Sylvia Rose
Colors of Alchemy: Black Nigredo Putrefaction
In alchemy, nigredo (blackness) means putrefaction or decomposition. As the first step in the path to the philosopher's stone, nigredo...
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Sylvia Rose
Jun 215 min read
Colors of Alchemy: Rubedo Magnum Opus
Four color stages are required to reach the Magnum Opus, the Great Work or the Philosopher's Stone of the alchemist. These are nigredo...
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Sylvia Rose
Jun 215 min read
Chrysopoeia - Turning Lead into Gold
Chrysopoeia is Greek for "goldsmithing." It's the alchemical process or action of turning a base metal such as lead into the noble metal...
57 views
Sylvia Rose
Jun 195 min read
Golden Ages of Alchemy: Renaissance
Alchemy goes through cycles of prevalence for hundreds of years. In the Renaissance, a time of exploration and discovery, alchemy enjoys...
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Sylvia Rose
Jun 195 min read
Zosimos: First Golden Age of Alchemy
Zosimos of Panopolis or Zosimus Alchemista (Zosimus the Alchemist) is a Greek alchemist and Gnostic mystic. Born near today's Akhmim in...
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Sylvia Rose
Jun 186 min read
Khaos: Primal Goddess of Greek Myth
In the beginning, nothing exists but Khaos (Chaos). A female primordial entity, she personifies the time before creation, and exists...
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Sylvia Rose
Jun 174 min read
Aether: Born of Darkness, God of Light
Aether is the primordial god of light and the bright blue ether of the heavens. His fog and mists fill the space between the solid dome...
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Sylvia Rose
Jun 175 min read
Prima Materia: Elements of Alchemy
The prima materia, materia prima or first matter of alchemy and philosophy is the omnipresent substance needed to create the...
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Sylvia Rose
Jun 95 min read
Hermes Trismegistus: Alchemy & the Occult
Hermes Trismegistus is a blend of two major gods, Egyptian Thoth and Greek Hermes. With the rise of alchemy, both gods are patrons of the...
55 views
Sylvia Rose
Jun 84 min read
Magic of the Circle: Spirituality & Lore
The circle is a magical place. With no beginning or end the circle is infinity. Circles hold or contain magic and spiritual energies....
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Sylvia Rose
Jun 36 min read
Women Scientists of the Ancient World
Women scientists work wonders in the ancient world. Science in history includes astrology, astronomy, medicine, alchemy, chemistry,...
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Sylvia Rose
May 316 min read
Vermilion - Scarlet Pigment of Death
Vermilion (vermillion) is a brilliant red, orange-red or scarlet pigment obtained by grinding cinnabar (HgS), a sulfur and mercury ore. A...
34 views
Sylvia Rose
May 306 min read
Cinnabar (Mercury Sulfide) Red Death
Cinnabar or mercury sulfide (HgS) is a rock composed of mercury (Hg) and sulfur (S). Historically it's used to make vermillion or scarlet...
54 views
Sylvia Rose
May 294 min read
Emerald Tablet - Sacred Alchemy Text
The Emerald Tablet, also known as the Smaragdine Table or the Tabula Smaragdina, is a compact and cryptic Hermetic text. The Tablet is of...
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Sylvia Rose
May 295 min read
Egyptian Alchemy - Power of Eternity
Alchemy in Egypt goes beyond transmutation of base metals into noble gold or silver. In the civilizations of Egypt, Arabia, India, China...
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Sylvia Rose
May 276 min read
Chinese Alchemical Elixir Poisoning
Chinese alchemical elixir poisoning in ancient China is generally a death of the rich. Poisoning occurs over time or swiftly, caused by...
41 views
Sylvia Rose
Apr 154 min read
Alum: Tanning, Dye & Beauty Salts
Alum is an ingredient in processes such as dyeing fabric, tanning hides and water purification. Alum is ubiquitous in ancient and...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 144 min read
Tanning Hides - Ancient Techniques
Tanning hides is practiced in the ancient world since c. 7000 BCE, in the Indus Valley site of Mehgarh. By 2500 BCE, Sumerians of...
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 157 min read
Verdigris: Coveted Blue Green Copper Pigment
Verdigris is the green rust or patina on copper, created as the metal reacts with oxygen in the environment. Copper corrodes green to...
64 views
Sylvia Rose
Mar 14 min read
Woad, the People's Blue: Ancient Pigments
Woad ( Isatis tinctoria ) is a plant yielding a blue pigment used in dyes, paint and medicine. A member of the mustard family, it's also...
49 views
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