Despite his fame Paracelsus remains an illusive character. As this volume points out it is somewhat of a paradox that the fascination with Paracelsus and his ideas has remained so widespread when it is born in mind that it is far from clear what exactly he contributed to medicine and natural philosophy. But perhaps it is exactly this enigma which through the ages has made Paracelsus so attractive to such a variety of people who all want to claim him as an advocate for their particular ideas. The first section of this book deals with the historiography surrounding Paracelsus and Paracelsianism and points to the need of reclaiming the man and his ideas in their proper historical context. A further two sections are concerned with the different religious, social and political implications of Paracelsianism and its medical and natural philosophical significance respectively.

This book is one of the best and most comprehensive about Hermetic philosophy and a perfect textbook for your first steps into alchemy. A real suggestive inquiry into the Hermetic mystery. Contents: Part I An Exoteric View of the Progress and Theory of Alchemy Chapter I A Preliminary Account of the Hermetic Philosophy, with the more Salient Points of its Public History Chapter II Of the Theory of Transmutation in General, and of the First Matter Chapter III The Golden Treatise of Hermes Trismegistus, Concerning the Physical Secret of the Philosopher's Stone. Part II A More Esoteric Consideration of the Hermetic Art & Its Mysteries Chapter I Of the True Subject of the Hermetic Art, & its Concealed Root Chapter II Of the Mysteries Chapter III The Mysteries Continued Chapter IV The Mysteries (Concluded) Part III Concerning the Laws and Vital Conditions of the Hermetic Experiment Chapter I Of the Experimental Method and Fermentation of the Philosophic Subject, According to the Paracelsian Alchemists and some Others Chapter II A Further Analysis of the Initial Principle, and its Eduction into Light Chapter III Of the Manifestation of the First Matter, and its Information by Light. Chapter IV Of the Mental Requisites and Impediments Incidental to Individuals Either as Masters or Students in the Hermetic Art Part IV The Hermetic Practice Chapter I Of the Vital Purification, Commonly Called the Gross Work Chapter II Of the Philosophic or Subtle Work Chapter III The Six Keys of Eudoxus, Opening Into the Most Secret Philosophy Chapter IV The Conclusion

In these essays, Andrew Cunningham is concerned with issues of identity - what was the identity of topics, disciplines, arguments, diseases in the past, and whether they are identical with (more usually, how they are not identical with) topics, disciplines, arguments or diseases in the present. Historians usually tend to assume such continuous identities of present attitudes and activities with past ones, and rarely question them; the contention here is that this gives us a false image of the very things in the past that we went to look for.

• Explores Kremmerz’s life, his teachings, his work as a hermetic physician, and the metaphysical and hermetic principles that guided his activities • Offers a detailed account of the distance healing practices, diagnostic methods, and rituals of the Fraternity of Myriam • Includes texts written by Kremmerz on the inner workings and magical operations of the fraternity, intended for its practicing members Giuliano Kremmerz (1861-1930), born Ciro Formisano, was one of the most influential Italian occultists, alchemists, and Hermetic masters of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, though he remains almost unknown to English readers. In 1896, Kremmerz began writing about natural and divine magic, healing, and alchemy through the journal Il Mondo Secreto (The Secret World). At the same time, he founded a school known as the Schola Philosophica Hermetica Classica Italica as well as a magical group, the Therapeutic and Magical Fraternity of Myriam. Within the Myriam, he sought to use Hermetic, magical, and Pythagorean principles to harness the power of the psyche and convey collective energies for therapeutic purposes and distance healing. His initiatic order would become the principal esoteric society in Italy--comparable to its British counterpart, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn--but forced to be a carefully guarded secret as Mussolini’s government rose to power. In this unique compilation of essays, David Pantano presents an in-depth study of Kremmerz’s life and work by his student and initiate, Italian esotericist Marco Daffi. Without holding back criticism, Daffi provides a detailed account of the history and practices of the Myriam as well as the metaphysical and Hermetic principles that guided their activities. Revealing Kremmerz’s rediscovery of the occult healing of ancient mystery schools, Daffi also shows how Kremmerz laid the foundation for passing this initiatory tradition on to the new millennium. He explores the means by which Kremmerz said miracles can be performed and the way Hermetic forces affect both bodily health and mystical eroticism. Throughout this collection, David Pantano provides extensive annotations, offering the English reader essential historical and mystical context for Daffi’s work. Connecting to untranslated Italian texts and elucidating Daffi’s poetic style, Pantano’s commentary reveals the particular tradition of Italian esoterism. Pantano also includes rare and unpublished texts written by Kremmerz and intended for the Myriam’s practicing members. Combined, these papers offer a picture of the inner workings and magical operations of this fraternity, available for the first time in English.