Alchemy is not a simple matter of seeking to make gold from the base elements (now made possible in the crucible of atomic fission). Reading the texts of the alchemists of the renaissance and the early modern period gives a very strong sense of the mystical devotion to God shared by these men, committed to understanding their creator by observing and studying his works. If we can understand how the creation works we can glean an appreciation of the mind of God.
In the pages in this category you will find simple alchemical projects that relate to art and suggest the practical relationship between early renaissance artists and alchemists, whose fields of study intersected and fed each other. You may recognize the similarity of the early stages of the lesser work to herbal tincturing, or you will note the practical process of making paint corresponding to simple chemistry and the first stages of the manufacture of salts.
I have included a page on Martin Luther’s views on alchemy and certain other topics which will clarify to some extent the emphasis on freedom of thought and study that was part of the nature of early Protestantism. I am encouraged by Luther’s comments that this is a worthwhile area for study.
The alchemists almost universally admired Pythagorean number theory, which in my opinion is utterly beautiful and possesses far more graceful a system for understanding the nature of the trinity than any alternate expression I have yet read. I have made various attempts to express the numbers in drawings, and paintings, none particularly satisfactory, owing to the flexible nature of these mystical ideas. However, the ideas are found in many of the paintings, particularly the more recent works.
If you are interested in learning more about alchemy, follow this link to a wonderful lecture by Dr. Margaret Jacob, author of The Radical Enlightenment: Pantheists, Freemasons and Republicans, published by George Allen & Unwin, London and Boston,1981
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