Mystical alchemy, steeped in ancient wisdom and enigmatic practices, has long captivated truth seekers. Drawn into this absorbing discipline, people can spend their lives, or fortunes, questing for the cryptic ideal on the esoteric end of the alchemical spectrum.
Movements in alchemy tend to appear in conditions of intellectual fertility. Examples include ancient Alexandria, medieval Islam, medieval monasteries, the Renaissance and Enlightenment, a God-centric intellectual phase of 17 - 18th century Europe.
The Alchemical Quest for Transformation
Transformation is at the heart of mystical alchemy. Isaac Newton is still trying to turn lead into gold in the 18th century. Alchemy hints at transmutation while speaking in riddles. The mystic alchemist may be solitary or social but approaches the puzzle in holistic ways.
He writes poetry with esoteric meaning and obscure references to elusive subjects. She takes transcendental journeys and records dreams with awe. They transcend the practical and replace it with infinite theoretical possibilities.
Stephanus of Alexandria says,
“Put away the material theory, so you may be deemed worthy to see the hidden mystery with your intellectual eyes.”
Central to the practice of mystical alchemy is the symbolism woven through its practice and teachings. The philosopher's stone, the transmutation of elements, the union of opposites are all theories on which to write commentaries while at the cafe sipping distillation of wormwood.
The mystic alchemist follows a path of enlightenment, seeking knowledge, learning the secrets of nature and encoding them in language unknown to the uninitiated. This esotericism, often in combination with religion, creates cliques and "inner circles".
Codes and secret language give a person a sense of belonging, of knowing that which others don't. 20th century depth psychologist Alfred Adler bases his work on the theory people need to feel significant in life.
Traveling through the enigmatic realm of mystical alchemy includes obtaining the secrets of the lapis philosophorum or Philosophers' Stone. The substance is described by Greek philosopher Democritus in the 5th century BCE.
He says,
" ... The stone is not formed until it has gathered all the colors that exist in the universe, and until it has been colored with all the simple and complex colors."
In Alexandrian times it's described as "... a stone that is not a stone ..." . People have been philosophizing about this stone for thousands of years, making it truly a stone of philosophers. However it can also be a pill, powder or potion.
Islamic alchemists believe in the transmutation of metals until c. 1025 when Avicenna explains it's not possible. Islam drops the idea and turns to more plausible pursuits, as Europe ardently embraces the Philosophers' Stone and sinks into a morass of myth and meaning.
This is left to the mystic alchemist to figure out. Works of literature such as commentaries, theories and poetry circulate, as do ever more amazing pictures of alchemical references including Michael Maier's Atalanta Fugiens 1617, with images by Matthias Merian.
Alchemical mysticism also requires a lot of study. It's integral to understand not only the concepts of alchemy, including practical alchemy, but the viewpoints of others current and in the past. The better informed, the better to explore the mystic from an alchemical perspective.
Thoughtful excursions into realms of immortality, the Philosopher's Stone, the details of sights yet unseen, come from the mystic alchemists. Questions of religion, the soul and the nature of existence are topics explored in detail. Every mystic finds a unique form of expression.
Non-Fiction Books:
Fiction Books:
READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series
READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries
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