Alchemy: The Forgotten Science of Spirituality

As a practitioner of herbal medicine, I love making teas and tinctures.  A few years ago I purchased several glass jars in which to store my dried herbs.  Reading the label stating Hermetically Sealed Jars, a thought occurred to me – “Alchemy is a strange thing.”  Everyone knows of it, but nobody seems to know about it.  With the exception of those few students of esotericism, the concepts and ideals of Alchemy seems to be greatly misunderstood among the common populous.   At the very best, the average person has been exposed to Alchemy only through cartoons, movies, comic books and popular media.  What is failed to be realized is the tremendous impact Alchemy has had on human evolution and civilization.

The word Alchemist generally conjures images of greedy wizards working tirelessly to turn lead in gold.  While it’s indeed true that the production of gold was central to many schools of Alchemy, the Alchemist was certainty not a mere money-maker focused on financial gain.  Although charlatans do exist in any professional arena, and there have certainty been fraudulent Alchemist throughout history, the true Alchemist was a holy-philosopher seeking to transmute the lead of his worldly existence in to the pure gold of spiritual illumination.  Alchemy is in fact the oldest form of Science.  It is the foundation of modern Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Medicine and Pharmacology.  Every facet of modern science owes its existence to the ancient craft of Alchemy.  Yet, the average person knows very little of what is called The Royal Art.

The Alchemists were spiritual-scientists that explored the supernatural realm questing for the ultimate truth of existence.  Among the fruits of their labor, they would produce for the modern world advanced systems of Chemistry, Anatomy, Psychology, Astronomy and Spirituality.  They were Inventors, Philosophers, Doctors and Blacksmiths as well as being Shamans, Priest, Healers, and Sages.  Most importantly, the Alchemists laid the foundation for those wishing to explore the vast mysteries of existence.

Alchemy is a broad term which can refer to any number of traditions from around the globe.  Many ancient cultures, including those of China, India, Europe and the Middle East, have had long standing Alchemical traditions which can still be observed today.  Alchemy is said to have originated in Ancient Egypt where the God Thoth - called Hermes Trismegistus in Greek - first inscribed the knowledge of Alchemical Operations on an Emerald Tablet.  The Emerald Tablet of Hermes the Three-Times-Great describes the “certain truth” that makes any physical or spiritual science possible.

Alchemy can be described as a process of spiritual evolution involving both the experiment and the experimenter.  It is a way of expediting the natural evolution of the universe in a manner observable by the limited view of the Human Being.  That is to say, Alchemy seeks to speed-up nature’s inherent process of evolution. This is done through both physical Chemistry, involving the production and consumption of various Alchemical medicines, and through a process of internal prayer and visualization meditation.  Alchemy functions under the postulate: “As Above, So Below.”  This can be understood in one way to mean that the Physical Realm affects the Spiritual Realm and vice versa.  This can also mean that the mundane, worldly existence has, in actuality, the same qualities inherent in the invisible, spiritual word.  Alchemists work to release these spiritual qualities in their chemical operations and, more importantly, within themselves.  

While I was in school for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, I was told by one instructor that all of Chinese Medicine came about in ancient times via Alchemists seeking to produce an Elixir of Immortality.  Their quest would lead them to classify many medicinal herbs, create charts of human energetic circulation and produce one of the most advanced medical systems on Earth.  From the tradition of Chinese Alchemy also emerges the practice of Qi Gong, which can be viewed as Chinese Internal Alchemy.  This practice involves physical exercises in combination with deep breathing and meditation to produce Alchemical processes in the body and spirit in order to achieve Immortality.  The Philosophy of Chinese Taoism views the concept of becoming an Immortal as more akin to being Spiritually Enlightened than simply living forever or being unable to die.  The Taoist Immortals, those who successfully created and consumed the Elixir of Immortality, were imbued with great wisdom, fortune and endless inner contentment.   The search for Immortality was not without its casualties, as it is reported that many Chinese Alchemists died consuming concoctions containing Cinnabar – a mineral containing high a level of mercury.

The Alchemy of India is well document and Alchemical Philosophy is woven into Schools of Esoteric Hinduism, Buddhism and Yoga.  Some consider the Indian-Buddhist Philosopher and Alchemist Nagarjuna to be the Father of modern Chemistry, having developed or improved upon many of the apparatus necessary for chemical operations.  Buddhist and Hindu Deities are often shown consuming Amrita, the Nectar of Immortality described in the Indian creation myth The Churning of the Ocean.  Some Buddhas even bear names indicative of Alchemical thought such as the Buddha Amitayus – a name which literally means ‘Infinite Life.’

Medieval European Alchemy is possibly the most widely known tradition of Alchemy.  This tradition would influence every major school of European thought from Freemasonry to Christianity and give rise to Alchemical Fraternities such as the Germanic Order of the Gold and Rosy Cross.  The main objective of the Alchemist was to create a Philosopher’s Stone, a miraculous substance which brings any other substance to it pinnacle of physical and spiritual evolution.  That is to say, it would turn lead into gold and human beings into spiritual immortals.

The use of Spagyric, or Herbal Alchemy, in Europe would help lead to the discovery and use of drugs as healing agents.  In Spagyrics, an herb would be broken into its fundamental parts and recombined to form a healing medicine.  This process would lead to first extracting of herbal chemical compounds, such as extracting Salicylic Acid from White Willow Bark, effectively producing healing drugs such as Aspirin.  The Royal Art of Alchemy would come to decline and in 1661 Robert Boyle published a document titled “The Skeptical Chemist.”    This publication would put into question the entire Theology and Philosophy of Alchemy, citing mathematical formulae to explain alchemical operations.  To be a Chemist was to take on the physical and mental components of Alchemy, while leaving its spiritual essence behind.

However obscure these ancient traditions of Alchemy may seem, their influences cannot be ignored. From prescription medication to hermetically sealed jars, Alchemy is part of Human history.  Perhaps it is even one of most important parts of history.