Alchemy Becomes Art: From Hermetic Philosophy to Art History, with Artist and Scholar Robert M. Place, starting July 20
Two Weeks Online Course
Date: Saturday July 20th and 27th
Time: 11am - 1pm EDT
Admission: $120 ( $100 for Patreon Members - To become a member, click HERE)
This course will be conducted through Zoom, ensuring a convenient and interactive learning experience for everyone. Additionally, to accommodate the diverse schedules of our participants, all classes will be recorded. These recordings will be made available to all ticket holders, providing the flexibility to engage with the course material at your own pace.
Alchemy is the ancient mystical discipline that predates modern science, chemistry, medicine, and depth psychology. But it is also the source of modern Western mystical philosophy and a major influence on the arts. Beside the many creative activities that alchemists explored, all alchemists dreamed of completing the one Great Work or Magnum Opus of alchemy and creating the Philosopher’s Stone. The Stone is not actually a physical substance, but a mystical catalyst that transforms what it touches to its highest form. Composed of the mysterious fifth element, it can cure any illness, turn lead into gold, and turn an ordinary person into an enlightened sage.
In this series of two classes, we will discuss the history and symbolism of alchemy and learn that alchemy is a golden thread of mystical truth that runs through Western culture, from its origins in Egyptian religion to modern art movements.
July 20 - History, Philosophy, and Practice of Western Alchemy:
Alchemy stresses the role of transmutation in the mystical quest for enlightenment and the mystical quest for enlightenment. Starting with the ancient Egyptians, we will demonstrate that the alchemical Magnum Opus, the quest for the mystical Philosopher’s Stone, is actually based on the myth of the death and resurrection of the god Osiris. Alchemy married laboratory experimentation with this mysticism. But in the 16th century, laboratory alchemy and philosophical alchemy split, and the philosophical branch led to the development of mystical societies, like the Rosicrucians and Masons.
July 27 - Alchemy Becomes Art:
After the split between Laboratory Alchemy and philosophical alchemy, alchemists in Germany, such as Jacob Bohme and Michael Maier, created alchemical texts that were actually multimedia works of art. These mystics had a strong influence on German Romantics, and helped to create this movement in art, music, and literature.
We will demonstrate that Romantic art incorporated all seven Hermetic principles, which were the bases of alchemical philosophy. We will follow the influence of Romanticism on the Pre-Raphaelites, the Hudson River School, and the Symbolists, who in turn influenced 20th century Modern Art. And, demonstrate its influence on the fascination with Egyptian art and mysticism that gave birth to the occult Tarot.
Robert M. Place is the designer and illustrator of over twenty Tarot and oracle decks: including the internationally acclaimed and award-winning Alchemical Tarot, The Angels Tarot, The Marziano Tarot, the award-winning The Tarot of the Saints, The Buddha Tarot, The Vampire Tarot, The Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery, The Tarot of the Alchemical Magnum Opus, The Alchemical Tarot of Marseille, The Hermes Playing Card Oracle, An Ukiyo-e Lenormand (based on Japanese culture), The Raziel Tarot and The Burning Serpent Oracle (for both of which he collaborated with Tarot diva Rachel Pollack). Besides writing books to accompany his decks, he is the author of The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, which Booklist has said, “may be the best book ever written on that deck of cards decorated with mysterious images called the Tarot.” He is the author of Astrology and Divination, Magic and Alchemy, Shamanism, Alchemy and the Tarot, and The Tarot, Magic, Alchemy, Hermeticism, and Neoplatonism. He is the curator of “The Fools' Journey” and the author of the catalog for this exhibition of Tarot art that originated at the LA Craft and Folk-Art Museum, in 2010.
He was the guest of honor at the opening of the Tarot Museum in Riola, Italy, in 2007. His Facsimile Historic Italian Tarot is included in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he recurrently lectures on their card collection. He and his work have appeared on the BBC, A&E, the Discovery Channel, and the Learning Channel. He has taught and lectured throughout the US and on five of the seven continents. His newest work, The Fist Occult Tarot, is a deck and book based on the descriptions written in 1781 by the come de Mellet, the first occult author to describe a Tarot deck.
Image: Angel from the Aurora Consurgens, 15th Century.
The Philosopher and his flask, Splendor Solis, Solomon Trimosin, 16th Century.
Two Weeks Online Course
Date: Saturday July 20th and 27th
Time: 11am - 1pm EDT
Admission: $120 ( $100 for Patreon Members - To become a member, click HERE)
This course will be conducted through Zoom, ensuring a convenient and interactive learning experience for everyone. Additionally, to accommodate the diverse schedules of our participants, all classes will be recorded. These recordings will be made available to all ticket holders, providing the flexibility to engage with the course material at your own pace.
Alchemy is the ancient mystical discipline that predates modern science, chemistry, medicine, and depth psychology. But it is also the source of modern Western mystical philosophy and a major influence on the arts. Beside the many creative activities that alchemists explored, all alchemists dreamed of completing the one Great Work or Magnum Opus of alchemy and creating the Philosopher’s Stone. The Stone is not actually a physical substance, but a mystical catalyst that transforms what it touches to its highest form. Composed of the mysterious fifth element, it can cure any illness, turn lead into gold, and turn an ordinary person into an enlightened sage.
In this series of two classes, we will discuss the history and symbolism of alchemy and learn that alchemy is a golden thread of mystical truth that runs through Western culture, from its origins in Egyptian religion to modern art movements.
July 20 - History, Philosophy, and Practice of Western Alchemy:
Alchemy stresses the role of transmutation in the mystical quest for enlightenment and the mystical quest for enlightenment. Starting with the ancient Egyptians, we will demonstrate that the alchemical Magnum Opus, the quest for the mystical Philosopher’s Stone, is actually based on the myth of the death and resurrection of the god Osiris. Alchemy married laboratory experimentation with this mysticism. But in the 16th century, laboratory alchemy and philosophical alchemy split, and the philosophical branch led to the development of mystical societies, like the Rosicrucians and Masons.
July 27 - Alchemy Becomes Art:
After the split between Laboratory Alchemy and philosophical alchemy, alchemists in Germany, such as Jacob Bohme and Michael Maier, created alchemical texts that were actually multimedia works of art. These mystics had a strong influence on German Romantics, and helped to create this movement in art, music, and literature.
We will demonstrate that Romantic art incorporated all seven Hermetic principles, which were the bases of alchemical philosophy. We will follow the influence of Romanticism on the Pre-Raphaelites, the Hudson River School, and the Symbolists, who in turn influenced 20th century Modern Art. And, demonstrate its influence on the fascination with Egyptian art and mysticism that gave birth to the occult Tarot.
Robert M. Place is the designer and illustrator of over twenty Tarot and oracle decks: including the internationally acclaimed and award-winning Alchemical Tarot, The Angels Tarot, The Marziano Tarot, the award-winning The Tarot of the Saints, The Buddha Tarot, The Vampire Tarot, The Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery, The Tarot of the Alchemical Magnum Opus, The Alchemical Tarot of Marseille, The Hermes Playing Card Oracle, An Ukiyo-e Lenormand (based on Japanese culture), The Raziel Tarot and The Burning Serpent Oracle (for both of which he collaborated with Tarot diva Rachel Pollack). Besides writing books to accompany his decks, he is the author of The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, which Booklist has said, “may be the best book ever written on that deck of cards decorated with mysterious images called the Tarot.” He is the author of Astrology and Divination, Magic and Alchemy, Shamanism, Alchemy and the Tarot, and The Tarot, Magic, Alchemy, Hermeticism, and Neoplatonism. He is the curator of “The Fools' Journey” and the author of the catalog for this exhibition of Tarot art that originated at the LA Craft and Folk-Art Museum, in 2010.
He was the guest of honor at the opening of the Tarot Museum in Riola, Italy, in 2007. His Facsimile Historic Italian Tarot is included in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he recurrently lectures on their card collection. He and his work have appeared on the BBC, A&E, the Discovery Channel, and the Learning Channel. He has taught and lectured throughout the US and on five of the seven continents. His newest work, The Fist Occult Tarot, is a deck and book based on the descriptions written in 1781 by the come de Mellet, the first occult author to describe a Tarot deck.
Image: Angel from the Aurora Consurgens, 15th Century.
The Philosopher and his flask, Splendor Solis, Solomon Trimosin, 16th Century.
Two Weeks Online Course
Date: Saturday July 20th and 27th
Time: 11am - 1pm EDT
Admission: $120 ( $100 for Patreon Members - To become a member, click HERE)
This course will be conducted through Zoom, ensuring a convenient and interactive learning experience for everyone. Additionally, to accommodate the diverse schedules of our participants, all classes will be recorded. These recordings will be made available to all ticket holders, providing the flexibility to engage with the course material at your own pace.
Alchemy is the ancient mystical discipline that predates modern science, chemistry, medicine, and depth psychology. But it is also the source of modern Western mystical philosophy and a major influence on the arts. Beside the many creative activities that alchemists explored, all alchemists dreamed of completing the one Great Work or Magnum Opus of alchemy and creating the Philosopher’s Stone. The Stone is not actually a physical substance, but a mystical catalyst that transforms what it touches to its highest form. Composed of the mysterious fifth element, it can cure any illness, turn lead into gold, and turn an ordinary person into an enlightened sage.
In this series of two classes, we will discuss the history and symbolism of alchemy and learn that alchemy is a golden thread of mystical truth that runs through Western culture, from its origins in Egyptian religion to modern art movements.
July 20 - History, Philosophy, and Practice of Western Alchemy:
Alchemy stresses the role of transmutation in the mystical quest for enlightenment and the mystical quest for enlightenment. Starting with the ancient Egyptians, we will demonstrate that the alchemical Magnum Opus, the quest for the mystical Philosopher’s Stone, is actually based on the myth of the death and resurrection of the god Osiris. Alchemy married laboratory experimentation with this mysticism. But in the 16th century, laboratory alchemy and philosophical alchemy split, and the philosophical branch led to the development of mystical societies, like the Rosicrucians and Masons.
July 27 - Alchemy Becomes Art:
After the split between Laboratory Alchemy and philosophical alchemy, alchemists in Germany, such as Jacob Bohme and Michael Maier, created alchemical texts that were actually multimedia works of art. These mystics had a strong influence on German Romantics, and helped to create this movement in art, music, and literature.
We will demonstrate that Romantic art incorporated all seven Hermetic principles, which were the bases of alchemical philosophy. We will follow the influence of Romanticism on the Pre-Raphaelites, the Hudson River School, and the Symbolists, who in turn influenced 20th century Modern Art. And, demonstrate its influence on the fascination with Egyptian art and mysticism that gave birth to the occult Tarot.
Robert M. Place is the designer and illustrator of over twenty Tarot and oracle decks: including the internationally acclaimed and award-winning Alchemical Tarot, The Angels Tarot, The Marziano Tarot, the award-winning The Tarot of the Saints, The Buddha Tarot, The Vampire Tarot, The Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery, The Tarot of the Alchemical Magnum Opus, The Alchemical Tarot of Marseille, The Hermes Playing Card Oracle, An Ukiyo-e Lenormand (based on Japanese culture), The Raziel Tarot and The Burning Serpent Oracle (for both of which he collaborated with Tarot diva Rachel Pollack). Besides writing books to accompany his decks, he is the author of The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, which Booklist has said, “may be the best book ever written on that deck of cards decorated with mysterious images called the Tarot.” He is the author of Astrology and Divination, Magic and Alchemy, Shamanism, Alchemy and the Tarot, and The Tarot, Magic, Alchemy, Hermeticism, and Neoplatonism. He is the curator of “The Fools' Journey” and the author of the catalog for this exhibition of Tarot art that originated at the LA Craft and Folk-Art Museum, in 2010.
He was the guest of honor at the opening of the Tarot Museum in Riola, Italy, in 2007. His Facsimile Historic Italian Tarot is included in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he recurrently lectures on their card collection. He and his work have appeared on the BBC, A&E, the Discovery Channel, and the Learning Channel. He has taught and lectured throughout the US and on five of the seven continents. His newest work, The Fist Occult Tarot, is a deck and book based on the descriptions written in 1781 by the come de Mellet, the first occult author to describe a Tarot deck.
Image: Angel from the Aurora Consurgens, 15th Century.
The Philosopher and his flask, Splendor Solis, Solomon Trimosin, 16th Century.