What is Spiritual Alchemy - The Historical Unification of Mysticism, the Philosophers Stone & Heresy

What is Spiritual alchemy? Emerging from the early 20th century quasi-vitalist, mystical interpretation of Mircea Eliade and the psychologizing interpretation of Carl Jung - both marked by a profoundly ahistorical approach - a position now known as the “new historiography” has attempted to re-locate alchemical theory and practice precisely as a historically developing theory of nature and the transformation of nature.  However, many on the channel ask the same resounding question: “But what about the spiritual aspect of alchemy?  Isn’t alchemy really about inner or spiritual transformation and not changing lead into gold?”  In this episode, the first of several in a series, I’m going to explore just that question - the origins and development of spiritual alchemy in the European alchemical tradition. From radical mysticism of salvation, the alchemy of Paracelsus and heretical Protestants will emerge a theory of alchemical salvation with Christ as the philosophers' stone and will lay the groundwork for Theosophy and Occult spirituality for centuries to come.

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Recommended Readings:

Zuber - Spiritual Alchemy: From Jacob Boehme to Mary Anne Atwood - 978-0190073046

Other Readings:

Linden, Stanton J. (ed.) The Alchemy Reader: From Hermes Trismegistus to Isaac Newton.  978-0521796620.  Nicely edited collection of alchemical primary texts.
Principe, Lawrence.  The Secrets of Alchemy.  978-0226103792.  An up-to-date history of alchemy.
Newman, William.  Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's "Secret Fire" 978-0691174877.  Cutting edge research on alchemy in the 17th century.
Roob, Alexander(ed.) Alchemy & Mysticism.   978-3836549363.  A collection of alchemical imagery and symbolism, also a nice coffee table book!

Spiritual / Psychology School of Interpretation

Atwood, Mary Anne.  A Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery….(many re-print editions).  The first text to introduce the ‘spiritual interpretation” of alchemy.
Eliade, Mircea.  The Forge and the Crucible: The Origins and Structure of Alchemy. 978-0226203904.  Religious-philosophical interpretation of alchemy.
von Franz, Marie-Louise.  Alchemy: An Introduction to the Symbolism and the Psychology. 978-0919123045.  An introduction to the Jungian psychological interpretation of alchemy.