Eliksir i kamen: Naslijeđe magije i alkemije
The book represents the most ambitious attempt by the Baigent-Leigh duo (authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail) to show how Western culture, art, science, and politics from the Renaissance to the present day are actually the fruit of a single, millennia-old o
The authors trace the “hermetic thread” from ancient Egypt and Alexandria through the Arab alchemists, Templars, Cathars and troubadours to the Renaissance magicians (Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, John Dee), the Rosicrucian circles of the 17th century, Freemasonry of the 18th century and all the way to contemporary esoteric societies.
Key theses:
- Hermeticism was not only a “mystical science” but also a political project: the creation of a free, enlightened society outside the dogmatic control of the church and state;
- Troubadour love poetry was a coded language of initiation (“lady” = Sophia = hidden wisdom);
- Shakespeare, Bacon, Mozart (The Magic Flute), Goethe (Faust) and many others were members or sympathizers of this tradition;
- The Great French Revolution, American independence and the Enlightenment did not arise from pure rationalism, but were inspired by Masonic-Hermetic circles;
- the “elixir” symbolizes the inner transformation of the soul, and the “stone” the power to extend this transformation to the whole of society.
The book is extremely rich in historical details, quotes and links that mainstream historians usually ignore. Although it sometimes speculates more than it proves, it remains a unique overview of the “parallel history of the West” and shows how the ideas of freedom, scientific research and artistic creativity often came from the same secret sources. For many readers, it will be a real revelation of how our “rational” world is actually permeated with magic.
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