I'm getting kind of interested in this subject and i don't want to get it obstructed by stuff I only read on the internet that people got from the tv show. Does any1 no what it really is and can give me some straight answers?
Alchemy is the practice of turning baser metals into gold or other metals. Its also associated with finding a universal solvent for the elixer of life. It is said that with a nuclear reactor they managed to synthesize mercury into gold. Unfortunately all that was produced were flakes and the costs into creating it far exceeds the current value of gold. Im no expert but i too have been reading up on this alot.
Just to save time and trouble, check "The Encyclopedia of magic and Alchemy" by Rosemary Ellen Guiley and it will provide you with more info. on the subject than you want to know. Trust me.
In general, according to my texts, "Alchemy" covers a wide range of topics, from the discovery of a single cure for al diseases to the quest for immortality from the creation of artifical life to strightforward descriptons of scientific techniques. It is commonly believed, quite incorrectly, to the use of the "Philosopher's Stone", which is not a stone at all but a powder or liquid that can turn base metals into gold and when swallowed, gives everlasting life.
Old spiritual paktice. Alchemy is primarily a spiritual doctrine in Europe after the onset christianity veiled as a physical transmutation. Alchemists did not want to be burned at the stake. In eastern alchemy texts - there not reigned Christians - was text often very clear. See you The secret of the golden Flower, Taoist alchemy book, translantion by Richard Willhelm. The book is on the net in .pdf
I would refer the reader to the book, now out of print, I think, entitled"Witchcraft, Magic, and Alchemy"by Grillot de Givry, 1971.
I watched a really good History Channel show on this. Most alchemists actually died. This was because they were using Mercury. Something to do with the weird properties of mercury that everyone thought it was the so called philospher stone and used it in their mix and match chemistry experiments. This show though did go on to say that a lot of things came about because of alchemy. BUT.. most alchemist were con artists.. what they would do is get paid by some noble to pay for their "research". Now this was like high risk investing back in the day. These nobles were betting on this alchemist to find this philosopher stone so that they could make gold out of anything and then be the richest in the kingdom. This was the noble's point of view. Now from the alchemists point of view.. They were getting a lavish lifestyle paid for, sometimes for years. The con was to keep it going for as long as they could.. Sometimes they said, when they knew they were running thin on patience with the noble that was paying their salary, they would pull some David Copperfield type slight of hand trick on them to say they had found out the secret.. then when the noble would be sending out word that his alchemist had found it and have his other people testing this.. the alchemist would slip out the back door. So that's what I heard from a purely historical stand point.
Ooops.. forgot to add that a lot of alchemists also died from lead poisoning because they were trying to boil lead and then inhaled the vapors. Same with the mercury.
The foremost alchemist of the world and also Hierarch of this age is a man named Saint Germain. You can learn more about him: Saint Germain - Lord of the Seventh Ray Saint Germain on Alchemy - For the Adept in the Aquarian Age
Found this a bit ago. Thought someone would share but since no one has here it goes. 21st Century alchemy: The tiny bug that can turn common elements into 24 carat GOLD | Mail Online 21st Century alchemy: The tiny bug that can turn common elements into 24 carat GOLD Professors describe their work as 'neo-alchemy' and exhibit findings in the form of art-science installation now on display in Austria By Damien Gayle PUBLISHED: 08:07 EST, 4 October 2012 | UPDATED: 04:38 EST, 5 October 2012 Comments (44) Share It was the alchemical quest that was midwife to the birth of modern science: how to transform common elements into precious gold. Now researchers have found a bacterium that could fit the bill as a modern day philosophers' stone, by turning a toxic chemical compound found in nature into solid, 24-carat gold. A team from Michigan State University discovered that the metal-tolerant bacteria Cupriavidus metallidurans can grow on massive concentrations of gold chloride, which is deadly to other creatures. They found that the tiny bugs can transform the toxic substance to produce gold nuggets. Scroll down for video Bioreactor: The installation artwork produced by two Michigan State University professors that uses bacteria to produce pure gold 'Microbial alchemy is what we’re doing – transforming gold from something that has no value into a solid, precious metal that’s valuable,' said Kazem Kashefi, assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics. He and Adam Brown, associate professor of electronic art and intermedia, found that Cupriavidus metallidurans can grow on massive concentrations of gold chloride – a toxic chemical compound found in nature that is often known as liquid gold. More... Painting by slumbers: Robot draws your sleep patterns as you toss and turn Think your phone was expensive? Designer 'blings' out iPhone 5 in diamonds and gold - and it's yours for just £21,995... In fact, the professors discovered, the bacteria are at least 25 times stronger than previously reported among scientists. The pair made their findings with a novel art installation dubbed The Great Work of the Metal Lover, which uses a combination of biotechnology, art and alchemy to turn liquid gold into 24-carat gold. The artwork contains a portable laboratory made of 24-carat gold-plated hardware, a glass bioreactor containing the bacteria, a combination that produces gold in front of an audience. Bubbling away: The researchers found the metal-tolerant bacteria Cupriavidus metallidurans can grow on massive concentrations of gold chloride, which is deadly to other creatures, and turn it to pure 24-carat gold Valuable: Pure gold flecks produced by the art-science experiment Professors Brown and Kashefi fed the bacteria unprecedented amounts of gold chloride, mimicking the process they believe happens in nature. In about a week, the bacteria metabolised the toxins and produced a gold nugget. The Great Work of the Metal Lover uses a living system as a vehicle for artistic exploration, Professor Brown said. The artwork also includes a series of images made with a scanning electron microscope. Using ancient gold illumination techniques, Professor Brown applied 24-carat gold leaf to regions of the prints where a bacterial gold deposit was identified so each print contains some of the gold produced in the bioreactor. 'This is neo-alchemy. Every part, every detail of the project is a cross between modern microbiology and alchemy,' he said. 'Science tries to explain the phenomenological world. As an artist, I’m trying to create a phenomenon. Art has the ability to push scientific inquiry.' 'Neo-alchemy': This print of a scanning electron microscope image made as part of the experiment has been illuminated with gold leaf made in the bioreactor THE GREAT WORK: THE HUNT FOR THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE The philosopher's stone is a legendary alchemical substance said to be capable of turning base metals like lead into gold. It was also sometimes believed to be an elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and possibly for achieving immortality. For many centuries, it was the most sought-after goal in Western alchemy. The philosopher's stone was the central symbol of the mystical terminology of alchemy, symbolizing perfection at its finest, enlightenment, and heavenly bliss. Efforts to discover the philosopher's stone were known as the Great Work. Many early scientists were obsessed with the discovering the secret. It would be cost prohibitive to reproduce their experiment on a larger scale, he said. But the researchers’ success in creating gold raises questions about greed, economy and environmental impact, focusing on the ethics related to science and the engineering of nature. The Great Work of the Metal Lover was selected for exhibition and received an honorable mention at the world-renowned cyber art competition, Prix Ars Electronica, in Austria, where it’s on display until October 7. Prix Ars Electronica is one of the most important awards for creativity and pioneering spirit in the field of digital and hybrid media. 'Art has the ability to probe and question the impact of science in the world, and The Great Work of the Metal Lover speaks directly to the scientific preoccupation while trying to shape and bend biology to our will within the postbiological age,' Professor Brown said Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2212807/21st-Century-alchemy-The-tiny-bug-turn-common-elements-24-carat-GOLD.html#ixzz29TnnfALs Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
