...There are many ways to examine the subject of alchemy, including alchemy as a source of symbolism, psychology, and mysticism. It has also been an influence on the world view of various writers, artist, and musicians. The focus of this report is alchemy as a pre-chemistry, which gave a new impulse towards the preparation of medicinal remedies and also was a major influence on today's scientific investigations. Alchemy is an ancient art, practiced in the Middle Ages. The fundamental concept of alchemy stemmed from Aristotle's doctrine that all things tend to reach perfection. Because other metals were thought to be less perfect than gold, it was reasonable to believe that nature created gold out of other metals found deep within the earth and that a skilled artisan could duplicate this process. It was said that once someone was able to change, or transmute a "base" chemical into the perfect metal, gold, they would have achieved eternal life and salvation. In this way, alchemy turned into not only a scientific quest, but a spiritual quest as well. Although the purposes and techniques were often times ritualistic and fanciful, alchemy was in many ways the predecessor of modern science, especially the science of chemistry. The birthplace of alchemy was ancient Egypt, where, in Alexandria, it began to flourish during the Hellenistic period. Also at that time, a school of alchemy was developing in China. The writings of some Greek philosophers may be considered to be among the...
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...14579 First-Year Byrne Seminar Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist: A contemporary quest of self-fulfillment and joy HCK 131 Tuesdays 2:15-3:35 Dr. Dámaris M. Otero-Torres Department of Spanish and Portuguese 104A Carpender Hall DC Office hours: by appointment e-mail: dotero@spanport.rutgers.edu phone: 732. 848.6874 seminar description: Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is as a modern classic. Originally published in Portuguese in 1988, this novel has since been translated into 67 languages, becoming one of the best-selling books in history. Inspired by the teachings of ancient alchemy, the story narrates the adventures of a shepherd named Santiago, as he travels through the African desert in the pursuit of his dream: to see the pyramids in Egypt. As he journeys through the desert, Santiago becomes the ultimate alchemist when he learns to transform his life by tapping into the language of the soul. Our first goal in the seminar will be two-fold: to explore the contemplative principles of ancient alchemy as the foundation for this allegorical text and to delve into the “messy” stages of a hero’s journey. In medieval times, alchemy was considered a science, aimed specifically to transmute base metals into gold, to discover a universal cure for disease, and to prolong life. In our days, “alchemy” is basically understood as a metaphor for personal transformation. Indeed, the poetic connotations of the word “alchemy” underscore its lack of substantive merit to make it...
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...Zachary Pashenee College Writing/Research Mr. Kreiner 4/14/11 Critical Analysis The Alchemist Paulo Coehlo’s novel “The Alchemist” is a narrative story written in third person omniscient. On the surface, the title may be viewed simply as the title of a key character in the story. However, the title holds a much deeper meaning. The author, in the novel “The Alchemist,” is actually drawing many parallels from the teachings of alchemy and he is applying them to a healthy lifestyle. As you read deeper you discover an ever deeper level of connection as Paulo creates a philosophical map to reach your goals and dreams. Alchemy at its very basic fundamentals is an ancient practice of taking something invaluable and, through change, making it valuable. A teaching that allows insight into a very important life quality: using the resources you have to your advantage. “When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises” (29). This is a quintessential element in “The Alchemist.” Santiago, the main character, embarks on a journey after a dream reveals to him a destination of hidden treasure in the Egyptian desert. Each day Santiago faces new challenges on the road to his treasure, and each time he accepts these challenges and turns them into steps that bring him closer to his treasure. The author makes Santiago very relatable throughout the novel by creating the absence of a name. Allowing...
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...The Alchemist Paulo Coelho Translated by Alan R. Clarke. Published 1992. ISBN 0-7225-3293-8. PART ONE The boy's name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood. He decided to spend the night there. He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined gate, and then laid some planks across it to prevent the flock from wandering away during the night. There were no wolves in the region, but once an animal had strayed during the night, and the boy had had to spend the entire next day searching for it. He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down, using the book he had just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable pillows. It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see the stars through the halfdestroyed roof. I wanted to sleep a little longer, he thought. He had had the same dream that night as a week ago, and once again he had awakened before it ended. He arose and, taking up his crook, began to awaken the sheep that still slept. He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of his animals also began to stir. It was as if some mysterious energy bound his life to that of the sheep, with whom he had spent the past two years, leading them through the countryside in search of food and water. "They...
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...Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist Page 1 / 94 The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho Translated by Alan R. Clarke. Published 1992. ISBN 0-7225-3293-8. = CONTENTS = Part One Part Two Epilogue PART ONE The boy's name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood. He decided to spend the night there. He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined gate, and then laid some planks across it to prevent the flock from wandering away during the night. There were no wolves in the region, but once an animal had strayed during the night, and the boy had had to spend the entire next day searching for it. He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down, using the book he had just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable pillows. It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see the stars through the half-destroyed roof. Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist Page 2 / 94 I wanted to sleep a little longer, he thought. He had had the same dream that night as a week ago, and once again he had awakened before it ended. He arose and, taking up his crook, began to awaken the sheep that still slept. He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of his animals also began to stir. It was as if some mysterious...
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...The Alchemist Paulo Coelho Translated by Alan R. Clarke. Published 1992. ISBN 0-7225-3293-8. PART ONE The boy's name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood. He decided to spend the night there. He saw to it that all the sheep entered through the ruined gate, and then laid some planks across it to prevent the flock from wandering away during the night. There were no wolves in the region, but once an animal had strayed during the night, and the boy had had to spend the entire next day searching for it. He swept the floor with his jacket and lay down, using the book he had just finished reading as a pillow. He told himself that he would have to start reading thicker books: they lasted longer, and made more comfortable pillows. It was still dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see the stars through the halfdestroyed roof. I wanted to sleep a little longer, he thought. He had had the same dream that night as a week ago, and once again he had awakened before it ended. He arose and, taking up his crook, began to awaken the sheep that still slept. He had noticed that, as soon as he awoke, most of his animals also began to stir. It was as if some mysterious energy bound his life to that of the sheep, with whom he had spent the past two years, leading them through the countryside in search of food and water. "They...
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...1/21 4/19/2015 The Rosicrucian Initiate Degrees (19) lessons thread, page 1 The first Initiate degree introduces the concept of polarity and its relationship to the subatomic world and its vast range of vibratory rates. It introduces the full spectrum of physical and non‐physical manifestations. An understanding of these subjects gives you an appreciation of the system and order of the universe, the interconnectedness of all nature and how everything is governed by natural law. Topics include: Structure of Matter The Vibratory Keyboard Positive and Negative as Vibratory Polarities Rosicrucian Definitions of Electricity, Magnetism, and Electromagnetism Subatomic Particles Rosicrucian Classification of Elements Material Alchemy Exercises relating to the topics. Degree 2 Duration: 3 months The second...
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...FOUNDATIONS OF TAOIST PRACTICE by Jampa Mackenzie Stewart When you try to define Taoism, you immediately run into trouble. The great Taoist philosopher and author of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu, begins his first chapter with the warning words, The Tao that can be described is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. Thus Westerners are not the only ones who have a hard time defining Taoism; the Chinese have had difficulty time agreeing on just what Taoism is for millenia. Taoism is sometimes defined as a ritualistic religion, as a philosophy, as Chinese folk religion, as alchemy, as a system of magical lore, or as a series of health practices similar to yoga. The adherants of each school often look with disdain on the others as being heterodoxy, heresy, or simply incomplete portions of the great Tao. The Chinese word Tao (pronounced "dow") means "the way, the path." In the common sense it refers to the way of doing anything, or the pathway to some destination. In its higher meaning, Tao refers to the way of the universe, the way things are. As a spiritual system, Tao means the way to achieving a true understanding of the nature of mind and reality, to the way of living in harmony with the changes of Nature. Thus the Tao is the goal, the path and the journey all in one. A Taoist then, is "a follower of the Way," the same title by which the early Buddhists and Christians dubbed themselves. The earliest Taoists appeared at least four thousand years...
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...What is Harry Potter? Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of a wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's quest to overcome the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort, whose aims are to become immortal, conquer the wizarding world, subjugate non-magical people, and destroy all those who stand in his way, especially Harry Potter. A series of many genres, including fantasy and coming of age (with elements of mystery, thriller, adventure, and romance), it has many cultural meanings and references. According to Rowling, the main theme is death. There are also many other themes in the series, such as prejudice and corruption. Who is Harry Potter? Harry James Potter was a half-blood wizard, the only child and song of James and Lily Potter. He was one of the most famous wizards of modern times. Voldemort attempted to murder him when he was a year and three months old, shortly after murdering Harry’s parents as they tried to protect him. This early, unsuccessful attempt to vanquish harry led to Voldemort’s first defeat and the end of the First Wizarding War. One consequence of Lily’s protection is that her orphaned son had to be raised by her only remaining blood relative, Petunia Dursley, where he was neither welcomed nor nurtured, but would stay alive, at least...
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...Jason Kaufman; my agent, Heide Lange; and my counselor, Michael Rudell. In addition, I would like to express my immense gratitude to Doubleday, to my publishers around the world, and, of course, to my readers. This novel could not have been written without the generous assistance of countless individuals who shared their knowledge and expertise. To all of you, I extend my deep appreciation. To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books. The Secret Teachings of All Ages ———————————— FACT: In 1991, a document was locked in the safe of the director of the CIA. The document is still there today. Its cryptic text includes references to an ancient portal and an unknown location underground. The document also contains the phrase “It’s buried out there somewhere.” All organizations in this novel exist, including the Freemasons, the Invisible College, the Office of Security, the SMSC, and the Institute of Noetic Sciences. All rituals, science, artwork, and monuments in this novel are real. ———————————— Prologue House of the Temple 8:33 P.M. The secret is how to die. Since the beginning of time, the secret had always been how to die. The thirty-four-year-old initiate gazed down at the human skull cradled in his palms. The skull was hollow, like a bowl, filled with bloodred wine. Drink it, he told himself. You have nothing to fear. As was tradition, he had begun this journey...
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...C DESIGN ERS R E D I STACY LONGSTREET T S SE N IOR A RT DI REC TOR R P G R& D A RT DI REC TOR S GWENDOLYN F.M. KESTREL , JENNIFER CLARKE WILKES, KOLJA RAVEN LIQUETTE DEVELOPMENT TEAM KARIN JAQUES, STACY LONGSTREET C OV E R A RT I S T BRUCE R. CORDELL , ANDY COLLINS, ROB WATKINS EDITORS STEVE PRESCOTT I N T E R IOR A RT IST S MICHELLE LYONS, CHRIS SIMS EDITI NG MANAGER KIM MOHAN DESIGN MANAGER STEVEN BELLEDIN, ED COX, DAARKEN, WAYNE ENGLAND, EMILY FIEGENSCHUH, CARL FRANK, DAN FRAZIER, BRIAN HAGAN, RALPH HORSLEY, CHRIS MALIDORE , JIM NELSON, ERIC POLAK CA RTOG R A PHE R CHRISTOPHER PERKINS DEV ELOPMEN T MANAGER MIKE SCHLEY GRAPHIC DESIGN ER JESSE DECKER DIRECTOR OF RPG R&D DEE BARNETT G R A P H IC P RODUC T ION S P E C I A L I S T BILL SLAVICSEK P RODUC T ION MA NAGE R S ERIN DORRIES IMAGE T ECHN ICIAN JOSH FISCHER, RANDALL CREWS CHRISTINA WILEY Playtesters: Kraig Horigan, Jason H. Haley, Richard Hughes, Richard Stephenson. Some information in this book is taken from or derived from Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons by Andy Collins, Skip Williams, and James Wyatt. Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison. This product uses updated material from the v.3.5 revision. This WIZARDS OF THE COAST® game product contains no Open Game...
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... dates back to the earliest known times of human existence. The oldest of all Chinese texts, the I Ching, is a divination system older than recorded history. James Legge says in his translation of I Ching: Book Of Changes (1996), “The desire to seek answers and to predict the future is as old as civilization itself.” Mankind has always had a desire to know what the future holds. Evidence shows that methods of divination, also known as fortune telling, were used by the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Babylonians and the Sumerians (who resided in what is now Iraq) as early as six‐thousand years ago. Divination was originally a device of royalty and has often been an essential part of religion and medicine. Significant leaders and royalty often employed priests, doctors, soothsayers and astrologers as advisers and consultants on what the future held. Every civilization has held a belief in at least some type of divination. The point of divination in the ancient world was to ascertain the will of the gods. In fact, divination is so called because it is assumed to be a gift of the divine, a gift from the gods. This gift of obtaining knowledge of the unknown uses a wide range of tools and an enormous variety of techniques, as we will see in this course. No matter which method is used, the most imperative aspect is the interpretation and presentation of what is seen. The general consensus is that divination falls into three categories: interpretation of natural phenomena...
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...THE HANDY RELIGION AN SWE R BOOK JOHN RENARD Detroit The Handy Religion Answer Book™ C O P Y R I G H T © 2002 BY VI S I B LE I N K PRE SS® This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable copyright laws, as well as by misappropriation, trade secret, unfair competition, and other applicable laws. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine or newspaper. All rights to this publication will be vigorously defended. Visible Ink Press® 43311 Joy Rd. #414 Canton, MI 48187-2075 Visible Ink Press and The Handy Religion Answer Book are trademarks of Visible Ink Press LLC. Most Visible Ink Press books are available at special quantity discounts when purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations, or groups. Customized printings, special imprints, messages, and excerpts can be produced to meet your needs. For more information, contact Special Markets Director, Visible Ink Press, at www.visibleink.com or (734) 667-3211. Art Director: Mary Claire Krzewinski Typesetting: Graphix Group Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Renard, John, 1944The handy religion answer book / John Renard. p. cm. ISBN 1-57859-125-2 (pbk.) 1. Religions--Miscellanea. I. Title. BL80.2 .R46 2001 291--dc21 Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved ...
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...FULL TITLE · The Canterbury Tales AUTHOR · Geoffrey Chaucer TYPE OF WORK · Poetry (two tales are in prose: the Tale of Melibee and the Parson’s Tale) GENRES · Narrative collection of poems; character portraits; parody; estates satire; romance; fabliau LANGUAGE · Middle English TIME AND PLACE WRITTEN · Around 1386–1395, England DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION · Sometime in the early fifteenth century PUBLISHER · Originally circulated in hand-copied manuscripts NARRATOR · The primary narrator is an anonymous, naïve member of the pilgrimage, who is not described. The other pilgrims narrate most of the tales. POINT OF VIEW · In the General Prologue, the narrator speaks in the first person, describing each of the pilgrims as they appeared to him. Though narrated by different pilgrims, each of the tales is told from an omniscient third-person point of view, providing the reader with the thoughts as well as actions of the characters. TONE · The Canterbury Tales incorporates an impressive range of attitudes toward life and literature. The tales are by turns satirical, elevated, pious, earthy, bawdy, and comical. The reader should not accept the naïve narrator’s point of view as Chaucer’s. TENSE · Past SETTING (TIME) · The late fourteenth century, after 1381 SETTING (PLACE) · The Tabard Inn; the road to Canterbury PROTAGONISTS · Each individual tale has protagonists, but Chaucer’s plan is to make none of his storytellers superior to others; it is an equal company. In the Knight’s...
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...University of Lagos. Akoka, Lagos. Nigeria Correct Counsels Limited Research. Counselling. Publishing. Book Supply First published 2003 Correct Counsels Ltd. P. O. Box 53 Akoka, Lagos. C E. Kolawole Ogundowole, 2003 ISBN: 978 -37004 - 0 – 5 This book is copyright. All rights reserved under the Copyright La Enquiries should be addressed to the Publishers. Printed in Nigeria by: Mustard Press Enterprises 16, Ogundola Street Sungas-BAriga. PREFACE A few words about the overall objectives of the course is appropriate as a starting point. Historically, philosophy was the first form of theoretical knowledge. As a rational theoretical tool of comprehending the world, philosophy arose in ancient Greece in stiff battle with mythology and religious consciousness. It came out to lay the foundation for the evolvement of scientific consciousness and the emergence and development of the sciences - Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, etc. In an environment rife with various and varying superstitions and myths, the study of the History of Science and Philosophy of Science becomes crucial, lest science itself falls within the ambit of mythology and superstition and becomes another form of myth even in the hands of the tutored. The study of the History of Science is particularly important since it is within its realm that the development of science can be made bare and the process clearly demonstrated stage by stage...
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