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Alchemy is a tradition that focuses on the act of transmutation. Though it eventually transformed into modern day chemistry, losing its spiritual value except with the most isolated of seekers, alchemy is a worldwide tradition with roots in Egypt, Greece, Asia, and the Middle East. The classic text, the Emerald Tablet, also known as the Smaragdine Table, or Tabula Smaragdina, is ascribed to the Greek figure Hermes Trismegistus, known to the Egyptians as the god Thoth. Hermetic manuscripts attributed to Hermes or his followers continue to influence alchemy and Western magic.
Alchemy is an amalgam of many different cultures and traditions, mixing Qabalah, Hermeticism, Astrology and Christian symbolism. Most people misunderstood the teachings of Alchemy, assuming it was about greed with its popular image of transforming lead into gold. Such alchemists seeking only fortune were labeled as 'puffers' by those who sought the spiritual value of alchemy.
The spiritual alchemists sought to change their darkness, or what might be known as karma, their personal lead, into refined spiritual energy and enlightenment (gold). This transmutation was often called, the Philosopher's Stone or the Perfected Stone.
For a better understanding of the History of Alchemy:
The Alchemists
Chinese Alchemy
Egyptian Alchemy
Arabian Alchemy
European Alchemy
The English Alchemists
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Further Readings on Alchemy:
The Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus
By A.E. Waite
Alchemy, The Ancient Science
By Neil Powell
The Alchemy Key: The Mystical Provenance of the Philosophers' Stone By Stuart Nettleton
The Divine Alchemy of Imperial Eulis
By R. Swineburne Clymer, M.D.
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