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Alchemy

Paracelsus, Arthur Edward Waite (Translator)

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The German physician Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim traveled throughout Europe, practicing medicine, occultism, and alchemy under the name of Paracelsus. As with so many of the true alchemists, Paracelsus believed that it was far more important to contemplate nature and the majesty of God's handiworks than to spend all one's time studying the knowledge that could be found in books. If one could acquire the kind of purity of belief, such as Jesus (c. 6 B.C.E.–c. 30 C.E.) affirmed existed in the heart of a child, one could literally transform base substances into precious metals and gems, for the primary ingredient necessary for alchemical success lay in obtaining the prima materia, the essence of all substances, the primeval building blocks of the universe. In the view of Paracelsus, this essential substance was both visible and invisible, and it was the soul of the world from which all elements had sprung, and its power was accessible to all who had the purity of heart and the faith to attain it.

GenresAlchemyOccultPhilosophyClassics

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1986

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About the author

Paracelsus

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Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, who published under the name Paracelsus ("greater than Celsus," a reference to the first-century Roman encyclopedist Aulus Cornelius Celsus) was a Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and occultist. He pioneered the use of chemicals and minerals in medicine, and was among the first to credibly suggest that illness was the result of the body being attacked by outside agents, rather than an imbalance of the four Hippocratic humours. However, he is today remembered more for his contributions to alchemy and his magical theories, which stood in contrast to those of Cornelius Agrippa and Nicolas Flamel.

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