Sylvia Rose
Pure Form, Archetypes & Alchemy
Plato's Theory of Forms points to abstract, ideal forms or concepts more real than the world one perceives. Alchemy deconstructs the...
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Sylvia Rose
Jun 246 min read
Alchemy of Islam: Medieval Golden Age
Islamic alchemy gives a glimpse of a world where science and mysticism intertwine and the pursuit of knowledge transcends boundaries. In...
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Sylvia Rose
Jun 234 min read
Alchemy Tria Prima of Paracelsus: Three Primes
The Three Primes or tria prima of alchemy come from renegade Renaissance physician Paracelsus. The tria prima are salt , sulfur and...
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 157 min read
Verdigris: Creation of Coveted Blue Green Pigment
Verdigris is the green rust or patina on copper, created as the metal reacts with oxygen in the environment. Copper corrodes green to...
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 115 min read
Black Pigments of Ancient Artisans
Black is among the first pigments in the palette of early humans. By Paleolithic times, black defines lines, shadows and meaning. Black...
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 103 min read
White Pigments of Ancient Artisans
White pigments used in ancient art, spirituality and beauty include bone, limestone variations like chalk and other natural sources....
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 66 min read
Red Ocher (Ochre) Ancient Pigments
Red ocher is among the first colors appearing on the palette of early humans, along with white and red. Black, white and red are also...
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 35 min read
Limonite: Ancient Earth Pigments
Limonite is an iron earth mineraloid among the first colors of the Stone Age palette. Grinding limonite produces yellow ochre. Other...
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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...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 15, 20233 min read
Carnelian - Sunny Gems of the Ancient World
Carnelian (early: cornelean ) is already used in the Stone Age to make beads. Pebbles of the reddish orange gemstone might be polished by...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 8, 20234 min read
Myrrh - Mystique, Death & Divinity
Myrrh ( Commiphora sp) has a history older than humankind. Deeply connected to death, healing and the divine, myrrh is a smoky, strongly...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 28, 20232 min read
Ornithomancy - Prophecy by the Birds
Ornithomancy or augury is first recorded during the Hittite Empire (c. 1450 - 1180). From ancient Greek "take omens from the flight and...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 19, 20233 min read
Women of Alchemy - Mary the Jewess
Mary the Jewess, Maria the Jewess or Maria Prophetissa is considered the world's first alchemist. Working in Alexandria, Egypt, she's...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 19, 20233 min read
Cleopatra the Alchemist of Alexandria
Cleopatra the Alchemist is an intriguing figure in the hazy history of science and magic. She works and writes in the 3rd or 4th...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 18, 202310 min read
Alchemy: Science, Philosophy, Magic
Alchemy rises from inquiring minds . Golden Ages of alchemy appear in Greco-Roman Alexandria , medieval Islam and the Renaissance ....
142 views
Sylvia Rose
Oct 18, 20233 min read
German House Spirits: Beer Donkey (Bieresel)
Bieresel loves beer and other fermented beverage s , such as apple cider, mead or wine. In German folklore the beer donkey lives in wine...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 14, 20234 min read
Copper: Ruddy Metal of Myth & Magic
The Copper Age or Chalcolithic Age in history is the first Age of Metal. Copper is one of the original Seven Metals of Antiquity . This...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 13, 20236 min read
House Spirits of Germanic Mythology
House spirits such as Kobolds , domestic elves , gnomes and the earth hen are popular figures in Germanic myth and folklore. They have...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 13, 20233 min read
Gnomes: Earth Spirits of Renaissance Mythology
Beloved in gardens, gnomes bring blessings of Earth. Thought to dwell in underground tunnels, caverns, soil and rocks, chthonic gnomes...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 11, 20234 min read
Belsnickel - German Yule Ghoul
Belsnickel comes from the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. Part of the spirit of the season, Belsnickel is male but often dresses...
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