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Sylvia Rose
Aug 25, 20245 min read
Religious Persecutions of Diocletian
Following the Peace of Nisibis, Emperor Diocletian and Galeriu s Maximianus r eturn to the bustling city of Antioch, today's southern...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 25, 20243 min read
Alexandria & the Siege of Diocletian
Ancient Alexandria, jewel of Egypt, is renowned as a city of philosophy, medicine and alchemy. A crucial turning point happens 297 AD....
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 20, 20245 min read
Alchemy: Metallurgy, Myths & Magic
Alchemy has a lifelong relationship with the magic of metals and their multiple manifestations. Metal workers and later blacksmiths...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 20, 20244 min read
Smelting Metals: Metalwork & Alchemy
In alchemy an essential piece of equipment is the hearth or forge. Smelting metal applies heat and a reducing agent to separate one or...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 19, 20244 min read
Pill of Immortality: Chinese Alchemy
The Pill of Immortality or Immortality Pill is a life-giving substance in Chinese alchemy . Also called xiandan (仙丹), jindan (金丹), or dan...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 18, 20246 min read
Renaissance Astrology: Power of Stars & Planets
Astrology prospers in the East after the 476 AD fall of the Roman Empire. Indian, Persian, and Islamic writers prolifically translate...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 17, 20243 min read
Sweet Wormwood: Malaria Miracle Cure
Artemisia annua or sweet wormwood appears in traditional Chinese medicine texts of Ge Hong ( 283 - 364 AD) as an early remedy to treat...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 16, 20245 min read
Lapis Lazuli: Creating Ultramarine
Lapis lazuli or "blue stone" is prized for its depth and brilliance in paint as the color ultramarine. Before the 1800s, ultramarine...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 16, 20244 min read
Cosimo de' Medici & the Italian Renaissance
Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici, also known as Cosimo the Elder, is a leading figure in the rise of Florence as the Italian Renaissance...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 15, 20244 min read
Gnosticism: Gnostic Ways of Thought
Gnosticism emerges in the 1st century AD as a philosophical and religious movement seeking a unique perspective on spiritual...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 9, 20244 min read
Numerology: Number Meanings & Personality
Numbers exude and attract vibrational energy. From the ancients to the modern world, numbers resonate with shades of meaning. This can be...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 6, 20243 min read
Medieval Astrology of Islam
Medieval Islamic astrology and astronomy begin in traditions of the Hellenistic and Roman eras. Early astronomy observes seasonal changes...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 5, 20245 min read
Writing in Letters of Gold: Ancient Alchemy
Want to write in letters of gold? These ten alchemy recipes are from the Leyden Papyrus c. 250 AD. None are recommended unless there's a...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 4, 20244 min read
Nāgārjuna: Buddhist Mystic & Alchemist
Nāgārjuna (c. 150-250 AD) is considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers in Indian history. Nāgārjuna's works have...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 31, 20243 min read
Soul Perspectives: Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato
The concept of a human soul, as well as a world soul or Anima Mundi, is found in many cultures. In Greek philosophy ancient thinkers...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 31, 20244 min read
Aristotle: Intellect & Psyche the Soul
Aristotle (c. 350 BCE) develops the Platonic concept of souls present in living beings, categorizing them based on distinct functions....
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 24, 20244 min read
Islamic Alchemy: Abu Bakr al-Razi
Abū Bakr al-Rāzī c. 864 - 930 AD is a Persian alchemist, philosopher and physician during the Islamic Golden Age . One of the most...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 23, 20246 min read
Hair Loss: 9 Natural Cures of Physician Dioscorides
Hair loss and baldness ( alopecia ) is a fear in ancient times, if hair is a sign of status, youth or virility. First century AD Greek...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 22, 20244 min read
Agathodaemon: Fire, Silver & Alchemy
Agathodaemon (Agathodiamon) is an alchemist of ancient Alexandria. A snake god protector of the sparkling port city bears the same name....
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 21, 20243 min read
Stephanus of Alexandria: the Last Intellectual
Stephanus of Alexandria (c. 580 - 640 AD) is a Christian philosopher bringing Alexandrian thought to Byzantine society. Despite moving to...
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