THE SOURCES OF ALCHEMY - A Lecture Presentation by Laurence Caruana

This Seven-part Series of Lectures on ALCHEMY, VISIONS & ART begins with four presentations on ALCHEMY, followed by one presentation on alchemical themes in VISIONARY ART, and finally a two-part presentation on the Alchemy of Traditional ARTISTS’ MATERIALS: ALCHEMY: 1. An Introduction to Alchemy () 2. The Sources of Alchemy () 3. A History of Alchemy () 4. The Alchemy of Colour () VISIONARY ART: 5. Alchemy & Visionary Art () ARTISTS’ MATERIALS: 6. The Alchemy of Painting Mediums & Pigments () BONUS LECTURE: 7. The Gnostic Worldview () Filmed at THE VIENNA ACADEMY OF VISIONARY ART during Laurence Caruana’s 2019 Winter Trimester on ’The Alchemy of Paint’, the lectures give an increasingly in-depth understanding of Alchemy, including alchemical themes in Visionary Art and the alchemical nature of artists’ traditional Mediums and Pigments. A bonus lecture on The Gnostic Worldview completes the series. More information on L. Caruana’s books: More information on The Vienna Academy of Visionary Art: ’THE SOURCES OF ALCHEMY’ - A BRIEF OUTLINE: - This lecture places Alchemy within its historical context by pursuing the philosophical sources of alchemical knowledge - It’s main focus is Ancient Greek Natural Philosophy from Athens (600 BCE - 300 BCE) and the Emanationist Philosophies of Alexandria during the Greco-Egyptian Period (300 BCE - 300 CE) 9:01 - As an introduction, the Emanationist Philosophies are described - how the One expanded into the All - using examples from Neo-Platonism, Pythagoras, Gnosticism and Theurgy 29:36 - In the main section on Greek Natural Philosophy, we present passages on Empedocles’ four elements, Plato’s demi-urge and the great mixing bowl, Aristotle’s four qualities, materia prima, and the origin of metals 53:28 - In the main section on the Emanationist Philosophies of Alexandria, we present passages from the Corpus Hermeticum on the creation, the mixing bowl and the soul ascent, 1:04:52 - Then, from Theurgy (Iamblichus and Proclus), how this worldview operates on statues and divine sigils, 1:17:35 - And finally, from the Alexandrian alchemist Zosimos, we see how this worldview operates in texts on the electrum mirror and achieving perfection.