The Book of Alchemy: Learn the Secrets of the Alchemists to Transform Mind, Body, and Soul

by Francis Melville

Alchemy—the ancient science that aims to transform various substances into different and more noble elements—remains one of the most misunderstood of the great wisdom traditions. Often scorned as a deceptive pseudo-science practiced by the greedy in pursuit of gold, alchemy is gaining renewed recognition by many today as a legitimate way to understand certain workings of nature. It is also seen as a complex key to our understanding of humanity's relationship to the universe and a means of improving our health and well-being. The Book of Alchemy teaches its readers how to penetrate the obscure symbolic language of the alchemists . . . understand how alchemical transformation can initiate a profound change of consciousness, claimed by practitioners to bring eventual union with the Divine . . . practice traditional meditations and exercises . . . prepare herbal alchemical elixirs to benefit the body . . . and discover how the alchemists' search for purity can become a twenty-first-century model for spiritual development. Readers will also find helpful meditations, brilliant illustrations of alchemical emblems, and instructions for making beneficial alchemical potions from easy-to-obtain herbs. The author shows readers how to harness the powers claimed for alchemy to improve their physical, spiritual, and mental well-being. Approximately 130 full-color illustrations.

Genres: Alchemy, Occult, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Science, Reference, Philosophy

128 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2002

Reviews

[Sheila Coldiron]

I received this book when I attended an Alchemy workshop given my Dennis Hauck. I knew nothing about alchemy and this book is an excellent introduction. I have now read Dennis Hauck's book "An Idiots Guide to Alchemy."

[Jordan]

The "early 2000's" vibe is strong with this one

[Chris Jones]

This book starts with a decent introduction to alchemy from a historic perspective. I bought the book because of the nice illustrations and photos of common chemical apparatus. Once you get past the history, the book descends into hippy land where one needs to be an uneducated Middle Ages inhabitant who believes in astrology and other such nonsense.

[Gina Lisak]

I loved this book so much that I kept renewing it from the library for six months. The illustrations by Adam McLean were great to examine and reflect on. This was a great little book that contains a lot of information for those beginning to study alchemy.

[Steven]

Beautiful words and images of Alchemy

[Kerry]

A great introduction to the world of alchemy and the key themes and signs therein. It's definitely intrigued me and whet my appetite to read more on the subject and it's mysteries.

[David Eales]

One of the best introductions to the many facets of alchemy, covering the history, symbolism, philosophy and practice of alchemy, both as a spiritual and practical laboratory art. There is information here that you would have to read a whole library of books to glean. Beautifully printed and illustrated, this book was described by the legendary alchemist Manfred Junius as "an absolute treasure".

[Kenzie]

I appreciated this overview of alchemy; it covers some history, numerology, astrology, stages of the work, and spagyrics (the process of making alchemical tinctures). The mix of text and image was quite helpful, given that so much of alchemy is conveyed through image.

[Tim]

Good basic entry book

[Jeff]

1st Read: October 22, 2002 - November 20, 2002 (**** Rating)

I will read this again! At first, it was a brief read where I focused more on the description of the photos in the book. Upon completing that, I totally ate this book up in small doses between working two full time jobs.

2nd Read: February 7, 2018 - February 11, 2018 (*** Rating)

Very interesting material and is a good introduction to Alchemy. In some instances it reminds me a lot of and about Wicca; without the spells and incantations.

[Victoria Pike]

So far this is a good primer for alchemy. The graphics are lovely and it is informative without going into great depth on the topic.

With that said, as a dyslexic I do need to state that it is not an easy read for me. This is due to the texture they put under the words on the page. It makes the script jumble and hard to read for me.

[Woody Hayday]

Interesting collection of stories, with some facts. Useful as a basic primer on Alchemy, though an amount of speculative writing seems to have made it in. Some great illustrations make up for some of the less relevant sections.

Woody Hayday

[Anabela Costa]

3.5 Stars

[J.J.]

Sometimes the story/history was a little dry, but the information I needed shot out of the pages.

[Annie]

Probably very good if you bother to finish! :D

[Brady]

Contemporary, concise, and helpful overview of alchemy.

[Signor Mambrino]

I picked up a copy of this book second hand because it had cool pictures. Presumed it was going to be more historical and less instructional. Cool pictures though.