"Alchemy" offers tremendous insight into alternative therapies, new medicines and the depths of the human mind. Illuminating a truly esoteric practice, Mark Stavish reveals how to create and apply "medicines for the soul" in this remarkable guide to plant and mineral alchemy. The "Path of Alchemy" introduces the history and basic laws of this ancient practice, and explains how it ties into Qabala, tarot, astrology and the four elements. Safe, modern techniques - based on spagyrics (plant alchemy) - for producing distillations, stones, tinctures and elixirs are given, along with their uses in physical healing, spiritual growth, psychic experiments, initiation, consecration, spell-work and more. Each chapter includes meditations, projects and suggested reading as aids to "inner transformation," an equally important aspect of alchemy. Tools, rituals, lunar and solar stones and the elusive Philosopher's Stone are all covered in this comprehensive guide to alchemy.

Table of Contents:
Contents Foreword by Russell House xi Acknowledgments xv Introduction xvii one Alchemy: An Introduction to the Royal Art 1 Why Study Alchemy? 1 The Land of Khem: Where It All Began 4 The Key of All Magic: Separating the Gross from the Subtle 5 The Stages of the Great Work and Astrology 6 Qabala and Alchemy: A Fool’s Journey 8 Qabala 101: Using the Tree of Life with Alchemy 9 Conclusion 13 two Basic Spagyrics 17 The Three Essentials: Sulphur, Salt, and Mercury 17 The Three Essentials and the Elements 18 Experiments for the Beginning Student of the Art 22 Basic Spagyric Tincture 25 Calcination 28 Meditation: The Basics 35 Alchemical Meditations 36 three Creating a Plant Stone 41 A Plant Stone: Key to the Astral World 41 The Astral World and Alchemy 42 Lunar Cycles and Alchemy 47 How to Make a Plant Stone 49 Leaching Salts 50 The Stone 52 Sea Salt and Alchemy 55 Suggestions for Study 57 four Distillation 61 Red Wine and Alchemy 62 Distilling Alcohol from Red Wine 63 Distillation and Creating a Plant Stone 70 Creating an Elixir 72 five Water Distillation 79 Psychic Experiments with Water 82 Distillation of Water 85 Scented Water and Water Elixirs 86 six Initiatic Alchemy 91 Initiation 92 How to Make an Ens 97 Using the Ens 99 seven Physical Health and Healing with Spagyrics 107 Why We Seek Health 107 Problems of Dosage 108 Alchemy and Homeopathy 110 Salt Structures and the Tree of Life 115 Planets, Plants, and Their Healing Qualities 116 eight Ritual Use of Spagyric Products 127 Inner Tools of Alchemy 127 Ora Et Labora 128 Meditation and Alchemy 132 Ritual Charging of Alchemical Products 135 Holy Blood, Holy Grail 142 nine The Red and White Stones of Alchemy 147 The Stones of the Royal Art 147 The Role of Saturn in Alchemy 157 ten Alchemical Symbolism and the Tarot 165 Symbolism: The Language of the Birds 170 Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Astral 172 Alchemical Pathworking 178 Conclusion 183 Appendix A: Planetary Hours 185 Appendix B: The Longevity Formula of Comte de St. Germain 193 Appendix C: The Path of Nicholas Flamel and the Philosopher’s Stone 195 Glossary 211 Selected Bibliography 217 Alchemical Reading List and Resources 219 Index 225