https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/ Sat, 26 Sep 2026 06:49:26 +0000 MyBB https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3636 Fri, 25 Sep 2026 09:37:06 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3636
Reel from the Ritman Library showing the 1749 edition:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1126146517032832

1678 edition downloadable here:

https://archive.org/details/musaeumherme...7/mode/2up

and here:

https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/5t34sk63f]]>
Reel from the Ritman Library showing the 1749 edition:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1126146517032832

1678 edition downloadable here:

https://archive.org/details/musaeumherme...7/mode/2up

and here:

https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/5t34sk63f]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3635 Thu, 24 Sep 2026 10:32:19 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3635
See the MS here:

https://tinyurl.com/y8npjev5

The text begins with the words Opus Mulierum et Ludus Puerorum ("Women's work and children's play") often assigned to alchemical work.

Queen Christina of Sweden collected alchemical manuscripts through a mixture of massive military spoils and targeted agent purchases, driven by a lifelong obsession with universal knowledge and practical laboratory experimentation. Her pursuit of alchemical knowledge was not an unusual quirk for a 17th-century monarch, but rather a central pillar of her broader philosophical quest. 

Queen Christina built her world-class library through two primary methods:

1) The Looting of Prague (1648): At the end of the Thirty Years' War, Swedish troops sacked Prague Castle. They seized the legendary esoteric library of Emperor Rudolf II, Europe's premier patron of the occult, hermeticism, and alchemy. Christina personally ordered these manuscripts to be sent straight to Stockholm. Interestingly, because she found the Czech and German scripts of Rudolf's operational alchemical notebooks difficult to read, she later gifted a massive batch of them to her librarian Isaac Vossius. These survive today as the Codices Vossiani Chymici at Leiden University:

https://tinyurl.com/4rjaujt2

2) A Network of European Book Hunters: Christina used her immense wealth to employ agents, like Vossius and the French physician Jean Bourdelot, to scour Europe for rare materials. They purchased vast private libraries, such as the renowned French collection of Alexandre Petau, which was loaded with medieval texts on natural philosophy and the transmutation of metals.]]>
See the MS here:

https://tinyurl.com/y8npjev5

The text begins with the words Opus Mulierum et Ludus Puerorum ("Women's work and children's play") often assigned to alchemical work.

Queen Christina of Sweden collected alchemical manuscripts through a mixture of massive military spoils and targeted agent purchases, driven by a lifelong obsession with universal knowledge and practical laboratory experimentation. Her pursuit of alchemical knowledge was not an unusual quirk for a 17th-century monarch, but rather a central pillar of her broader philosophical quest. 

Queen Christina built her world-class library through two primary methods:

1) The Looting of Prague (1648): At the end of the Thirty Years' War, Swedish troops sacked Prague Castle. They seized the legendary esoteric library of Emperor Rudolf II, Europe's premier patron of the occult, hermeticism, and alchemy. Christina personally ordered these manuscripts to be sent straight to Stockholm. Interestingly, because she found the Czech and German scripts of Rudolf's operational alchemical notebooks difficult to read, she later gifted a massive batch of them to her librarian Isaac Vossius. These survive today as the Codices Vossiani Chymici at Leiden University:

https://tinyurl.com/4rjaujt2

2) A Network of European Book Hunters: Christina used her immense wealth to employ agents, like Vossius and the French physician Jean Bourdelot, to scour Europe for rare materials. They purchased vast private libraries, such as the renowned French collection of Alexandre Petau, which was loaded with medieval texts on natural philosophy and the transmutation of metals.]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3634 Thu, 24 Sep 2026 10:05:20 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3634
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Austin-Osman-Sp...1583947167]]>
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Austin-Osman-Sp...1583947167]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3633 Thu, 24 Sep 2026 09:53:58 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3633
"In this five-week course, we will trace the Grail through mythology, medieval literature, crusading culture, mysticism, alchemy, Romanticism, Jungian psychology, archaeology, conspiracy theory, fantasy literature, and film. Along the way we will encounter wounded kings, wandering knights, ruined chapels, other-worldly queens, Templars, alchemists, Wagnerian mystics, Symbolist artists, fascist occultists, and modern seekers pursuing transcendence through archetype. Rather than asking whether the Grail was objectively “real,” we will explore why it became one of the most enduring symbolic and visionary objects in European culture. The Grail continues to possess the imagination and act as a tool for puzzling out how the ineffable takes on form and calls out to human beings to be sought, found and held."

https://tinyurl.com/2wkkembs]]>
"In this five-week course, we will trace the Grail through mythology, medieval literature, crusading culture, mysticism, alchemy, Romanticism, Jungian psychology, archaeology, conspiracy theory, fantasy literature, and film. Along the way we will encounter wounded kings, wandering knights, ruined chapels, other-worldly queens, Templars, alchemists, Wagnerian mystics, Symbolist artists, fascist occultists, and modern seekers pursuing transcendence through archetype. Rather than asking whether the Grail was objectively “real,” we will explore why it became one of the most enduring symbolic and visionary objects in European culture. The Grail continues to possess the imagination and act as a tool for puzzling out how the ineffable takes on form and calls out to human beings to be sought, found and held."

https://tinyurl.com/2wkkembs]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3632 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:40:34 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3632
An examination of the beliefs and history of the secretive Yezidi sect

• Explains how the Yezidis worship Melek Ta’us, the Peacock Angel, an enigmatic figure often identified as “the devil” or Satan, yet who has been redeemed by God to rule a world of beauty and spiritual realization

• Examines Yezidi antinomian doctrines of opposition, their cosmogony, their magical lore and taboos, the role of angels, ritual, and symbology, and how the Yezidi faith relates to other occult traditions such as alchemy

• Presents the first English translation of the poetry of Caliph Yazid ibn Muawiya, venerated by the Yezidis as Sultan Ezi 


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peacock-Angel-E...1644114127


Read this book in Russian here:

https://anlibrary.fun/books/xakim-bei-an...iia-ezidov]]>
An examination of the beliefs and history of the secretive Yezidi sect

• Explains how the Yezidis worship Melek Ta’us, the Peacock Angel, an enigmatic figure often identified as “the devil” or Satan, yet who has been redeemed by God to rule a world of beauty and spiritual realization

• Examines Yezidi antinomian doctrines of opposition, their cosmogony, their magical lore and taboos, the role of angels, ritual, and symbology, and how the Yezidi faith relates to other occult traditions such as alchemy

• Presents the first English translation of the poetry of Caliph Yazid ibn Muawiya, venerated by the Yezidis as Sultan Ezi 


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peacock-Angel-E...1644114127


Read this book in Russian here:

https://anlibrary.fun/books/xakim-bei-an...iia-ezidov]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3631 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:22:56 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3631
by Rama Poonambalam Coomaraswamy

https://www.sacredweb.com/psychology/psy...s-outlook/]]>
by Rama Poonambalam Coomaraswamy

https://www.sacredweb.com/psychology/psy...s-outlook/]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3630 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:18:19 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3630 Banisteriopsis caapi vine and the leaves of the Psychotria viridis shrub. If you were to consume either one on its own, you wouldn’t feel much. But when they are brewed together for hours on end, a powerful synergy is unlocked."

https://ayahuasca.com/resources/ceremoni...-ceremony/]]> Banisteriopsis caapi vine and the leaves of the Psychotria viridis shrub. If you were to consume either one on its own, you wouldn’t feel much. But when they are brewed together for hours on end, a powerful synergy is unlocked."

https://ayahuasca.com/resources/ceremoni...-ceremony/]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3629 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:13:59 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3629
https://www.fifthestatepub.com/post/kyba...ding-order


Breandan Lumpkin's collection brings these writings together in one volume:

https://tinyurl.com/bddzmyhj]]>
https://www.fifthestatepub.com/post/kyba...ding-order


Breandan Lumpkin's collection brings these writings together in one volume:

https://tinyurl.com/bddzmyhj]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3628 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:08:29 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3628
Contains other alchemical references.

Legal status unknown.

https://ia903103.us.archive.org/0/items/...%20%29.pdf]]>
Contains other alchemical references.

Legal status unknown.

https://ia903103.us.archive.org/0/items/...%20%29.pdf]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3627 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:03:10 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3627
https://tarotfans.com/mutational-alchemy...gishzidda/]]>
https://tarotfans.com/mutational-alchemy...gishzidda/]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3626 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 12:51:59 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3626
Complete book online. Legal status unknown. Many alchemical references.

https://studfile.net/preview/22073718/

Index with alchemical references:
https://studfile.net/preview/22073718/page:30/]]>
Complete book online. Legal status unknown. Many alchemical references.

https://studfile.net/preview/22073718/

Index with alchemical references:
https://studfile.net/preview/22073718/page:30/]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3625 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:36:38 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3625
https://tinyurl.com/2vecnrc2]]>
https://tinyurl.com/2vecnrc2]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3624 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:30:09 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3624
    the first part contains the basic and certain principles of Voynich’s writing system so as to indicate the right direction for research;
    the second part contains all the work I have done on reconstructing Stencils, mapping of characters, F57v, the last page, until some hypothetical words.

I strongly advise against attempting this challenge to anyone who is not used with CAD programs and Spreadsheets, and I trust that the recognition of all the work I have done will not end with the purchase of this handbook, but will materialize in sharing the solution once it is achieved."

https://tinyurl.com/2et8xx26]]>
    the first part contains the basic and certain principles of Voynich’s writing system so as to indicate the right direction for research;
    the second part contains all the work I have done on reconstructing Stencils, mapping of characters, F57v, the last page, until some hypothetical words.

I strongly advise against attempting this challenge to anyone who is not used with CAD programs and Spreadsheets, and I trust that the recognition of all the work I have done will not end with the purchase of this handbook, but will materialize in sharing the solution once it is achieved."

https://tinyurl.com/2et8xx26]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3623 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:25:04 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3623
"Unlike traditional folklore where a sorcerer sells his soul for Black Magick and earthly desires, Goethe transforms his protagonist Faust into a symbol of modernity that deals with humanity’s restless ambition. Plimer details Goethe’s extensive use of sources that span a variety of esoteric fields including ancient Classical languages, Philosophy, and religious texts. Plimer also examines the development of the ‘Daimonic’ and ‘Shadow self’ by demonstrating how Goethe’s understanding of Magi and Magical practice was influenced by various Germanic, medieval folkloric and Renaissance Grimoiric sources Including Goethe’s own initiation through the pietist Maria von Klettenberg and who influenced Goethe’s Alchemical praxei and Rosicrucian theosophy, including his later initiation into Freemasonry."

https://tinyurl.com/yc35cdhk]]>
"Unlike traditional folklore where a sorcerer sells his soul for Black Magick and earthly desires, Goethe transforms his protagonist Faust into a symbol of modernity that deals with humanity’s restless ambition. Plimer details Goethe’s extensive use of sources that span a variety of esoteric fields including ancient Classical languages, Philosophy, and religious texts. Plimer also examines the development of the ‘Daimonic’ and ‘Shadow self’ by demonstrating how Goethe’s understanding of Magi and Magical practice was influenced by various Germanic, medieval folkloric and Renaissance Grimoiric sources Including Goethe’s own initiation through the pietist Maria von Klettenberg and who influenced Goethe’s Alchemical praxei and Rosicrucian theosophy, including his later initiation into Freemasonry."

https://tinyurl.com/yc35cdhk]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3622 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:21:22 +0100 Paul Ferguson]]> https://www.alchemywebsite.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=3622 https://www.deviantart.com/lakandiwa)). [1]
His most prominent piece in this domain is a detailed metallic gel pen illustration titled "Soul Alchemy - Fire and Water" (2010), which explores esoteric and sacred geometry themes. [2, 3]
------------------------------
## 1. The Artwork: "Soul Alchemy - Fire and Water"
In Olivares' portfolio, "Soul Alchemy" depicts a celestial, symbolic union. [3]

* The Medium: Finely detailed, hand-drawn art using metallic gel pens on illustration board. [1, 3]
* The Concept: Described by the artist as "a pact made in the heavens... to bless the union of the earth keepers". It heavily incorporates themes of spiritual alchemy, cosmic Ouroboros (the snake eating its own tail), sacred geometry, and the balancing of opposite elemental forces (Fire and Water / As Above, So Below). [2, 3]
* Other Mystical Works: Under the same moniker, the artist has created several other hermetic and esoteric pieces, including Angellum, The Tree of Life, and Mandala of Creation's Invocation. [4, 5, 6]

## 2. Linguistic Breakdown: "Lakandiwa" as Alchemical Spirit
Outside of the specific artwork, the word Lakandiwa itself carries a deep philosophical meaning in the Philippines that aligns closely with alchemical principles of transformation and the soul.
In traditional Filipino culture, a Lakandiwa is the poetic moderator or judge in a Balagtasan (a traditional bated debate held in verse). However, looking at its etymology provides a deeper "alchemical" framework of the human condition: [7, 8]

* Lakan: Historically refers to a warrior, a nobleman, or a leader caste in ancient Tagalog society.
* Diwa: Translates to "spirit", "essence", "thought", or "soul". [7, 9]

When combined, scholars and philosophers note that Lakandiwa can be translated as "The Spirit of the Warrior" or the alignment of leadership with the soul—representing an inner, self-mastering alchemy where a person harmonizes their physical actions (the warrior) with their divine purpose (the spirit). [7]

[1] [https://www.deviantart.com](https://www.deviantart.com/lilyas/journa...-683691506)
[2] [https://www.pinterest.com](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/soul-alche...245109944/)
[3] [https://www.deviantart.com](https://www.deviantart.com/lakandiwa/art...-164776657)
[4] [https://www.pinterest.com](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/169518373461786188/)
[5] [https://www.deviantart.com](https://www.deviantart.com/lakandiwa/art...-274598952)
[6] [https://nz.pinterest.com](https://nz.pinterest.com/pin/294282156917027539/)
[7] [https://www.academia.edu](https://www.academia.edu/16136728/Lakand...nt_Warrior)
[8] [https://en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balagtasan)
[9] [https://kaikki.org](https://kaikki.org/dictionary/Tagalog/me...ndiwa.html)


https://www.deviantart.com/lakandiwa/art...-164776657]]> https://www.deviantart.com/lakandiwa)). [1]
His most prominent piece in this domain is a detailed metallic gel pen illustration titled "Soul Alchemy - Fire and Water" (2010), which explores esoteric and sacred geometry themes. [2, 3]
------------------------------
## 1. The Artwork: "Soul Alchemy - Fire and Water"
In Olivares' portfolio, "Soul Alchemy" depicts a celestial, symbolic union. [3]

* The Medium: Finely detailed, hand-drawn art using metallic gel pens on illustration board. [1, 3]
* The Concept: Described by the artist as "a pact made in the heavens... to bless the union of the earth keepers". It heavily incorporates themes of spiritual alchemy, cosmic Ouroboros (the snake eating its own tail), sacred geometry, and the balancing of opposite elemental forces (Fire and Water / As Above, So Below). [2, 3]
* Other Mystical Works: Under the same moniker, the artist has created several other hermetic and esoteric pieces, including Angellum, The Tree of Life, and Mandala of Creation's Invocation. [4, 5, 6]

## 2. Linguistic Breakdown: "Lakandiwa" as Alchemical Spirit
Outside of the specific artwork, the word Lakandiwa itself carries a deep philosophical meaning in the Philippines that aligns closely with alchemical principles of transformation and the soul.
In traditional Filipino culture, a Lakandiwa is the poetic moderator or judge in a Balagtasan (a traditional bated debate held in verse). However, looking at its etymology provides a deeper "alchemical" framework of the human condition: [7, 8]

* Lakan: Historically refers to a warrior, a nobleman, or a leader caste in ancient Tagalog society.
* Diwa: Translates to "spirit", "essence", "thought", or "soul". [7, 9]

When combined, scholars and philosophers note that Lakandiwa can be translated as "The Spirit of the Warrior" or the alignment of leadership with the soul—representing an inner, self-mastering alchemy where a person harmonizes their physical actions (the warrior) with their divine purpose (the spirit). [7]

[1] [https://www.deviantart.com](https://www.deviantart.com/lilyas/journa...-683691506)
[2] [https://www.pinterest.com](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/soul-alche...245109944/)
[3] [https://www.deviantart.com](https://www.deviantart.com/lakandiwa/art...-164776657)
[4] [https://www.pinterest.com](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/169518373461786188/)
[5] [https://www.deviantart.com](https://www.deviantart.com/lakandiwa/art...-274598952)
[6] [https://nz.pinterest.com](https://nz.pinterest.com/pin/294282156917027539/)
[7] [https://www.academia.edu](https://www.academia.edu/16136728/Lakand...nt_Warrior)
[8] [https://en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balagtasan)
[9] [https://kaikki.org](https://kaikki.org/dictionary/Tagalog/me...ndiwa.html)


https://www.deviantart.com/lakandiwa/art...-164776657]]>