Alquimia

1 Kids! Don't try this at home! The practice of Real Alchemy is inherently dangerous. Formal laboratory training is encouraged. Consulting a licensed physician is encouraged before consuming herbal preparations. Familiarize yourself with the laws that may apply to you in your jurisdiction and act accordingly. Read as many of the other books on the subject of Alchemy as possible. (A list ofrecommended books can be found in the Bibliography.) Learn as much as you can from a qualified teacher. And above all, know the theory before attempting the practice.

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ISBN: 978-1-84728-478-5

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2 CONTENTS

FOREWORD by Dennis William Hauck PREFACEINTRODUCTION Practical Alchemy CHAPTER ONE A Brief History of Alchemy CHAPTER TWO Theory of Alchemy CHAPTER THREE Astrology and Alchemy CHAPTER FOUR Introduction to Laboratory Alchemy CHAPTER FIVE Alchemical Processes CHAPTER SIX Herbal Alchemy CHAPTER SEVEN Water Works CHAPTER EIGHT Return to the Fire CHAPTER NINE Qabalah and Alchemy CHAPTER TEN Introduction to Mineral and Metallic Works CHAPTER ELEVENVia Humida CHAPTER TWELVE Concerning the Minerals CHAPTER THIRTEEN Via Humida, Part Two CHAPTER FOURTEEN Via Sicca CHAPTER FIFTEEN Antimony CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Seed of Metals CHAPTER SEVENTEEN The Philosopher's Stone CONCLUSION APPENDIX BIBLIOGRAPHY

3 5 6 9 14 22 25 30 41 48 60 66 71 73 78 83 88 100 108 112 120 122 124

3 FOREWORD The book before you is an amazing accomplishment in many ways.My friend and fellow alchemist Robert Bartlett has laid bare the secret processes and experiments of our discipline with exceptional clarity and openness. He has exposed the Hermetic origins of alchemy and shown how modern alchemists approach the ancient art. But first and foremost, his book is a revelation of the genuine craft of alchemy as it was meant to be practiced. While the work of CarlJung and others have underscored the archetypal power and universal significance of alchemical symbols, alchemy itself is much more than a psychological commentary on the nature of the human psyche. It is true that alchemy reflects the highest aspirations of the human soul, for our gold has always symbolized the hastened perfection of Man as well as matter. However, any alchemist worth his salt knowsthat lasting transformation only takes place when the work is accomplished on all levels of reality—the mental, the spiritual, and the physical. The Great Work is actual work to be done with the hands, the heart, and the soul, and not just understood with the mind. A medieval alchemist brought back to our era would be highly amused at the endless discussions among modern theorists as to thenature and depth of alchemy or its sudden blossoming in the offices of psychiatrists and New Age counsellors. "Has no one ever tried it?" he would ask incredulously. "What good is such understanding without its practical application in the world?" No alchemist in history ever thought the Secret Art was solely a mental discipline. The work of transformation takes place in the real world. Yet alchemy isnot chemistry. Chemistry is a superficial science that deals only with the external forms in which the elements manifest. A chemist seeks to rearrange atoms and molecules to exhibit different properties of the same dead material. An alchemist seeks to create an entirely new substance by exposing its essences, bringing them alive, and causing them to grow. When an alchemist performs a laboratory...