Christian mysticism and Hermetic occultism

Lives of the Alchemystical Philosophers: Being a Biographical Account of the Principal Personages Connected with the Transmutations and Discoveries of Alchemy

Name: Lives of the Alchemystical Philosophers: Being a Biographical Account of the Principal Personages Connected with the Transmutations and Discoveries of Alchemy
Author: Arthur Edward Waite

Arthur Edward Waite18880

Intermediatecomplete

Comprehensive biographical and historical account of major alchemical philosophers from ancient times to modern era. Chronicles lives of key figures including Hermes Trismegistus, Jabir ibn Hayyan (Geber), Roger Bacon, Arnaldus de Villanova, Nicholas Flamel, Paracelsus, John Dee, and contemporary alchemists. Presents alchemy not as failed chemistry but as legitimate philosophical and practical tradition with continuous heritage. Examines relationships between alchemical teaching and practical work, analyzing how alchemists understood their enterprise and what they sought to accomplish.

Also known asAlchemical Biography · History of Alchemists · Biographies of Alchemists

This edition1888

EditionArthur Edward Waite's comprehensive biographical history of major alchemists and alchemical philosophers from antiquity through modern era. Chronicles lives and teachings of principal figures in alchemical tradition, their discoveries, practices, and influence.

AlchemyHistory of alchemyAlchemical TransformationMagnum Opus DemonstrationAlchemical transmutationBiographies of OccultistsOccult HistoryAlchemical laboratory workAlchemical distillationAlchemist Biographies (Geber/Böhme/Dee)spiritual teachingsGolden DawnHermetic philosophyHermetic traditionAlchemical symbolism

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Hermeticism and Alchemy

Hermetic and alchemical source texts covering the Corpus Hermeticum, Divine Pymander, The Kybalion, Paracelsus, alchemical symbolism, medicine, and spiritual transformation.

Hermeticism

Primary Hermetic texts, later Hermetic philosophy, and adjacent works on ascent, correspondence, divine mind, and spiritual transformation.

Alchemy

Alchemy texts and commentaries covering transmutation, medicine, allegory, spiritual regeneration, and the symbolic language of the great work.

Golden Dawn

Golden Dawn texts and related works on the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, ritual magic, grades, Qabalah, tarot, Enochian material, and modern occult orders.

Contents67 chapters

01LIVES OF ALCHEMYSTICAL PHILOSOPHERS.
02PREFACE.
03ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS.
04INTRODUCTORY ESSAY
05ON THE PHYSICAL THEORY AND PRACTICE OF THE MAGNUM OPUS.
06LIVES OF THE ALCHEMISTS.
07GEBER.
08RHASIS.
09ALFARABI.
10AVICENNA.
11MORIEN,
12ALBERTUS MAGNUS.
13THOMAS AQUINAS.
14ROGER BACON.
15ALAIN OF LISLE.
16RAYMOND LULLY.
17ARNOLD DE VILLANOVA.
18JEAN DE MEUNG.
19THE MONK FERARIUS.
20POPE JOHN XXII.
21NICHOLAS FLAMEL.
22PETER BONO.
23JOHANNES DE RUPECISSA.
24BASIL VALENTINE.
25ISAAC OF HOLLAND.
26BERNARD TRÉVISAN.
27JOHN FONTAINE.
28THOMAS NORTON.
29THOMAS DALTON.
30SIR GEORGE RIPLEY.
31PICUS DE MIRANDOLA.
32PARACELSUS.
33DENIS ZACHAIRE.
34BERIGARD OF PISA.
35CHARNOCK.
36GIOVANNI BRACCESCO.
37LEONARDI FIORAVANTI.
38JOHN DEE.
39HENRY KHUNRATH.
40MICHAEL MAIER.
41JACOB BÖHME.
42J. B. VAN HELMONT.
43BUTLER.
44JEAN D’ESPAGNET.
45ALEXANDER SETHON.
46MICHAEL SENDIVOGIUS.
47GUSTENHOVER.
48BUSARDIER.
49ANONYMOUS ADEPT.
50ALBERT BELIN.
51EIRENÆUS PHILALETHES.
52PIERRE JEAN FABRE.
53HELVETIUS.
54GUISEPPE FRANCESCO BORRI.
55JOHN HEYDON.
56LASCARIS.
57DELISLE.
58JOHN HERMANN OBEREIT.
59TRAVELS, ADVENTURES, AND IMPRISONMENTS OF JOSEPH BALSAMO.
60CONCLUSION.
61AN ALPHABETICAL CATALOGUE OF WORKS ON HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY AND ALCHEMY.
62APPENDIX.
63INDEX.
64Transcriber’s Notes:
65THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
66"Cover"
67Lives of Alchemystical Philosophers, by Arthur Edward Waite—A Project Gutenberg eBook