Books on Alchemy

(from http://forum.alchemyforums.com/archive/index.php/t-1006.html)

There's a lot of books that cover different angles on alchemy.

Here are some of my favorites:

For beginners, a good history is nice to have. There are lots of good

books written on specific alchemists or Jewish alchemy or Indian alchemy,

etc. So for a nice intro I'll list three:

"Alchemy and Alchemists" by Sean Martin

"Alchemy" by E.J. Holmyard

"Alchemy" by Titus Burckhardt

There's also a couple "coffee table" type books that fall into that last category:

"Secrets of the Alchemists" by the editors of Time-Life books

"Alchemy, the Ancient Science" by Neil Powell

Another "coffee table" book that is quite broader than just alchemy and

very good is

"The Secret Teachings of All Ages" by Manly P. Hall

For symbols and images:

"The Alchemical Mandala" by Adam McLean

"Alchemy and Mysticism" by Alexander Roob

"Alchemy, the Secret Art" by Stanislas Klossowski de Rola

"The Golden Game" by same as above

There are a couple dictionaries of alchemy you might find useful. I don't

use mine much, but two of them are:

"The Dictionary of Alchemy" by Mark Haeffner

"The dictionary of alchemy" by Diana Fernando

Probably a better dictionary is the one by Antoine Pernety.

On symbols, but in a place all its own, we must include Fulcanelli:

Mystere de Cathedrals, and Dwellings of the Philosophers

For spiritual or inner alchemy, my favorite is

"The Hermetic Tradition" by Julias Evola

Many people like "Initiation into Hermetics" by Franz Bardon

Another one is "Seven Hermetic Letters" by Georg Lomer

Mark Stavish is a practical alchemist who also writes on spiritual subjects.

Another book is "The Tower of Alchemy" by David Goddard (personally

don't care for it).

One that isn't specifically alchemy, but I really like is

"The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order" by Paul Foster Case

Now the Classics:

Besides Fulcanelli,

"The Hermetic Museum" by A.E. Waite

"Triumphal Chariot of Antimony" by Basil Valentine

"Collectanea Chemica" by A.E. Waite

"The Art of Distillation" by John French

"The Great Art" by Antoine Pernety

"Golden Manuscripts" by Frater Albertus

"The Alchemists Handbook" also Frater Albertus

Commentary on Mutus Liber by Adam McLean

Compendium of Alchemical Processes - anonymous

and my personal favorite:

18th Century Chemistry as it Relates to Alchemy

RAMS digital library is a must!

Recent contemporary practical alchemists:

Robert Alan Bartlett - "Real Alchemy" and "The Way of the Crucible"

The Weiser concise guide to Alchemy by Brian Cotnoir

Complete Idiot's guide to Alchemy by William Hauck

One of the best IMO is "The Practical Handbook of Plant Alchemy" by Manfred Junius

You might want to get a good herbal:

Culpepper's is very popular and has astrological assignments.

Weiner's Herbal is a good one also IMO.

You might want to study astrology.

You might want to study Hermeticism:

"The Kybalion" and "The Hermetica" are good works

Also a nice book on rocks and minerals that gives you their composition.

I like "A Pocket guide to Rocks and Minerals" by James Lagomarsino

Red and White

Two Key Alchemical materials - Sulphur and Mercury
Represented by the colours - Red and white

So the magic of Christ in Caana of converting water (white) into wine (red) or Last supper - Flesh(white) Blood(red) and the symbology at the end of Mass - Host(white) dipped in Wine(red)

Quote about Pictures and Iconography

Our essence does not understand the language of the intellect, only the language of pictures

Pitutary and Pineal

Pitutary - Sun
Pineal   - Moon

Pineal Gland

My view is that this gland is the principal seat of the soul, and the place in which all our thoughts are formed. The reason I believe this is that I cannot find any part of the brain, except this, which is not double. Since we see only one thing with two eyes, and hear only one voice with two ears, and in short have never more than one thought at a time, it must necessarily be the case that the impressions which enter by the two eyes or by the two ears, and so on, unite with each other in some part of the body before being considered by the soul. Now it is impossible to find any such place in the whole head except this gland; moreover it is situated in the most suitable possible place for this purpose, in the middle of all the concavities; and it is supported and surrounded by the little branches of the carotid arteries which bring the spirits into the brain.[25] (29 January 1640, 

New Will Needed

I have to re-awaken the Will. I have been easy on myself. There is no easy road to the Truth. To be one of the Adepts. I cant fail each test. I need to filter out the impressions. So I can have more strength to transmute the sexual energy from within. I have to remember that I have to be unaffected by the laws of the planet to then be a a level of higher laws. I have done it before. Passed all the tests. Now to do it again. This time with a new energy field and new energy. Even more subtle. But the principles are the same.

The impression that causes sexual response comes from the fact that the brain/being is wired to respond to the female form, and then the attention from the female form. It follows nature's law of the descending octave. This energy is powerful and can sweep me, unless I calibrate the dosage of impressions that I can handle for transformation. Till I have the male elements of the planet earth, I will continue to respond to the female impressions. Untill one can have the impressions and not feel a thing . Only then there is a freedom from these laws.
But the sexual energy is sacred and therefore must be used for my aim.

Right now, its about Will for me. I need to not also get tempted by the theory of " Its nature and let the sexual octave follow its natural course'. I just need to for a period of time, deal with a complete denial of the urge for sexual release.
So help me god.

From Snake and Peacock

And then a Voice from within spoke to Adi and told him: 'That is not all. These two creatures are both endowed with life: that is their determining factor. They fight because each has settled for his own kind of life, thinking it to be the realization of a true status. One, however, guards treasure and cannot use it. The other reflects beauty, a treasure, but cannot transform himself with it. In spite of their not having taken advantage of what was open to them, they yet symbolize it, for those who can see and hear.'