Five Misconceptions about Alchemy

Alchemy is one of the most misrepresented and poorly understood aspects of Western Esotericism. This video takes a look at five misconceptions from both the scientific dismissal of alchemy to the purely spiritual/psychological interpretation of its processes and symbolism. Support Esoterica: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel Recommended Reading: Linden, Stanton J. (ed.) The Alchemy Reader: From Hermes Trismegistus to Isaac Newton. 978-0521796620. Nicely edited collection of alchemical primary texts. Principe, Lawrence. The Secrets of Alchemy. 978-0226103792. An up-to-date history of alchemy. Newman, William. Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's "Secret Fire" 978-0691174877. Cutting edge research on alchemy in the 17th century. An amazing wok of scholarship. Roob, Alexander(ed.) Alchemy & Mysticism. 978-3836549363. A collection of alchemical imagery and symbolism, also a nice coffee table book! Spiritual / Psychology School of Interpretation Atwood, Mary Anne. A Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery….(many re-print editions). The first text to introduce the ‘spiritual interpretation” of alchemy. Eliade, Mircea. The Forge and the Crucible: The Origins and Structure of Alchemy. 978-0226203904. Religious-philosophical interpretation of alchemy. von Franz, Marie-Louise. Alchemy: An Introduction to the Symbolism and the Psychology. 978-0919123045. An introduction to the Jungian psychological interpretation of alchemy. #alchemy #hermeticism #mysticism