From the Bone-Yard to the Boardroom: The Cultural History and Sustainable Future of Phosphorus

Presenters:

    Dr. Lawrence M. Principe Professor, Department of Chemistry and Department of History of Science and Technology, Johns Hopkins University and Winner of the 2020 ACS HIST award and
    Jim Jenkins, PhD. Sustainability Futures Leadership

Moderator: Gary D. Patterson, PhD. American Chemical Society HIST Division

Description:

Join us in partnership with the American Chemical Society HIST Division for a provocative journey tracing the indispensable element Phosphorus (P) from its bizarre historical origins to its critical role in our global food supply and uncertain future. Phosphorus began its cultural journey shrouded in alchemical secrecy—its value guarded by those who could make it work. Today, its value is universally clear as a critical, non-renewable resource for all life on Earth. The new secret to its continued existence is not found in hiding knowledge, but in embracing the collective imperative to preserve, recycle, and manage it wisely for a sustainable future. This session bridges centuries, revealing:

    The Cultural History: The story of the element’s discovery around 1665, how the secret of its preparation was wildly sought-after by alchemists, and how two chemists—Hennig Brand and Robert Boyle—mastered its preparation to their benefit.
    The Sustainable Future: The critical role phosphate fertilizers play in feeding humanity, the pressing challenges facing the industry (including geopolitical cartels and scarcity), and an exploration of innovative, sustainable products that offer a glimpse into a more balanced and responsible future.

https://www.agrodiv.org/webinars/phospho...le-future/

"Tarot History is intended to be a serious discussion of anything related to the history of Tarot, from its beginnings and precursors, including playing cards, up to today. Documentation, translations, iconography, games, discussion of historical divination and esoteric uses of the cards, are all welcome."

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1457073457838971

"For over six centuries, the Voynich Manuscript has defied codebreakers, linguists, mathematicians, and mystics. Its pages are filled with strange symbols, impossible plants, and cosmic diagrams that no one has ever understood—until now. In this The Secret Bible investigation, artificial intelligence dives deep into the manuscript’s hidden patterns: linguistic fractals, sacred proportions, acoustic resonances, and celestial maps. Could this ancient book be a coded medical treatise, an alchemical map of the universe… or a message meant to be unlocked only by a non-human mind? Join us as AI reveals secrets that may change how we see history, consciousness, and the very nature of knowledge itself."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObeVLpCtdBk

"In 1382, a Parisian scribe named Nicolas Flamel claimed he turned mercury into gold. He recorded the exact date and time: January 17th, at noon. Three months later, he did it again. And suddenly, this middle-class bookseller became mysteriously wealthy—so wealthy that he built hospitals, funded churches, and constructed houses that still stand in Paris today. His house at 51 Rue de Montmorency is the oldest in Paris, covered in alchemical symbols no one has decoded. His grave was found empty centuries after his death. And for over 600 years, people have reported seeing him alive—in Paris, in India, at the opera in 1761, always the same age."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LTD5QtLVHo

"An 18th-century chemical laboratory in Paris, showing instruments, furnaces, chemical vessels, and chemists, c. 1760. Alchemical symbols are arranged below in a kind of proto-periodic table. From 'Encyclopedie ou Dictionnaire Raisonne des Sciences' by Diderot."


https://tinyurl.com/muz699jv

An Alchemical Oracle from Ancient Egypt

"The Book of Doors presents an entirely new divination system that accesses the ancient knowledge of Egypt, enabling you to unlock your intuitive abilities and call upon the energy of the Egyptian deities, whose powers transform both matter and spirit"

https://www.deslegte.com/the-book-of-doo...k-4694922/

" In medieval Europe, alchemists occasionally referenced hemlock extracts for muscle spasms, though the line between remedy and poison was perilously thin. Curiously, despite its toxicity, some 16th-century Renaissance herbalists experimented with tiny seed infusions for tremor relief, believing that highly diluted doses might calm the nervous system. Such uses were often recorded in compendia like John Gerard’s "Herball" (1597), though warnings against oral ingestion were prominent. In Ayurvedic manuscripts from the 17th century, scribes in Bengal noted that Conium maculatum was not part of mainstream “Dhanvantari samhita” tradition but occasionally referenced in peripheral texts as a herb of last resort for severe rheumatic pain—used only after lengthy detox processes."

https://ask-ayurveda.com/hi/wiki/article...-maculatum

"The alchemists of the Middle Ages searched for gold—but also for healing, purity, and the secret spark of life itself. Their laboratories glowed with strange colors, their notebooks mixed prayers with recipes, and every experiment blurred the line between faith and discovery."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5LJtRQZI7M

"A 17th-century doorway in a small Sabine village is a portal into the mysteries of alchemy. The small Sabine village of Rivodutri was largely destroyed by the earthquake of 1948, but one unusual architectural element survived, known locally as the Alchemical Door"

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/alch...-rivodutri

Long-Lost Baroque Painting Revealed as Rare Alchemical Masterpiece

The Fedele Fischetti work was rediscovered by art dealer Christopher Bishop at a London auction.

"Contemporary art’s love affair with the occult has canonical precedent—and a newly resurfaced oil painting by Neapolitan artist Fedele Fischetti is proof. New York-based art dealer Christopher Bishop discovered Fischetti’s The Triumph of Night (ca. 1765) three years ago. After an extended period of study, he’s debuting the painting in an exhibition titled “Alchemy and the Painter” at his Upper East Side gallery through December 12."

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/fedele...op-2706041

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedele_Fischetti