I'd like to learn about the beliefs and development of alchemy. I'm not sure where to start. Medieval alchemy? Eastern alchemy? The Islamic world? Earlier periods?Please note that I am looking for factual secondary sources and not incomprehensible esoteric autism.
Jung read swathes of primary alchemical works, so you don't have to.He concluded that alchemy is bullshit, except as a metaphor for psychological processes.
>>24955411Check out The Green Book, and, The White Book by Heliophilus. Very good modern writing on the subject.
>>24955429This
>>24955411>incomprehensible esoteric autism.You are never going to comprehend it, so don't waste your time.
>>24955411A good place to start would be Litwa's Hermetica I and II, alongside Fowden's Egyptian Hermes and Faivre's Eternal Hermes, alternately you could read Mead's Thrice-Greatest Hermes but take his takes with a grain of salt.That might be a bit too autistic tho. And less explicitely alchemical in focus. So maybe just try the Alchemy Reader. I think there's a lot of overlap iirc but this is more alchemical and historical.Or. Perhaps best would be Atwood's A Suggestive Inquiry Concerning the Hermetic Mysteries...>>24955429>>24955748Normgroids>>24955728Skitzoid>>24955774Yano what. I think Principe's alchemy book forget title might be real good if seeking to avoid all spirituality. As far as practical alchemy goes.
Do you want practical or historical? For practical, Stavish maybe (haven't read) or Frater Albertus. For historical, I enjoyed Eliade.Jung's take seems to exist to reassure people who are very concerned there might be something to alchemy.I would love to have a room filled with the sort of beautifully bound and printed collectible art grimoire the Heliophilus books appear to represent, but I don't think that's where to start.>>24956311Thanks. Those look good.
>>24955429>Alchemy >Al... Chemy>Allegorical Chemistry How does everyone miss this?
>>24956841Uh no. You can look that up, you know.
>>24956841It's actually like the arabic "al"
