A Subtle Allegory Concerning the Secrets of Alchemy: Now Available!

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This tract of alchemy was written by the famous Michael Maier, a German alchemist of the 16th and 17th century. It is an interesting work particularly because the veil of metaphor used to describe the process of alchemy itself takes the form of a short story involving the search for the legendary Phoenix- indeed, the putrefaction and vaporizing processes of the alchemists do seem to overlap with this imagery fairly well.

Maier is hopeful that the reader will compare this allegorical system to the general rudiments of alchemy which even the laypeople comprehended and will be able to discover for themselves the process.

33 pages.

On the Philadelphian Gold: Now Available!

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"On the Philadelphian Gold" is mostly a Socratic-style dialogue related to philosophy as opposed to alchemy, but it is an alchemical work nonetheless, insofar as  it relates to the several types of matter and body posited to exist by one member of this same dialogue; Philadelphus, speaking with the materialistic Philochrysis on the topic of spiritual gold.

This work was made by the Philadelphian Society many centuries ago. This edition has been rendered from older English usage to mostly modern English, save for a few references which have no other proper counterpart.

38 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.

Golden Chain of Homer: Now Available!

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When works of alchemy are made, mostly they fixate on obscure philosophy- the only exceptions I have encountered are this work and some of Paracelsus' materials. The Golden Chain of Homer, however, is explicit and describes actual alchemical experiments and their recipes.

For those interested in alchemy this work is highly recommended; it may be seen as a somewhat dense but spectacular overview of the philosophy and the working of alchemy itself. Disclaimer: I in no way endorse the practice of these experiments.

64 pages.

Coming Soon: The Golden Chain of Homer

When we discuss alchemical texts we are most often reviewing elaborate systems of symbolism involving celestial and other phenomena. With the Golden Chain of Homer, this is assuredly not the case. Of middling length, (64 pages,) the work ruminates far more on the actual chemical processes behind alchemy; humidification and distillation especially. "Released" (and almost surely written) by Anton Kirchweger in the early 1700s, it was first worked into English not long after by Bacstrom, although the text was not strictly full length in this work. To keep with proper tradition, it is this "shortened" manuscript which I have edited.

Unlike most works, which provide theory without practice or philosophy without physicality, the Golden Chain includes several literal experiments (which I do not condone the working of, for legal reasons!) including a rather strange experiment in which sterilized sediment is used to grow "plants" (almost surely mold)- a telltale sign that the work predates microscopy to a great extent.

I definitely recommend this specific edition for those interested in alchemy, along with a shorter manuscript on the Aurum Potabile which I have just finished editing but must format and work through the cover design for.

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.