Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The Second Mouse Gets The Cheese: Let Me Find Out How This Works
The Second Mouse Gets The Cheese: Let Me Find Out How This Works: "Hi Everyone! As you may know, Bruce has been teaching me alot about the internet and how things connect. So, I've decided to test what I..."
Monday, November 15, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Alchemy: The Philosopher's Stone
While medieval alchemists often get a bad rap it is usually due to people's ignorance on the subject. Alchemy was the science of the middle ages but it differed from our understanding of science in that it did not differentiate between factual science and religion. The greatest goal of Alchemy was "the Philosopher's Stone" which was said to turn base metals into gold. However, the steps to obtain the stone were also meant as an allegory for spiritual enlightenment and the perfection of one's soul. It would be fair to say that, to an alchemist, this process of spiritual perfection was the true purpose of Alchemy.
The process of the stone, and much of the alchemical philosophy, is deeply tied to old and obscure occult practices and is seen to have a strong correlation to the paths of the Tarot and the Qaballa as well.
That being said, Alchemy was also concerned with observable scientific study and was the guardian of scientific thought through those dark years known as the Medieval Period. Alchemists possessed a much greater wealth of knowledge than most people are willing to attribute to them. For example, Alchemists understood and recorded the fact that the Earth was indeed round, they had observed and recorded that white light contained lights of other colors and they were, in many cases, responsible for medicine at a time when most scholastic study was dedicated to religious topics.
The obscurity of most alchemical texts is understandable when you consider the power that the established religious organizations had at the time. However, we must also take into account that, as are scientists today, alchemists were concerned with keeping their discoveries their own. For both these reasons alchemists felt it important to cloud their words in allegory and fantastical writing.
I feel that modern science could possibly learn a lot from the concept of combining scientific and metaphysical study as there is much heart ache that derives from the vigorous separation of religion and science, neither of which, alone, can offer a complete personal understanding of our own existence.
The process of the stone, and much of the alchemical philosophy, is deeply tied to old and obscure occult practices and is seen to have a strong correlation to the paths of the Tarot and the Qaballa as well.
That being said, Alchemy was also concerned with observable scientific study and was the guardian of scientific thought through those dark years known as the Medieval Period. Alchemists possessed a much greater wealth of knowledge than most people are willing to attribute to them. For example, Alchemists understood and recorded the fact that the Earth was indeed round, they had observed and recorded that white light contained lights of other colors and they were, in many cases, responsible for medicine at a time when most scholastic study was dedicated to religious topics.
The obscurity of most alchemical texts is understandable when you consider the power that the established religious organizations had at the time. However, we must also take into account that, as are scientists today, alchemists were concerned with keeping their discoveries their own. For both these reasons alchemists felt it important to cloud their words in allegory and fantastical writing.
I feel that modern science could possibly learn a lot from the concept of combining scientific and metaphysical study as there is much heart ache that derives from the vigorous separation of religion and science, neither of which, alone, can offer a complete personal understanding of our own existence.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Annual Thematic Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to health | International Drug Policy Consortium
Are we seeing the light yet???
moving right along...
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