The Hermetic Museum

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A horizontal decorative divider featuring symmetrical scrollwork and floral elements.

our days, nevertheless, the lovers of higher philosophy feel the lack of a collection of those writings which, through their content, were once rendered so remarkable that they are now only rarely encountered among book-lovers of this kind; and beginners in the higher art of separationGerman: Scheidekunst. An older term for chemistry or alchemy, referring to the process of separating substances into their fundamental parts. [lack] a book from which they might familiarize themselves with the scope of the actual chemical portion of the royal artGerman: königliche Kunst. A traditional name for alchemy, considered the "royal" path to understanding nature and perfecting matter., and which shows them an easy path to read the excellent but obscure writings of the ancient sagesThe "ancient sages" typically refers to the legendary founders of alchemy and philosophy, such as Hermes Trismegistus, Geber, or Rhazes. with some benefit, and to be able to draw clear concepts from their instructions as much as is possible. In order to satisfy the wishes of both parties, a work here steps