The Emerald Tablet famous for its declaration “as above, so below,” is a cornerstone text of alchemy. A new translation from the oldest known version of the Emerald Tablet will be used as the basis to lay out the fundamentals of alchemy starting with Alexandrian alchemy.
The morning session after a review of alchemical theory, will discuss and demonstrate some of the Alexandrian alchemical practices as it relates to the Emerald Tablet. Having this grounding we’ll move to Western alchemy.
The afternoon session will deepen the theory of the morning by considering the quintessence or “fifth essence”. The alchemical theory of John of Rupescissa holds that this very subtle substance permeates all creation. We will examine Rupescissa’s De Quinta Essentia (translations of the
relevant sections will be given out), discuss its relation to the Emerald Tablet, and consider ways the quintessence can be extracted from various substances such as wine and gold.