Sylvia Rose
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
Oct 26, 20233 min read
Alchemy Symbols: Circle, Snake, Lion
The squared circle, snake, dragon or wyrm biting its tail, and the alchemical lion appear as predominant signs in alchemy and literature....
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 26, 20233 min read
Phosphorus: Element of Fatal Fascination
Phosphorus is the first element not known since ancient times. This glowing substance is discovered by German alchemist Hennig Brand in...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 25, 20232 min read
What is the Philosopher's Stone?
The Philosopher's Stone (latin: lapis philosophorum ) conjures elements of primal lore and eternal powers. In history and legend,...
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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...
85 views
Sylvia Rose
Oct 16, 20234 min read
Immortal - Quest for the Elixir of Life
The Elixir of Life has value beyond money. The concept first appears in Mesopotamia of the 2nd millennium BCE. Its discovery is one of...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 15, 20234 min read
Elixir of Life: Alchemy & the Emperor
The Elixir of Life sparks fascination and wanderlust. A fountain of youth or elixir of immortality, it's desperately sought by the first...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 14, 20235 min read
Ouroboros Glyph: Snake Eating its Tail
A mythical serpent or dragon, ouroboros appears in literature and illustration from ancient Greece. Tales of ouroboros spread east, and...
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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 8, 20235 min read
Mulberry Tree (Morus): Uses, Folklore & Myth
Benefits of mulberry (Morus) include personal health, wood, silk, color for yarn and food. Romantic myth surrounds fruitful mulberry...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 2, 20235 min read
Elderberry Tree: Germanic Nature Lore
If drinking elderberry wine or tea, one might see pixies. Early Germans are animists. Spirits or spirit energies inhabit all living...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 24, 20235 min read
Death Cap Mushrooms: Deadly Poison
Death Cap Mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) are deadly poisons of assassination and accident. Native to Europe, death caps are naturalized...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 19, 20234 min read
Caraway Spice - Herbology & Folklore
Caraway (Carum carvi) is a cooking and medicinal herb with a pungent anise taste, known for its strong spicy fruits, called seeds. It's...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 11, 20236 min read
Alchemist Dippel: the Frankenstein Files
Notorious alchemist Dippel appears in German history and science in the 17th century. Achieving moderate success with Dippel's Animal...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 10, 20234 min read
German Myth & Folklore: Moss People
Moss people inhabit deep forests, trees, ancient rocks and rills. Nature spirits of German mythology, they can appear in various forms...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 24, 20236 min read
Victorian Trends: Sailor Suits to Taxidermy
Trends in natural health, exercise, pets, fashion, the occult, mourning and taxidermy span the nineteenth century. On the British throne,...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 8, 20232 min read
German Traditions - the Linden Tree
Linden (Tilia) is a beloved tree for love, longevity and music in Germanic culture and mythology. Homeowners plant a linden on the...
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Sylvia Rose
Jun 9, 20234 min read
19th Century: Home Gym, Bicycles, Antiseptic
The home gym, antiseptic, bicycles and Bunsen burners all emerge in the 19th century . European engineers, scientists, physicians and...
73 views
Sylvia Rose
May 8, 20234 min read
The Anxious Victorian - Mental Health
The Victorian era brings progress to Europe, but also problems. Increased pace of life leads to stress conditions such as neurasthenia ,...
56 views
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