Women Alchemists: Stories and Reflections on Their Place in History, Psyche, and Science
Alchemy 101
Attempting to define alchemy confronts the reader with a motley blend of descriptions as to its nature. Alchemy holds the distinction of being the precursor to modern chemistry. However, a more familiar image may be that which comes to mind of a wizard-like fellow, standing over his retort, wondering if this time he will succeed in transmuting the lead into gold.
Alchemy was the process used to create the Philosopher’s Stone and the Elixir of Life. The Philosopher’s Stone was critical in the transmutation process. It was believed that just a morsel, the size of a grain of sand, could turn base metals into gold or if added in the final step in the tincture making process, create a healing elixir that could extend life indefinitely. A catalyst is the term we use in modern chemistry for the role of the Philosopher’s Stone. The processes for creating gold or the elixir are very similar; however, the latter uses vegetable matter as opposed to minerals.
Alchemy has been portrayed as quackery, charlatanism, and dark magic. Secret societies have used alchemical symbolism in their rituals, practices, and mythologies. Carl Jung saw in alchemy, an analogy for the individuation process in psychological development and concluded that alchemists projected something of their unconscious into their understanding of the art. Many alchemists believed that their art was revealed to man by God and thus, only an alchemist who was worthy would be graced by God to achieve the highest result, the Philosopher’s Stone.
Alchemy was not to be mistaken for magic, although many an alchemist became seduced by unrelated magical practices, probably adding to the misconception of associating alchemy with witchcraft. The alchemical tradition can be traced back thousands of years to before the time of Socrates and probably is as old as humankind’s propensity to experiment with herbs in brewing remedies for sickness.
Western alchemy traces its roots to ancient Greece, Rome, and especially Egypt; however, China and India have their own rich alchemical traditions. Regardless of the country of origin, alchemy “was built on the theory that all the visible forms of matter, whether mineral, vegetable, animal, or human, were manifold forms of one basic, essential substance” (Patai, 1994, p. 4). This substance was called the prima materia or first matter. The various descriptions of the prima materia sound as if it is some type of cosmic “stuff” that exists and is of God. The first matter manifests itself in some mysterious way to become our physical world. Von Franz (1980a) writes, “that if this basic material could be discovered, one would, in a way, look into the divine fabric of the cosmos” (p. 67).
Alchemy was based on the belief that matter was made up of a combination of three components, sulphur (soul), mercury (spirit or life force), and salt (physical body). In this process, sulphur and mercury are not synonymous with the actual elements we know from the Periodic Table. They represent aspects of matter that carry a kind of fire or spirit.
The alchemical operations consisted of separating a substance into the three components before recombining them to create a new substance that held the three components in perfect balance or harmony. It was thought that all matter, including humans, could be made pure (i.e., healed from the impurities that made it sick). For example, in the same way that plants and animals grow from embryos, gold (believed to be a pure substance) begins its journey as a less perfect metal that gradually develops into the pure form, the highest level it can, the gold that is coveted by so many cultures. Gold was considered the most pure metal since it has unique properties such as being resistant to changes such as tarnishing and besides, was found in the ground in its natural state.
Alchemy was also tied directly to astrology in that the planets were believed to rule all life such as the formation of plants and minerals.
Some of the earliest alchemical writings are attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, thought to have lived in Egypt around the same time Moses was alive. Many stories surround Hermes and his work, but it is believed that Alexander the Great discovered an emerald tablet in Hermes’ tomb on which 13 sentences regarding the Magnum Opus (the Great Work also known as alchemy), written in Phoenician, were inscribed. Line two of the Emerald Tablet is interesting in that it has become a famous alchemical saying: “What is below is like that which is above, and what is above is like that which is below, to accomplish the miracles of one thing." The aphorism is believed to have meant that the physical world works the same way as that which occurs in the heavens or in God’s domain. Thus, understanding the micro world would allow the practitioner to understand the universe and ultimately, God.
