Alchemy: The Art of Transformation

I purchased this book some time ago, but only recently read it. When I picked it up again, I figured that this book on alchemy, published by a mainstream press, was likely to be just new-age hogwash. I was pleasantly surprised. This book addresses alchemy as a spiritual system (the author compares it in the back briefly to tantra), based on meditation and sexuality. The book is packed with meditations and poetic explorations of the existing alchemical literature and paintings, and while it does not provide a firm intellectual foundation for the study of alchemy, I think it brings us one step closer to its essence. I don't think this should be the only book one has on alchemy if one wants to study it, but it is a useful addition to any library addressing Renaissance spirituality, alchemy, hermetics, etc.

Alchemy is best known as the age old science of turning base metal into gold. But it is much more: essentially, it is a path of self-knowledge, unique in the Western tradition with vital relevance for the modern world. The symbols of alchemy lie deep in the collective unconscious, in the world of dreams and imagery; the pratices of alchemy are rooted in an understanding of the oneness of spirit and matter through which we celebrate our sexuality and spirituality.