The Mercurial Yeats: esoteric alchemy in the late poetry

By Morgan Azali

"This BA (Hons) thesis conducts an analysis of the late poetry of W.B. Yeats with consideration of the fact that he was, by that time, an adept in the Golden Dawn tradition of magic and largely influenced by its principles. The aim of this thesis is to highlight how the essence of Mercurius, the multi-faceted arcanumof alchemy, is present throughout the late poetry of W.B. Yeats. Through an enquiry into the ways that Yeats’s interests in the Western Esoteric Tradition filtered into his creative output, multiple themes of unity, transmutation, and transcendence began to emerge. This thesis provides a brief history of hermeticism and the ways that it intersects with Yeats’s biography before considering 'A Vision' as an attempt by his wife to alchemise Yeats’s desires for other women and the subsequent ritual enactment of this process in the poetry of 'The Tower' and 'The Winding Stair.' By applying Jungian psychoanalytical concepts of the unconscious, this thesis aims to arrive at a hermeneutic understanding of Yeats’s role within the modernist era as a balancing force, raising the 'antithetical' through the 'primary'  – the two terms that he uses to describe the geometrical, cyclic system handed to him by what he believed to be spiritual intelligences in 'A Vision'."

Full text:

https://www.academia.edu/91247376/The_Me...ate_poetry

"The Visual Healing Library is the creation of Suzette Clough  - artist, psychotherapist, and originator of Visual Medicine™ - a radically transformative spiritual painting practice where images arrive through connection to Creation itself rather than being painted in the traditional sense. Vision Books are a contemporary reimagining of illuminated manuscripts  - immersive and written in the language of images. They belong to the alchemical lineage of artists as healers and storytellers of the Soul."

https://www.visualmedicine.org/visual-library-home

Why Hecate Was the Embodiment of Witchcraft in the Ancient World...

In ancient Greek mythology, witchcraft was seen as a mysterious and potent force—an eerie art deeply rooted in nature’s hidden rhythms and lunar cycles. Witches were associated with baneful herbs, transformation, and the ability to alter reality. At the center of this mystical tradition stood Hecate: goddess of liminality, magic, and transformation.


https://pathofdusk.com/2025/04/01/why-he...ent-world/

"The fields of chemistry, metallurgy, pharmacy and medicine were all begun by alchemists who even anticipated the nuclear transmutation of elements."

https://interestingengineering.com/CULTU...D-MEDICINE

"Alchemy, the ancient art of transformation, is deeply rooted in symbolic systems. Among its most profound teachings lies the triad of Salt, Sulfur, and Mercury. These principles serve as keys to understanding the microcosm and macrocosm.The macrocosm refers to the greater universe or the cosmos as a whole, encompassing all of existence, including celestial and natural phenomena. The microcosm, on the other hand, represents the smaller universe, such as the individual human being or a specific aspect of existence, which mirrors the structure and principles of the macrocosm. The hermetic axiom, as above, so below, highlights the interconnectedness and relationship between these two levels of the cosmos."

https://vermontpurealchemy.com/blogs/alc...ical-triad

In a world of distractions, detachment, and diluted spiritual paths, one grimoire stands above the rest—veiled in mystery, revered in silence, and feared by the uninitiated. The Picatrix is not a book. It is a transmission. A gateway. A complete system of celestial engineering designed for those who do not merely seek belief—but command, coherence, and cosmic influence.

This is your invitation.
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https://terraincognitacoven.com/courses/...ial-craft/

"The Roman Latin acronym - the first Formula of Alchemy is a guided meditation - of VITRIOL - Visita Interiora Terrae, Rectificando Invenies Occultem Lapidem - which gives the secret of the Alchemical Philosophers Stone transmuting negative energy into infinite positive immortal energy, Demons into Angels, Energy Blockages into positive thoughtforms, Base metal - Lead - into Gold."

https://satchidanand.substack.com/p/alchemical-vitriol

"Conflicts and oppositions in Yeats' life and chart were healed and regarded in a new light through his experience with the channeled material he received and recorded in A Vision. This was the culmination of an alchemical process of soul work"

https://www.academia.edu/112327862/A_Vis...d_Magician

"Alchemy is one of the most intriguing traditions in human history. Often misunderstood as merely a quest to turn lead into gold, alchemy is actually a vast spiritual, philosophical, and symbolic system. It weaves together science, mysticism, psychology, and personal transformation. If you feel drawn to this ancient path, you might ask: How do I study alchemy in the modern world?"


https://www.panaprium.com/fr/blogs/i/how...-beginners