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Sylvia Rose
Aug 23, 20245 min read
Knights Templar Crusades & Medieval France
The Knights Templar, or the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, are a religious military order formed in 1099 during the...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 23, 20244 min read
Religious Wars Catholics & Protestants France
The 16th and 17th centuries mark a tumultuous period in European history, defined by a series of religious wars with cataclysmic effects...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 23, 20244 min read
Bernard Trevisan: Legends of Alchemy
Bernard Trevisan is a prototypical figure in alchemy, constructed by various alchemical writers of the medieval and Renaissance eras in...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 23, 20245 min read
Medieval Alchemy: Jean de Roquetaillade
Jean de Roquetaillade (1310 - 1370 AD) or John of Rupescissa is a prominent figure in medieval France. A fiery Franciscan friar,...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 22, 20248 min read
Medieval France: Peasants, Knights & Urbanites
Medieval France sees many changes in the turmoil of war, plague, mad royals and the birth of the Inquisition. A precisely defined social...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 22, 20245 min read
Christine de Pizan: Medieval Writings
Christine de Pizan or Pisan (Cristina da Pizzano) c.1364 - 1430 is an Italian-born French court writer during the reign of King Charles...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 21, 20244 min read
Urine in Medieval Alchemy & Medicine
In the medieval world, urine is a surprisingly versatile body fluid with a wide range of applications beyond the obvious disposal...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 21, 20246 min read
Phosphorus, Uroscopy & Power of Pee
Urine has medical and practical applications though history. Renaissance alchemist Hennig Brand discovers phosphorus by boiling his...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 21, 20244 min read
Tellurium: Bright Gold & Dark Matter
Tellurium is the Latin word for earth. A brittle, non-malleable silvery white metalloid, tellurium (Te) is a rare element having both...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 19, 20246 min read
Elixir Vitae: Giambattista della Porta
In the European alchemical tradition, the elixir vitae or elixir of life is associated with the philosopher's stone. Legend has it...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 19, 20245 min read
Guelphs & Ghibellines: Blood of the Renaissance
The Guelphs and Ghibellines are feuding factions during the Italian Renaissance. Warfare and bloodshed between the two throw regions of...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 18, 20245 min read
George Ripley: Alchemist of Augustine
George Ripley (c. 1415 -1490) is an English Augustinian Canon, author and alchemist. One of England's most famous alchemy practitioners,...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 18, 20244 min read
Guido Bonatti: Medieval Astrology Star
Guido Bonatti (d. 1296 - 1300) is a renowned Italian mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer. Highly respected for his astrological...
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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 16, 20245 min read
Lapis Lazuli & Gold: Jungian Alchemy Symbolism
Alchemy symbolism is an ancient and fluctuating system of intertwined elements compounded over more than 2000 years. A cornerstone of...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 15, 20244 min read
Gnosticism: Five Essential Gnostic Principles
Gnosticism and Gnostic principles emerge in the first century AD, though they're believed to have deeper roots. Many different shades of...
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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 14, 20246 min read
Isaac Newton: Alchemy & the Occult
Isaac Newton, English physicist and mathematician, has a deep interest in the occult. He writes of chronology, biblical interpretation...
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