Customer Reviews

Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus, Part 1

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Paracelus is my personal favorite of the "famous alchemists." He took an approach that diverged greatly from his contemporaries: "harmony of the man is the microcosm and Nature the macrocosm." He veered from soul purification and concentrated on how bodies got out of natural balance and how he could cure them. He summarized his own views by saying: "Many have said of Alchemy, that is for making of gold and silver. For me such is not the aim, but to consider only what virtue and power may lie in medicines." And I am sure that many of the pharmaceutical giants today wholeheartedly agree with him! The work is fascinating as well as the man. This book as well as Part 2 bring him fully to light for all of us to appreciate!

Waite usually does a good job of translations. He generally seems to be the most objective of 19th Century esotericists and occultists.

Paracelsus was and is a huge influence on the subject of alchemy. Anyone who is interested in alchemy or the philosophy of the Renaissance would get much from this book.

The edition I have is the paperback reprint from Kessinger. In my experience, their reprints are of decent quality, clear, and readable. They make difficult-to-find texts affordable. I have several books published by them, and they are all of decent quality.

I didn't get the above-mentioned item. It arrived not on 06.07.2007 but on 29.06.2006, when I was on my business trip. Actually, I was misled by your e-mail to me which said that the book would be delivered within the time interval from 06.07.2007 and 21.07.2007. When I came back from the business trip and tried to take the book from my post office they told me that my item had been already sent back to the sender, that is to your company, I guess.