Aula Lucis: Now Available!

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This short tract was created in the middle of the 17th century- as a work of mostly physical alchemy, it's better than most, at least in terms of being understood; all alchemical works contain veils, metaphors, allusions, but Thomas Vaughan's work is less so than many. It alludes to the philosophic fire spoken of by Pontanus (literally, a heap of composting manure to supply indirect warmth without flame) as well as other topics.

25 pages.

Three Treatises on Alchemy (Philalethes) - Now Available!

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Philalethes delivers another expert work on alchemy here, in three parts:

1. The Transmutation of Metals: Mostly about extracting the "seed" of metals for alchemical use.

2. The Celestial Ruby: Various workings and processes with some philosophical content.

3. Fount of Chemical Truth: A strange work alluding to natural processes which are not entirely clear.

The Mirror of Alchemy: Now Available!

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The Mirror of Alchemy is one of those many alchemical works misattributed to an author who had nothing to do with the crafting of the work. Dating to no earlier than the 16th century, the Mirror is ascribed to Roger Bacon, who lived and died several centuries earlier.

This does nothing to denigrate the value of the work, however- here we have the most explicit and literal description of the basic tenets of alchemy; that the laboratory setup used to make elixir is as literal a representation of nature as possible- a graduated vessel resembling a triangular mountain, made of fired clay, the presence of argent vive and sulfur (oddly with little mention of salt) and other methods to create a universal medicine- the tincture of the philosophers, the dragon- the peacock-colored, shining substances of alchemical lore.

24 pages.

Paracelsus - The Aurora of the Philosophers: Now Available!

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Originally rendered into English by the 1600s, the Aurora of the Philosophers (or Monarchia) of Paracelsus is one of the foremost of all alchemical works ever created.

This particular work is of note for two reasons. First and foremost, it covers the ancient history of magick according to Paracelsus, as derived from Persia, Egypt, the Chaldaeans, and Hebrews. Second, it supplies hands-on experimentation where the vast majority of works supply only theory. For obvious reasons I in no way condone or encourage the working of any experiment in this work.

It additionally refutes some of the then-common myths regarding the work of alchemy in rather good detail.

47 pages.

A Manuscript of Alchemy: Now Available!

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Another text on alchemy, this time rather short (only 26 pages) but well worth a read anyways. Written by some unknown "German sage" many centuries ago, and like the Chemical Art, it is partly philosophical, ascribing natural forces, especially the action of the sun on mountains, deep-earth vapors, and other movements and forces, to the creation of gold and silver within the planet's crust- indeed, the basic premise spoken of here is astonishingly not unlike modern explanations of volcanism and plate tectonics.

I believe that the tract is steganographic, and that the underlying but veiled meaning of the entire treatise is that alchemy, as physically described by quack alchemists in the Renaissance, does not indeed work and can only create a similitude of naturally occurring substances, almost literally begging the reader to go into the mountains to mine veins of ore which may be revealed by the presence of rifts and holes where hollow areas have become uncovered. Either way, philosophically it is an extremely important if vastly underrated work.

Rosary of the Philosophers Now Available!

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After two weeks of waiting the files for the Rosary have been verified by Amazon- as such, it is now happily available!

This text is substantially longer than most of the other titles I have edited, at around 170 pages; it is an alchemical work with numerous illustrations to which I have added a substantial foreword. It dwells on various physical processes like mortification and sublimation and through these tells a sort of slightly veiled spiritual and philosophical story while shrouding the same in chemical references.

Quite a nice work, one of the foremost titles on alchemy available anywhere.

Rosary of the Philosophers Update: Illustrating Begins... Notes on Alchemy

One of the illustrations present in the Rosary of the Philosophers.

 
Illustrating has begun for the Rosary of the Philosophers and is now approximately half completed. Many of the woodcuts present show the typical Sol and Luna being combined; the process by which the philosophical (alchemical) arts are completed. The work explains that for both pure sulfur and pure mercury, the solar and lunar element are present; in sulfur the physical outward appearance is that of the sun while the inward, hidden mercurial element is its true nature, and likewise the reverse is true for pure mercury, argent vive, in which the solar element is hidden within, while it presents its lunar, silvery nature tangibly.

It should be noted that alchemy and most alchemical works (including this one) are essentially steganographies- the foliated earth so often alluded to here is nothing more than organic material (compost) that has been leeched of its saltpeter content, such that the nitrates begin accumulating as a crust upon its surface- a process in altered form used in the production of the base matter from which gunpowder was and still is made (black powder, that is.) A true alchemical secret since such acts were, in those days, little other than wizardry to most.