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To many people, the alchemist is a person that is some kind of pseudo scientist who tries to convert lead into the precious metal called gold. These people are also associated with meddling with magic and mysticism.

There is some truth to these believes but in an objective sense, the alchemist is a person that tries to explore and also find out more about nature. They have, in fact, been doing this even before tools and scientific practices were available.

They had to rely on simple rules of thumb and on tradition as well as on simple observations and perhaps even mysticism. The symbols associated with alchemy and their associated processes had reference to the development of spiritual practices and physical transformations were not considered very important.

In fact, alchemy has also been associated with astrology with which it shares many common features. In order to understand the alchemist, one must take into account the way that one substance can be transformed into another. This understanding does not involve any knowledge of chemistry or physics but depends of transmutation of certain base metals into the precious metal gold.

Alchemy involves four different elements and it also relies on principles of geometry and geology. This is a field that has continuously evolved over a very long time and it began when religions got involved in metallurgy and in medicine. Later, it began to evolve into an independent field.

It has also evolved into the field of mysticism and also charlatanism. However, at the same time, alchemy has also provided us with basic empirical knowledge about chemistry and medicine. The best known alchemists of our time in Europe included names such as Saint Thomas Aquinas and Roger Bacon as well as Sir Isaac Newton and even Sir Thomas Browne.

Alchemy is said to have begun in the ancient Egyptian times and has since then evolved dramatically, Thoth is the founder of this field and his 42 Books of Knowledge covered a variety of topics including those such as alchemy, medicine and law.

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In an era not so long ago, there lived a particular group of scientists who believed in the symbolic unity of the human race and the cosmos. As such, their fundamental beliefs were heavily derivative from mythological and spiritual aspects, with scientists trying to achieve two main things. That is, the Philosopher’s Stone, and the Elixir of Life. These are the long ago alchemists, in the singular, alchemist.

The Philosopher’s Stone was a special stone with the powers to transform base metal into noble form. That is, for example, copper or iron into silver or gold. Many alchemists of past time studied hard to find this stone, and made endless research on how to create it.

The Elixir of Life was purported to harbor healing abilities, as well as a fountain youth and eternal life. The discovery of this panacea might have been driven by low life spans, or quality, or the simple need to extend one’s stay on Earth. Limited medical knowledge may also have attributed to the faith of such a liquid, to save mankind from several deadly diseases.

As much as the fundamental aspects and beliefs held by alchemists of early time might amuse many in the 21st century, their means and methods of research, analysis, and deduction may be looked upon as the first foundation stones of modern science. In fact, one could even suppose that the truly differentiating difference between these two factions relies on the fact that alchemy believed in a natural and symbolic unity between humanity and the cosmos, whereas modern science puts that to rest.

A third objective of alchemy was the search for a universal solvent. Clearly, water provided no distinctive attributes to them, otherwise their search would have been long done. Perhaps they were looking at a different definition of the term, where all elements were constituted, not most of them.

In any case, the alchemist could also have been looking for a more intellectually fulfilling answer. Preferably one construed from meticulous research, long periods of sleepless nights, wonderful calculations, and mystical significance; all this for their insatiable desire for stimulating philosophy.

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