Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery with a Dissertation on the More Celebrated of the Alchemical Philosophers Being an Attempt Towards the Recovery of the Ancient Experiment of Nature

by Mary Anne Atwood

Mary Anne wrote A Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery. . . at her father’s request, and in parallel with his own composition of a lengthy poem on the same subject. Thomas South (her father) paid for the book to be published anonymously in 1850, but without having read it, trusting his daughter’s judgement. Reading it after publication, he believed Mary Anne had revealed many hermetic secrets that were better left unpublished, and therefore bought up the remaining stock and, with his daughter, burnt them, along with the unfinished manuscript of his poem. Only a few copies of the book survived. Ms Atwood published nothing after A Suggestive Inquiry. . . .

Walter Leslie Wilmshurst, in his 1918 introduction to the reissue, laments that the thoughts of her later years did not find fruition in another work. He claims, however, that there is much to be found in her papers, of which he was then in possession.

[This edition is a facsimile reprint of the 1918 reissue.]

Genres: Alchemy, Occult, Mysticism, Nonfiction

696 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1850

Reviews

[HillbillyMystic · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will attempt to come back to this after the 13° however I can honestly say while I made it over halfway through, I didn't understand a single word of this book, but then again I am only a 6° now. Sometimes I think we understand things when we are better prepared and the time is right. For me, for now, the veil has not been lifted far enough for me to comprehend a single word of this, yet. I am angry how dumbed down our government, culture and society has made us, by design...

[J.P. Cawood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a difficult read as it is a "forgotten book" from long ago. I googled a lot of words and concepts, but the work was worth it. The deep wisdom this book dispels about the nature of reality has helped me see the world in new ways. It's also helped me go deeper into my meditation practice. While I don't recommend it for the casual reader, it's a treasure trove for truth seekers on the spiritual path.

[Clancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I must be ineligible for the mysteries. I found this close to unreadable. I gave up after about 3 chapters. It is terribly opaque. There are better mystery schools that explain the mystery of alchemy in more accessible terms. Don't waste your time with this. The real reason it was burned is that the penmanship is woeful.

[John Kulm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is difficult for three reasons:
1. It's written in an 1850s vernacular.
2. The subject is esoteric.
3. The author doesn't want you to understand it. That is, the Mysteries are meant to be held secret by the initiated.

This is the only book I've found that has a description of the initiation process of the ancient mystery cults, although the description is cloaked in metaphor.

I suspect you'll need to be extremely interested in the ancient mystery cults or Hermeticism or alchemy to read this cover to cover (and it helps to know the basics of neo-Platonism). I took months to crawl through paragraph by paragraph, because as soon as I managed to understand a page I'd stop to contemplate. Reading it took me longer than an initiate took to get initiated!

Here are two quotes from the text. The first, I think, is the theme of the book and of Hermeticism. The second quote, when you understand the meaning, is the key to the process.

"And this one thing is to be consummated, that man may know himself."

"And therefore it behoves us to mortify two Argent vives together, says Hermes; both to venerate and to be venerated, viz., the Argent vive of Auripigment and the Oriental Argent vive of Magnesia."

LoL ~ I've just given away the great secret of the Hermetic Mystery Cult! Now you may live.

[Beluosus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liber et placet et non placet. Scriptrix eruditissima, attamen nimis suae aetatis. Credit veteribus mythis, erroresque antiquos dictitat, quos ego, qui aegypticos libros aegyptice lego, falsum esse novi. Veritatem ab origine accipit, sicut enim illi viatores indubii, quos crebro citat.

Nam, Corpus illud Hermeticum amo, atque opera alchemica posterioris Medii Aevi me delectant, attamen lectione skepsin non sepono. Inest sapientia, et mysteria sunt saepe pulchra, saltem ut poiesis. At non credo quod oblectat.

Agnosco quoque styli victoriani et repetitionis immodicae me taedere. Ferme item mihi tolerantia neo-platonismi ocius evanescit.

Fontibus permultis auctrix utitur, e quibus locos copiose transfert. Liber bibliographia eget, attamen e commentariis in ima pagina facile bibliographiam propriam condere potes. Hic est thesaurus in libro maximus : lectrix, quae vult sapere, lector qui vult discere, ipsi laborare debent. Magistra semitam ostendit, utensilia indicavit, sed opus est discipulis eniti.

[Mitchell Stern · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book largely fails to truly explain the underlying philosophy of hermeticism in a way not applied solely to alchemy. It was a major disappointment.

[char]

incredible to see such a brilliant mind completely devoted to something so deeply immaterial and so soon after made wholly irrelevant academically, culturally, socially, and physically what with the burnings and all. not inaccessible prose but was shocked how in the weeds this was... not that i expected layman's lit but this had me sweating. a rich metaphor exists in alchemy and this cracks some of it; atwood's biography maybe cracks the rest of it 🤭

[Ine · Rating 5 out of 5]

One, I have to read again to really let it sink in.. a lot of resonance and now wanting to land more, feel more of the knowledge..

[Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Believe it or not...this book was awesome. I did a lot of reading on the subject of alchemy, just for information purposes and this book surprised the hell out of me. I went into it as this is going to bore the living hell out of me but I was mistaken. There is so much fact comparing and referencing and information about things I never heard of before. And if you read some of the 'tales' about the author and how she did way too good of a job on this, it's even better.

I suggest that if you have any interest on the subject to definitely read this book. Just the magnitude of the research she had to do and at the time it was written will enchant you. It is impressive.