Is Alchemy Real?

What do you think of when you see the word alchemy?  Potions. Sorceresses. Wizards. Magic. Yes, fantasy uses the notion of alchemy to conjure up scenes of intrigue and mystical goings-on. But what if it’s true…that we can change one thing into another? Well, don’t we do that ALL THE TIME?

Have you ever poured flavored sugar into water and used it to quench someone’s thirst?

Have you ever taken, milk, eggs, flour, sugar, and a little baking soda and created a whole new edible item?

Have you ever combined vinegar and baking soda to make a powerful cleaning agent?

Well then… you are an alchemist!

The word itself goes all the way back to ancient Egypt and comes from the Arabic Al-Kemi, which is “divine chemistry.” The users of alchemy were the wise ones of their culture, the scholars, the teachers, the healers. They all used minerals and plants and other natural substances to create medicines and metals and chemicals in order to heal and otherwise help their fellow man.

Out of their experiments arose new disciplines, such as chemistry, physics, mathematics, and philosophy. Science was created in those practices which society began to believe were magical and thus, to be feared. Eventually the dark ages came upon the human race and science was hidden away.

The renaissance brought it back in force and from then on we have had the benefits of the ancient healers. Alchemy brought the thinking man to the forefront of society again. Great minds like Paracelsus, Issac Newton, Francis Bacon, and Carl Jung studied alchemy to explain the world around us and who we are as human beings.

Alchemy also brought about a different way of looking at our lives. Change, as I have written about here, is a life-altering idea. To wonder what would happen if you did a certain thing in a particular way, and then do it, is a personal alchemy that you create within yourself.

For more information, you can visit The Alchemy Website by Adam McLean.  It is wonderfully fascinating.

And for all you amazing readers of mine, let’s go to the comments!

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NOTICE: in the near future you may see a transformation right here on this website. I am planning a major change in the design. So not to worry, It will still be me rambling away.