#these books were purchased by laymen. their emblematics were used to decorate people's living room walls as wallpaper | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cheesebearger · 1 year ago

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*physically restraining myself from getting in yet another fucking argument about alchemical significations and the perception of alchemical language with someone who is only really versed in the scientific history of alchemy*

#the PERCEPTION of alchemists as 'mystics' is as integral to alchemy as the science was #like there is a REASON people think they were mystics lol. they couched their words in religious doctrine #and we have proof across literature in the early modern period especially of alchemical lang. being used to metaphorize #transcendence or an alteration of the self or of literal racial transformation #there's a reason shakespeare's pericles is only a cohesive narrative when viewed through the lens of an alchemical romance #there is and was a wealth of meaning attributed to alchemy that goes beyond merely 'hiding trade secrets in code'#and it's actually kind of weird to downplay it as just code. as merely code to protect trade secrets #that isnt what these writers were doing - they were producing content for alchemists AND non-alchemists #these books were purchased by laymen. their emblematics were used to decorate people's living room walls as wallpaper #and btw your christian mapmaker shit is once more stupid. yes there is obvious religious meaning in placing religious icons #on a map of the world. it imagines the world as created by a christian god and therefore enforces a christian perspective #depending on what kind of creature or icon used they could be communicating vastly different things #i wouldnt call them a 'mystic' for it but they also werent writing about how overcoming personal suffering can lead to spiritual perfection #like all those readily available alch texts were doing. lmfao #let's just totally ignore the ways in which the EM english audience made paracelsus into a figure of christian mystic alchemy #bc paracelsus personally didnt do it. like thats not how things work. we cannot ignore the perception of these ppl by others lol #it doesnt MATTER that most of the actual alchemists were scientists. it DOES matter that people thought they were mystics #do you understand? that it matters that ppl thought paracelsus was communicating smth about christianity specifically?#that it matters very much actually that people perceived alchemy as a CHRISTIAN (white!) mystic science?#im feeling rabid lol

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