Lapis lazuli or "blue stone" is prized for its depth and brilliance in paint as the color ultramarine. Before the 1800s, ultramarine...

The Raven, Swan, Dove, Pelican, Peacock and Phoenix are among the symbolic birds of alchemy . Raven may be interchangeable with Crow,...

Rosaceum or rosaceum oil is used in alchemical recipes for coloring gold or gems, and also has medicinal properties found in texts such...

Pedanius Dioscorides is a surgeon in the army of Emperor Nero . His knowledge of surgery and other medical skills suggests study in...

Pedanius Dioscorides (c. 40 - 90 AD) is a Greek physician known as the father of pharmacognosy. Pharmacologist, botanist and prolific...

Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, is a symbol of heat, fire, and fever. The appearance of Sirius heralds the hottest days of the...

Claudius Ptolemy ( c.  100 - 170 AD) is a Greco-Egyptian mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer and music theorist in...

As humanity evolves, so does study of astrology. Settlement, and the advent of writing c. 3200 BCE, lead to concise development of...

Babylonians are among the earliest astrologers. An ancient practice, astrology correlations the movements or habits of celestial bodies...

Astrology and astronomy give insights into seasonal changes and human nature. In Western tradition, astronomy is based on observance of...

Medieval Islamic astrology and astronomy begin in traditions of the Hellenistic and Roman eras. Early astronomy observes seasonal changes...

Celandine (Chelidonium majus) is a popular medicinal plant in the ancient world, also appearing in gold-making recipes of alchemists. Use...

Aristotle (c. 350 BCE) develops the Platonic concept of souls present in living beings, categorizing them based on distinct functions....

During the late sixteenth century, the Roman Inquisition is influential in shaping perspectives on different forms of divination and...

Writing inside eggs is invented by Naples polymath Giambattista della Porta. In the 16th century he uses this method to smuggle messages...

In spiritual alchemy , leucosis is the bloated white underbelly of albedo , the purification. Leucosis corresponds to psychic disease or...

In Greek mythology, Panacea is a healing goddess with a large family. Her father is Asclepius, god of medicine and son of visionary god...

Rosicrucianism is the study or following of a movement based in Renaissance thought, popular in the 17th century. Rosicrucians explore...

Robert Fludd (1574 - 1637) is an influential figure of the European Renaissance. He's known as a cosmologist, astrologer, mathematician...

Natural magic is a type of Renaissance magic, working directly with forces inherent in nature, as in physics, compared to ceremonial...