern world. And his claims were quite often fantastic.
FAMOUS ALCHEMISTS
Europe produced many alchemists. 17th century physician Helvetius told of how a stranger showed him three sulphur-coloured lumps of stone. Stealing a fragment, Helvetius heated it in a crucible with lead, producing gold.
In 1782 a James Price took several distinguished men to his Surrey home where they claimed he turned mercury into silver and then gold. Around the same time Scottish alchemist Alexander Seton went throughout Europe with a yellow powder producing gold. The Elector of Saxony imprisoned and tortured him for the secret. Seton managed to escape but died shortly afterwards.
Perhaps the most famous Alchemist was the Count St Germain. First appearing in Vienna in 1740, this enigmatic man claimed to be immortal and to have achieved the most famous quest of the Alchemist.
This essay has now moved to Anthony North’s new website. Read more of it here, including his own theories and more data, including Fulcanelli, Count Saint Germain and more.
© Anthony North, June 2007
BEYOND THE BLOG 
E. Burrell said
great article
very well written and very informative
Doug said
In the retro-spirit of Jung, but elaborated, the Sufis said that alchemy is intended to be an entirely mental discipline and not describing any chemical procedure to be done. Lead is not to be transformed into gold. Mercury and sulfur are spiritual code words mistranslated by some from arabic into latin. The mind is to be perfected to a gold-standard, but there is no actual physical gold.
See The Sufis, by Idries Shah, Anchor Books, (Doubleday New York, 1964), Anchor edition 1971, pp. 225-226. QUOTE:
In his De Augumentis Scientiarum, Bacon says: “Alchemy is like the man who told his sons that he had buried gold for them in his vineyards. They dug and found no gold, but this turned the mold for the vine roots and caused an abundant harvest.”
John Sawyer said
I’ve recently read one alchemist’s description of the steps involved in alchemy, using beakers, heat, specific quantities of materials, etc., as a discipline to organize the mind, to make it procedurally oriented, to get it thinking more about true cause and effect, and transformation in general, and help the practitioner to be at least semi-logical, all with the goal to help make the alchemist a scientist towards both physical and human issues, to give him the power to change both himself and the world around him, preferably for the good. And if a practitioner could manage to turn something into gold, that would be a nice side-benefit.
Since it’s pretty doubtful alchemy as it’s been practiced, can create real gold out of “base” materials, and everyone who ever claimed to do it made the claim for ulterior motives, it’s possible that some practitioners made the claim for the altruistic goal of keeping alchemy alive in the desires of men, so that more would pursue it.
anthonynorth said
Hi John,
I’m sure you’re right on this point. And the symbolism is good, too. Going from a closed, leaden mind, to the glory of enlightenment, just like gold.
ZAheersouth said
Duhhh…a big boaring article.
anthonynorth said
And a tiny boring comment.
Peter John Bolton said
http://verbewarp.blogspot.com/2006_03_12_archive.html
PeterJB