Alchemy
By:
Jade Sellers
The Alchemical Theory
• Alchemy: the expansion of consciousness
and development of insight through
images.
• The alchemical theory can trace its origins
back to ancient Greece
• The alchemical theory differs depending
on the goals of the area of practice.
The Alchemical Process
• Alchemists used the
alchemical process to
reach their goals in
alchemy
• The process differs
from place to place
depending on the
alchemists’ goals
Misconceptions about the
alchemical process
• Alchemy may appear to be a magical art rather
then a science.
• Alchemy dealt with real animals, not those of
mythology or magical origins.
• They used real chemicals and process in their
practices
Relation to Full Metal Alchemist
• True Alchemy:
 Require labs to
perform alchemy
 No human sacrifices
needed
 Philosopher’s Stone
can create gold and
give the user
immortality
• Full Metal Alchemist:
 Can do alchemy
anywhere
 Human sacrifices
needed for certain
things
 Philosopher’s Stone
only enhanced
alchemical abilities
The Philosopher’s stone:
Importance of the Stone
• The Philosopher’s Stone
is the most important
thing in alchemy.
• Alchemists would try to
create the stone by any
means necessary.
• The stone was sought
after by many
generations of
alchemists.
• ‘It is a stone that is not
actually a stone’
~Unknown
The Philosopher’s Stone: powers
and appearance
•
The powers of the
philosopher’s stone are
as follows:
1) Immortality
2) Transmutation of base
metals into gold and
silver
3) Purifying the human
spirit
• The stone is known as a
purified substance that
is only pure after many
different stages of
‘evolution’.
• The appearance of
the Philosopher’s
stone is highly
controversial.
• Two of the more
common colors are
crimson and clear.
The Emerald Tablet
• The Emerald Tablet is a special document
written by Hermes Trismegistos, the father of
alchemy and famous Egyptian alchemist.
• The tablet contained a secret formula in the
language that the alchemists understood.
• The tablet was so important that all alchemists
hung a copy of it in the place where they
practiced their alchemy.
The Emerald Tablet Cont.
• The tablet contains a 7
step process in it to reach
the goal of the tablet.
• No one is for sure about
what the true formula is
nor what the tablet’s
formula achieves but all
we know is that it was
essential for the
alchemists of that time.
Alchemists
•
During the time that alchemy was a
major part of science there were three
main groups that practiced the art. Those
three groups were:
1. The Chinese
2. The Egyptians
3. The Europeans
Chinese Alchemists:
Overview
• Chinese alchemists were the second group of alchemists
to bring forth the science of alchemy.
• Chinese alchemists were hired by the lords of their
lands.
• They held mini ceremonies before they started their
alchemy. The ceremonies were dedicated to a goddess
named Stove.
• Stove was the goddess of cooking and brewing
medicines so she was regarded as a kind of watchful
eye over the alchemists.
• The Chinese officials decided to band the creation of
gold through alchemical means because the people who
hired the alchemists for that purpose were abusing the
ability to make gold.
Chinese Alchemists:
Goals
•
1.
2.
•
Chinese alchemists had two main goals:
The creation of the elixir of life
The formation of alchemical gold
The Chinese alchemists tried to reach
their goals but many were failed
attempts. Gold was made in small
quantities but the elixir of life was found
as unrealistic and caused the downfall of
the practice of alchemy in that area.
Chinese Alchemists:
What we gained from them
• Even though Chinese alchemy wasn’t as successful as
they would have wanted it to be, it still gave us
something that we still use today. What we gained was
an oxymoron to what they were trying to get; they
wanted to prolong life but what they made had the ability
to kill, gunpowder.
• Gunpowder was made after a number of failed attempts
in creating the elixir of life by a man by the name of
Tseng Kung-Liang . He later published the formula for
gunpowder and the powder spread through the known
world like wildfire.
Egyptian Alchemists:
Overview
• Egyptian Alchemists were the very first
alchemists to start the art.
• The Egyptian alchemist Hermes
Trismegistus was the first alchemists in
recorded history.
• Egyptian alchemists were hired by
someone of higher power then the
alchemist himself to create gold.
Hermes Trismegistus and Egyptian
Astronomy
Egyptian Alchemists:
Goals
•
•
Egyptian alchemy was a little more
complicated then the others because of
the way that the Egyptians thought of
alchemy.
The alchemists believed that alchemy
was a science of eternal life. This was
also partnered with their belief that
everything had a soul and every soul had
a thing attached to it.
Egyptian Alchemists:
What we gained from them
• Egyptian alchemists played one of the
most important roles in the history of
alchemy because they introduced the
science to the world.
• This science has lead to the present day
chemistry, so, the Egyptian alchemists can
be regarded as the creators of a primitive
sort of chemistry.
European Alchemists:
Overview
• Europeans learned the art of alchemy from
the Spaniards who gained this information
from monks who taught the Spanish
explorers about the art and it’s purposes.
• The European Alchemists were hired by
the kings and nobles.
• The European alchemists were the original
wizards because of their odd experiments.
European Alchemists:
Goals
•
1.
2.
•
The European alchemists had two main goals:
To form gold through alchemical means
To create the Philosopher’s stone
The kings and nobles would hire alchemists to
make gold while others would work on the
creation of the Philosopher’s stone (sometimes
referred to as the elixir of life depending on
what culture you are referring to)
European Alchemists:
What we gained from them
• The European Alchemists triggered the
idea of chemistry and astronomy in the
minds of the alchemists and allowed for
those sciences to be put into place.
Nicolas Flamel: The Immortal
French Alchemist (1330-1418,
assumed dead)
• One of the most known
alchemists is the famed
Nicolas Flamel.
• Nicolas Flamel gained his
fame from being known as the
first and only alchemist to
create the Philosopher’s stone.
• Nicolas Flamel disappeared
after he created the
Philosopher’s stone and the
only man that knew where he
was died without telling
anyone where he went or if he
was still alive or not.
Nicolas Flamel’s Notes
• http://www.alchemylab.com/flameldwgs.ht
m
• This site shows some of Flamel’s notes he
took while he was making the
Philosopher’s stone.