al-kemi of essence • essence of al-kemi
Orare est laborare, laborare est orare
traditional theories and practices
meeting contemporary needs
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Existing paradigms for reading and interpreting alchemical texts are less than adequate. For the most part these paradigms concern themselves with reading and interpreting these texts according to literary/mythological (Campbell), psychological (Jung), chemical/herbal (Albertus), or occult (Regardie) templates, or some eclectic amalgamation (Stavish) of these. Such interpretive templates and the reading paradigms which rely on them are foreign to alchemical theory and practice and their use should be re-evaluated by scholars and practitioners alike.
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a select few deemed most useful
Peruse our small library of alchemical texts —those by authors of 'best note and experienced truth'— in our online library. Documents available for download in Adobe PDF format.
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providing essential background
Explore excerpts from select foundational texts which provide the necessary background for appreciating the terms, concepts and images found in alchemical literature.
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the cyclopaedia - necessary terms, concepts and imagery
terms and concepts
The comprehension and permutation of terms and concepts is developed and refined here.
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digging deeper
Look up any technical term or phrase, wherever it may occur, across the entire al-kemi.org website.
It is politics [as] spiritual transcendence...the fact that it is a black man who is serving as America's philosopher's stone, turning the base metal of bitterness into the gold of forgiveness, is extraordinarily moving. The possibility that [America's] deepest wound, and the source of [her] political divisions, could also be the agent of [her] redemption is like a banner appearing in a darkened sky.