Israel Regardie was an accomplished ceremonial magician, having studied under no less than Aleister Crowley, with heavy involvement in The Golden Dawn. He was also an accomplished alchemist, and associated with Frater Albertus, among other 20th century notables. Aside from his occult side, he was a practicing psychologist.
At one point in his magickal path, Regardie was convinced that alchemy was a thinly veiled psychological process, where the operations in traditional alchemy that purported to work on substances were really aimed at man's mind and spirit. This book was originally written during that period in Regardie's development. In this book he analyzes 3 traditional alchemical treatises, explaining how the operations they describe are really psychoanalytical in nature. He also adds analogies on how to map the different techniques into the Kabalah, another area in which he was very well versed.
Later in life, specifically after he began to work with Frater Albertus, Regardie changed his view and came to understand that alchemy and its source material are definitely aimed at practical, or laboratory, work. While an evolution of the alchemist at the same time that the gross matter he is working on evolves is a part of the alchemical practice, Regardie was wrong in excluding the practical aspects. This edition comes with a new foreword by Regardie where he plainly admits his earlier mistake.
He nonetheless chose not to change the material in the book as it still held validity, even if it was incomplete, and because he felt it could still be a boon to someone still at that earlier stage. Regardie's honesty in plainly admitting he was wrong is very refreshing, and a testament to a great man.
While this book is probably not for the common occultist, it will be of interest to anyone pursuing alchemy as well as to more advanced students of magick.
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