You have probably heard the legend that alchemists, magicians of some sort who were like a combination of chemist and magician, could convert, or try to convert, lead into gold. But is alchemy really about get rich quick? Or is the precursor and root of modern chemistry something deeper than that?

First of all, we can find clues as to what alchemy is really about when we study the origins of the word. Anyway, what does alchemy really mean? Well, one translation is “black earth art” because the original name of the lands of the ancient Egyptians is “khem”. The soil along the Nile River is black and is considered to have spiritual and life-giving qualities. Let’s not forget how magical and Hereafter focused the ancient Egyptians were. But after this, we can also look at his allusion to the Greek word “chemeia” found in Diocletian’s writings. This root of alchemy refers to the arts for making metal ingots. And then we have another Greek word, “chumeia”, and when we consider this root, which means “juice” and implied as coming from a plant (hence a “secretion”, which gives us our modern English word “secret”) refers to taking plant extracts and using them for medical purposes.

It is said that the alchemists (priests) of ancient Egypt knew how to create a sacred white powder that gave them a second vision and possibly had other “magical” qualities. In the tradition of modern alchemy, this sacred white powder, often depicted in Egyptian drawings as being piled up in a cone like the shape of a traditional magician’s hat, is probably what is now known as The Philosopher’s Stone.

This philosopher’s stone is now seen as the catalyst that makes the transition from lead to gold possible. Those who are familiar with modern chemistry know the importance of a catalyst in making any reaction possible. Today, some people even believe that this philosopher’s stone is actually the ancient and mysterious “mana” and that it is a created form of gold that can grant psychic powers and immortality to those who eat it. It is also believed that the Philosopher’s Stone in traditional alchemy can grant immortality by dissolving into an Elixir of Life and getting drunk. As for turning lead into gold, the alchemist supposedly knew how to apply a magical plant tincture to the process to use it as a catalyst: there is our “chumeia” in action.

But we must also look at the chemical elements that are said to participate in all alchemical reactions: mercury, sulfur, and salt. All three have well-known symbols attached. Mercury is “spirit”; sulfur is “soul”; and salt is “earth” or “the body”. It’s probably very telling that mercury or mercury (mercury is silver in color and liquid at room temperature) is used chemically to help extract gold from its natural minerals. Sulfur is used to make sulfuric acid which, of course, is used in metal working like engraving. And salt is the great preservative: “You are the salt of the earth!” By the way, gold and platinum (a rarer chemical form of gold) are the most efficient conductors of electricity of all metals. Space exploration agencies also use gold to protect satellites and spacecraft from cosmic rays.

But what does all this mean to us? Well, the great psychologist and explorer of the esoteric Carl Jung said that alchemists project something from their own subconscious mind onto their work. By this, he meant that manifesting gold through the use of alchemy to make it from lead, the most basic metal, is really a metaphor for transforming a basic human or animal-like nature, one obsessed with appetite, cravings. and raw emotions. – in an enlightened or spiritual being. There is a process involved in this transformation, a process that, in real or more literal terms, takes a long time, perhaps decades of life, to achieve. The catalyst for all this, the Philosopher’s Stone, would symbolize someone turning to the truth that the great philosopher Socrates said: “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

What about the literal process by which gold can be turned into sacred bread (this would also be a way to transform “base” gold into “spiritual” gold, in parallel with the transformation of lead into gold) that gives great powers and immortality? Is it for real? Perhaps time will tell. But in the meantime, we can view the process of alchemy as a ritual to transform our lives from need and emotional vulgarity into extraordinary experiences, and manifest our own inner gold, our own inner abundance, in that way.