Some Recent Developments in the Historiography of Alchemy

By Marcos Martinon-Torres

"The number of researchers and publications devoted to the history of alchemy has seen exponential growth and diversification in recent decades, to such an extent that some scholars speak of a “New Historiography of Alchemy.” On the occasion of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry, this paper outlines some highlights of the literature since 1990, with a view to identify current trends but also challenges for the future. Some of the most important changes identified are a marked awareness of the risks of presentism, a shift from ambitious histories to contextualised microhistories, a heightened recognition of the internal diversity of historical alchemy, and a greater emphasis on its practical dimensions and its role in the Scientific Revolution. Among the challenges, the paper underscores the potential risks of an excessive historiographical fragmentation, the need for further interdisciplinary training and cooperation, and the responsibilities of alchemy historians towards students and the general public alike."

https://www.academia.edu/2565075/Some_Re...of_Alchemy

The Golden Quest: A Comparative Study of Common Mythological Motifs in Oriental and Occidental Traditions of Alchemy

By Urmi Chanda

"The beginnings of alchemy mark an interesting period between mythical time and historical time. Between the primitive understanding of nature and the development of science, alchemy bridges a gap with magic and mythology. It may have had its share of brickbats in the modern times, but alchemy has allured and intrigued the minds of some of history's best men. These men tried to make sense of and replicate nature in their labs, aiming for perfection symbolized by gold. In exoteric terms, they sought to create the pure, precious metal and in esoteric terms, they sought a pure consciousness. This fascinating branch of knowledge was best explained and understood through myth and allegory. This paper attempts a comparative study of mythological motifs, tenets and tales in order to understand the common ground of all aspirants of the Golden Quest."

https://www.academia.edu/11986601/The_Go...of_Alchemy

"It is difficult to think of a theme in Bohemian and Central European history in the early modern age that is so popular and at the same time still today so little understood as that of the alchemy that is associated with the reign of the Emperor Rudolf II (1552–1612). The blame for this can by no means be laid solely at the door of the wellknown film from the early 1950s, for it only took over the oversimplified picture of “Rudolfine alchemy” as it was developed in Czech and German historiography in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th. This picture mixed legends with facts that could be historically documented, and which were consequently frequently interpreted incorrectly."

Alchemy and Rudolf II
By Artefactum Publishing house ÚDU AV ČR
Ivo Purš, Vladimír Karpenko (eds.) 

Preface only:

https://www.academia.edu/37691263/Alchemy_and_Rudolf_II

Gad Freudenthal, “Medieval Alchemy in Hebrew: A Noted Absence,” in Gad Freudenthal, ed., Science in Medieval Jewish Cultures (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011), 343-358

"The full history of alchemy in Arabic and Hebrew remains to be written; the following remarks are no more than a few signposts. 3 It hardly needs saying that alchemy was a flourishing discipline in the Arabophone cultural area, both on the level of practice and on that of theory. 4 I begin with a short account of what we know of Jewish practice of alchemy in Islamic cultural contexts."

https://www.academia.edu/36409684/Gad_Fr...11_343_358

Saturno, Hermes Trismegisto e Eros: a melancolia, o hermetismo e as artes no Renascimento

By Marcel H Rodrigues

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo central compreender os principais motivos que levaram o Renascimento europeu a mudar de perspectiva em relação ao temível humor melancólico. Entretanto, este estudo vai além das principais razões que levaram a dita "civilização da Renascença" a encarar a melancolia, uma vez que realizamos um mergulho na história renascentista dos séculos XV e XVI, explorando alguns aspectos do misticismo cristão, os complexos conceitos do hermetismo advindos do neoplatonismo florentino até as questões artísticas que permearam o Renascimento. Assim, este livro aborda as bases culturais do universo renascentista que resultaram na transformação do malquisto humor melancólico em ideal de genialidade.

The main aim of this study is to understand the key reasons that led the European Renaissance to change its perspective on the dreaded melancholic mood. However, this study goes beyond the main reasons that led the so-called ‘Renaissance civilisation’ to view melancholy in a new light, as we delve into the Renaissance history of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, exploring aspects ranging from Christian mysticism and the complex concepts of Hermeticism derived from Florentine Neoplatonism to the artistic issues that permeated the Renaissance. Thus, this book examines the cultural foundations of the Renaissance world that led to the transformation of the once-maligned melancholic temperament into an ideal of genius.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)


https://www.academia.edu/165679073/LIVRO...nascimento

Feminine Alchemy, Egyptian Hermes, and Botticelli's Primavera: The Quest for the Golden Fruit.

By Alison Roberts

"It is with some trepidation that my contribution brings together alchemy and the Primavera, especially as so much interpretative ink has flowed in the world of art history since Sandro Botticelli created this beautiful painting in Florence, probably sometime between 1477 and 1482. Yet I have long felt that alchemy inspired his artistic vision, shaping the painting's puzzling juxtaposition of nine figures grouped in triads and unusual symbolic details."

https://www.academia.edu/115168161/Femin...lden_Fruit

   

"Alchemy is far more than the myth of turning lead into gold. In this video, I explore how alchemy developed across Hellenistic Egypt, China, India, the Islamic world, and Europe as a rich tradition that united experiment, medicine, cosmology, and spiritual transformation. We look at major alchemical ideas, key historical figures, and the practices that shaped both occult traditions and the emergence of modern chemistry. This episode also examines the major scholarly debates around alchemy, showing why historians no longer see it simply as failed science or pure mysticism, but as a complex way of understanding matter, knowledge, and the transformation of the self."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKh4KS_tnVc

"During an experiment at CERN in Geneva, it was observed that primordial plasma, until now thought to be tied to specific and extreme conditions, can also emerge in different contexts. In other words, the origin of the universe is no longer just a distant point in time, it is something that can be recreated. Apparently, it is not just a matter of time—the initial moment, the first microseconds after the Big Bang—but also a matter of the state of matter."

https://www.labyrinthdesigners.org/physi...d-genesis/

Some past issues of Ambix and some Magnum Opus titles still available at Lewis Masonic:


https://www.lewismasonic.co.uk/rare-collectable/

"In this conversation with , we discuss Luke [McBain's] journey into meditation, exploring its benefits, and the alchemical approach he has adopted. He delves into the psychological aspects of meditation, particularly the concept of the shadow and self-integration, while also examining the cultural contexts of spiritual practices. The discussion touches on the role of myths and collective stories in shaping individual and societal beliefs, ultimately leading to a reflection on the balance between individualism and spiritual freedom."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC9twQ9jRmU