There are some excellent alchemical resources available and this site is a good starting point: http://www.alchemywebsite.com/adam.html

My own view (with the caveat that alchemy is not my primary area of interest) is that some alchemical texts are open to being read as veiled references to esoteric sexuality, there are many that are concerned with the practical manipulation of material substances to a spiritual/esoteric end and still others where the focus is on the creation of ‘magically effective’ substances. In the field of spagyrics, for example, the alchemist is concerned with the making of causally effective, often plant based, tinctures and medicines. Alchemy is a vast topic, even if we restrict our interest to European alchemical praxis (one might spend many years fruitfully exploring the internal alchemy in certain Taoist praxis) and so it isn’t really possible to identify a single ‘true’ focus.

Bw

Jon

 

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From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Susan Graf
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2016 3:30 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] 18th c. gematria an alchemy

 

I have another question.  It may be an ignorant question, so I apologize ahead of time.  Again, I am not an 18th century scholar—well I kind of am trying to be one right now, but I am not really trained—and now I am having to consider alchemy.  In reading Jacob Boehme, it seems to patently obvious to me that the true subject is esoteric sexuality.  Did the more erudite alchemists—the real alchemists—just keep it under wraps so beautifully?  I’m thinking that until Jung, no one really said, “Ok Folks:  here’s what’s really going on here.”  Did no one at the time actually admit it?  Or were they really trying to make gold out of their own semen.  I mean, come on. . . .

Susan   

 

From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Susan Graf
Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 9:56 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] 18th c. gematria

 

Thanks Dan! 

 

From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Daniel Harms
Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 3:28 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] 18th c. gematria

 

Susan,

 

There’s not much printed in England on magic for much of that period.  You might start with J. F.’s translation of Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy, which features gematria in Book 2, Chapter 20. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Dan Harms

Reference and Instruction Librarian

SUNY Cortland Memorial Library
P. O. Box 2000

Cortland, NY 13045

(607) 753-4042

 

From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ed Lyon
Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 5:17 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] 18th c. gematria

 

Hi

 

Just a punt: but I imagine that Francis Barrett’s The Magus (online at http://toth.su/pdf/Ceremonial/The%20Magus%20by%20Francis%20Barrett.pdf) would be indicative of eighteenth century practices.

 

All the best

 

Ed Lyon

Library Assistant (Document Delivery)

 

Library

Birkbeck, University of London

Malet Street

London WC1E 7HX

 

 

 

From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Susan Graf
Sent: 17 February 2016 05:26
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] 18th c. gematria

 

Sabina,

Thanks for the input.  I was thinking along those lines, but I am a novice—just getting my sea legs—in terms of pre-nineteenth-century occultism, so I’m checking with the panel of experts J. 

Susan   

 

From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Magliocco, Sabina
Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 9:23 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] 18th c. gematria

 

Susan et al.,

 

This is a hunch, but I suspect 18th century occultists would have based letter-number correspondences on Gematria, to which they had access through the Kabbalah. I'm guessing here, so if anyone has actual data on this, please go ahead and chime in to correct me, if necessary.

 

Best,

Sabina

 

Sabina Magliocco
Professor

Department of Anthropology
California State University - Northridge
[log in to unmask]

 

 

From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Susan Graf <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 5:16 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] 18th c. gematria

 

Colleagues,

I am wondering if anybody has an idea about what scheme—letter/number correspondences—would have been most commonly in use in English occultism od the 18th century.  Thanks in advance for any help or sources you might be able to offer.

With all good wishes,

Susan Johnston Graf