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The Hermetic Museum: Containing Twenty-Two Most Celebrated Chemical Tracts

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The Hermetic Museum, or "Musaeum Hermeticum (renovatum et amplificatum)", originally published and printed in 1625 by Lukas Jennis, and later reissued in amplified form in 1678 (and as a reprint in 1749), should be counted among the most influential late compilations of alchemical material in addition to "Theatrum chemicum" and "Bibliotheca chemica curiosa". Compiled during the splendid, late blooming of alchemy - the philosophical, scientific and hermetic construct of the most learned minds of Europe and Middle East - the work came to contain such celebrated and important 16th and 17th -century texts as "Hydrolithus Sophicus seu Aquarium Sapientum" by (pseudo-)Siebmacher, Eirenaus Philalethes' "Introitus Apertus ad occlusum Regis palatium", and the "Tripus Aureus", in itself a compilation of tractates by Thomas Norton, Cremer and Basil Valentine. In its time 'Musaeum' was diligently studied and treasured by several generations of both practical and philosophical alchemists. However, the Enlightenment and its new theories of chemistry and its newlyfound distaste of all things spiritual, soon became to tax the ancient prestige of 'opus alchymicum'.

A. E. Waite (1857-1942) was, without doubt, one of the more influential members of the 19th century Occult Revival, as well as one of its most learned representatives. Member of both the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the Rosicrucian Society, his writings concerning eg. divination, Kabbalah and alchemy were well received even among the academic circles of the time. Waite was also the co-creator of so-called Rider-Waite Tarot deck.

Waite's translation of the 1678/1749 original, "The Hermetic Museum Restored and Enlarged" was, and still is, a notable achievement, with a cultural impact that is almost equal to that of the works by Eliphas Levi. Whether Waite's translation does real justice to the original latin, is a somewhat tricky question, as the original texts are relatively hard to come by. In addition, as the alchemists' latin is notoriously cryptic and introverted (indeed hermetic!), each translation is essentially an independent rendition of the translator, and nowhere as decisively as among the Occult writers of the 19th century. A caveat is therefore issued here for all diligent students of the Art; they would do well to trust the original latin edition instead (in this as well as other cases).

However, for the general reader - as well as any students of 19th-century occult writing - Waite's translation of the "Musaeum Hermeticum" offers a fascinating rendition of one of the most influential compilations of late alchemical material ever compiled. Researchers into alchemy as a cultural, philosophical an/or historical phenomenon could also benefit by selective reading of this classic.
I would like to finish with a general word of thanks to all publishers who still in these days care to take reprints of literary works of this kind - they are making a valuable contribution to our consciousness of one of the most intriguing currents of spirituality in the Western culture: that of alchemy.

Antti Lampinen, MA
postgraduate student

Waite prepared the text of The Hermetic Museum in 1893. Although he did extensive editing and revision, the translator of the work remains unknown. The Hermetic Museum contains the most celebrated ancient alchemical texts. Originally published in 1678 in Latin, it supplied a representative collection of alchemical writers and faithfully instructed Disciples of the Sopho-Spagyric Art on how to find and hold the Philosopher`s Stone. Highly recommended for alchemical libraries.

I found this book very helpful and good. I recommend it highly if you are interested at all in Hermeticism. An instant classic in the field!