Paracelsus

[deviadah]

We see in Paracelsus not only a pioneer in the domains of chemical medicine, but also in those of an empirical psychological healing science. - Carl Jung

In the town of Basel, in Switzerland, the famous book printer Johann Froben suffered horrible pains in his right foot from an accident and the doctors advised him to amputate. Froben knew of a wandering physician and decided to get his opinion, so in 1526 Paracelsus arrived at Basel and managed to treat, and cure, the patient without the use of a knife.

If you prevent infection nature will heal the wound all by herself. - Paracelsus

I love Paracelsus and decided to dedicate a whole thread on the man that both encompass Spiritual and Practical Alchemy.

To read an essay I’ve written on Paracelsus, if you need an introduction to the man, then click on the links below:
Paracelsus - part 1
Paracelsus - part 2

Some works by Paracelsus:
Alchemical Catechism
Aurora of the philosophers, The
Book Concerning the Tincture of the Philosophers, The
Coelum philosophorum (or the Book of Vexations)
Treasure of Treasures for Alchemists, The

See also Paracelsus and the substance of his teachings by Franz Hartmann (PDF)

[quex]

Here's a link to the story of a famous incident where Paracelsus displays his genius!
http://www.freewillastrology.com/writings/chapter19.html
When it comes to VITROL, the master really goes for it!

[LadyHydralisk]

Yes Paracelsus what a man, he was quite funny too, I might add. Thanks for all of those useful links.

I should tell sometime, of my experiments in alchemy with Siva, Kali, Antarctica and a pile of shit....in my experience though most 'alchemists' don't have the stomache for alchemy, they just want to sit around being boring and dry, so I'll save that one for another day until I figure out the climate here...

I disagree with Paracelsus on his view of shit as the P.stone...personally I think it's in the blood. Isn't that just as vial? As they say, blood makes poor mortar....I think you could make bricks out of it though, but after a few showers they would melt into blood chowder.



Naomi

[deviadah]

I should tell sometime, of my experiments in alchemy with Siva, Kali, Antarctica and a pile of shit....in my experience though most 'alchemists' don't have the stomache for alchemy, they just want to sit around being boring and dry, so I'll save that one for another day until I figure out the climate here...

As long as it is related to Alchemy you are free to talk about whatever you like. PM me if you ain't sure where it should be posted. I would love to hear about these experiments!

I disagree with Paracelsus on his view of shit as the P.stone...personally I think it's in the blood. Isn't that just as vial?

Well, this is the big question and what seperates the practical from the spiritual. As I am of the latter category I see the Philosophers Stone as a state of mind (or more a immaterial tool to achieve this state), like Nirvana, more than an actual object/thing. But this doesn't mean I say you are wrong. Both the practical and the spiritual can interlink and aid each other.

Shit ey... that's funny. He has also been accused of having a negative view on women, but I forgive him for this because he was so ugly which resulted in him often being ridiculed by them (or not being so succesful - there is no known love affair). It is therefore easy to understand his resentment... on the other side he hailed mothers and old women to have more knowledge of medicine than the best educated doctors.

When I read Paracelsus writings I sense that if he had known of the word fuck he would have used it, it suits his style!

[quex]

I believe his intention was to make an allegorical point.
Nonetheless, we have to understand that around that time, doctors wouldn't bother to examine the living ailing patient. There was no such thing as stool samples or blood tests. Doctors would go by Galeno's and other traditional books, basically doing what was written there without questioning or even looking at the living human body. Diseases were thought as imbalances of the four humors, and the idea that something external like microorganisms could be related to the disease and that something external could influence the outcome of the disease wasn't in a doctor's mind.
Paracelsus also made a point by burning books, again, trying to tell doctors to first look at the living patient and not merely applying what they read in theory.

[deviadah]

I think this image speaks clearly what I think of your post quex:

[LadyHydralisk]

Shit ey... that's funny. He has also been accused of having a negative view on women, but I forgive him for this because he was so ugly which resulted in him often being ridiculed by them (or not being so succesful - there is no known love affair). It is therefore easy to understand his resentment... on the other side he hailed mothers and old women to have more knowledge of medicine than the best educated doctors.

When I read Paracelsus writings I sense that if he had known of the word fuck he would have used it, it suits his style!

Well, I'll try anything, once. (Behold, you now know my life motto since I was 7...and tried oysters on the rocks at Alexander's on the Bay in Seattle. Yech!)

I don't think I agree with him on the shit, but it's funny to imagine that scene, unveiling the shit. People need to be shocked once in a while. My interest is in the interaction of light and matter, changing light into matter, and back again.

Deviadah, you're such a champion for women...you remind me of Hermes for some reason....or Mithras, any one of the solar deities...

[deviadah]

Deviadah, you're such a champion for women...you remind me of Hermes for some reason....or Mithras, any one of the solar deities...

All I do is I look at the world without predjudice. If one does this, or at least tries to do this, then lo and behold, there is more similarities between races, genders and species than there is differences.

I have also been brought up by a single mother, and she was both independent and strong. When I was a kid I thought all women were like that, then I grew up and realised they were conditioned into weakness; my mom had just not fallen for it. So whenever I see an opportunity to push for the concept that women ain't the weaker sex, nor the stronger (all equal/individual), then I try and do so.

But thanks, Hermes is a cool cat!

[LadyHydralisk]

He's one of my favorite grandkids....

[deviadah]

That's funny. You are not the first to describe Hermes in such family terms. It seems, compared to other gods/gurus/prophets/myths, Hermes have a certain quality that - although he is higher than us - we still see him as a member of the family; brother, father... even son. And even if what you wrote was just a joke, I think jokes are important!

As I said many people have called Hermes by these family terms, and personally I see him as a friend, albeit a very wise one!

[LadyHydralisk]

He's definately easy to like - and look at his kids - Hermaphroditus, Pan, Eros, Autolycus...man he knew how to throw the dice didn't he?



I have a friend who absolutely loathes Hermes though...it's very funny, because he's Hellenic.

[deviadah]

From Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay:

[According to Paracelsus]... life was an emanation from the stars - the sun governed the heart, and the moon the brain. Jupiter governed the liver, Saturn the gall, Mercury the lungs, Mars the bile, and Venus the loins. In the stomach of every human being there dwelt a demon, or intelligence, that was a sort of alchymist in his way, and mixed, in their due proportions, in his crucible, the various ailments that were sent into that grand laboratory, the belly.

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