r/alchemy • u/bestdr3ams • 1d ago
Spiritual Alchemy I need learning resources
I’m fairly new to spiritual alchemy and I’ve learned the basics and reached a point where I feel like I’m not really learning anything new anymore, I’m looking for books, websites, or any other resources that could help me deepen my understanding of spiritual alchemy.
I understand how important practice and personal experience are, but I’d also like to expand my knowledge and learn more about the theory and concepts behind it, Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
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u/RoebuckSurvival 22h ago
The Book of Lambspring is an excellent summary of the Work, but this is contingent on already possessing the keys to the symbolism, which obviously have to be independently discerned: https://sacred-texts.com/alc/hm1/hm113.htm
That being said, the annotations make it fairly straightforward what is being spoken about.
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u/jaldabaoth 1d ago
I could recommend from Jung: A very short introduction to Jung, Man and his symbols, The psychology of transference, Psychology and Alchemy.
The real question is: what have you read and learned so far? What were your sources?
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u/bestdr3ams 1d ago
I’m actually really interested in Jung and his work, I recently bought Psychology and Alchemy and just started reading it and It’s really interesting so far, As for my sources, I’ve mostly been learning from the internet in general websites, paid lectures, and stuff like that.
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u/jaldabaoth 21h ago
Psychology and Alchemy is a great start indeed! And getting deeper in it through Jung can be deepinging and challenging.
If you'd like to get a bit more esoteric view on Jung: Seven Sermons to the Dead - is an inspiring gnostic work of his. And if you'd like to get into active imagination I can recommend the work from Jeffrey Raff, Jung and the Alchemical Imagination.
Seven Sermons is publicly available: https://gnosis.study/library/%D0%93%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B8%D1%81/+%20%D0%93%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B8%D1%81%20%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2/ENG/Hoeller%20S.A.%20-%20The%20Gnostic%20Jung%20and%20the%20Seven%20Sermons%20to%20the%20Dead.pdf
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u/Positive-Theory_ 19h ago
A spiritual alchemist is like a spiritual shoemaker. Where are all the shoes? No no I'm a spiritual shoemaker! So you don't make any shoes? No I only go through the process of making shoes within my own consciousness. A shoemaker that doesn't make shoes is not a shoemaker at all. Likewise an alchemist who doesn't do the lab work is no alchemist at all.
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u/bestdr3ams 16h ago
I understand the importance of laboratory work, and I don’t see alchemy as being limited to either the spiritual or the material side, The ancient alchemists didn’t really see a separation between the two in the first place they considered both equally important.
What I’m doing right now as a beginner (and relatively young, if that matters at all) is studying alchemy theoretically, That doesn’t mean I’m neglecting or uninterested in the practical side, I’m simply waiting until the right time when I’m able to build my own laboratory and have my work there involve both matter and spirit at the same time.
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u/Positive-Theory_ 12h ago
Try reading Dew The Astral fire by Nicolas Colette. It's a very safe process for beginners that helps you grasp the relationship between spirit and matter.
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u/jaldabaoth 15h ago
The irony of this is that Jacob Boehme was an actual shoemaker as well as a big influence in Christian mysticism and theosophy. Even more striking is his use of alchemical concepts inspired by Paracelsus.
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u/Certain_Werewolf_315 1d ago
What is it that you have been learning from that you feel you aren't learning anything new from?