Marcus Katz - The Alchemy Workbook: A Six-Month Course Using Kitchen Ingredients

THE ALCHEMY WORKBOOK

A 6-Month Course in Alchemy Using Kitchen Ingredients.

By Marcus Katz

Previously Only Available in print as The Alchemical Amphitheatre

This version modified and updated for Kindle publication.

Copyright Marcus Katz, 2014

Published by Forge Press, Keswick
All rights reserved.

About the Author

Marcus Katz is author of the ground-breaking Tarot book and teaching system, Tarosophy , and is the co-founder of Tarosophy Tarot Associations (Worldwide). In addition to #1 top-selling and award-winning Tarot books with Tali Goodwin, such as Around the Tarot in 78 Days , he is the author of The Magister , a forthcoming 11-volume opus on the Western Esoteric Initiatory System, The Magicians Kabbalah , and the forthcoming Path of the Seasons . He has also written on his NLP and hypnotherapy client work in NLP Magick . He teaches students privately in the Crucible Club , available by application.

Contents

About the Author

Contents

An Alchemical Blessing

Chapter 1: Structure of the Alchemy Course

Chapter 2: Introduction: A New Perspective on Alchemy

Chapter 3: Module 1: Calcination

Chapter 4: Module 2: Solution

Chapter 5: Module 3: Separation

Chapter 6: Module 4: Conjunction

Chapter 7: Module 5: Putrefaction

Chapter 8: Module 6: Coagulation

Bibliography

Kindle Tarot Books & Series

Websites & Resources

An Alchemical Blessing

Cabala and Alchemy

Give thee the medicine most high.

Also the Stone of the Wise,

In which alone the foundation lies,

As is plain before thine eyes

Betimes in these effigies.

O God help us to be grateful

For this gift sublime and pure

The man whose heart and mind Thou openest,

Who is perfect herein

To prepare here this Work

To him may all strength be given.

Steffan Michelspacher, Cabala (1616), Cabala, mirror of Art and Nature: in Alchemy

Structure of the Alchemy Course

This six-module course is designed to give you an introduction to the art and science of magical alchemy. Each module has been structured to give you a variety of activities, to ensure that whatever your learning style youll get the most opportunity to experience the teachings of Alchemy and use them to enrich your daily life.

The content of each module is sufficient for a month of study, meditation and practice, although further reading is provided if you wish to extend your studies at any stage during or after the course.

Each of the six modules has six sections, which relate to the overall subject of the module. There are three readings ; these provide background material and specific information on alchemical subjects, such as an element like Sulpher , or a character like Paracelsus . These begin with general subjects to introduce you to Alchemy, and progress to deeper issues as you become more comfortable with the material. The three readings of each module are one of each; general; academic; and an extract from source material; so that you can choose which - or all - suit your interest.

Each module has also three further elements; Techne , Praxis and Theoria . These are three different ways to learn more about the subject of the module. You can try one, two or all three of the approaches!

The first, techne , is a productive approach - you will try an alchemical experiment to learn about the relationship of alchemy to your real life!

The second, praxis , is a meditative approach - by working with your imagination and the powerful symbolism of alchemy you will enrich your appreciation of the world of Nature through alchemy. You may find this also creates magical changes in your environment that cannot be explained!

The third approach is theoria an intellectual approach to the material, and this is your chance to think about your reading and experience, create an essay, making sense of alchemy in your own mind.

The readings for this course are based on academic research and are therefore factual to primary or secondary source materials. They are also extensively annotated. As such, they require careful reading and you may like to re-visit the material many times.

Although this is an introduction to Alchemy, it is also deliberately dense in material which has been thoroughly reviewed. This is in order to dispel many of the second-hand writings on the subject which place Alchemy as originating in Atlantis or similar ideas. You are encouraged to pass over the more academic writing if you wish and work with the dream-work, visualization or practical aspects of the book. However, if you refer to the academic writing herein, you will find a rich trove of further references and insights into alchemy as a practice.

All of the practical material in this course is unique, and has been constructed for this course alone. You will not find these rituals, exercises or meditations anywhere else on the internet or in publication. The material herein is the result of two years research, and the exercises the result of thirty years practice.

You will also appreciate that even this course structure is alchemical - divided into six modules reflecting the first six stages of the alchemical process. It is hoped you will be able to generalize these teachings to all areas of your experience, in order to live a truly magical - and alchemically transformative - life! Some of these apparently simple exercises and ideas, delivered and followed in the right order, can have profound and challenging impact on your perspective, state of consciousness and external life.

As an introduction to Magickal Alchemy, the practical experiments here concentrate on the usage of Salt , rather than Sulpher or Mercury, for reasons of safety. Also, salt is a commonplace item that may easily be purchased and is likely to already be present in your home! We will see how the mundane and commonplace may be utilized by the alchemist and turned into a deep teaching of the nature of Universe and further magically transform your relationship to it.

Please note that all experiments suggested here are carried out at your own risk and should be treated with a degree of respect. Although seemingly straightforward, even mundane, the work of Alchemy can have profoundly positive yet challenging effects.