Alchemy was known as the 'royal art' and was the earliest form of chemistry. Khem was the original name for Egypt, the first country in history to specialise in the use of chemicals.
Alchemy was burdensome and secretive, often working over stills and furnaces with poisons and unknown chemical reactions. Serious illness or death could ensue. These were the great adventurers of yesterday. It was considered to be extremely expensive and it bestowed great power, therefore its processes were kept secret and were considered magical. Wealthy patrons were promised marvellous things in return for their patronage, such as turning cheap metal into gold, and an elixir which would give eternal life.
When I was young, I was fascinated by mediaeval alchemy. It visited the British Library to read ancient texts and I saw illustrations of extraordinary monsters, crowned kings, wolves, lepers, strange marriages, peacocks, the slaughter of children, dragons, mermaids, and other wonderful and disturbing images. Could base metals ever be turned into pure gold? It is said in occult circles that Albertus Magnus in 1280, could change lead into gold but this, of course, is impossible (though the British Museum has a medallion that belonged to the alchemist, John Dee that was said to have been created from alchemical gold.) There was a lot of false claims because the alchemists were paid vast sums to research, and as their health deteriorated, they became more desperate to pretend they had found a great secret.
Working with metal has always been a highly secretive and skilful art. The ancient blacksmiths kept their ability to make weaponry - their most expensive items - secret. The writer Idries Shah told a story about a Scotswoman who married an Afghan man, and through him was introduced to an alchemist named Aquil Khan, a Pathan who is purported to have produced a gold substance by using silver and a stone baked in clay over a fire. One wonders about the veracity of a 'I know someone, who knows someone' kind of story but it is likely that electroplating is an ancient art and could be the origin of the fervour to turn base metal into gold.
Metals have revolutionised life on Earth. In ancient Egypt, Tutankhamen was buried with a knife made of meteorite, an iron that fell to Earth, long before the making of iron tools. The beauty of gold made it extremely precious, so rare, malleable, always bright and the colour of the sun, and undegradable (it lasts forever) and it’s shiny beauty is ideal for personal adornment. Copper was the first ever metal discovered when the deep green malachite stone was heated. When tin was added to copper and smelted, bronze was created, far stronger for agricultural implements, tools and for war. Iron was discovered when iron ore was smelted and, when hammered, it becomes as hard as steel. When heated sand could be turned into glass and when colouring was added to create beauty, it could last 1000 years. All these precious discoveries and creations were jealousy guarded. Each an alchemical recipe for power, wealth and prestige. The European alchemists knew of the creation of colour dyes, and how immensely valuable the most beautiful ones for artworks and fabrics. Porcelaine, glass, spectacles, telescopes, all new and important developments were sought, cement for building, innumerable mixing processes transforming one thing into another as if by magic, producing valuable items for trade across the world.
My research into alchemy over many years resulted in reading the works of the psychologist, Carl Jung. He suggested that turning base metal into gold could relate to personal transformation. Base metal was a symbol for the lusts and greeds of humankind. To him, alchemy was a dissolving of destructive attitudes, ideas and complexes where self-questioning is placed in the fiery furnace to emerge as a new life in truth, peace and love. The pure gold that emerges after this long, arduous process, is a person of integrity, caring, and wise actions, as these are the final stages of Jung's ‘individuation’ process.
Alchemy was burdensome and secretive, often working over stills and furnaces with poisons and unknown chemical reactions. Serious illness or death could ensue. These were the great adventurers of yesterday. It was considered to be extremely expensive and it bestowed great power, therefore its processes were kept secret and were considered magical. Wealthy patrons were promised marvellous things in return for their patronage, such as turning cheap metal into gold, and an elixir which would give eternal life.
When I was young, I was fascinated by mediaeval alchemy. It visited the British Library to read ancient texts and I saw illustrations of extraordinary monsters, crowned kings, wolves, lepers, strange marriages, peacocks, the slaughter of children, dragons, mermaids, and other wonderful and disturbing images. Could base metals ever be turned into pure gold? It is said in occult circles that Albertus Magnus in 1280, could change lead into gold but this, of course, is impossible (though the British Museum has a medallion that belonged to the alchemist, John Dee that was said to have been created from alchemical gold.) There was a lot of false claims because the alchemists were paid vast sums to research, and as their health deteriorated, they became more desperate to pretend they had found a great secret.
Working with metal has always been a highly secretive and skilful art. The ancient blacksmiths kept their ability to make weaponry - their most expensive items - secret. The writer Idries Shah told a story about a Scotswoman who married an Afghan man, and through him was introduced to an alchemist named Aquil Khan, a Pathan who is purported to have produced a gold substance by using silver and a stone baked in clay over a fire. One wonders about the veracity of a 'I know someone, who knows someone' kind of story but it is likely that electroplating is an ancient art and could be the origin of the fervour to turn base metal into gold.
Metals have revolutionised life on Earth. In ancient Egypt, Tutankhamen was buried with a knife made of meteorite, an iron that fell to Earth, long before the making of iron tools. The beauty of gold made it extremely precious, so rare, malleable, always bright and the colour of the sun, and undegradable (it lasts forever) and it’s shiny beauty is ideal for personal adornment. Copper was the first ever metal discovered when the deep green malachite stone was heated. When tin was added to copper and smelted, bronze was created, far stronger for agricultural implements, tools and for war. Iron was discovered when iron ore was smelted and, when hammered, it becomes as hard as steel. When heated sand could be turned into glass and when colouring was added to create beauty, it could last 1000 years. All these precious discoveries and creations were jealousy guarded. Each an alchemical recipe for power, wealth and prestige. The European alchemists knew of the creation of colour dyes, and how immensely valuable the most beautiful ones for artworks and fabrics. Porcelaine, glass, spectacles, telescopes, all new and important developments were sought, cement for building, innumerable mixing processes transforming one thing into another as if by magic, producing valuable items for trade across the world.
My research into alchemy over many years resulted in reading the works of the psychologist, Carl Jung. He suggested that turning base metal into gold could relate to personal transformation. Base metal was a symbol for the lusts and greeds of humankind. To him, alchemy was a dissolving of destructive attitudes, ideas and complexes where self-questioning is placed in the fiery furnace to emerge as a new life in truth, peace and love. The pure gold that emerges after this long, arduous process, is a person of integrity, caring, and wise actions, as these are the final stages of Jung's ‘individuation’ process.
The word ‘alchemy’ originates, it is thought, from the root
word ‘khem’. It was used in ancient Egypt to describe the fertility of the flood
plains around the Nile river. The ancient Egyptians' knowledge of chemistry evolved over thousands of years. They preserved their dead in chemicals, they created a form of concrete, they mixed dyes to colour cloth and for paint, and they fermented fruit. Greece named Egypt 'Khemia' after these advanced processes, and this is the origin of the word 'chemistry'.
Recently, I was speaking about my interest in alchemy to someone from Italy who told me a story about the manufacture of glass, a process known in Italy since Roman times. Glass was such an immensely valuable commodity, where common sand could be transformed into a vast solid through which light could pass without obstacle - and could keep out the wind and rain. This solid, transparent substance could be mixed with colour to produce amazing beauty and magic when the sun shone. So important was this process that the knowledge was retained by one family who lived on an island and no-one was allowed to visit them incase knowledge of the process was stolen, and for those that came to the island, they were never allowed to leave. There are numerous instances of this kind of secrecy.
I was told that the Chinese used only a few guides through the silk route mountains, thereby protecting the knowledge of the method of the production of their beautiful silk and fine porcelain from those who were unable to produce even an inferior quality imitation substances. These are instances and an equivalent of the mystical process of alchemy as the masters of the science of the times tried to create valuable items, such as glass and silk and Kaolin porcelain.
Recently, I was speaking about my interest in alchemy to someone from Italy who told me a story about the manufacture of glass, a process known in Italy since Roman times. Glass was such an immensely valuable commodity, where common sand could be transformed into a vast solid through which light could pass without obstacle - and could keep out the wind and rain. This solid, transparent substance could be mixed with colour to produce amazing beauty and magic when the sun shone. So important was this process that the knowledge was retained by one family who lived on an island and no-one was allowed to visit them incase knowledge of the process was stolen, and for those that came to the island, they were never allowed to leave. There are numerous instances of this kind of secrecy.
I was told that the Chinese used only a few guides through the silk route mountains, thereby protecting the knowledge of the method of the production of their beautiful silk and fine porcelain from those who were unable to produce even an inferior quality imitation substances. These are instances and an equivalent of the mystical process of alchemy as the masters of the science of the times tried to create valuable items, such as glass and silk and Kaolin porcelain.
I was recently reading a book about the Kabbalah, the mystical path
of the Jews, known since very ancient times. Though complex, the process of using the Kabbalah as a tool of self-development,
involves moving through levels of kindness, wisdom, forgiveness,
understanding and other virtues to ascend to a higher spiritual life path. This
could be considered an alchemical spirituality of a kind, the transformation of
an ordinary person into a person of great merit, spiritual standing and renown.
Perhaps the greatest level of alchemy is the creation of ourselves as a person who can think, act and possibly change the world in which we live for the better. Surely, this is the greatest alchemy - our ability to impact our world. Each moment we spend with others is a work in progress, an offering of ourselves as seekers of a spiritual path of sincerity, caring and peace.
For women, there is the possibility of motherhood, the bringing into the world of another life and this is the greatest creative moment in time, of chemistry, the miracle of life, an act only possible in nature and overseen by the Creative Intelligence that created our great universe, the galaxies, our solar system and the finite and unique planet upon which we live.
We can look around at the vast variety of plants and animal species that live from the frozen tundra, to the barren deserts, or the hot, wet rain forests. Many human inventions were inspired by studying other species, such as radar from bats and aerodynamics from birds. Our entire lives are an alchemy, using both natural and man made chemical reactions, on a planet that is based on alchemy, from the photosynthesis of plants, the growth of food from the soil, which we eat and digest to give us life. Alcohol and perhaps willow bark was the only pain relief, now many pharmaceuticals, modern day alchemy, can treat many illnesses.
Of the seven billion people on our planet, none have, or have ever had, the same fingerprints, eye colours, DNA or personality. We have an individual and eternal soul that is precious beyond price. The ultimate in alchemy! Wendy Stokes: https://Wendystokes.co.uk
For women, there is the possibility of motherhood, the bringing into the world of another life and this is the greatest creative moment in time, of chemistry, the miracle of life, an act only possible in nature and overseen by the Creative Intelligence that created our great universe, the galaxies, our solar system and the finite and unique planet upon which we live.
We can look around at the vast variety of plants and animal species that live from the frozen tundra, to the barren deserts, or the hot, wet rain forests. Many human inventions were inspired by studying other species, such as radar from bats and aerodynamics from birds. Our entire lives are an alchemy, using both natural and man made chemical reactions, on a planet that is based on alchemy, from the photosynthesis of plants, the growth of food from the soil, which we eat and digest to give us life. Alcohol and perhaps willow bark was the only pain relief, now many pharmaceuticals, modern day alchemy, can treat many illnesses.
Of the seven billion people on our planet, none have, or have ever had, the same fingerprints, eye colours, DNA or personality. We have an individual and eternal soul that is precious beyond price. The ultimate in alchemy! Wendy Stokes: https://Wendystokes.co.uk
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