Best of
Alchemy

2007

Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader


John Granger - 2007
    Not just who will live or die in DEATHLY HOLLOWS, but how J.K. Rowling created the most successful books of our times. To understand the story behind the stories, John Granger, author of THE HIDDEN KEY TO HARRY POTTER and editor of WHO KILLED ALBUS DUMBLEDORE?, introduces the themes and patterns Rowling uses to write books that resonate with readers of all ages. This book is for "serious readers" but Granger writes in a very entertaining style. If you never understood the term "postmodernism" or how "literary alchemy" is used by great authors from Shakespeare to J.K. Rowling, then this is a fun way to learn. UNLOCKING HARRY POTTER is the only book to examine in depth the importance of what Rowling said in an interview from 1998, that "to invent this wizard world" she had to learn about alchemy "in order to set the parameters and establish the stories' internal logic." - . - . - . - . - Here's what other HARRY POTTER authors and experts have to say about UNLOCKING HARRY POTTER: - . - . - . - . - "I got so hooked I had to stop everything else and just read, read, read. I carried it around the house, read it while using the excercycle, I hid in rooms away from the action of daily life so I could take it all in. I haven't had that reaction to a book since, well, THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. A spectacular read for all serious fans of Rowling's works. Compelling, well-argued, fun and funny. Engaging. Thought provoking. Erudite." - Tom Morris, author of IF HARRY POTTER RAN GENERAL ELECTRIC and PHILOSOPHY FOR DUMMIES. - . - . - . - . - "John Granger peels back the layers of Rowling's stories and sees patterns the rest of us miss - and he never forgets to be a fan, engaging in fun speculation about what will come in the finale. Once more Granger has shown himself to be second to none among Potter commentators and literary sleuths. Some books are meant to be ingested quickly. Not this one. Serious fans of HARRY POTTER will relish it." - David Baggett, editor of HARRY POTTER AND PHILOSOPHY.

Spagyrics: The Alchemical Preparation of Medicinal Essences, Tinctures, and Elixirs


Manfred M. Junius - 2007
    While ordinary tinctures and infusions use only a part of the great curative potential of plants, spagyric methods "open" medicinal plants completely to reveal their more powerful healing properties. Drawing on the rich imagery and symbolism of ancient source materials, Manfred M. Junius describes these methods in great detail, showing readers how to prepare plant remedies alchemically for their own use as well as imparting a knowledge of the ideological world in which alchemistic and hermetic thought flowered. Spagyrics includes the Plant Magistery of Paracelsus and the Life Elixir recipe of Andreas Libavius among its historic techniques as well as a wealth of scientific information that demonstrates the greater efficacy of alchemical methods of plant essence extraction. This classic source text preserves the nearly forgotten but highly valuable methods of this true hermetic art for preparing natural remedies.

BibliOdyssey: Amazing Archival Images from the Dusty Corners of the Internet!


P.K. - 2007
    Fuel's latest publication extends this visual anthropology to the Internet, specifically the blog BibliOdyssey. Across the world, libraries and institutions are only recently starting to make their collections available online, and the bulk of this amazing material goes unnoted by the casual surfer. BibliOdyssey's mission over the past two years has been to diligently trawl the dustier corners of the Internet and retrieve these materials for our attention. Thanks to the daily efforts of this singular blog, a myriad of long-forgotten imagery has now re-surfaced, from eighteenth-century anatomical and architectural drawing to occult and alchemical engravings and proto-Surrealist depictions of the horrors of industrialization (for example, the half-plant, half-people illustrations of J.J. Grandville). Each of the images is accompanied by commentary from "PK," author and curator of the BibliOdyssey blog. The book also provides details for each image and links to the source website. With a foreword by artist Dinos Chapman, BibliOdyssey is a true cabinet of curiosities and a journey in discovery and delight.

Esoteric Keys of Alchemy


Paul Foster Case - 2007
    Unlock the intentionally cryptic alchemical writings that have confounded so many seekers. Discover the hidden teachings on the true spiritual and transformational nature of the alchemical process. Explore the historical writings of the alchemists of old. Paul Foster Case deciphered these mysteries for students of his School of Ageless Wisdom in a step-by-step process. As he pulls on the thread of the tapestry, the whole veil unravels, giving you a glimpse of the hidden meaning and intent. Esoteric Keys of Alchemy uniquely combines the teachings of the Western Mystery Tradition with the writings of the Yogis of the East to unveil the universal nature of those mysteries.

Inner Alchemy: Energy Work and the Magic of the Body


Taylor Ellwood - 2007
    In this book Taylor Ellwood shows you: How to contact neurotransmitter entities The elemental balancing ritual DNA magic Advanced energy work Have you ever wondered how you could work with your senses more? Or have you wondered when you've been sick if what you're feeling is remotely useful? Inner alchemy answers these questions and more! Explore the depths of your brain and meet neurotransmitter spirit guides who will guide you to better physical and pyschological health. Discover the miracle within your DNA. Learn about different systems of energy work and what it can offer you. Discover for yourself just how amazing your body really is!

The Yellow Book: The Divine Mother, Kundalini, and Spiritual Powers


Samael Aun Weor - 2007
    Includes practices of meditation, transmutation, astral projection, pranayama, and the long-hidden Jinn Science.

The Taoist Soul Body: Harnessing the Power of Kan and Li


Mantak Chia - 2007
    Practice of the Chinese formula Siaow Kan Li (yin and yang mixed) uses darkness technology to literally “steam” the sexual energy (jing) into life-force energy (chi) by re-versing the location of yin and yang power. This inversion places the heat of the bodily fire from the heart center beneath the coolness of the bodily water of the sexual energy of the perineum, thereby activating the liberation of transformed sexual energy.Darkness technology has been a key element of Taoist practice--and of all Inner Alchemy traditions--throughout the ages. A total darkness environment stimulates the pineal gland to release DMT into the brain. The darkness actualizes successively higher states of consciousness, correlating with the accumulation of psychedelic chemicals in the brain. In the darkness, mind and soul begin to wander freely in the vast realms of psychic and spiritual experience. Death is no longer to be feared because life beyond the physical body is known through direct experience.The birth of the soul is not a metaphor. It is an actual process of converting energy into a subtle body. Developing the soul body is the preparation for the growth of the immortal spirit body in the practice of the Greater Enlightenment of Kan and Li.

Wil O' Wisps & Other Illuminated Manuscripts


Mordicai Burke - 2007
    An automata wakes up in a circle of menhirs, devoid of memories, his words upon waking "...d really like to kill you." Confused as to his function, he sets out to kill whomever he was speaking to.

The Book of Pictures - Mushaf as-suwar


Zosimos of Panopolis - 2007
    Zosimos collected the teaching of past alchemists and thus consolidated the knowledge of symbolic alchemy of his time.

Modern Alchemy: Occultism and the Emergence of Atomic Theory


Mark Morrisson - 2007
    Although many were intelligent and well-intentioned thinkers, the oft-cited goals of alchemy paint these antiquated experiments as wizardry, not scientific investigation. Whether seeking to produce a miraculous panacea or struggling to transmute lead into gold, the alchemists radical goals held little relevance to consequent scientific pursuits. Thus, the temptation is to view the transition from alchemy to modern science as one that discarded fantastic ideas about philosophers stones and magic potions in exchange for modest yet steady results. It has been less noted, however, that the birth of atomic science actually coincided with an efflorescence of occultism and esoteric religion that attached deep significance to questions about the nature of matter and energy.Mark Morrisson challenges the widespread dismissal of alchemy as a largely insignificant historical footnote to science by prying into the revival of alchemy and its influence on the emerging subatomic sciences of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Morrisson demonstrates its surprising influence on the emerging subatomic sciences of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Specifically, Morrisson examines the resurfacing of occult circles during this time period and how their interest in alchemical tropes had a substantial and traceable impact upon the science of the day. Modern Alchemy chronicles several encounters between occult conceptions of alchemy and the new science, describing how academic chemists, inspired by the alchemy revival, attempted to transmute the elements; to make gold. Examining scientists publications, correspondence, talks, and laboratory notebooks as well as the writings of occultists, alchemical tomes, and science-fiction stories, he argues that during the birth of modern nuclear physics, the trajectories of science and occultism---so often considered antithetical---briefly merged.