Alchemy Forum 1351-1400

From January 25th 1996, the Alchemy forum was restructured and the messages were sequentially numbered. This is an unedited extract of messages 1351-1400.
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Subject: 1351 Adept?
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 15:55:52 -0700
From: John Williams

>As you know I am not an adept by any means but I have the good
>fortune to be under the instruction on a man who has made
>the stone. I can pass on to you what I have been told but I
>cannot give you the proof that I have seen.
>Most of the things that are said of this opus are true, in
>fact the truth is stranger that the fiction.
>The stone is medicine for the one who makes it and this
>is why it is ingested, it is this that promotes health
>although to anyone not meant to ingest someone elses stone
>it may promote death. It can be ingested by the Alchemists
>student this is on a twice yearly basis. This helps one
>along with the work but it is not a short cut. You can
>see this in the works of Crowley who himself had access
>to someones stone altough he never quite managed it for
>himself.

two things, first, please contact me, your address was not located for me to
send private Email to you.

>Have faith and contemplate, and then contemplate again for
>the vilest lead of my written word may contain the purest gold.

May I liberate this? I like it as a quote.

jackal @ qnis.net aka John Williams

Subject: 1352 Sol, Luna, Earth
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 23:34:42 -0400
From: Rawn Clark

Dear John,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my "Sol, Luna, Earth" post. Your
reply raises several questions and I am not sure I understand your meaning,
so please bear with me as I seek your clarification.

First off, my question regarding the planetary symbols was in reference to a
specifically physical laboratory process upon a physical materia. At several
points in reading your response, I wonderered if I was trying to squeeze
laboratory relevant meaning from words which intend a psychological/spiritual
meaning instead. So, my first question is -- Are your responses based upon a
laboratory experience or upon a psychological/spiritual experience?

>This response has its foundation in esoteric astrology as it applies to
>alchemy and is based upon the following presumptions/observations:
>1) The processes of nature are designed to produce gold out of the
>substances which co-operate with it.

Are you saying here that the "processes of nature" are separate from the
"substances" involved? And what happens to the "substances" which don't
"co-operate"? Do you see the universe as being separated into "gold" and
not-"gold", with the pole of "gold" being the direction in which all things
evolve/move? Hmmm....this seems very dualistic to me. Certainly the
Hermetic doctrine of Polarity can be interpreted in a dualistic sense, but
this negates large parts of the rest of Hermetic thought, which focus upon
the human ability to self-craft a Center capable of encompassing _both_
poles.

>2) The individual planets DO NOT symbolize a process but EACH planet
>symbolizes a condition. (for instance Mercury, by itself, is not a process
>but, rather, a condition)
>3) The interaction of the various conditions represented by the
>individual planets reveal the processes.

From this, I understand you to be saying that the planets each represent
static states, and that it is the interaction of these static states that
constitutes the processes (of nature?).

>4) The "forces" which cause the actual separation is only 1 force with
>different attributes. This force operates invisibly until the Alchemist
>includes him/herself as one of the "substances" being operated upon.
>
>An Alchemist can observe the movements of the planets, much like an
>astronomer, and never begin the "work" of alchemy. In order for the work of
>alchemy to begin the observer/alchemist MUST place him or herself in
>relationship to the movements of the planets. The way that this is
>accomplished is by superimposing the movements of the planets over the
>placements of the planets at the time of the birth of the neo/alchemist.
>

Are you suggesting following the real-time transits to one's natal chart as a
path of self-discovery, and that this alone will reveal an otherwise
invisible force? Is this what you mean by "the 'work' of alchemy"?

>5) "God" is the Supreme Alchemist (as well as the Great Geometer) and
>the processes of "God" are revealed by the movement and interaction of the
>components of the solar system. (As above-so below).

I'm still getting overtones of dualism here, under the guise of Hermetics.
Your words convey the idea of separation between "God"/spirit/Above and
matter/human/Below, whereas the passage of the Emerald Tablet you quote
describes instead how Center is the common ground of all polarized
continuums. The term "as Above, so Below..." is not simple dualism. "Above"
postulates 1) the starting point from which there is an "above", and 2) an
unlimited upwardness. "Below" likewise establishes 1) the starting point
from which there is a "below", and 2) an unlimited downwardness. The Emerald
Tablet's statement that "above is like below", and vise versa, places them on
a continuum of alikeness. This creates an infinite continuum with only one
"thing" clearly defined -- the Center, from which "above" and "below" stretch
infinitely.

>This way, as an example, when firey Mars transits the Alchemist's Mercury
>then he or she can record the event along with all of his or her
>self-observations. The timing of "alchemical experiments" to celestial
>events reinforces this process. In fact, the experiments of the alchemist
>attempt to duplicate the processes which are revealed by the movements of
>the planets.

I can take this statement several ways, and each depends upon whether you
mean this in a laboratory-alchemy sense or in a spiritual-alchemy sense.
Would you care to be more specific, especially as regards that last, very
broad, sentence?

>Regarding the planetary symbols - a circle indicates spirit, a cross
>indicates matter, a cresent indicates duality/polarity.

That's certainly one set of correspondences, but I still think that there is
a more practical set for laboratory alchemy and magic in general. Circle =
Sol, gold, Electric Fluid. Crescent = Luna, silver, Magnetic Fluid.
Equal-armed Cross = the Four Elements acting in unison ("matter" as it
were). Hence the representation of Venus, showing copper with a golden
exterior and an inner "corruption". Or mercury, the metal, with it's silvery
exterior, golden characteristics, and inner "corruption". The symbol for
Mars is perhaps more complex that just an arrow pointing up from a circle,
and I recommend a look into its variations. It points more towards its
silvery exterior, "corrupt" characteristics, and Electrical core. But these
are details important to a laboratory approach and not to a spiritual
approach necessarily, so again I wonder whether I'm trying to inappropriately
squeeze a laboratory relevance from your words.

>planets and their corresponding notes, however, it will take on no real
>meaning whatsoever until you first understand how your planets (and notes)
>are arranged by investigating your astrological birth chart and then
>relating it to the current movement of the spheres.

I agree that natal astrology and transits are significant, but I'm not clear
if you're making a direct reference to my specific question regarding the
laboratory work. Are you saying that the image of the 7-planets, in this
particular part of the laboratory work, is indicating that the alchemist must
somehow power the process by their own natal dynamic? Or are you somehow
referencing the "invisible force" and suggesting that the alchemist must
somehow reference this force to their natal astrology? I don't understand
what you're saying here...

Best to you,
:) Rawn Clark
16 July 96

Subject: 1353 Nicholas Flamel
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 09:41:04 +0100
From: Joel Tetard

Dear Adam,

I tried to send you some information on Nicolas Flamel last week. Due to
the recent problems I prefer to send you again (in fact I did some
changes ).

Best regards

Joel Tetard
************************************************************************
Adam McLean wrote:

>Is there any documentary evidence (contemporary records) of his (Nicholas Flamel) existence before the first appearance at the end of the 16th century of alchemical writings attributed to him?

Although many of books written by Nicolas Flamel seem to be apocryphal,
the actual existence of this famous alchemist is proved by several
evidences.

-1) The first occurence of the existence of Flamel could be found in
"Description de la Ville de Paris" written by Guilldebert de Metz in
1407. Speaking of a well known public scrivener he mentions Jehan
Flamel, who became secretary of Duc de Berry, and his elder brother
Flamel l'Ain�, "ecrivain qui faisait tant d'aumones et d'hospitalites".

-2) Actually, Flamel provided great deal of money for the building of
churches, for hospitals and some monuments in Paris and around the town.

One of these "charitative fundations" remains and is been said to be one
of the oldest buildings in Paris. This building is known as "la Maison
au Haut Pignon" and is located 51 rue de Montmorency, close to
"Chatelet-Les Halles" station and Centre Georges Pompidou.

On the front side of this building you'll see this engraved text :
"NOUS HOMES ET FEMES LABOUREURS DEMOURANS OU PORCHE DE CETTE MAISON
QUI FU FCE (for "faicte") EN L'AN DE GRACE MIL QUATRE CENS ET SEPT.
SOMES TENUS CHASCUN EN DROIT SOY DIRE TOUS LES IOURS UNE PATENOSTRE ET
.I. AVE MARIA EN PRIANT DIEU Q SA GRACE FACE PARDO AUS POVRES PECHEURS
TRESPASSEZ. AMEN."
(free translation : "We, working men and women,
living in this house buildt in 1407, have to pray each day a
paternoster and an "ave maria" for the mercy and salvation of poor
dead sinners". Sorry I am a very bad epigraph !)

On the first level, some ingravings remain. You'll read : N and F.
(Nicolas Flamel ?).

-3) Between 1389 and 1407 Flamel subscribed to the building of a part of
the "charnier des innocents" located near the old cemetery (now
the Forum des Halles...). He built several arches which were described
by the alchemist Jean Vauquelin des Yvetaux (1651-1716)

A part of these arches remains in the Rue de la Ferronnerie located near to the Forum des Halles .

-4) In 1389 Nicolas Flamel helped the building of additional parts to
Saint Jacques de la Boucherie church. A description of these works was
made by Etienne-Fran�ois Villain in his"essai d'une histoire ...".

-5 ) Pernelle Flamel died on the 11th September 1397 and Nicolas Flamel
passed away on the 22th of March 1417 (i.e. Equinox. Symbolic date ?...).
Nicolas 's grave were located in the Saint-Jacques church ("devant le
crucifix et Notre-Dame").
This church was destoyed during the Revolution. Flamel's ingraved stone
was found again in the middle of XIX century and could be seen now in
the Mus�e National du Moyen Age de Cluny (Paris) :

"Feu Nicholas Flamel iadis escri
vain a laiss� par son testament �
leuvre de ceste eglise. certaines
rentes et maisons qui avoit
acquestes, et achates a son vi
vant. pour faire certain service
divin. et distribucions d'argent
chascun an. par ausmone to
chans les quinze vins. Lostel Di
eu et autres eglises et hospitaux
a Paris. Soit prie pour les trepassez."

Further information on Flamel's life
According to Jacques Hillairet (Evocation du Vieux Paris, Les Editions
de Minuit, Paris, 1965), Flamel worked in a very little shop at the
corner of the previous Rue des Marivaux (today, rue Nicolas Flamel)
and Rue des Ecrivain (Rue de Rivoli). "Rue Pernelle" (Flamel's wife)
seems to be modern streets (no more information). All these streets
are located near Tour Saint Jacques, which is the remaining part of
Saint Jacques de la Boucherie, an important landmark on the road to
Santiago in Spain.
(Note : the "gothic" Tour Saint Jacques was in fact build in 1509 in
replacement of the previous tower known by Flamel.

As for many other building built during the Middle Age, Nicolas Flamel's
house was destroyed in 1852 when the Rue de Rivoly was created.

Flamel's will and other important papers are said to be stored in
the Bibliotheque Nationale (no more information).

> Is (Etienne-Fran�ois Villain'book) the only source we have for the Flamel history?

In fact a great number of books were dedicated to Flamel history. For
a fairly good bibliography see Claude Gagnon's study :
"Description du Livre des Figures Hi�roglyphiques attribu� � Nicolas
Flamel, suivie d'une r�impression de l'�dition originale et d'une
reproduction des septs talismans du Livre d'Abraham auxquels on a
joint le testament authentique dudit Flamel" (That's all ? Good !...)
Editions de l'Aurore, 1651 rue St-Denis Montr�al 1977. Available from
Les Messageries Prologue Inc. (same address). Tel : 849-8120 or
849-8129. ISBN 0-88532-124-3

Best regards and

Nice trip for everybody coming in Paris to read Flamel's Mutus Liber !

Joel Tetard

Subject: 1354 Adept?
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 11:49:41 -0400
From: John Reid

Re: 1331 on Alchemy Forum:

> From: calhhh
>
> Dear Forum Members :
> It is clear now that in our days we are seeing a great surge
> of interest about the ROYAL ART, and I think that together with
> its study, it is important to divest alchemy of all the
> superstitions and misconceptions that for one reason or other
> have accompanied it through the last centuries ...

I doubt very much whether the above can be done. There will
always be puffers and alchemists.

> I know that the basic definition, at least in alchemical terms,
> of an ADEPT represents an individual who has completed the
> Great Work, therefore having obtained the LAPIS PHILOSOPHORUM.

You can not produce the stone unless you have first made some
significant headway within your own self. This holds true for
the plant as well as the Philosophers stone.

> However many things have been said about the "psychic powers",
> "longevity", "breaking the cycles of reincarnations", etc. that
> and adept may obtain when indeed he reaches such a state.
>
> Does an Adept, once the STONE is accomplished necessarily know
> or understand All the laws of Nature ? Upon ingesting The Stone,
> does he attains automatically some kind of illumination ?

I have [never] seen anything ever happen automatically in life. There
is always some sort of preparation which must proceed it. The
supposedly instaneous transformations of lead into gold, etc
have behind them many years of hardwork and practice. A good
example is reading a passage from a book or manual. The first
first time you read a passage you may not understand what has
been written, but after putting the book away for some time
and then reading it again, it seems as if the passage has
opened up to you and all of the sudden you UNDERSTAND. This
may seem instananeous or automatic, but in during the time of
not reading the book your subconcousness was doing a lot of
work behiond the scenes.

John Reid

Subject: 1355 Is Alchemy Unique?
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 11:23:31 -0400
From: John Reid

> Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 15:03:58 -0700
> From: John Williams
>
> >In response to John Williams 'and filling the need to play devil's
> >advocate' let me offer this response to the two points that you
> >made:
> >
> >1) The successful alchemists are no longer here, they have extracted
> >themselves from this plane where matter has devoured spirit.

Matter can never devour spirit because all things are spirit.
What we discern as matter is nothing more than an image held
in the mind of God. The statement of all things are spirit
may sound fanciful but look at what modern science has to say
about the composition of matter. All matter is composed of
protons, neutron and electrons. These three principles are in
truth nothing more than light. All things are light, all
things are spirit. This is why the alchemist discerns no
difference between lead and gold. For the alchemist the gold
is already in the lead. Chemically speaking a scientist will
laugh but a physicist will understand. It is the inherent
essence or spirit that an alchemist seeks to work with. This
essence is veiled to many (Isis veil) but to one who has
learned to look past what there senses report, the underlying
truth of all things are one, all things are spirit is as
bright as the noon day sun.

Thu Jul 18 09:07:56 1996
Subject: 1356 Sol, Luna, Earth

From: John Chas WebbDate: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 12:43:57 -1000

Response to Rawn Clark's post # 1352 and associated thread

The laboratory experience of the Alchemist reveals his or her
psychological/spiritual status. The physical properties of the substances
utilized by the Alchemist (and the interaction of those substances) are
SYMBOLS for the psychological/spiritual underpinnings of a human being.
The key is to relate each substance to a physical/psychological attribute
within yourself. The "early" Alchemists did not have our "psychological"
descriptions, however, they did relate the results of certain experiments
to specific levels of "attainment". This, in my opinion, supports the
point-of-view that the Alchemist was really working upon him/her self and
that the laboratory experiments created a type of "psychological language"
which enabled Alchemists to communicate.

(axiom) The "substances" which co-operate with nature are turned into
"gold". The "natural" processes of nature are self purifying and healing.
The only "substance" which has the option of not co-operating with nature
is Man (representing the dilemma and blessing of "free will").
(Note: Man's reverse posture relative to God/nature is represented by Mars
in Alchemy and is revealed on a more personal level in one's own
astrological configuration.)

What you describe as "Hermetic thought" which focuses upon the human
ability to self-craft a center capable of encompassing both poles (duality)
actually represents "the human dilemma". The position of the Earth between
Venus (copper) and Mars (iron) confirms this. ( This "duality" is revealed
again in the symbolism of The Christ crucified between the good thief and
the bad thief). So what may be described as an Hermetic ideal actually
reveals the curse. The work of the Alchemist is to first become acquainted
with the pairs of opposites (duality) and then gravitate to the "good"
(gold). Please remember that in Eden everything started out as "good"
until the knowledge of evil was introduced. The Alchemist "removes
baseness" (evil) to re-arrive at an exclusively "good" (golden) condition.
This is not done by calling evil good" (attempting to square the circle).
Good and evil are the polar opposites of the divine, however, we have been
warned to "not know evil" (see Genesis), in other words, to keep to the
good.

Esoteric astrology and Alchemy overlap. If you associate the alchemical
substances to their planetary correspondences you can begin to make a
clear correlation between the movements and interraction of the planets
with the laboratory experiments of the Alchemist. The Key of Hermes
(As Above-So below) suggests that the Alchemist is attempting to
duplicate the works of "God".
The laboratory of the Alchemist represents (in microcosm) the solar system
(the Alchemist's visible universe). It seems appropriate that the
Alchemist, at some point, must factor in his or her planetary
(astrological) configuration into the scheme of any experiments. In fact,
it is in this manner that the Alchemist gradually merges with the processes
which are happening "above".

The world of the Alchemist has two types of Alchemist -
1) The hobbyist who is actually trying to turn lead into gold. This
"alchemist" has not yet related to alchemy as a metaphore for spiritual
evolution and interprets the alchemical texts as literal. 2) The dedicated
practitioner who may have, at first, been seduced by the lure of gold and
who then gradually comes to realize that alchemical experiments actually
relate to transmuting "consciousness and form" into a more etheric (golden)
expression. It is this Alchemist who has begun to pierce the veil of
duality and begins the journey out of the labyrinth of words and into the
world of archetype and symbol.

John Charles Webb
[email protected]

Subject: 1357 Sol, Luna, Earth
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 09:28:43 -0500
From: george leake

>From: John Chas Webb
>The laboratory experience of the Alchemist reveals his or her
>psychological/spiritual status. The physical properties of the substances
>utilized by the Alchemist (and the interaction of those substances) are
>SYMBOLS for the psychological/spiritual underpinnings of a human being.

*nice summary. Very Jungian. To relate this to a recent thread, how can one
know for sure if another separate consciousness actually did this? My guess
would be based on educated guesswork after examination of that person's
testimony, journals and treatises. How else does it manifest? And then,
what about this? Is it at all possible that the same process
psychologically or spiritually might occur using different techniques or
some other approach other than an alchemical one?

-G.Leake, 512-471-9117 [email protected]

Thu Jul 18 23:14:21 1996
Subject: 1358 Sol, Luna, Earth
From: John Chas WebbDate: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 11:51:36 -1000

Response to George Leake's inquiry regarding post# 1357 and associated
threads

Reply and specific inquiry from George Leake:
| *nice summary. Very Jungian. To relate this to a recent thread, how can
|one know for sure if another separate consciousness actually did this?
| My guess
| would be based on educated guesswork after examination of that person's
| testimony, journals and treatises. How else does it manifest? And then,
| what about this? Is it at all possible that the same process
| psychologically or spiritually might occur using different techniques or
| some other approach other than an alchemical one?
***************************************************************************
**

I feel that I understand your question perfectly and I shall endeavour to
answer as honestly and truthfully as words permit. Please be patient if
the response is not perfectly clear as the "problem" which must be
addressed is the "cultural paradigm" which lacks words and phrases to
describe the level of being attained by one who has succeeded in The Great
Work of Alchemy.

Please consider this (as it also underscores the presence of the "cloud of unknowing"):
Communication by words alone leaves MUCH room for ambiguity. This
"problem" is evidenced by many written communications (for example, in
newsgroups and other places on the web) which are misinterpreted by various readers. Readers who "sense" anger or malice when, in reality, absolutely none was intended. Communication IN PERSON includes literally hundreds of more "clues" as to an individual's "meaning". (Eye contact, gestures, posture, appearance, etc., etc.). This same condition presents itself in reading the works of accomplished alchemists. In brief, the observer and the observed merge to create an experience unique to the observer because his/her interpretations are coloured by his or her unique "psychological" configuration.
One method to by-pass the mental/emotional "filters" of an observer is by using rationality and logic in communication. No matter how much rage someone may contain there exists some part of his being that agrees that 1
+ 1 = 2.

One of the greatest of all Alchemical "Cookbooks" is the New Testament.
(Be patient here because it will make my point perfectly clear). It is the
"story" of spirit's entry into matter and its subsequent liberation and
ascention to a higher plane of existence where death has been vanquished as it reunites with "its Creator". This same theme is repeated and repeated in both Greek and Roman "mythology". It is contained, in symbolic language, in the alchemical texts and in the writings of "secret societies" and even sometimes scribbled as graffiti on restroom walls. In brief, it is EVERYWHERE !

The Key to unlocking this fountain of information requires accessing one's
soul. Eastern spiritual Masters tell us to "go within" by meditation and
stillness. HERE IS THE IMPORTANT PART ! As we continue to go deeper and deeper within our own consciousness we become involved in the battle of "the pairs of opposites" and eventually "meet" all of our own "sub-personalities" complete with all of their preferences and sometimes deadly affinities. IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE THESE CHARACTERS we MUST have penetrated our consciousness to its depths so that we can see these "entities" from a place of detachment. (You can associate this
process with the appropriate alchemical terms eg. piercing the Materia
etc., etc.). In mythology this process is described as the "Hero's journey
into the underworld", for which NO AMOUNT OF PREPARATION will ever be
sufficient. He is armed only with a shield of copper and a sword of iron.
The shield of copper (the metal of Venus) indicating how only love can ever
really protect you and the sword (indicating intellect and Excalibur) which
is forged from the metal of Mars and which has been turned to the LIGHT!
With every victory the sword grows stronger. Complete victory is attained
when the warrior/alchemist arrives at the SUN! (the gold). At this stage
the "stone" has been completely devoured, the sub-conscious has been
"purged" and the Alchemist reappears as a victorious Christ and discovers
that it was he who was the king disguised as a "commoner".

All Glory and Honor to the Victorious,
John Charles Webb
[email protected]

Subject: 1359 Sol, Luna, Earth
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 96 11:12 NZST
From: Pat Zalewski

>From: John Chas Webb
>Response to George Leake's inquiry regarding post# 1357 and associated
>threads
>
>Reply and specific inquiry from George Leake:
>| *nice summary. Very Jungian. To relate this to a recent thread, how can
>|one know for sure if another separate consciousness actually did this?
>| My guess
>| would be based on educated guesswork after examination of that person's
>| testimony, journals and treatises. How else does it manifest? And then,
>| what about this? Is it at all possible that the same process
>| psychologically or spiritually might occur using different techniques or
>| some other approach other than an alchemical one?
>***************************************************************************
>**
>
>I feel that I understand your question perfectly and I shall endeavour to
>answer as honestly and truthfully as words permit. Please be patient if
>the response is not perfectly clear as the "problem" which must be
>addressed is the "cultural paradigm" which lacks words and phrases to
>describe the level of being attained by one who has succeeded in The Great
>Work of Alchemy....
>

No offense John but your reply to George was as clear as mud and you lost me.

Pat zalewski

Subject: 1360 New subscriber with questions / comments
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 1996 10:07:48 -0700
From: Thom S. Heileson

Hello all; I am a fairly new subscriber to this list, and I thought I'd post
an introductory message. I'm still digging through the posts from the last
few days. I'm glad to have found the list; it seems to promise information
which will be quite useful to me, esp. at this point in time.

I am a mixed media artist; I graduated from University of Oregon in 1992
with a BFA in fine art photography. My work there was largely
mixed-technique; i.e. photographs (of alternative processes and often
de-/reconstruction) in combination with found objects, paints/chemicals,
ritualistic burnings, etc. An interest in alchemy was strongly connected to
this body of work, and it was during this period that I started serious
readings on the subject, though I had been interested by it since teenage
years.

My interest began from discovered connections between alchemy and the
Surrealists, most specifically Marcel Duchamp and Max Ernst. Later my
interest was sharpened and renewed when I began to be strongly influenced by
the work of certain others, especially German artists Anselm Kiefer and
Joseph Beuys. I did a paper my last BFA term on Beuys (also referring to
Kiefer) which focused on the alchemical aspects of their work.

Since (and before) then, I have been focusing on experimental music, and
have been exploring the same concerns in that medium. I began my own small
tape label, "or records," and have released 3 cassettes, some of it my own
work and some of it others'. Currently my music is mostly electronically
based, involving sampling and other techniques. (created under the name
"phASER"; relevant musical influences include Coil/ELpH and others)

My reading on alchemical ideas has been a bit too sparse since my undergrad
work, and this list has the appearance of "fitting the bill" in terms of
re-association and education on the subject. I am returning to school next
fall to delve back into the photo-construct work and earn my MFA. Summer
training in alchemy and other metaphysical concepts associated with my
art-making has begun.

Questions:

Are there many other visual and/or aural artists on this list who link their
art-making to alchemy? (And might have comments / suggestions for readings /
etc.)

Any familiar with Anselm Kiefer / Joseph Beuys / Duchamp / Ernst and their
connection to alchemy? (Or musical artists such as Coil, for that matter...)

I have been scraping thru the Seattle used bookstores for books related to
the subject. Any recommendations? (Especially books in-print?)

Of note:

Just finished a brilliant novel by John Fowles, "The Magus." Ideas are
presented in this book which seem to me quite connected to what gets
discussed here. Anyone who has read this have the same impression?

Have just began reading "Chaos, Gaia, Eros" by Ralph Abraham. I am
especially interested to read others' thought on this one; the book focuses
on an interdisciplinary approach to science, magic, Chaos Theory, history,
etc.

I've thrown in a lot to chew on. and apologize for the length / disparity.
Thanks for all comments / help.

PS If it is at all possible, please cc: replies to: [email protected]

Thom S. Heileson

Subject: 1361 Ph.D theses on alchemy
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 1996 22:12:21 +0000
From: Atheris

I know of one dissertation in German, a copy of which I bought in the 1970s
when I was living in Cologne and actively working on metal alchemy. This is:

"Die Fruehe Alchimie"

Inaugeral-Dissertation zur Erlangung der Doktorwuerde der
Hohen Medizinischen Fakultaet der Universitaet zu Koeln.

(Institut fuer Geschichte der Medizin an der Universitaet zu Koeln)

vorgelegt von Ulrich Heusser, aus Zurich. Promoviert am 26.Juli 1976.

In case you don't read German, this says:

"Early Alchemy"

Inaugural dissertation for obtaining the degree of Doctor (PhD) at the
Higherr Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne. (Institute for the
History of Medicin at the University of Cologne).
Presented by Ulrich Heusser, from Zurich. Doctorate awarded 26 June 1976.

To be honest, I haven't read it for years, but a glance through it shows
that Part 1 deals with the phenomenological development of alchemy,
and Part 2 with its historical transmission, and that it covers both western
and eastern (predominantly Chinese) alchemy. It is geared to the "spiritual"
interpretation.

Anyway, I hope the above is of use to you.

Adrian Monk
[email protected]

Subject: 1362 Ph.D theses on alchemy
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 1996 18:45:27 -0400 (EDT)
From: Thomas D Sola

I can't give you the answers you want but I do know that Harvard
University holds classes in "Alchemy". I am taken to beleive that the
classes are not exactly what we hold here as alchemy but more of an
historic view of what alchemy was beleived to have been. In addition to
that I think it only deals with viewing the philosophy as a means for
making actual mineral gold. So, in any case, you may want to look in that
direction.

Thomas

Subject: 1363 Ph.D theses on alchemy
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 96 12:02 +0100
From: Waldemar Hammel

>From: Thomas D Sola
>I can't give you the answers you want but I do know that Harvard
>University holds classes in "Alchemy". I am taken to beleive that the
>classes are not exactly what we hold here as alchemy but more of an
>historic view of what alchemy was beleived to have been. In addition to
>that I think it only deals with viewing the philosophy as a means for
>making actual mineral gold. So, in any case, you may want to look in that
>direction.

Answer:
I was searching the following from Harvard's internet resources.
The Faculty Of Arts And Science at Harvard University offers two courses of the specified kind:
a: History of science, Alchemy, Astrology, Magic, The occult sciences.....
b: Science from alchemy to elementary particle physics.....
The description of the two courses is to be found (two short summaries) in the universities gopher: Harvard Gopher

Annotation:
I remember that Umberto Eco in Bologna before some years gave courses about alchemy (concerning the linguistic- and perception- implications of it).
In that time he was professor at the faculty of semiotics at the University of Bologna (Italy).
I got some manuscripts of the courses, they are written in italian.
Until now I did not look for eventually existing internet ressources of those courses, but I know, that Professor Eco is an internet-fan. So it is possible, that some of the information concerning this will be in the fundus of Bologna University.
When I�ll find something, I shall email the information.

With my best regards
Waldemar Hammel

Subject: 1364 Adiramled
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 01:04:02 +1000
From: Don Foster

I wonder can anyone tell me where I can obtain
"The Art of Alchemy" by ADIRAMLED, and also
can anybody give me any further information
about ADIRAMLED. He appears to be a contemporary master.

Subject: 1365 Adiramled
Date: Sun, 21 Jul 1996 23:22:56 -0400
From: [email protected]

This is off the top of my head, so I may miss a couple of things; hopefully
others can correct any goofs I make. ADIRAMLED spelled backwards is DELMAR IDA.
These were the names of the author and his wife. Delmar DeLawrence Bryant, if memory serves me correctly. He lived in Ohio, in Wyoming, a community near Cincinnati. (I used to visit the daughter of a well-known scientist there, but that is a different matter...) I just went to get the book... it
is ISBN 1-56459-319-3. It is published by my friend Roger Kessinger of
Kessinger Publishing, PO Box 160, Kila, MT 59920. Roger has a web site...
I don't recall the address... it is referenced on Adam's Virtual Alchemy
Library under publishers. The quality of the copy is 2nd rate and varies in
quality, but is legible.

Regards,

Russ House
[email protected]

Subject: 1366 Alchemical coins ?
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 11:53:09 +0100
From: Joel Tetard

In order to avoid frauds and discourage trafics of antics most
museums and some (rich !) numismatists did very precise chemical
analysis of ancients coins kepts in their collections. Actually,
scientists are able to say what were the precise origins of the
precious metals used for making money, and to study the spatial and
temporal variations of the isotopic composition of almost coins from the
early antiquity to more recent periods.

I wonder if anyone would be kind enough to tell me if such a chemical
analysis would be made on coins and medals which are been said to be
made of alchemical gold and are kept now in some famous museums...

"Alchemical" coins and metal are been said to be kept in the following
museums :

Wien Kunstistorishes Museum ;
Nurenberg Germanishes National Museum

Do other collections exist ? Thanks in advance for your kind help.

Best regards

Joel Tetard
([email protected])

Quick bibliography :

E.J. Holymard "l'Alchimie", Editions Arthaud, Paris 1979. (Mr. Jacques
Van Lennep chosen most of the pictures seen in the French version and I
guess some pictures of alchemical coins could be not found in the
English version).

Bernard Husson, "Transmutations alchimiques", "Jai Lu-l'Aventure
Mysterieuse" N° A 313, Paris, 1974. Reprint La Table d'Emeraude 1995.

P. Martin-Rey, "Anciennes monnaies alchimiques faites d'or et d'argent
philosophales", in "Revue Numismatique", Nouvelle serie,, Tome XII,
1867.

Emil Ersnt Ploss, Heinz Roozen-Runge, Heinrich Shipperges and Herwing
Buntz, "l'Alchimie - Histoire, Technologie, Pratique", Collection
"Sciences Secretes", Editions Pierre Belfond. Paris 1972. French edition
of "alchimia" Printed by Heinz Mooz. Germany

Subject: 1367 French Ph.D theses on alchemy
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 11:55:18 +0100
From: Joel Tetard

Two years ago I did a quick research on Sunist, the French Database on
French theses (available on "minitel" only. Sorry...). Using "alchimie"
as a keyword I found some works in relationship with this matter. Most
of them concerned studies psychology (Jung and so on). I was focused on
historical and/or "technical" studies and I pointed only theses which
titles seem have some relationiship with these approaches :

Henry Dumery, 'L'Alchimie en France dans la premi�re moitiee du XIX eme
siecle', Doctorat de Philosophie, Paris X University, 1981

Gilbert Durand, "Vision du Grand OEuvre en Extreme Occident", Grenoble
2 University, 1984.

Daniel Esposito, "La porte du Dragon", Paris 7 University, ref : 93
PA070101.

Jean-Pierre Laurent, "L'Esoterisme en France de 1948 � 1914", Tours
University, ref : 891A120055.

I did not read these theses but I'll go to the Librairy of Paris X
University (Nanterre) which is very close to me.

I guess a more complete list would be available from Societe d'Etude de
l'Histoire de l'Alchimie" which is in relationship with French
Universities.SEHA : 45, rue Saint-Maur, 75011 Paris.

Some years ago I found an exellent Master memorandum in Archeology :

Isabelle Rouaze, "Un atelier de distillation du Moyen-Age", in "Bulletin
Archeologique du Comite des travaux historiques et scientifiques",
Minist�re de l'Education Nationale, de la Jeunesse et des sports,
Edition du Comite des travaux historiques et scientifiques, 1989.

This study is a report of the archeological researches made before the
building of the so-called "Pyramide du Louvre" (drawn by Ieoh Ming Pei)
located in one of the oldest areas of Paris.

During these researches, archeologists found a complete collection of
glass and ceramic laboratory wares which were put in a latrine ("sic
transit...") in the middle of the XIV th century.

Isabelle Rouaze did very usefull technical drawing of these wares :
curcubite, glass alambics, crucibles, aludels, furnaces, etc. Some
chemical analysis were made too (Microspectrometry Raman) : remaining
indices of SnO2, Cu, Zn were found on crucibles and Pb, Sn and Sb were
found on the mouthpiece of an alembic. Au and Ag were not present..

I. Rouaze mentioned some archaelogical researches in UK which seems of
high interest too :

P. Mayes and L. Buttler, "Sandle Castel Excavation", Wakefield
Historical Publication, 1983, p.227

S. Moorhouse, "medieval distilling-apparatus of glass and pottery with
an introduction by F. Greenaway" in "Medieval Archaelogy", vol XVI,
1972.

S. Moorhouse, "Medieval industrial glassware in the Bristish Isles" in
"annales du 10eme Congres de l'Association Internationale de l'Histoire
du Verre", Madrid-Segovia, 1985.

I'll be pleased to have more information on theses studies. Thanks in
advance.

Best regards.

Joel Tetard ([email protected])

Mon Jul 22 18:15:04 1996
Subject: 1368 New subscriber with questions / comments
From: Stuart Inman

I have been off the list for a while and have only just got myself re-
subscribed. I was glad to see Thom Heileson's message, as it
coincides to some extent with my own interests. Specifically, as some
other subscribers may remember, I am interested in the connections
between Surrealism and Alchemy and the alchemical process as an
analogy of the creative process.

Firstly Thom, I am a bit concerned as to how you picked up on the
Surrealism/Alchemy thing. I hope it was not the Nadia Choucha book
"Surrealism and the Occult" which is very short on facts and long on
inaccurate speculations. Also, Coil and the Current 93 bands on
Harvey Thornberg's list are nothing to do with the Surrealist
Movement, whatever influence they may have picked up from Surrealism.

I will restrict my replies to your questions to my knowledge of
Surrealism.

1. Probably the most important painter to draw directly on the
alchemical tradition is Jorge Camacho. After joining Surrealism in
the early 60's he became influenced round about 1969(?) by the work
of Canseliet and Bernard Roger, a fellow surrealist and a hermetic
scholar. He produced a book with Alain Gruger of alchemical heraldic
devices, with short verses and an introduction and epilogue by
Canseliet.
Another important artist is Martin Stejskal, who studied with the
Czech hermeticist Theophanous Abba. Stejskal has written on the
alchemical house-signs of Prague among other things. He has also had
an influence on Jan Svankmajer, the great film-maker and fellow
member of the Czech and Slovak Surrealist Group.

My own work reflects my interest in these people and others. I am
interested in the transformational easpects of certain imagery,
including in the field of photography. I search out "paranoiac-
critical images in waste and rejected matter, old walls, things that
have lost their original function etc. and find new interpretations.
It becomes a face or a figure, a sun, an angel or demon, whatever.

I am happy to discuss all this further. If it is not very relevant to
the alchemy list, you could write to me personally, or join the
surrealist discussion group, the address of which I can send you,
with subscription details.

Stuart Inman

[email protected]

Subject: 1369 French Ph.D theses (2)
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 17:35:06 +0100
From: Joel Tetard

In addition to my recent posting concerning French theses on alchemy
this is an updated and revised list of recent scholarly works. Sorry
for double references with the previous contribution and for typo
problems : "Minitel" standards are quite different from Internet ones
(Alas !).

Note for people having Minitel access : Sunist databases could be
reached by 3616 Sunist, then "THE". I guess Pascal database (available
on Questel) would provide the same information (But what about the
cost...).

Best regards.

Joel Tetard
[email protected]

**********************************************************************
PELVET (PIERRE),
"L'ALCHIMIE EN FRANCE DANS LA PREMIERE MOITIE DU VINGTIEME SIECLE".
Nature : DOCTORAT DE 3E CYCLE
Matter : PHILOSOPHIE
Date : 1981
University : PARIS 10
Directeur : DUMERY (HENRY)

**********************************************************************
PERIFANO (ALFREDO),
"L'ALCHIMIE A LA COUR DE COME 1ER DE MEDICIS : CULTURE SCIENTIFIQUE ET
SYSTEME POLITIQUE".
Nature : DOCTORAT (NOUVEAU DOCTORAT)
Discipline : ETUDES ITALIENNES
Date : 1990
University : PARIS 8
Directeur : PLAISANCE (MICHEL)
Registration number : 90PA080514
French summary :
"PARMI LES INTERETS SCIENTIFIQUES DE COME IER DE MEDICIS (1519-1574)
L'ALCHIMIE OCCUPA UNE PLACE NON NEGLIGEABLE COMME LE TEMOIGNENT
PLUSIEURS DE SES CONTEMPORAINS. CE PRINCE SE CONSACRA PERSONNELLEMENT A
UNE INTENSE ACTIVITE DE DISTILLATION ET D'EXPERIMENTATION DANS SON
LABORATOIRE APPELE "LA FONDERIA" DU DUC. PLUSIEURS MANUSCRITS D'ALCHIMIE
A LUI DEDIES PROUVENT CET INTERET AINSI QUE LA FAVEUR DONT CETTE
DISCIPLINE JOUISSAIT A LA COUR FLORENTINE. MEME SI L'ALCHIMIE NE FUT
JAMAIS ACCEPTEE PARMI LES SCIENCES OFFICIELLES, LA PRESENCE DE LA PENSEE
ET DE LA PRATIQUE ALCHIMIQUE A LA COUR DE COME IER DE MEDICIS MONTRE LE
ROLE IMPORTANT QU'ELLE JOUA DANS LE CONTEXTE CULTUREL ET SCIENTIFIQUE DE
L'EPOQUE, AINSI QUE LES RELATIONS EXISTANTES AVEC D'AUTRES DISCIPLINES
COMME LA MEDECINE, LA METALLURGIE, LA PHARMACOLOGIE ET LA BOTANIQUE".

English summary
"Cosimo de Medici (1519-1574) felt a great interest towards alchemy as his contemporaries attest. he devoted himself to an intense activity of distillation and experimentation in his laboratory called "Duke's fonderia". various manuscripts of alchemy dedicated to the Duke show this interest and favour towards alchemy at the Florence court, as well as the relationship between alchemy, medicine, pharmacology, metallurgy and botany. even if alchemy was never admitted as an..."

**********************************************************************

BALDRIAN (FARZEEN),
"ALCHIMIE INTERIEURE DES SONG. ETUDE INTRODUCTIVE D'UN SYSTEME
ACCOMPAGNEE D'UNE TRADUCTION DU LING-PAO PIFA".
Nature : DOCTORAT DE 3E CYCLE
ANCIEN REGIME
Discipline : ETUDES INDIENNES ET EXTREME-ORIENTALES
Date : 1979
University : PARIS 7
**********************************************************************

NOALHYT (MARTINE)
"D'UNE HOMOLOGIE RELATIVE ENTRE ALCHIMIE ET GRANDE CUISINE AU
XVIIEME SIECLE EN FRANCE".
Nature : DOCTORAT (NOUVEAU
DOCTORAT)
Discipline : SOCIOLOGIE
Date : 1992
University : PARIS 5
Director : THOMAS (LOUIS-VINC)
Registration number : 92PA05H041
French summary :
APRES CENT ANS DE SILENCE, DES CUISINIERS, EN FRANCE, A LA FIN DU
XVIIEME, FIRENT PARAITRE DE NOUVEAUX OUVRAGES CULINAIRES. LES RECETTES
PROPOSEES NE SEMBLAIENT PAS OBEIR AUX MEMES REGLES DE COMPOSITION, DE
NOUVEAUX INGREDIENTS Y ETAIENT VALORISES.
LA CUISINE SEIGNEURIALE MEDIEVALE REPONDAIT A DES PRINCIPES DIETETIQUES
HERITES DE LA MEDECINE GALENIQUE, ELLE-MEME FILLE DE LA REPRESENTATION
ARISTOTELICIENNE DE LA MATIERE : UN JEU SUBTIL ENTRE LES QUATRE ELEMENTS
ET LEURS QUALITESORGANISAIT LA GESTE CULINAIRE. LA SUAVITE ETAIT AU
CENTRE DE TOUTE COMPOSITION ALIMENTAIRE : L'OTENIR NECESSITAIT UN
TRAVAIL COMBINATOIRE ENTRE LES SAVEURS, REVELATRICES CHACUNE DES
QUALITES (CHAUD, FROID, SEC, HUMIDE) DE L'INGREDIENT. LA PERTE DE
PRESTIGE DE LA MEDECINE GALENIQUE ET SON COROLLAIRE : LA DIETETIQUE LIEE
AU SUCCES DE LA MEDECINE PARACELSIENNE (IATROCHIMIE), AMENA LES
CUISINIERS A RECONSIDERER, INCONSCIEMMENT, LES REGLES DE TRANSFORMATION
DE LA MATIERECULINAIRE. LA MEDECINE PARACELSIENNE EMPRUNTAT A UNE
NOUVELLE FACON DE CONSIDERER LES ELEMENTS ULTIMES DE LA MATIERE : LA
TERRE, L'EAU, L'AIR ET LE FEU S'EFFACAIENT PARTIELLEMENT AU PROFIT DU
MERCURE, DU SOUFFRE ET DU SEL, LA LOI DE LA COMPOSITION QUI REGISSAIT
LES INTERACTIONS DES ELEMENTS PERIPATETICIENS FIT PLACE A DES REGLES
D'OUVERTURE, D'EXTRACTION, DE PURIFICATION ET DE COAGULATION DE LA
MATIERE.
W.DAVIDSON QUI EUT LA CHAIRE DE CHIMIE A PARIS, ETABLIT UN
TABLEAU DE CORRESPONDANCES : MERCURE, ..."

English summary :
After one hundred years of silence, cooks, in France, at the end of the xviith century, had published a new culinary books. This included recipes which did not seem to conform to the same rules of composition, new ingredients were highly considered. The medieval lords cooking responded to dietetic principles inherited from Galean medecine, this one, child of Aristotle representation of the subject : a subtle game between the four elements and their quality organised the culinary art. Smoothness was in the centre of every alimentary composition : Obtaining it meant combining work between tastes, revealing each of the qualities (hot, cold, dry, wet) of the ingredient. The decreasing prestige of the Galean medecine and his corollary : dietetic bonded to the success of the Paracelsan medicine (Iatrochimie), introduced cooks to reconsider, unconsciousness, the rules of the conversion of the culinary substances. The Paracelsan medicine had a new manner to consider the ultimate elements of the subject : earth, water, air and fire gradually disappeared to the advantage of mercury, sulphur and salt. The law of the composition who governed the reciprocal action of peripateticians elements made soom for breaking open, extraction, purification and coagulation of the subject ..."

(Note from JT : I do appreciate this kind of transversal study which
builds a link between two of my favorite matters! Actually, the art of
cooking is a excellent school for practical alchemy !)
**********************************************************************

JOLY (BERNARD),
"LES FORMES DE RATIONALITE A L'OEUVRE DANS LA PENSEE ALCHIMIQUE AU
XVIIEME SIECLE. TRADUCTION COMMENTEE DU MANUSCRIPTUM AD FREDERICUM DE
PIERRE-JEAN FABRE".
Nature : DOCTORAT (NOUVEAU
DOCTORAT)
Discipline : PHILOSOPHIE
Date : 1988
University : LILLE 3
Director : DUMONT (J. PAUL)
Registration number : 88LIL30014
French summary :
LA PENSEE ALCHIMIQUE CLASSIQUE, TELLE QU'ELLE SE PRESENTE DANS LES
TEXTES CONSERVES PAR LES RECUEILS DU XVIIEME SIECLE, DEVELOPPE UNE
THEORIE DE LA GENERATION DES METAUX DONT LA PHYSIQUE STOICIENNE
CONSTITUE UN MODELE ESSENTIEL. DANS LE MANUSCRIPTUM AD FREDERICUM,
PIERRE-JEAN FABRE EXPOSE LES PRINCIPAUX ASPECTS DE CETTE DOCTRINE SELON
LAQUELLE LES OPERATIONS ALCHIMIQUES SONT DES PROCESSUS DE PURIFICATION
QUI LAISSENT APPARAITRE LA MATIERE PREMIERE DES METAUX, ..."

English summary :
Classical alchemistic thought in the seventeenth century elaborates a theory of metal generation in which Stoic physics constitutes an essential pattern. In manuscriptum ad fredericum, Pierre-Jean Fabre presents the main guidelines of the doctrine according to which alchemical experiments are purifying processes which reveal the primal material of metals, the metallic semen sent from heaven, which is composed of three principles : mercury, sulphur and salt. In its accomplished form, it is called philosophical stone and removes all blemish from metals which it turns into gold, as well as from other living beings, which it cures. The coherence of this theory, which set up the prevaling pattern to the approach of matter as composed bodies until the eighteenth century enables Fabre to interpret the most common alchemistic allegories. By displaying patterns of rationality in the alchemistic thought it becomes possible to apprehend alchemy philosophically, rejecting both reductionistic positivism which considers alchemy merely as a prechemistry and a questionable interpretation of alchemy as a form of esoterism neglecting the rational dimension.
**********************************************************************

MEILLASSOUX LE CERF (MICHELINE),
"DOM PERNETY ET SON MILIEU (1716-1796). CONTRIBUTION A L'HISTOIRE DE LA
SENSIBILITE ET DES IDEES DANS LA SECONDE MOITIE DU XVIIIEME SIECLE".
Nature : DOCTORAT D'ETAT
Discipline : HISTOIRE
Date : 1988
University : PARIS 4
Director : CHAUNU (PIERRE)
Registration number : 87PA040095
French summary :
"LA VIE DE PERNETY S'ETEND SUR TOUT LE XVIIIEME SIECLE ET SES DIVERSES
ACTIVITES RESUMENT EN PARTIE LE SIECLE. COMME MOINE BENEDICTIN DE
SAINT-MAUR, IL VECUT A SAINT-GERMAIN-DES-PRES ET PARTICIPA ACTIVEMENT A
LA VIE INTELLECTUELLE DE SON TEMPS. IL ECRIVIT D'ABORD DES OUVRAGES SUR
DES SUJETS ASSEZ DIVERS : UN MANUEL BENEDICTIN, UN DICTIONNAIRE DE
PEINTURE, UN LIVRE DE FABLES, UN DICTIONNAIRE MYTHO-HERMETIQUE, UN RECIT
DE VOYAGE EN AMERIQUE DU SUD. APRES UNE ANNEE D'EXPEDITION AVEC
BOUGAINVILLE AUX ILES MALOUINES, IL FUT MELE DE PRES AUX CRISES DE
CONTESTATION QUI SECOUERENT L'ORDRE BENEDICTIN VINGT ANS AVANT LA
REVOLUTION FRANCAISE. POUR DES RAISONS ENCORE ASSEZ OBSCURES, IL QUITTA
LA VIE MONASTIQUE ET ON LE RETROUVE A BERLIN BIBLIOTHECAIRE DU ROI
FREDERIC II. LES OUVRAGES QU'IL ECRIVIT ALORS TRAITENT DE PSYCHOLOGIE ET
DE PHYSIOGNOMONIE; IL TRADUISIT AUSSI SWEDENBORG. AVEC BRUMORE ET
GRABIANKA, IL PARTICIPA A LA FONDATION DU GROUPE DES ILLUMINES DE BERLIN
QUI SE TRANSPORTERA PLUS TARD EN AVIGNON. C'EST LUI QUI TRANSCRIVIT
LE CAHIER DE LA SAINTE PAROLE CONSERVE A AVIGNON, CAHIER QUI REGROUPE
LES QUESTIONS ET LES REPONSES QUE LES ILLUMINES ECHANGEAIENT AVEC UN
MYSTERIEUX ORACLE CELESTE. AU MOMENT OU LE GROUPE, UN TEMPS DISPERSE, SE
RECONSTITUAIT DANS LE COMTAT, LA REVOLUTION ECLATA EN AVIGNON ET CETTE
REGION, ENCORE TERRE PAPALE, DEMANDA A ETRE RATTACHEE A LA FRANCE.
PERNETY DEVAIT MOURIR EN 1796 ET LE GROUPE D'ILLUMINES NE LUI
SURVECUT GUERE. ON LE VOIT, L'ITINERAIRE DE PERNETY EST ORIGINAL
: IL RETIENT L'ATTENTION PAR SA GRANDE DIVERSITE. EN FAIT, PERNETY EST
BIEN UN HOMME DU XVIIIEME SIECLE QUI PARTICIPA A LA FOIS AUX ACTIVITES
DE L'ORDRE RELIGIEUX LE PLUS TRADITIONNEL, AU MOUVEMENT DES LUMIERES ET
A DES RECHERCHES IRRATIONNELLES COMME CELLES QU'A AIMEES CETTE FIN DE
SIECLE TROUBLEE. L'ETUDE DE PERNETY, A LA FOIS RELIGIEUX, INTELLECTUEL,
VOYAGEUR, ..."

English summary :
Pernety's life spans the whole of the xviiith century and his various activities provide a fairly good summing up of that period. As a Benedictine monk in Saint-Maur, he lived at Saint Germain-des-Pres abbey and took an active part in the intellectual life of his time. His first writings dealt with quite miscelleanous subjects : a handbook for the Benedictine order, a dictionary of painting, a book of fables, a mythical-hermetic dictionary, a relation of travels in south America. After a year spent with Bougainville's expedition to the Falkland islands (Malouines), he was directly involved in the inner contestation crises which shook the Benedictine order twenty years before the French revolution. For reasons still unknown, he left monastic life and became King Frederick II's librarian in Berlin. The books he wrote then deal with psychology and physiognomony : he also translated Swedenborg's works. With Brumore and Grabianka, he was one of the founders of the Illuminists of Berlin, a group that later moved to Avignon. He wrote the transcription of the book of the holy word kept in Avignon, a pamphlet gathering the questions and answers exchanged by the Illuminists with a mysterious heavenly oracle. At the time when the group, momentarily scattered, was reforming in Comtat, the French revolution broke out in Avignon, and that land, still a pontifical dominion, asked to be united to France. Pernety was to die in 1796 and the group of the Illuminists did not outlive him. Thus the originality of Pernety's itinerary can be seen : it is remarkable for its great diversity. Pernety was indeed a typical man of the xviiith century, who took part in the activities of the most traditional religious order, in the movement of the age of the enlightenment as well as in irrational research such as prevailed towards the end of that troubled century. The study of Dom Pernety, altogether a monk, a thinker, a traveller, an alchemist ... "
**********************************************************************

LAURANT (JEAN PIERRE)
"L'ESOTERISME CHRETIEN EN FRANCE DE 1848 A 1914"
Nature : DOCTORAT D'ETAT
Discipline : SOCIOLOGIE
Date : 1990
University : PARIS 12
Director : POULAT (EMILE)
Registration number : 89PA120055
French summary :
LES MOTS ESOTERISME ET OCCULTISME SONT APPARUS EN FRANCAIS DANS LES
ANNEES 1840, AUTOUR DE PIERRE LEROUX, DES PREMIERS SOCIALISTES ET DANS
LES MILIEUX MACONNIQUES POUR COMBLER LE FOSSE QUI ALLAIT CROISSANT ENTRE
LA SCIENCE ET LA RELIGION.
L'ECHEC DE LA TENTATIVE DE SCIENCE CATHOLIQUE INVITAIT A FAIRE ENTRER
DANS LE CADRE DE SYSTEMES NOUVEAUX LES EFFORTS POUR RETROUVER L'UNITE DE
LA CONNAISSANCE. CES COURANTS, LIES TOUT D'ABORD AUX IDEES PROPHETIQUES
DU DEBUT DU SIECLE, SE REFERANT A UNE PSEUDO KABBALE OU A
D'HYPOTHETIQUES GNOSES, S'EPANOUIRENT A L'OCCASION DES REMISES EN CAUSE
DE LA REVOLUTION DE 1848 ET CONNURENT DE NOUVEAUX SUCCES ENTRE
1880 ET 1900 AVANT DE SE DILUER DANS LES PREOCCUPATIONS DE
L'AVANT-GUERRE. ILS DEMEURERENT, EN TOUT ETAT DE CAUSE, PARALLELES AU
DISCOURS RELIGIEUX.

English summary :
Esoterism and occultism appeared in the French language around 1840 with Pierre Leroux, the first socialists and masonic authors both, to fill up the ditch increasing between science and religion. After the check of a new Christian science, new systems only seemed able to manage the religious estate like a parallel speech.
**********************************************************************

COLNORT BODET (SUZANNE)
"DISTILLATEURS ET ALCHIMISTES. HISTOIRE DES OPPOSITIONS ET DE LEUR
REMEDE : LA QUINTESSENCE".
Nature : DOCTORAT DE 3E CYCLE
ANCIEN REGIME
Discipline : HISTOIRE
Date : 1984
University : PARIS 4
Director : MORAZE (CHARLES)
**********************************************************************

CALVET (ANTOINE)
"LA VERSION D'OC DU ROSARIUS PHILOSOPHORUM ATTRIBUE A ARNAUD DE
VILLENEUVE (INTRODUCTION, ETUDE DE LANGUE, EDITION, TRADUCTION)".
Nature : DOCTORAT (NOUVEAU DOCTORAT)
Discipline : LITTERATURE FRANCAISE
Date : 1995
University : PARIS 4
Director : THIOLIER MEJEAN (SUZANNE)
Registration number : 94PA040244
French summary :
LE ROSARI EST UNE TRADUCTION EN LANGUE D'OC DE LA DEUXIEME PARTIE
(PRACTICA) DU ROSARIUS PHILOSOPHORUM, CELEBRE TRAITE ALCHIMIQUE DU 14E
SIECLE ATTRIBUE AU MEDECIN ARNAUD DE VILLENEUVE. APRES UNE PARTIE
INTRODUCTIVE OU NOUS ABORDONS LES QUESTIONS DE DATE ET D'AUTHENTICITE DU
TEXTE, CELLES DESMANUSCRITS ET DES RAPPORTS ENTRE LA VERSION D'OC ET SON
MODELE LATISM, NOUS PROPOSONS, A LA SUITE D'UNE ETUDE DE LANGUE
(PHONETIQUE, MORPHOLOGIE, SYNTAXE, LEXICOLOGIE), UNE EDITION DU ROSARI,
SUIVIE D'UNE TRADUCTION EN FRANCAIS MODERNE ET AUGMENTEE D'UNE
TRANSCIPTION DU TEXTE LATIN.

English summary :
The Rosary is a translation in the Occitan language of the second part (Practica) of Rosarius philosophorum, the famous fourteenth century alchemical treatise ascribed to the physician Arnald of Villanova. After an introduction where we tackle problems of the dating and authenticity of the text, together with questions related to manuscripts and relationships between the Occitan text and its Latin model, we propose, following a linguistic study (phonetic, morphology, syntax and lexicology), an edition of the Rosary with a translation in standard French, accompanied by a transcription of the Latin text.
**********************************************************************

BONARDEL BONARDEL (FRANCOISE)
VISION DU GRAND OEUVRE EN EXTREME-OCCIDENT.
Nature : DOCTORAT D'ETAT
Discipline : PHILOSOPHIE
Date : 1984
University : GRENOBLE 2
Director : DURAND (GILBERT)
**********************************************************************

The following theses would be linked to alchemy too :

1 LE FANGEUX ET LE TELLURIQUE OU LES IMPENSES DE MARGUERITE
YOURCENAR.

2 LA SPIRITUALITE DE LA MATIERE DANS L'OEUVRE POETIQUE DE PIERRE
EMMANUEL.

3 LES JEUX DE L'ECRITURE ET LA QUETE DU SACRE DANS L'OEUVRE DE
PIERRE-JEAN JOUVE.

4 LANGAGE, TEMPS ET ESPACE DANS L'ESOTERISME ISLAMIQUE.

5 EPANOUISSEMENT FEMININ ET SOCIABILITE NATURELLE DANS
L'OEUVRE DE JEUNESSE DE GOETHE. ETUDE SUR LES PERSONNAGES
FEMININS DES ...

6 TEMPS ET POEME. LES TEMPORALITES CHEZ ROBERT DESNOS.

7 LE MONDE SENSIBLE ET LA QUETE DU SENS DANS MEMOIRES
D'HADRIEN ET L'OEUVRE AU NOIR DE MARGUERITE YOURCENAR.

8 LA PORTE DU DRAGON - L'ECOLE LONGMEN DU MONT JINGAI ET SES
PRATIQUES ALCHIMIQUES D'APRES LE DAOZANG XUBIAN

16 CHRISTOPHER BRENNAN, POETE.

17 L'IMAGINAIRE INITIATIQUE DANS L'OEUVRE ROMANESQUE DE
MARGUERITE YOURCENAR.

18 LE GRAND OEUVRE DES "ROMANESQUES" D'ALAIN ROBBE-GRILLET.

19 RABELAIS ET LA LOGIQUE DES OPPOSES : UNE DIALECTIQUE
IMPLICITE.

20 L'ALCHIMIE DU QUOTIDIEN CHEZ LE SURREALISTE ANDRE BRETON.

Subject: 1370 Reviews, Critiques, Opinions
From: Marcella Gillick
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 19:10:28 +0000

Ref 1334, 1336,1337: Reviews, etc

Dear Ros Bangham and George Leake,
Thank you for your response to my query on advice etc.
George, my e-mail address is [email protected] - sorry, I had thought
it would automatically appear on my post.

Dear all,
I never introduced myself - there's nothing really relevant to this forum
that I can say about myself. I'm into synchronicity, Gurdjieff, dreams,
mythology, earth energies, music. I came to Alchemy through symbols
that came up in my art: finding that my sub-conscious (or maybe that
should be my un-conscious) mind seemed to know all about
occulted things that my conscious mind knew nothing at all about!
I make calendars. It is a labour of love that I don't make money out
of, kind of a life-work. I am currently involved in a project relating to
the reinterpretation of Irish mythology as a spiritual path. Apart from
that I'm an office worker and single mother of two young children.
Can't think of anything else....

Best wishes
Marcella Gillick

Subject: 1371 Surrealism and alchemy
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 13:21:39 -0500
From: george leake

I just thought I'd suggest the obvious, or at least what's obvious to me.
Perhaps the connection between the two might be better bridged with tarot.
On the one hand you have Salvador Dali's tarot deck, and then there's the
Andre Breton connection some people make. One of which involves a 1947
exhibit Breton and Marcel Duchamp organized at the Paris Galerie Maeght.

A couple of other mentions, unrelated to the above.

First, I hope everyone here will try to find the latest issue of GNOSIS
(Summer 96) which has some really nice articles quite relevant to our
pursuits here. As long as its on the newstands, the newbies asking for
basic info ought to be sent there.

Secondly, I am sad to announce that Classics professor at UT Gareth Morgan died of a heart attack last week. I am among many who consider this a great loss. A man of such learning, dead perhaps too young, with so much work left is like the Alexandrian Library burning down.

-G.Leake, 512-471-9117 [email protected]

Subject: 1372 Adiramled
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 16:39:53 -0700 (PDT)
From:Art Kunkin

>From: Don Foster
>
>I wonder can anyone tell me where I can obtain
>"The Art of Alchemy" by ADIRAMLED, and also
>can anybody give me any further information
>about ADIRAMLED. He appears to be a contemporary master.

Hello Don,
I see that Russ House has already sent a posting that "The Art of
Alchemy" is available from Kessinger but it is also available from RAMS
(Rare Alchemical Manuscript Society) in Texas (Hans Nintzl). "The Art of
Alchemy" consists of ten lessons from a series of 20 lessons on alchemy and
the kabbalah. I was able some years ago to send to Hans the other book of
ten lessons, "The Divine Symbols," so Hans should be able to provide you
with a photocopy of all 20 lessons, both books.
I too believe that Adiramled (Delmar DeForest Bryant, not Delmar
DeLawrence Bryant as Russ House remembers) is an important figure in
alchemy although he is not listed in any of the standard bibliographies,
either Ferguson or Alan Pritchard's. There are some hints in Bryant's
extensive writings about aspects of practical laboratory work which I have
never seen elsewhere and which indicates for me a high level of actual
mastery. Therefore, some months ago I was preparing a posting for the
alchemy forum about Bryant. However, I never found the time to complete
this posting -- although I did at the time make a private inquiry to Adam
about Bryant who, as I recall, did not know about him. Anyway, since the
inquiry I never got around to posting does contain a lot of information
about Adiramled, I am just going to append it here even though I do not
have time to polish it as I would like. Here goes:

Request For Biographic Information
About Delmar DeForest Bryant, aka Adiramled

I am writing an article about an obscure but important
turn-of-the-century American alchemist, writer and publisher, Delmar
DeForest Bryant, also known as Adiramled, and would greatly appreciate
receiving biographic information about him.
Bryant wrote a number of books in the years 1901 to 1911, some of
whose titles are given below, and also published a monthly
newsletter-magazine titled "Adiramled." During those years he lived in
Ohio; East Orange, New Jersey; New York City; and South Haven, Michigan.
and owned publishing companies variously called, "Adiramled Publishing
Company,"

I am in possession of the following material written and published
by Bryant, sometimes using his pseudonym and sometimes his real name"

1) The Divine Symbols (Lessons 1 & 2 became available in May 1901;
250 copies of a book of ten lessons were advertised in his newsletter of
December 1901) )
2) The Art Of Alchemy (Adiramled), book published 1904 from 2270
Broadway, N.Y.C.
Lesson One (Actually Lesson 11 of the whole series of 20) was printed in
his newsletter February 1902;
3) Adiramled, A Monthly Newsletter, from December 1900 (Volume 1,
Number 1, issued from Wyoming, Ohio). I have a poor microfilm print of Vol
1, #1 through Volume 2, #3, and Volume 2, #4 through Volume 3, #11. I do
not have a file from April 1903 on to the unknown date of the end of
publication.
4) Lessons in the Unfoldment of the Philosophers Stone.
5) Light of Life, or the Mastery of Death

Adiramled (Bryant) moved to New York City, as of December 15, 1901.
He moved to East Orange, New Jersey as of September 1902, an area described
by A as "the loveliest suburbs accessible to Greater New-Yorkers." Plans to
"establish a vast home-with farm attachment for raising food, together with
industries of various kinds to give employment to a lot of people. It will
be a kind of co-operative commonwealth-a realization of Bulwer's and
Bellamy's Dreams...." By November 1903 is publishing from South Haven,
Michigan "practically a suburb of Chicago" (Adiramled, November 1903).

There are references in his magazine to the following books of
Adiramled (Bryant) but I have not seen these books (and would like to have
copies provided to me by any kind soul who has them):
The Dawn Of Death (1901)
Sweethearts, a booklet (Mentioned in Adiramled, March 1902)

The following are notes I compiled while reading the Adiramled Newsletter:

Mentioned favorably by Bryant:
Physical Immortality, A Monthly Magazine edited by Harry Gaze from
Oakland, California. 1901 to ?
Philo, A Monthly Magazine, edited by G. Gregerson, Santa Barbara,
California, 1901 to ?
The World's Advance Thought And Universal Republic, edited by Lucy
Mallory (?), Portland, Oregon.
Occult Truth, Monthly, published by G---W. Smiley, Washington, D.C.
Journal of Magnetism, edited by Sidney Flower and William Walker
Atkinson (Adiramled, January 1902, article titled, "The Right Stuff.").
(Note: William Walker Atkinson, a New Thought editor, published extensively
under the pseudonym of Yogi Ramacharaka. Atkinson is one of the three
initiates who published "The Kybalion.").

Adiramled writes in March 1901 that he has "not seen Dr. D.P. Dennnis in
the flesh for seventy-six years...." (Who is Dr. Dennis?).

In June 1901 Adiramled writes knowledgeably about prime matter

In October 1901, Adiramled writes of receiving his astrological chart from
J.K. Newman of Omaha, Nebraska, (1811 Lake Street)

Adiramled once lived in Chicago (Page 4 of Adiramled, January 1902).

From the Adiramled Newsletter, April 1902: "The magic medicine of the
ancients was in the form of a very subtle spiritual oil...a grease...The
Universal Axle Grease."
"...It was in looking down into the crater of an extinct volcano
that I beheld evidences of the very Wonder I am presently alluding to.
"Here at the foot of this very mountain I gathered the pieces of
Lav which I pulverized into the oleaginous Sand on which to experiment with
a view of extracting this Oil.
"Since then, I have discovered that there are places in America
where it can also be obtained of excellent quality but in extremely small
quantity.
"So that thus far, it has taken an enormous amount of labor and
patience to obtain it.
"I am at present studying on a chemical process to manufacture it
from common loam by a treatment with Carbon and my experiments bid fair to
succeeed.
"Naturally while I am studying, I am teaching, because the thing is
entirely too good to keep wholly to myself..."

Describes his work in a last page ad in the newsletter as hermetic healing,
as "Thought-sexation."

Adiramled, May 1902: "... Jesus (Isis) is the Vital Power of Generation.
It slumbers in the Rock, where it is found in its most concrete and compact
form. Out from the rock itself it issues in living streams...You will have
attained the present ideal when you shall have raised this Rock, now
organized as the body, yet higher, and woven it into a flexible
tissue-shield of purest oxidized Carbon, the cellular foundation of which
you see already developing in the common skin...The renewal of skin means
the renewal of life..."

Review in Adiramled, May 1902: "Are you a socialist? If not, you ought to
be, and whether you are or not, if you are liberal, you will enjoy "The
Socialist Spirit" published by Franklin W. Wentworth at 609 Ashland Block,
Chicago, Ill. 50 cents per year. Copies, 5 cents. It is great and it is
good! The editorials alone are worth a hundred times the price of the
paper."

June 1902: Science of the Soul, Part 2 (an article in the Newsletter):
"...The Rationale of Spiritual Birth:-The body is the soil in which the
spiritual seed in implanted, and in which it grows and develops. Conscious
life is the result of this activity. The very inmost immortal principle, or
vital base as it might be termed, is sheathed in the marrow of the bones,
and through the bones themselves is organized and issues forth into the
outer sphere of the temple, expanding the conscious sphere of the Soul's
existence. This spiritual principle is the Word or S-word that pierces the
'joints and marrow' (Heb. 4:12)."
"It is no imaginery thing. It is as much a physical fact as the
blood itself. In fact, it gives color and vitality to the blood. It is a
'two-edged sword,' a sexed-principle that brings forth the expression of
life on the physical plane. The Corpuscles (little bodies resembling solar
discs) are its vehicle.
"This spirit-energy has a mission to work out in the body, which
calls into being the physical cells. When this mission is fulfilled it is
transported to the lungs where it meets the element Oxygen. The word oxygen
means 'producing acid.' Acid is chemical fire-fire united to water, hear
tempered by and operating through moisture.
"This acid, combining as it does two opposing principles, is the
alchemical Mercury, originating as we may say in the pulmonary cells.
Mercury is Greek for Christ. Think of the superstition that has for so many
centuries conceived of Christ as a metaphysical mystery!
"To be sure, it is a mystery, but it is not one connected with any
particular person. Christ is a living principle within the breast of every
human being that breathes. It has, too, an embodiment of its own, being
incarnated, as we may say, momentarily.
"The breath itself is but one pole of being. And here is a point to
which I wish to call the earnest attention of those students who are
looking to the breath as the sole means of regeneration.
"The other pole lies in food, which, like the breath, is drawn from
Nature. These are the two sources of man's life-the two external,
elementary principles with which he is connected. Indeed, the body seems
but the meeting ground of these elements, wherein they are enabled to come
into form and expression..."
"...What immediately concerns us from the positive side is the
production of a pure Mercury. Indeed, the whole life of the organism hinges
upon this. ...This exercise develops the chest and full breathing power,
brings into activity the whole lung surface and causes the elimination of a
large amount of of pure Mercury that goes straight to the capillaries and
vitalizes all the tissue. Of course, it is to be understood that I use the
term Mercury in an alchemical sense-not referring at all to the dead metal
called Mercury extracted from Cinnabar. Mercury is related to the Lungs and
the Breath, to the Mouth and to Speech."

(What follows is a parable in an Adiramled article titled "In a Far-Off
World," in which there was a man and a woman and a shrine and..."if one
crept here quite alone, and knelt on the steps of the stone altar, and
uncovering one's breast, so wounded it that the blood fell down on the
steps of the altar, then whater he who knelt there wished for was granted
him"..."Then she came to the shrine; she knelt down before it and prayed;
there came no answer. Then she uncovered her breast; with a sharp two-edged
stone that lay there she wounded it. The drops dripped slowly down on the
stone, and a voice cried, 'What do you seek?'
(She says she wants the best for the man but she doesn't know what
that is. The wish is granted and the man leaves in a boat. The woman says,
"with my blood I bought the best of all gifts for him. I have come to bring
it to him! He is going from me!" The voice says that is what the man
wanted, art thou contented? And the woman says she is contented.

Adiramled refers to a book, "How To Live Forever," by Harry Gaze, 50 cents.
and another book, "Cellular Cosmogony," Koresh, 15 cents.
Ad for "The Double Man, or the life and training of a mystic. A novel by
F.B. Dowd of The Rosicrucians, Eulian publishing Company, Salem, Mass (P.B.
Randolph group?)

Refers to the Adiramled School of Hermetic Science in June 1902 ad.

July 1902. Refers to the dry distillation of wood and the production of
Naphtha. Refers to the gall of a Cypress turpentine tree as an alchemical
symbol representing "the Prima Materia at a certain stage of development,
at which time it resembles nothing so much as crude turpentine, having also
within itself a tincture, or dye, more powerful than any known to
chemistry. Again, its ultimate form of appearance is said to be like resin,
a known product of turpentine..."

Following is a wonderful discussion of the principles of Mercury and
Sulphur in digestion. Worth typing out here. Also a quote from Dr. George
Carey (12 mineral salts) about food being made from air, with soil being
the negative pole that furnishes the mineral salts.

Refers in June and July issue to rare book called "The Book of Israel,"...a
compendium of scientific knowledge, physiology...phrenology, psychology,
sociology, ethics...an exact reprint of a very large and expensive work,
illustrated. In July this is called "Sepherva, or the Book of Israel."
????
(Does anyone in the Alchemy Forum know of this book?)

August 1902: Definitely type out Science of The Soul, Part Four with its
references to Saliva, etc.

In answer to letter speaks of a substance that can infuse itself into the
molecular structure of the body and heal. "God has made such a
substance...."

September 1902: "We are after the REAL THING-the food that does away with
food-the remedy that banishes disease and death. My hopes are very high at
the present time for I see that these things are to be accomplished in the
near future..."

Speaks of having given up a lucrative career to start "Adiramled" and of
having been a teacher.

"The book, 'Eulis, the History of Love,' advertised on the last page of
this issue, is one that should be read by every man and woman. It amounts
to a sensible solution of the sex-problem in existing society. The style is
bold, fearless, trenchant; the tone clean, moral, uplifting, without minced
words or mouthed phrases."

Here he endorses this P.B. Randolph book! (Note: P.B. Randolph is the
American teacher of the very important European occultist, Franz Bardon!)

October 1902: "Issa is the same as the Egyptian Isis, and identical with
the qabalistic Jesod-the generative foundation, from which comes Ieve, the
Word, and finally Jesus. All these words mean one thing-apply to one thing.
Isis was in Egypt, the goddess of the Moon; but if we think of the One as
the celestial moon, we shall be a long way from grasping the right idea,
although it really is produced by the sub-lunar influence...Do not blame me
if you cannot see that which is before your very eyes...."
"...What is Venus? First, venous, relating to the Blood; secondly,
vinous, relating to the vine, to Christ. The function of the reins, as
purifier of the blood is well known; but they have another function not
commonly understood, which is to supply nutrition to the Vine.
"Said Jesus: 'I am the Vine-ye are the branches...."

Quotes Paschal B. Randolph in "Eulis."

Article on the Holy Grail as a "thing of blood." Cites the 'table' where
the last last Supper was eaten as no more than the stomach! Type notes on
this article.

Sir Galahad,-the gall.

Notes that there are delays because he is still printing in Ohio at his old
printer.

January 1903: Criticism of raw foods. Important notes on water and cooking
(fire). "The magic word of Alchemy is 'Cooked.' Jesus the Nazerite (ISIS
NAZIR) means 'The Eternal Essence Cooked."

Another discussion of first matter. "The earth alluded to (in Genesis) is
not the globe at all but a certain peculiar substance which we will call
the First Matter.

So the above, ladies and gentlemen of the Alchemy Forum, is a portion of my
very rough and unedited notes about Adiramled or Delmar DeForest Bryant. Is
there anyone out there who would like to further investigate Adiramled with
the same energy that Tim Scott is applying to the Ingalese's? I think it
would be worth it and would be willing to cooperate in such an
investigation.
Cordially, Art Kunkin

Art Kunkin
Publisher and Editor, World Wide Free Press
URL: http://www.wwfreepress.com/

Subject: 1373 Surrealism and alchemy
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 15:25:13 -0800
From: Matthew Phillips

Salvador Dali was also interested in the Theatre of Memory (his musuem
in Figueres, Spain evidently attests to this fact according to Ignacio
Gomez de Liano). Look at any of Dali's writings (all his writings I've
seen are good and will no doubt persuade the reader of Dali's erudite
and hermetic mind) or any good collection of his paintings and the
alchemy-surrealist question will be solved easily. Dali was obviously
well-educated in the Hermetic/Western Esoterric tradition. Ramon Lull
is another of Dali's favorite alchemical allusions.

Stuart Inman said,
> Also, Coil and the Current 93 bands on
> Harvey Thornberg's list are nothing to do with the Surrealist
> Movement, whatever influence they may have picked up from Surrealism.

Could you please explain this? How does one pick up influence from a
movement and then have nothing to do with it? This seems a
contradiction. Please explain (don't worry Stuart I'm an art historian
of sorts so you won't have to start at the beginning).

Yours in the Great Work,
Matt Phillips
[email protected]

Subject: 1374 New book on Flamel
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 00:21:31 +0000
From: Carl-Michael Edenborg

I just want to tell you about a recent publication of an alchemical
tract: Nicolas Flamels Book of hieroglyphical figures, translated into
Swedish from a sensational LATIN manuscript in the freemasons archive
in Stockholm. This edition contains all illustrations.

Nicolas Flamel: Boken om de hieroglyfiska bilderna has been published
by Vertigo f�rlag in Stockholm. It costs 80 SEK + postage.

Address:

Vertigo f�rlag
Katarina Bang 26
S-116 39 Stockholm
Sweden
tel 08-640 17 65

Tue Jul 23 10:07:25 1996
Subject: 1375 University course with reference to alchemy

In posts 1362 and 1363, some University courses in alchemy were mentioned. Yesterday someone wrote directly to me to tell me that he was taking a course at JFK University in Orind, California, on alchemy. The teacher is Christina Olsen, a former Jungian analyst and Ph.D. candidate in Theology. She is making a study of the relationship of John of the Cross to alchemy.

Adam McLean

Tue Jul 23 15:12:57 1996
Subject: 1376 Surrealism and alchemy
From: Stuart Inman
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 12:30:53 GMT

Dear Matt Phillips

> Stuart Inman said,
> > Also, Coil and the Current 93 bands on
> > Harvey Thornberg's list are nothing to do with the Surrealist
> > Movement, whatever influence they may have picked up from Surrealism.
>
> Could you please explain this? How does one pick up influence from a
> movement and then have nothing to do with it? This seems a
> contradiction. Please explain (don't worry Stuart I'm an art historian
> of sorts so you won't have to start at the beginning).

Simple. They have had no contact with the Surrealist Movement. They
have, as far as I can tell, been influenced by the imagery of
Surrealism, but there seems to be no consensus with surrealist ideas.
I do not have enough knowledge to comment definitively on Coil etc,
despite having been on the WSD list for some time, but I am in
a position to comment on Surrealism.

I think there are many more interesting links between Surrealism and
Alchemy than Dali, but you need to root through a lot more obscure
stuff. I know personally at least 4 surrealists who are actively
involved in hermetic studies (not including myself). Breton was
certainly very familiar with these subjects, as the Manifestos of
Surrealism show, and Matta gives us some idea of his interests in
some of his drawings.

Stuart Inman

Subject: 1377 New book on Flamel
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 96 21:56 NZST
From: Pat Zalewski

>Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 00:21:31 +0000
>From: Carl-Michael Edenborg
>
>I just want to tell you about a recent publication of an alchemical
>tract: Nicolas Flamels Book of hieroglyphical figures, translated into
>Swedish from a sensational LATIN manuscript in the freemasons archive
>in Stockholm. This edition contains all illustrations.

Can you give us any background into this book and how it relates to Flamel.
I ask this because there have been a number of books attributed to him that
he did not write. I certainly hope this is real!

Pat zalewski

Subject: 1378 University course with reference to alchemy
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 96 22:00 NZST
From: Pat Zalewski

>In posts 1362 and 1363, some University courses in alchemy were mentioned.
>Yesterday someone wrote directly to me to tell me that he was taking a
>course at JFK University in Orind, California, on alchemy. The teacher is
>Christina Olsen, a former Jungian analyst and Ph.D. candidate in Theology.
>She is making a study of the relationship of John of the Cross to alchemy.
>
>Adam McLean

Wouldn't it be great to see a PHD Thesis that actually deals with the
practical transmutation problems of alchemy. Not that I don't mind Jung, but
I would hope a thesis would touch upon the practical somewhere as well as
imagery.

Tue Jul 23 15:24:15 1996
Subject: 1379 New book on Flamel

From: Adam McLean
Re: 1377 New book on Flamel

>>I just want to tell you about a recent publication of an alchemical
>>tract: Nicolas Flamels Book of hieroglyphical figures, translated into
>>Swedish from a sensational LATIN manuscript in the freemasons archive
>>in Stockholm. This edition contains all illustrations.

Pat Zalewski writes:
>Can you give us any background into this book and how it relates to Flamel.
>I ask this because there have been a number of books attributed to him that
>he did not write. I certainly hope this is real!

This book is contains Swedish translation of the well-known Hieroglyphic figures of Flamel. The 'Hieroglyphic figures' were first published in 1612
in French with an English edition in 1624. There was never an early Latin edition of the Flamel figures, and one would assume that if Flamel had written this is the 14th century he would have done so in Latin. In the last few years a Latin manuscript (supposedly dating to the early 17th century) of the figures was discovered in the masonic library in Stolkholm, and this publication is based on this Latin version.

Adam McLean

Subject: 1380 Surrealism and alchemy - Bosch
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 10:18:55 -0500 (CDT)
From: cbr

Just read stuart inman's message and am growing curious about what he and others think about the alchemical connection in hieronymous bosch. while several centuries preceeding any self-conciously surrealist movement, i am aware that some surrealists looked to his work for inspiration. what
do you make, if anything, of the connection here?

Subject: 1381 University course with reference to alchemy
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 10:16:30 -0500
From:george leake

>From: Pat Zalewski
>Wouldn't it be great to see a PHD Thesis that actually deals with the
>practcial transmutation problems of alchemy. Not that I don't mind Jung, but
>I would hope a thesis would touch upon the practical somewhere as well as
>imagery.

*on that subject, two of the articles in the present issue of GNOSIS (#40,
Summer 96) treats this issue to some extent. There's a really nice
interview with Francois Trojani which speaks to the subject of learning to
some extent. The article on the Knights of Malta treats a story of a
Scottish nobleman supposedly getting education along these lines, though
personally it seems a bit on the unlikely side.

*wondering, on another tangent, whether anyone has read Julius Evola.

-G.Leake, 512-471-9117 [email protected]

Subject: 1382 Alchemical teachers
Date: 23 Jul 96 12:33:37 EDT
From: MARVIN LOWES

George Leake writes:

>I am sad to announce that Classics professor at UT Gareth Morgan
>died of a heart attack last week. I am among many who consider this
>a great loss. A man of such learning, dead perhaps too young, with so
>much work left is like the Alexandrian Library burning down.

**********

Could the forum members perhaps recall here the great classical/alchemical
teachers they have known? It would be nice if these lives could be shared
amongst us. Stories and tales, the qualities of the minds we have known...

Perhaps a new thread: Great Teachers. Is this a fruitful suggestion, Adam?

Subject: 1383 Adiramled
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 14:59:13 -0400
From: Rawn Clark

In a message dated 96-07-23 Art Kunkin writes:

>Here he endorses this P.B. Randolph book! (Note: P.B. Randolph is the
>American teacher of the very important European occultist, Franz Bardon!)

Dear Art,

Can you tell more about this connection? This is the first I've heard about
an American teacher of F.Bardon. I've heard mention of Wilhelm Quintscher
as F.B's teacher, so how does P.B.Randolph fit in?

Many thanks for your most helpful post!
:) Rawn Clark

Subject: 1384 Surrealism and alchemy
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 23:44:36 +0100
From: William Hollister

> Ramon Lull
>is another of Dali's favorite alchemical allusions.

I don't think that we should be lulled into regarding Dali as the sole
surrealist who had a lot of regard to alchemical processes.

But I am happy to see this discussion of alchemy, surrealism, and various
familiar writers, including Stejskal and Svankmajer. There is no secret
history here which has transpired since the sixties in Prague; a
half-century of discussion directly addresses the relationship between
alchemy and surrealism. Let us not forget Styrsky, Effenberger and Medek.

The magazine, Analagon, issue 10 (1993) is devoted to this combination, and
features a summary in French of the roots of Bohemian cabbalist thought
and its recent influence on the surrealist group, creating a unique
perspective. (80 pages in Czech).

This hermetic thought has strings of influence that are reflected directly
in Prague power structures. See, for example Vaclav Havel's speech in last
month's New York Review of Books.

Looking to focus the discussion introduced by Stuart Inman, I found the
following quote by Roger Cardinal in an essay about the filmmaker, Jan
Svankmajer, in the compilation about that artist, Dark Alchemy, Edited by
Peter Hames (Flicks Books, 1995):

"The artist operates like an alchemist, turning base matter into gold, that
is: forcing fresh illuminations out of the processing of discarded waste.
Quite apart from the alchemical and cabbalistic associations of Prague
itself, the alchemical model makes good sense if we agree that the
filmmaker is one who ritually collects worthless objects, tests them in
different combinations, and finally extracts out of their accelerated
fusions and confusions a kind of superior quintessence. Ultimately...this
quintessence should be seen as the common denominator of all metaphoric
couplings, namely the analogical principle itself -- the secret of
Surrealist creativity."

With respect to Andre Breton, there is, of course, his work Arkan 17 and
Communicating Vessels -- two works that use Alchemical imagery.

[email protected]

Subject: 1385 Adiramled
From: Jon Marshall
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 09:11:49 -0700

just a bibliographic note:

*the Art of Alchemy or the Generation of Gold* by Delmar Bryant is also
available as four 35-40pp stapled booklets from J D Holmes, in his usual format.
His address can be found on the web site.

Refering to what Russ said about the print quality of the kessinger edition, the
print of these is fine.

it is also clear that the lessons are meant to be read after the 10 lessons
mentioned by Art, as the first lesson starts talking about "kaph the eleventh
letter of the Hebrew alphabet".

jon

Subject: 1386 University course with reference to alchemy
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 16:14:04 -0700
From: rob

Dear All:
As a point of info...It's Orinda, not Orind...the city lies East of
the San Francisco Bay Area.

in gassho, rob

Subject: 1387 Evola
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 96 11:45 NZST
From: Pat Zalewski

George,

I have got a copy of his `Metaphysics of Sex' but that's all. I do not think
I could link this directly to alchemy but it appears Jungian by description.

Pat zalewski

Subject: 1388 New book on Flamel
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 09:07:26 -0400 (EDT)
From: Claude Gagnon

> >>I just want to tell you about a recent publication of an alchemical
> >>tract: Nicolas Flamels Book of hieroglyphical figures, translated into
> >>Swedish from a sensational LATIN manuscript in the freemasons archive
> >>in Stockholm. This edition contains all illustrations.

> This book is contains Swedish translation of the well-known Hieroglyphic
> figures of Flamel. The 'Hieroglyphic figures' were first published in 1612
> in French with an English edition in 1624. There was never an early Latin
> edition of the Flamel figures, and one would assume that if Flamel had
> written this is the 14th century he would have done so in Latin. In the last
> few years a Latin manuscript (supposedly dating to the early 17th century)
> of the figures was discovered in the masonic library in Stolkholm, and this
> publication is based on this Latin version.
>
> Adam McLean

As I have already said on this forum, the Latin version of the Book of
Flamel edited by Kjell Lekeby is a retroversion of the French of 1612. In
short, here is the simple reason: The book of Flamel cites many Latin
sources that we already know. The French version of 1612 makes few
mistakes on those sources. How come that the Latin version makes the
sames mistakes? So, in my opinion, the Stockholm Ms. is a retroversion of
the French. I should have in my possession this week the Ms. of the
Vatican and I shall look if the same mistakes are in the latter, and
report to our forum.

Claude Gagnon

Subject: 1389 Evola
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 09:36:25 -0500
From: george leake

>From: Pat Zalewski
>I have got a copy of his `Metaphysics of Sex' but that's all. I do not think
>I could link this directly to alchemy but it appears Jungian by description.

*well who knows. I think we can still trust GNOSIS to some extent despite
the silly Tyson article. The Evola review focusses on several of his books
recently translated to English, one of which is on hermeticism

-G.Leake, 512-471-9117 [email protected]

Subject: 1390 New subscriber with questions / comments
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 13:39:37 -0500 (CDT)
From: David Roberts

Greetings All, I am a new subscriber. A journalist with The Toronto Globe
and Mail. MA (Religion ) MA (Journalism). I have only passing acquaintance
with the Hermetic Art, but have read Jung, Burckhardt, etc. For some
private research I am trying to recall the source of a story I once read.
It involved a Welsh bishop falling accidentally into possession of a pair
of glass or metal globes or balls. Perhaps he purchased them from an
innkeeper. To his great surprise, the balls contained a powder which, upon
application and supplication, produced the ore. Somehow the balls fell in
to the hands of someone unscrupulous in London who misused the
opportunity.

Does anyone on the list know the source of this story, and where I might
again find it?

With warmest regards,

David Roberts

Subject: 1391 Evola (and lesser luminaries...)
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 18:07:11 -0700
From: Clay Holden

Pat Zalewski wrote re: Julius Evola in response to George Leake:

>>I have got a copy of his `Metaphysics of Sex' but that's all. I do not think
>>I could link this directly to alchemy but it appears Jungian by description.

George was referring to Evola's "The Hermetic Tradition: Symbols &
Teachings of the Royal Art", recently published by Inner Traditions (ISBN
0-89281-451-9), and well worth searching out (though, as Joscelyn Godwin
notes in his review, Evola "had no interest in laboratory alchemy or in
C.G. Jung's psychological interpretations.").

In the Preface, Evola makes the following promise:

"...For out part we can assure the reader that in the present book he will
find a solid basis for dealing with any hermetico-alchemichal text no
matter how obscure and sybilline."

...and makes good on it. Apart from considerations of whatever Evola's
politics may have been, this is a book to read and re-read. It's high time
more of his work was made available in English, especially when the
translator is of the quality of E.E. Rehmus.

George Leake replied:

>*well who knows. I think we can still trust GNOSIS to some extent despite
>the silly Tyson article.

Urk......

Hopefully the inclusion of Donald Tyson's hysterical article ("The Enochian
Apocalypse: Were John Dee's Enochian Keys of magic intended to unleash
violent occult forces that would hurl us into another age?") is not
indicative of the editorial direction Gnosis is going...

Tyson's article is easily the single most offensive piece of pseudo
scholarship I have ever seen in Gnosis (I've been reading it since issue
#1), and if nothing else serves the singular purpose of destroying any
credibility Donald Tyson ever had for me.

It's a case of Tyson getting it part right (Dee and Kelly not really having
a full grasp of the spirits' agendas) and then taking a big plunge into the
toilet with his conclusion.

The main thrust of Tyson's article, in brief, is that Dee and Kelly were
used by GNARLY F0RCES OF CHA0S (tm) to lay a trap which would bring about
the Biblical Apocalypse. A one-time initiate of the Golden Dawn (who shall
remain nameless, but whose initials were "Aleister Crowley" ;>) laid the
groundwork in the 20th Century by skrying the 30 Enochian Aethyrs, and now
all that remains is for some enterprising young magician to open the 30
Aethyrs in order on 30 successive days ("The Apocalypse Working" in Tyson's
words) for *THE END* to come.

A couple of his choicer quotes:

"...It is we who will let the demons of Coronzon into our minds by means of
a specific ritual working. They will not find a welcome place there all at
once, but will worm their way into our subconscious and make their homes
there slowly over time. In the minds of individuals that resist this
invasion they will find it difficult to gain a foothold, but in the more
pliable minds of those who welcome their influence they will establish
themselves readily.

"Once the demons have taken up residence, we will be powerless to prevent
them from turning our thoughts and actions toward chaotic and destructive
ends. These apocalyptic spirits will set person against person and nation
against nation, gradually increasing the madness and chaos in human society
until at last the full horror of Revelation has been realized upon the
stage of the world. ..."

"...If this chilling scenario ever comes to pass, the wars of the twentieth
century will see bucolic to those who survive the slaughter."

Maybe up too many late nights with the "Necronomicon" and Lovecraft? ;)

His conclusion, that the evil demonic forces of "Coronzon" (a name which
appears exactly *once* in the entirety of Dee and Kelly's corpus,
incidentally) will invade and take over everyone coming into contact with
Enochian materials, would make fundamentalists such as Hal Lindsay ("The
Late Great Planet Earth") proud.

An inestimably bad piece of work on Tyson's part, and a rather ugly insult
to two of the 16th century's most celebrated alchemists (see "Monas
Hieroglyphica" and "The Theatre of Terrestrial Astronomy" for example, not
to mention large sections of the Spirit Diaries reproduced in "A True and
Faithful Relation...").

Considering that the next number of Gnosis is supposed to be their "Cosmic
Joke" issue, perhaps Tyson or the editor just got confused as to which
issue the piece was being submitted for?

Just a thought...

Clay Holden
[email protected]

Subject: 1392 New book on Flamel
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 96 11:45 NZST
From: Pat Zalewski

>From: Claude Gagnon

>As I have already said on this forum, the Latin version of the Book of
>Flamel edited by Kjell Lekeby is a retroversion of the French of 1612. In
>short, here is the simple reason: The book of Flamel cites many Latin
>sources that we already know. The French version of 1612 makes few
>mistakes on those sources. How come that the Latin version makes the
>sames mistakes? So, in my opinion, the Stockholm Ms. is a retroversion of
>the French. I should have in my possession this week the Ms. of the
>Vatican and I shall look if the same mistakes are in the latter, and
>report to our forum.
>
>Claude Gagnon

many thanks for your input Claude. what a pity it was not written by him!

Pat zalewski

Subject: 1393 Adiramled
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 01:38:53 -0700 (PDT)
From: Art Kunkin

>From: Rawn Clark
>
>In a message dated 96-07-23 Art Kunkin writes:
>
>>Here he endorses this P.B. Randolph book! (Note: P.B. Randolph is the
>>American teacher of the very important European occultist, Franz Bardon!)
>
>Dear Art,
>
>Can you tell more about this connection? This is the first I've heard about
>an American teacher of F.Bardon. I've heard mention of Wilhelm Quintscher
>as F.B's teacher, so how does P.B.Randolph fit in?
>
>Many thanks for your most helpful post!
> :) Rawn Clark

Dear Rawn,
I don't have the time right now to prepare a bio of P.B. Randolph but
there are a few of his works available in used bookstores. Bardon evidently
got his knowledge of charging fluid condensers and metals -- a subject
peripherally close to laboratory alchemy-- from Randolph, an American who
travelled widely in Europe and was even an influence on Eliphas Levi. Where
Randolph learned his hermeticism is unknown to me. Cordially, Art
([email protected])

Art Kunkin
Publisher and Editor, World Wide Free Press
URL: http://www.wwfreepress.com/

Subject: 1394 Enochian Apocalypse
From: Marcella Gillick
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 12:07:00 +0000

There are two main things I would very much like more information on,
raised in Clay Holden's abm post. If this is all 'old-hat' to the Forum, my
private e-mail address is (hopefully) below.

1. This 'Gnosis' - I'm assuming its a periodical magazine - could someone
please give me details of ordering etc, I am in Ireland and don't somehow
imagine it's available here.

2. The Enochian Apocalypse - I've never heard of this before - I'm assuming
this is something that this guy Tyson just 'dreamed up' as opposed to an
already established idea he's just adding his pounds-worth to?

3. Connected with 2 above, I am especially interested in anything to do
with Enoch. Without wishing to come across as a weirdo, I get a lot
of my stuff through dreams, and following a dream about 'the lost book
of Enoch' three years ago, I did a little bit of research: Enoch was the
grandchild (or somesuch) of Adam, and the last human to understand
the language of the Angels (aka the Enochian Language?). Enoch was the
founder of the Essenes (the same Enoch?) - I've seen the Essene gospels
and related writings, which are very angelic. It occurred to me that
the hieroglyphs or whatever that were revealed to Kelley by angels,
were already knocking around. I have a vague feeling that there was
another Enoch also, or another seperate connection to Enoch.

Apologies, this is all-over-the-place, not being a scholar, nor well-read.

Looking forward to any insights
Marcella Gillick
[email protected]

Subject: 1395 Surrealism and alchemy - Bosch
From: Stuart Inman
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 13:36:49 GMT

I am not really able to say anything authoritative about Bosch and
Alchemy, the idea of links make sense, but it is easy to read
different things into his work. I know there is a book called "The
Golden Apples of Hieronymous Bosch" that claims he was a member of a
sect (Brethren of the Free Spirit?). The Thames and Hudson paperback
by Gibson on the other hand claims that his images interpret the
common figures of speech and popular proverbs of the time. Not that
this goes against an alchemical argument. Sorry I can't say more. A
subject worth looking into though.

While naming surrealists influenced by the alchemical and broader
hermetic traditions, I forgot to mention Victor Brauner. He is in
fact one of the more important hermetic surrealists, if I can use
that phrase. His work is profoundly shaped by the tradition. He also
predicted theough the medium of his painting the loss of his right
eye ten years before the event.

Stuart

Subject: 1396 Ancient christian links
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 21:06:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: Pablo Bermudez

I am writing from Lima, Peru. My name is Pablo Bermudez. It is so good to
know there is an alchemy list. As you can imagine, it is very difficult to
get alchemy info around here.

We have read The Mystery of the Cathedrals and Les Demeures Philosophales by Fulcanelli. We are very interested in ancient links between old religions and alchemy especially in the early stages of Christianity until arround the XVIth century. Also in triying to understand the lost word, the verbum dimissum and relations between Christian symbolism and alchemy. Very intereseted in Gothic Art, Hermetism and symbolism. But it is really
difficult to get good books, or even someone with whom to talk about these things.

Fulcanelli also mentions that the Incas knew this language, called the
language of the birds or the language of the gods. We haven't found much info about Fulcanelli except for Canseliet, and L. Pauwels and Jaques Bergier.

We have to travel so far alone, maybe someone can help us guide us in the
right direction. If anyone needs some information from this part of the world, you can count on us.

Thanks in advance, and sorry for our English...

Pablo Bermudez
[email protected]

Subject: 1397 New subscriber with questions / comments
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 15:29:49 +0100
From: Philip O'Neil

>From: David Roberts
> For some
>private research I am trying to recall the source of a story I once read.
>It involved a Welsh bishop falling accidentally into possession of a pair
>of glass or metal globes or balls. Perhaps he purchased them from an
>innkeeper. To his great surprise, the balls contained a powder which, upon
>application and supplication, produced the ore. Somehow the balls fell in
>to the hands of someone unscrupulous in London who misused the
>opportunity.
>Does anyone on the list know the source of this story, and where I might
>again find it?
>David Roberts

Our good friend Edward Kelley ( real name Talbot) wandering around England
after having his ears lopped off by a Lancashire executioner for fraud
supposedly came across a strange manuscript in a Welsh Inn which was found
along with two ivory phials in the grave of a monk. One contained a red
powder, the other white and with these an indecipherable text. Armed with
these Kelley charged off to see John Dee convinced that the spirits
conjured up via his scrying stone would be able to translate the text.
Whether or not he used these powders when travelling to Prague to
elicit the patronage of Rudolf 11 a drop of blood red oil was used
supposedly to transmogrify mercury into gold and established him as an
adept within Rudolfs court until falling out of favour by failing to
deliver and then killing a courtier in a 1591 duel.
In Kelley De lapide philosophorum to Rudolf whilst incarcerated in
Most Castle he outlines the ideas of reciprocal dependence of active and
passive naturally aware that conjunction (red) followed sublimation
(white) in the alchemical process and probably made up the colours before
approaching Dee in Mortlake. in De lapide Kelleys outline of the cyclical
nature of the alchemical follows the traditional lines as set down in
Paracelcus and Albertus Magnus.
I think the red and white phials should therefore be taken musch in
the same vein as the discovery of the emerald tablets of Hermes
Trismegistos in the Gizeh Temple. A happy symbolic nonsense.
Gustave Meyrink in 'The Angel of the West Window' has the
fictionalised diaries of John Dee refer to a gift from the Muscovite Mascee
showing him two ivory spheres, one red and one white which screwed together
which fills Dee with such dread that he throws them from the window.The
symbolic importance of the colours red and white in this case could be
lifted from the Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosencreutz ( the Queen in
red and white to symbolise conjunction and sublimation again) or merely
refer to the St George flag as Dees character is juggled between adept and
spy whose European adventures were nothing more than undercover operations
for his loyal service to Queen and country.

Yours

Philip O'Neil

Subject: 1398 P.B. Randolph (was: Admiraled)
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 07:56:13 -0600
From: Roy M. Liuzza

Re: Randolph and Bardon

There is a good biographical chapter on Paschal Beverly Randolph in
Joscelyn Godwin's 'The Theosophical Enlightenment' (Albany: SUNY Press,
1994), pp. 247-275. No mention of Bardon, as far as I can remember, but
Godwin does connect Randolph's ideas to the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor.

P.S. to Art Kunkin: who were the other two initiates who wrote the
"Kybalion"?

-- Roy Liuzza
[email protected]

Thu Jul 25 15:28:39 1996
Subject: 1399 Surrealism and alchemy - Bosch

For alchemy and Bosch see:

Laurinda S. Dixon - Alchemical Imagery in Bosch's Garden Of Delights.
UMI Research Press, 1981. [This is a revised version of her Ph.D. thesis at Boston University.]

Adam McLean

Subject: 1400 Evola (and lesser luminaries...)
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 10:04:12 -0500
From: george leake

>From: Clay Holden [edited for brevity]
>Hopefully the inclusion of Donald Tyson's hysterical article ("The Enochian
>Apocalypse: Were John Dee's Enochian Keys of magic intended to unleash
>violent occult forces that would hurl us into another age?") is not
>indicative of the editorial direction Gnosis is going...
>
>Tyson's article is easily the single most offensive piece of pseudo
>scholarship I have ever seen in Gnosis (I've been reading it since issue
>#1), and if nothing else serves the singular purpose of destroying any
>credibility Donald Tyson ever had for me.
>
>Considering that the next number of Gnosis is supposed to be their "Cosmic
>Joke" issue, perhaps Tyson or the editor just got confused as to which
>issue the piece was being submitted for?

*clearly this stands out as silly in an issue full of very good articles on
Hermeticism, all very relevant to this forum (though probably very basic
for most of you out there), there is one way in which it could be not as
bad. Tyson could be pulling our leg. Tyson's warning could be more about
unleashing inner personal demoans (to which he makes reference) rather than
manifested part man part gargoyle beings you see in heavy metal music
videos. On the other hand, it is hard to take as irony his presentation of
Dee, Kelly and Crowley. Just to think, this from the guy who actually did a
good bit of scholarship for Llewellyn once.

-G.Leake, 512-471-9117 [email protected]