Speaker 1: Welcome back. Last time, we left off with the intriguing
mystery of the Emerald Tablet, Yes, and it's connection to Thoth,
the god of wisdom. Right. Quite a story it is.
We're talking about a lost civilization, secret knowledge, right, and
the possibility of unlocking the secret to the universe.
Speaker 2: The Emerald Tablet continues to fascinate because it speaks to
our desire to understand the fundamental nature of reality and
our place within it.
Speaker 1: And it seems that this quest for knowledge often goes
hand in hand with the quest for immortality. Yes, we
talked about the Philosopher's Stone and how alchemists believed it
could grant eternal life.
Speaker 2: Right. Alchemy, in many ways was a precursor to modern chemistry.
Alchemists were driven by a desire to understand the properties
of matter and the potential for transformation. While their methods
and goals may seem fantastical to us now, they were
pioneers in their own right, laying the groundwork for scientific
discoveries that would come later.
Speaker 1: You mentioned that the text of the Emerald Tablet has
existed for at least twelve hundred years. It has, so
what exactly does it say?
Speaker 2: What are these.
Speaker 1: Secrets that have captivated people for so long.
Speaker 2: The Emerald Tablet is written in a cryptic and poetic style,
which makes it open to multiple interpretations. But there are
some key themes that run through the text, ideas that
have resonated with spiritual seekers and philosophers throughout history.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm ready for some ancient wisdom. Break it down
for me. What are these core principles or ideas that
we find in the Emerald Tablet.
Speaker 2: Well, one of the central themes is the idea of correspondence,
often summed up in the phrase as above, so.
Speaker 1: Below, as above so below. So it's like a cosmic dance,
everything interconnected and reflecting each other precisely. What happens on
a grand scale is reft in our individual lives and vice.
Speaker 2: Versa exactly, And this idea of interconnectedness as profound implications.
It suggests that understanding ourselves is key to understanding the universe,
and that the secrets of creation might be found within
our own hearts and minds.
Speaker 1: That's a beautiful thought, it is. It makes me think
of those ancient alchemists toiling away in their labs, yeah,
trying to transform lead into gold. Were they just chasing
wealth or were they searching for something deeper at transformation
within themselves.
Speaker 2: I believe they were seeking both. Alchemy was as much
about inner transformation as it was about outer transmutation, the
process of working with matter, of trying to purify and
perfect It was seen as a metaphor for the process
of purifying and perfecting the soul.
Speaker 1: So they were alchemists of both matter and spirit, trying
to unlock the hidden potential within themselves of the world
around them exactly.
Speaker 2: And the Emerald Tablet, with its cryptic verses and profound symbolism,
provided a framework for that inner and outer transformation. It
offered a language for understanding the mysteries of creation and
the path to spiritual enlightenment.
Speaker 1: It's amazing how these ancient texts can still speak to
us today now. It's fascinating, offering insights into the human
condition and the search for meaning.
Speaker 2: They tap into something timeless, something that transcends cultural boundaries
and historical periods. The Emerald Tablet, despite its mysterious origins
and the debate surrounding its authenticity, continues to resonate with
those who are searching for a deeper understanding of themselves
in the universe.
Speaker 1: It's like a philosophical puzzle. It is inviting us to
contemplate its mysteries and find our own meaning within its verses.
But let's not forget about the more tangible aspects of
the Emerald tablet.
Speaker 2: Okay.
Speaker 1: It's also connected to this idea of the Philosopher's Stone, right,
and the possibility of achieving immortality. Yeah. We talked about
doctor doriol his claims to have found the tablets, but
those turned out to be false, Right, So what about
other attempts to find or recreate the Philosopher's Stone? Yeah,
has anyone ever actually succeeded?
Speaker 2: Well, if we're talking about literal immortality, then the answer
is likely no.
Speaker 1: Okay, But there have.
Speaker 2: Been some fascinating stories and experiments throughout history that touch
upon the themes of alchemy, transformation, and the quest for longevity.
Speaker 1: All ears tell me more about these stories and experiments.
Speaker 2: One that stands out is the story of hennig Brand Okay,
a seventeenth century alchemist seventeenth cent who was obsessed with
finding the Philosopher's Stone.
Speaker 1: Okay, this is right up our alley. What was Henny
Grand up to in his alchemical lab.
Speaker 2: Well Brand believed that the key to the Philosopher's Stone
was hidden within human urine. Human urine, He collected vast
quantities of it, wow, and subjected it to all sorts
of alcelchemical processes, distillations, and purifications.
Speaker 1: Human urine. Really, Yes, that's an interesting choice of ingredients.
I can only imagine the smells in his lap.
Speaker 2: I can imagine.
Speaker 1: But you're saying that even though these alchemists were chasing
what we might consider fantastical goals, their methods sometimes led
to real scientific breakthroughs percpe okay, and in Brand's case,
his pursuit of the Philosopher's stone, however unconventional, led to
the discovery of phosphorus.
Speaker 2: Phosphorus like the element the one that glows in the
dark and is essential for life, the very same wow.
Speaker 1: Well Brand wasn't exactly trying to discover phosphorus. His alchemical
experiments inadvertently led to its isolation.
Speaker 2: Wow.
Speaker 1: It was a serendipitous discovery that had a major impact
on the development of chemistry and our understanding of the
material world.
Speaker 2: It makes you wonder what else we might discover by
revisiting some of these old alchemical practices with a modern
scientific lens. But let's get back to this idea immortality
if no one has actually achieved it through alchemy, Yeah,
why does this idea persist? Why are we still so fascinated?
But it?
Speaker 1: I think it speaks to a deep seated human desire
to transcend our limitations, to overcome death and experience a
state of being beyond our current comprehension. It's a desire
that has found expression in countless myths, religions, and philosophies
throughout history.
Speaker 2: And the Emerald Tablet, with its mysterious origins and its
connection to Thought, this supposedly immortal being, feeds into that desire. Yes,
it hints at a possibility, a path to something beyond
our ordinary experience exactly. But isn't it also possible that
the Emerald Tablet is just a collection of later writings
attributed to Thought. It's possible the whole Atlanti's connection is
pretty speculative, right, That's a valid point.
Speaker 1: The origins of the Emerald Tablet are shrouded in mystery,
and there's no definitive proof that it dates back to
Thought or Atlantis. But even if we approach it as
a product of a later time. Yeah, it's still a
remarkable text, full of profound insights and symbolism that continues
to resonate with people today.
Speaker 2: So we have this text, the Emerald Tablet, yes, that
offers this intriguing blend of spiritual wisdom.
Speaker 1: Ol chemical principles and hints at extraordinary possibilities. And then
we have this modern day resurgence of interest in alchemy.
We do with the online appearance of the Book of
Aquarius in twenty eleven. Yes, I remember you mentioned this
book claims to have the real recipe for the Philosopher's Stone.
It does one. It was supposedly hidden for centuries.
Speaker 2: The Book of Aquarius positioned itself as a breakthrough, a
revelation of the true secrets of alchemy that had been
obscured for far too long.
Speaker 1: And what was this big reveal? What was the secret
in radiant that has supposedly been kept hidden for all
these years?
Speaker 2: According to the Book of Aquarius, Yeah, the key to
the Philosopher's Stone is well, human urine.
Speaker 1: Wait, seriously, human urine. That's it. That's a bit okay,
that's a bit out there even for alchemy.
Speaker 2: It is a little out there.
Speaker 1: But you mentioned Paracelsus using urine. Was there a specific
logic behind using bodily fluids in alchemical processes?
Speaker 2: Yes. Alchemists believed that bodily fluids, especially urine, contained a
vital life force, a primal essence that could be harnessed
and transformed.
Speaker 1: Interesting.
Speaker 2: Paracelsus, a renowned alchemist and physician. Right, believe that understanding
the processes of the human body was essential to understanding
the processes of the universe.
Speaker 1: So they saw a connection between the microcosm of human body, yes,
and the macrocosm of the universe, aligning with that as
so below principle from the Emeralds exactly. But did anyone
actually try to follow this recipe from the Book of Aquarius?
Speaker 2: Believe it or not, The Book of Aquarius gained quite
a following online Oh wow. Amateur alchemists, intrigued by the
book's claims. Yeah, started sharing their experiences and results on
online forums.
Speaker 1: Oh wow, so there's a whole community Oh yeah, of
modern day alchemists out there, there is.
Speaker 2: They documented their experiments, the equipment they used, the challenges
they faced, and even the smells they encountered along the way.
Speaker 1: Okay, I have to admit, I'm a little curious to
know more about these modern day alchemists yea, and their
experiences with this urine based philosopher's Stone recipe. Yeah, did
they report any success?
Speaker 2: Well, if by success you mean achieving immortality, then the
answer is no. Okay, But they did report some interesting
transformations in the substances they were working with, changes in color, texture,
and even luminescence that seemed to align with the descriptions
in the Book of Aquarius.
Speaker 1: So they were seeing some tangible results, you were, even
if those results fell short of eternal life. It's amazing
how a text like the Book of Aquarius, I know,
it's fascinating, appearing out of nowhere in the digital age,
can spark such a dedicated following and lead to real
world experimentation.
Speaker 2: It demonstrates the enduring power of these ancient ideas and
the allure of the unknown. Even in our modern scientific world,
there's a part of us that still yearns for the magical,
the mystical, and the possibility of achieving something extraordinary.
Speaker 1: I think you're right. There's something about the Emerald tablet,
about the whole quest for the Philosopher's Stone that taps
into a primal human desire. It does to transcend our
limitations and unlock hidden potentials.
Speaker 2: It's a story that speaks to the alchemist within each
of us, the part that seeks to transform the ordinary
into the extraordinary, and to discover the magic that lies
hidden within the world and within ourselves.