The Emerald Tablet: Alchemy for Personal Transformation [Paperback]

Dennis William Hauck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1999

The Emerald Tablet--an ancient document that contains the essence of the alchemical teachings--has had an important influence on many Western spiritual and religious traditions. Ostensibly concerned with turning base metals into gold, alchemy was in fact dedicated to transforming the lead of self into the gold of spirit. This brilliant history of alchemy traces its sources back to ancient Egypt, and presents alchemy as a useful, practical system of self-transformation. Each of the seven steps of alchemical transformation is explained, with hands-on techniques and exercises, treating alchemy as a living discipline for achieving a spiritual awakening.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An emerald slab inscribed with the esoteric wisdom of Hermes Trismegistus that may be more than 2000 years old has inspired alchemists throughout history in their quest to understand the relationship between humans and the universe. Hauck, who has written about mystical experiences (Haunted Places), explores the tablet's message, drawing primarily on the work of classical scholars such as the Persian alchemist Zoroaster, the 16th-century physician Paracelsus, Pharaoh Akhenaten and the pre-Christian alchemist Maria Prophetissa to illuminate his substantial review of the history and principles of alchemy. In the Hermetic tradition, the physical and metaphysical worlds are mirror images: the transformation of a base metal into gold corresponds to the evolution of an ego-dominated person into one who possesses a permanent state of enlightened consciousness. Hauck's elucidation of the laws governing the refinement of energy, such as the Doctrine of Correspondence, the Seven Steps to Transformation and the Octave of Creation, will strike a chord with students of modern esoteric traditions such as the Fourth Way and Theosophy. His explanations of alchemical principles are difficult to understand, however, and will require scrutiny on the part of readers new to the material. However, those who have dabbled in the esoteric arts may find real gold in these teachings. 43 illustrations. Author tour.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

There is no phenomenon of Western culture more surprising and perennially fascinating than that of alchemyAthe endless search of learned fanatics for the secret of making gold, or wisdom, or both. Hauck, a practicing alchemist, is the latest in a line of re-inventors of the old tradition, and his reflections on the inner meaning of calcination, coagulation, and other alchemical processes is both idiosyncratic and fascinating. Highly recommended for larger libraries, or where books on occult traditions are popular.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140195718
• ISBN-13: 978-0140195712
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction for beginners, May 18, 2004

By 

Anne (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Emerald Tablet: Alchemy for Personal Transformation (Paperback)

This book serves as a plain language introduction to alchemical symbolism and concepts. It includes an English translation and line-by-line explication of the Emerald Tablet. It also devotes a complete chapter to each of the seven operations of alchemy and includes several black and white illustrations from traditional treatises on alchemy. Unfortunately, the author spends a little too much time attempting to demonstrate his personal alchemical achievements, with results that can be downright silly ("Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know" -Lao Tzu). The suggested exercises are unhelpful (for greater benefit, I would recommend taking up a discipline like yoga), the inclusion of celebrity star signs (not to mention a subchapter called "The calcination of William Shatner") undermines the credibility of the whole, and the absence of a strong editor shows up in several avoidable errors (using the word "courtesan" for "courtier", referring to Antonin Artaud as a 19th-century figure, etc.). Still, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a basic guide to alchemical processes and symbolism.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Start, October 30, 2004

By 

Laura De Giorgio "hypnotherapist" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Emerald Tablet: Alchemy for Personal Transformation (Paperback)

The book is most suitable for people who are new to alchemy because it is written in a very simple language. In this book Dennis takes the verses from the Emerald Tablet, as a pattern for seven stages of alchemical transformation, and applies it to different areas of human development. He provides numerous examples which are intended to facilitate the understanding of each stage of alchemical transformation, but in my opinion, some of these examples don't quite make it.

The book will nevertheless be very helpful to a beginner to get an idea about the seven stages of alchemical transformation - to actually know them, one will have to experience them - and the later stages of alchemical transformation seem to be beyond the scope of this book - at least I have that impression based on the examples provided.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a transparent alchemy book, November 23, 2002

By 

F. Presson "Freeman" (Birmingham, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Emerald Tablet: Alchemy for Personal Transformation (Paperback)

If you've tried to understand the alchemical and Hermetic
traditions from primary sources, or translations thereof,
you have probably been as frustrated as I was. Those sources
are not written to be read by the uninitiated or even the
semi-initiated. Hauck has tied the tradition together from
its earliest origins and made it understandable. I looked for
my copy of _The Emerald Tablet_ to be able to cite details for
this review, but it's making the rounds of my circle of friends
right now. I may just have to buy another.