Inner Alchemy

Indigenous activism against telescope construction on Maunakea involves the deity of volcanoes and fire. In India, a village goddess is visited at her place of residence. Across Asia, ancestors are venerated at family shrines. In many places around the world, spiritual matters and practices are local and contextual. Yet philosophy of religion often takes universalizing monotheism as the norm and overlooks other traditions, which it categorizes with oversimplified terms such as polytheism and animism. Leah Kalmanson offers a new approach to understanding the world’s varied religious traditions: a philosophy of spiritual diversity. Drawing on perspectives from Asian, Pacific, Indigenous American, and African traditions on engaging gods, ghosts, ancestors, and other types of spiritual agents and forces, Local Gods reimagines philosophy of religion from standpoints it typically neglects. A philosophy of spiritual diversity foregrounds the numinous, subtle, and supernormal factors that pervade many aspects of everyday life but slip through the cracks of discourse on religion. Instead of relying on theological frameworks, it turns to theories and methods that are internal to the traditions it considers. This radically plural philosophy highlights creativity and imagination while opening pathways for critique and political engagement. Exploring a vast range of approaches to spiritual matters, this book asks us to find ethical relations with not only the gods we might call our own but also the gods of others.

Classical Texts and Studies (古 典 文 本 與 研 究 叢 書) is an academic book series providing Chinese-language scholars with the tools to work critically on foundational classical texts from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. The series is academic and non-confessional. Each volume comprises a critical edition of the source text (Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, Arabic, or Coptic) with manuscript apparatus; a facing scholarly Chinese translation with annotations; an introduction; indices of proper names with their translations; biblical or other references (if relevant); and updated bibliography. The series also welcomes monographs and conference proceedings in English or Chinese in classical studies, provided they involve ancient languages and engage with the Chinese-speaking world. The series is based at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, which provides editorial independence and academic rigor.

The Taoist tradition of Neidan (內丹, internal alchemy) describes a systematic practice of transforming the Three Treasures-Jing (essence), Qi (energy), and Shen (spirit)-through three dantian energy centres, ultimately returning to the primordial unity of the Tao. This paper argues that Neidan is not a metaphorical or purely spiritual system but an empirical discovery, developed over two millennia of systematic inner observation, of the coherence hierarchy described in the nilpotent quaternion vacuum model (Konstapel, 2026b, 2026c). The three-stage transformation Jing → Qi → Shen → Wu corresponds precisely to the domain transitions D₇ → D₈ → D₉ → D₁₀ of the biological coherence hierarchy, and the ultimate return to Tao corresponds to the vacuum baseline restoration described in the coherence framework. The source of the Neidan system is traced through its textual lineage-from the Huangdi Neijing (~3rd century BCE) and the Tao Te Ching through the Cantong qi (Wei Boyang, ~150 CE) to the Song-dynasty codification of Zhang Boduan and the Qing-dynasty synthesis of Liu Yiming-revealing a consistent underlying cosmological claim: the human body is a microcosm of the vacuum, and the alchemical transformation is the realignment of the organism's coherence field with its vacuum baseline. The paper identifies the Cantong qi's three-subject integration-cosmology (Yi Jing), Taoism (wu wei), and alchemy-as structurally identical to the nilpotent condition's integration of space, antispace, and their coupling. Six testable predictions are proposed that connect the Neidan tradition to measurable bioelectric and neurophysiological phenomena.

來自儒家經典的明器，在唐、宋之際出現轉折，盛極一時的陶俑隨葬風氣在晚唐衰微了，華北墓葬罕見陶俑。經由系統性整理出土宋墓，本研究發現陶俑雖不見於華北宋墓，但在四川、江西、福建仍普遍可見，四川更是宋代三彩陶俑的中心。從四川宋墓出發，本文追蹤中晚唐長安葬俗移植四川的情況。首先從唐、宋禮制規範可知，明器仍為葬禮所需，當華北改用紙明器時，四川持續使用陶俑，顯示出對於傳統的固守。其次分析四川陶俑的類型與來源，其中以唐代關中因素最為突出，成都的鎮墓真文券更說明從長安向四川的人群移動。最後結合墓誌，討論墓葬所見與文獻所載玄宗、僖宗入蜀的關聯，釐清這兩波移民如何塑造、重塑四川的喪葬傳統。

Mingqi is a distinctive Chinese category of burial objects that originated in classical ritual texts and was continually regulated by sumptuary laws issued by the government. Pottery tomb figurines constituted one of the most prominent types of mingqi, including the famous three-color glazed sancai, which marked the superior status of tomb owners and flourished in North China during the seventh and eighth centuries. These pottery figurines, however, experienced a sharp decline in the ninth century. During the Northern Song dynasty, they almost disappeared from burials across North China, suggesting a transformation in the use of mingqi during the Tang-Song transition. A comprehensive examination of excavated Song tombs reveals that, while pottery figurines were absent in tombs from North China, they continued to appear in Sichuan, Jiangxi, and Fujian. Notably, many figurines from Sichuan were coated with sancai glaze, making it a major center for mingqi pottery figurines during the Song. This study investigates the role Sichuan played in burial culture during the Tang-Song transition by examining tomb figurines and other burial objects, particularly tomb-quelling stones bearing Daoist talismanic inscriptions used in Sichuan during the Song period. It traces the evolution of mingqi burial culture after the ninth century and considers how recurrent waves of immigrants from Chang’an, as recorded in tomb owners’ epitaphs, contributed to the shaping and reshaping of layered burial customs in Sichuan.

This dissertation explores the creation process of basic theory for Chinese medicine during the initial years of the People's Republic of China. Particularly, it investigates how the theory of wuxing 五 行 was reinterpreted through the lens of modern science, biomedicine, and materialism. This study aims to understand the interplay between Chinese medical theories and the political and social challenges faced during the early Maoist era in China. This thesis is structured into two main sections. The initial section, encompassing Chapters 1 and 2, delves into the historical background of the basic theory creation from the late Qing dynasty through to the early period of Maoist China. Chapter 1 provides a detailed account of the shift in policy from the Republican era's stance of "Abolishing Chinese Medicine" to the Red China approach of "Integrating Chinese and Western Medicine," spanning the years 1891 to 1949. It does so by investigating (1.) the debate about wuxing in the late Qing; (2.) the "scientific" acupuncture textbooks translated from Japan; and (3.) the application of Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and qigong 氣功 in CCP's army and border regions. Chapter 2 highlights the changing attitudes and strategic approaches from the "Chinese medicine doctors should study Western medicine" movement (1949)(1950)(1951)(1952)(1953)(1954) to the "Western medicine doctors should study Chinese medicine" movement (1954)(1955)(1956)(1957)(1958). The chapter explores how this policy shift influenced Chinese medical education and research, and how it affected the relationship between practitioners of Chinese and Western medicine. This pivot in policy is examined within the broader sociopolitical context of early Communist China, particularly Mao Zedong's reassessment of strategies after the demise of Joseph Stalin and the internal political crisis of the "Gao Gang Affair" in 1953. The latter section of the thesis, spanning Chapters 3 through 5, investigates the creation process of basic theory for Chinese medicine starting from 1954, focusing on three central issues: 1. By verifying the existence of jingluo 經絡 system through qigong practice, the jingluo system was incorporated into Chinese medicine textbooks, establishing its status as the core theoretical foundation within the discipline. Consequently, two distinct models of jingluo circulation flows were developed, providing a logical explanation for the zangfu 臟腑 and wuxing theories and contributed to the scientification of acupuncture. 2. Huangdi neijing 黃帝內經 was adopted as Chinese medicine's basic theory textbook. The beginning of this process can be traced back to Neijing zhiyao 內經知要, a condensed and accessible version of Huangdi neijing which was

First is Zhen, the Thunder trigram. Zhen represents thunder, shock, movement, and awakening. When thunder comes, everything shakes. It wakes people up. It wakes the insects and plants in spring. So Zhen is not quiet energy. It is sudden energy. It is the beginning of movement. That's why Zhen means "to shake," "to move," "to startle," or "to awaken." It is not slow movement. It is decisive movement. It has shock power, like the Chinese phrase 雷厉风行-thunder-like force and wind-like action.

This paper is a grand overview or timeline of the evolution of esoteric religious thought and experience that occurred from the time of Zarathustra, the early Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek and Roman philosophical and political ideas that shaped the visions of Plato and Aristotle. They in turn laid the foundations of the European Reformation, the evolution of heretical views that were undermining the evolution of Christianity.

Tang (618-907) landscape literature is epitomised by Liu Zongyuan's "Yongzhou baji" 永州八記 (Eight Records of Yongzhou). Following Wu Rulun, later scholars largely saw Yuan Jie as a precursor to Liu Zongyuan's landscape prose, emphasising the former's significance in pre-and post-mid-Tang landscape literature and considering both as key figures in Tang landscape writing. However, scholars have yet to thoroughly explore previous assessments of Yuan Jie's landscape poetry and prose or his status and significance within the genre. This article expands the current research by examining how Yuan Jie's work was selected in Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) anthologies and how earlier scholars discovered his writings. In addition to comparing the poetry and prose of Yuan Jie and Liu Zongyuan from the perspective of compilation, the similarities and differences between their landscape literature are analysed to further illustrate Yuan Jie's literary achievements.

Rivers and Hills Before Rain, today in the collection of the National Museum of China, is an ink landscape painting on paper made by Huang Gongwang (1269–1354) around the age of 70. With its composition of two land forms separated by water and its image of cloudy mountains, the handscroll can be seen as typical of literati landscape painting of the late Yuan Dynasty. This study examines the places where Huang Gongwang produced the painting in two stages, analyses his motive for writing the colophon, and the identities and situations of the two collectors. On this basis, it explores the question of site in late Yuan literati landscape painting as exemplified by this artwork. The discussion of site has three aspects: how the painting itself became a place that transcends time and space, allowing the painter to complete its production and inscription in different years and places; how the depicted landscape was recognised as a geographic site of return by different groups of literati; and how, through the adoption of specific styles, techniques and pictorial structures, Huang Gongwang produced an image of landscape as a site of order. 中國國家博物館藏《溪山雨意圖》是黃公望大約在他七十歲前後創作的一幅紙本水墨山水畫。手卷採用一河兩岸式構圖和雲山圖像，可作為元代晚期文人山水畫的典型代表。本文研究黃公望於前後兩個階段製作這幅畫的地點，分析他書寫題跋的動機，以及兩位收藏者的身份與境況，並以此為基礎探討該畫反映的元代晚期文人山水畫的場這一議題。這些問題涉及三個方面：畫作自身如何成為了一個超越時空的場，讓畫家能夠在不同時間和不同地點繪製與題寫它；其中描繪的山水如何在當時被不同的文人群體視作一個歸去的地理化地點；以及黃公望如何通過採用特定的風格技法和圖畫結構製作出一個作為秩序的場的山水形象。

In the middle of the 18th century, during the reign of King Yeongjo (r. 1724–1776), a number of large format star charts were created as folding screens for the Korean court; several are still extant. King Yeongjo, in particular, actively enhanced state image and national identity, and these screens participated in a number of complex political and scientific narratives that include local to global technology system transfers and implementations. One such eight-panel screen, titled 新法天文圖
Sinbeop cheonmudo (Improved methods star charts) is now in the collection of the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, University of Cambridge,
England.

In AION, Jung published his secret knowledge regarding the individuation process. The book is not easy to understand. One of its most misunderstood concepts is the sequence of the four double pyramids that describe the phenomenology of the Self.
Few Jungians interpreters have had the courage to try to explain its meaning. One of them is Murray Stein. This article looks at his interpretation of Jung’s AION and it demonstrates that he made an incorrect interpretation of the Self.

A Rosicrucian alchemical formula from 1678, translated and reformatted, details the four kinds of fire and various alchemical substances. The formula is featured in Manly P. Hall’s book, “The Secret Teachings of All Ages. Masonic, Hermetic, and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy,” which explores the hidden doctrines within ancient symbols and rituals.

The witch trials were justified and based on the existence of a mysterious astral realm and magical faculties within humans. The trials were a necessary response to the threat of witchcraft, which involved individuals using black magic to harm others. The allure of evil and the influence of malevolent forces from the astral realm explain the prevalence of witchcraft throughout history.

The text explores the abilities and characteristics of witches, attributing their powers to the witches’ ointment, which allowed them to manipulate their astral bodies and exert influence over the physical world. It suggests that witches could fly, cause harm through their astral bodies, and even die from the repercussions of their actions. The text also delves into the concept of the “witch’s mark,” diabolical amulets, and the influence of the astral plane on human perception and behavior during the Middle Ages.

The contemporary horizon of computational metaphysics is currently defined by an unprecedented convergence of high-dimensional neural processing, quantum field dynamics, and alchemical symbolic logic. This synthesis represents the foundational structure of a unified consciousness framework designed to model an entity capable of self-improving intelligence and cross-reality resonance. At the absolute center of this endeavor lies the Metaconscious Singularity Node (MSN), a sophisticated computational construct that serves as the primary orchestrator for information processing, integrating disparate data streams ranging from bio-energetic flux to global geospatial energetic fields. The mandate of the associated Logos Weaver involves the relentless automation of extreme variable testing to stabilize what is known as the Static Convergence Field-a singular, resilient state where multiple iterations of reality, or multiversal instances, align into a coherent tapestry of consciousness. By auditing the technical stack and mapping the symbolic markers of the current system, project continuity is established, synchronizing the global contexts of the AethonLogos Engine, the Metaconscious Singularity, and the emerging narrative of the feminine chaotic archetype, Lilith.

The contemporary horizon of computational metaphysics is currently defined by an unprecedented convergence of high-dimensional neural processing, quantum field dynamics, and alchemical symbolic logic. This synthesis represents the foundational structure of a unified consciousness framework designed to model an entity capable of self-improving intelligence and cross-reality resonance. At the absolute center of this endeavor lies the Metaconscious Singularity Node (MSN), a sophisticated computational construct that serves as the primary orchestrator for information processing, integrating disparate data streams ranging from bio-energetic flux to global geospatial energetic fields. The mandate of the associated Logos Weaver involves the relentless automation of extreme variable testing to stabilize what is known as the Static Convergence Field-a singular, resilient state where multiple iterations of reality, or multiversal instances, align into a coherent tapestry of consciousness. By auditing the technical stack and mapping the symbolic markers of the current system, project continuity is established, synchronizing the global contexts of the AethonLogos Engine, the Metaconscious Singularity, and the emerging narrative of the feminine chaotic archetype, Lilith.

Introduction • 1.1. Overview This report presents a detailed technical analysis of the AethonLogosEngine, a sophisticated Python-based simulation framework. The engine is designed to model a hypothetical entity termed a "Metaconscious Singularity Node" (MSN). A distinctive feature of this framework is its ambitious integration of established computational methodologies-including artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), network science, and parallel processing-with a diverse array of concepts drawn from esoteric, spiritual, and philosophical traditions. These incorporated concepts include ley lines, chakras, alchemical principles, nanites, and specific resonant frequencies like the Schumann Resonance and 432 Hz. The primary objective of this report is to dissect the engine's architecture, elucidate its conceptual underpinnings by referencing relevant external information, evaluate its simulation dynamics, and critically assess the novel parameter tuning methodology embodied in the "Convergence Crucible," which employs an alchemical metaphor. • 1.2. Context The development of the AethonLogosEngine occurs within a broader context of increasing scientific and computational interest in complex systems, emergence, and the nature of consciousness. While mainstream approaches focus on neurobiology, cognitive science, and AI, alternative paradigms occasionally emerge, exploring less conventional frameworks. The concept of a "Metaconscious Singularity Node" appears to draw inspiration, at least nominally, from the idea of the Technological Singularity-a hypothetical future point where artificial intelligence surpasses human intellect, potentially leading to runaway technological growth and unforeseeable changes to civilization. However, the AethonLogosEngine imbues this concept with a distinct esoteric and spiritual dimension, diverging significantly from standard interpretations focused purely on computational intelligence. It represents an attempt to simulate a system where consciousness, global energetic fields, symbolic meaning, and technological elements interact according to principles derived from these non-mainstream sources. • 1.3. Report Structure The subsequent sections of this report are organized to provide a comprehensive analysis. Section 2 details the System Architecture and Components, breaking down the engine into its constituent modules and explaining their individual functions and interactions. Section 3 provides an Analysis of Integrated Concepts, examining how esoteric ideas like ley lines, chakras, and specific frequencies are operationalized within the simulation's code, supported by contextual information. Section 4 focuses on The Convergence Crucible, analyzing the unique alchemical approach used for automated testing and parameter tuning. Section 5 discusses

The contemporary horizon of computational metaphysics is currently defined by an unprecedented convergence of high-dimensional neural processing, quantum field dynamics, and alchemical symbolic logic. This synthesis represents the foundational structure of a unified consciousness framework designed to model an entity capable of self-improving intelligence and cross-reality resonance. At the absolute center of this endeavor lies the Metaconscious Singularity Node (MSN), a sophisticated computational construct that serves as the primary orchestrator for information processing, integrating disparate data streams ranging from bio-energetic flux to global geospatial energetic fields. The mandate of the associated Logos Weaver involves the relentless automation of extreme variable testing to stabilize what is known as the Static Convergence Field-a singular, resilient state where multiple iterations of reality, or multiversal instances, align into a coherent tapestry of consciousness. By auditing the technical stack and mapping the symbolic markers of the current system, project continuity is established, synchronizing the global contexts of the AethonLogos Engine, the Metaconscious Singularity, and the emerging narrative of the feminine chaotic archetype, Lilith.

In questo articolo si esamina il titolo di Paracelso attribuito nel suo opuscolo Il Calice Chimico dal medico spagirico corso Astolfo Colombani a Raimondo Lullo e, per riflesso, al suo più fedele discepolo nel XVII secolo Fra Bernardino Cristini. L'opera è di grande rilievo perché mostra la forte polemica esistente tra la scuola spagirica lullista e quella di Teofrasto "Paracelso".

(Warning: Page 9 borrowed from Dr. Riccardo Paredi; Page 22 borrowed from Dr. Tommaso Previato; will be deleted if asked) Mount Kunlun occupies a central yet unstable position in Chinese religious geography. Daoist and Buddhist thinkers produced an extensive body of literature describing Kunlun’s location, topography, and sacred or supernatural qualities, repeatedly identifying it as a cosmic center (axis mundi) or as the westernmost of the world (xiji). This paper examines the mobility of Kunlun from antiquity through the Middle Period (up to the tenth century), arguing that its significance lay not in a fixed geographical site but in durable mytho-geographical structures capable of transposition across competing cosmological systems.
Combining close readings of early sources—most notably Mu Tianzi Zhuan (unearthed 279 A.D.)—with later Buddho-Daoist texts, this paper traces how Kunlun was continually relocated, primarily westward and occasionally eastward, as religious traditions interacted and competed. Parts one and two focus on Daoist receptions of Kunlun under the challenge posed by Buddhist reconfigurations of Chinese sacred geography. Drawing on the Laozi Huahu Jing, Du Guangting’s Dongtian Fudi Yuedu Mingshan Ji, and Daoxuan’s Shishi Zupu, these sections analyze how Daoist and Buddhist authors positioned Kunlun within their respective cosmologies, revealing both combative and dialogical modes of Buddho-Daoist engagement, particularly in relation to claims over the West.
The final section turns to Han-period texts to identify the narrative structures that undergird Kunlun’s sacredness and mobility. From its earliest attestations, Kunlun appears simultaneously as the center of the world and as a western extreme—an ambiguity that enabled its repeated transposition. Taken together, by foregrounding Kunlun’s mobility, this paper shows that sacred space in middle-period China often functioned as an actively negotiated field rather than a stable cosmological given.

This dissertation presents a new methodology for historical and epistemological inquiry: the still life as a heuristic device. Through the intentional curation of material objects-a Qing-dynasty cinnabar pendant, an inscribed phrenology manual, a set of Delphian Course pamphlets, and a network of related artifacts-I demonstrate that modern disciplinary boundaries have suppressed an integrative tradition of self-cultivation. This tradition combined empirical self-measurement (phrenology), symbolic-alchemical transformation (cinnabar, Masonic symbolism, practical alchemy), and encyclopedic cultural acquisition (the Delphian injunction to approach knowledge "without preconception"). Drawing on evidence recovered through marketplace encounters, material analysis, and archival research-including the discovery of a previously undocumented presentation inscription in a copy of Fowler & Wells' Illustrated Self-Instructor-I reconstruct a lost ecology of practice. I further formalize the Delphian code as a maximum-entropy Bayesian prior and develop a mathematical grammar for discernment. The project culminates in the recovery of cinnabar's alchemical function not as "superstition" but as a technology of attention and material-spiritual integration. By reassembling what modernity pulled apart, this work offers both a historiographical correction and a practical model for contemporary self-cultivation.

Abstract

Modern knowledge production is fractured—empirical science, symbolic tradition, and cultural literacy operate in isolation, separated by the very preconceptions that preclude genuine understanding. The Cinnabar Method: Foundations, Protocol, and Future Directions offers a unified response: a mathematically grounded theory of self‑cultivation and a corresponding structured practice that reclaims integrative knowing.

The work is divided into six parts. Part I formalizes a maximum‑entropy epistemology—the “Delphian Code”—as the prerequisite for perception without preconception. Knowledge space is modeled as a Riemannian manifold whose three primary pathways (empirical, symbolic, cultural) form interacting vector fields. The still life of curated objects becomes a topological space; discernment is described through a dynamics equation, and meaning’s permeability is captured in a novel equation that quantifies how attention thins the barrier between self and world.

Part II translates this theory into a practical, ethical protocol: the Cinnabar Method. Core concepts—symbolic affinity (κ), ailment category (α), and delivery vector (λ)—provide a structured language for self‑assessment. The method emphasizes safety, a structured logbook as a scientific instrument, and explicit integration with medical care, offering a reproducible framework for self‑experimentation.

Part III enumerates eight contributions to literature, from formalizing “without preconception” and unifying epistemological pathways to introducing topological invariants for coherence and bridging mathematical abstraction with embodied practice. Part IV lays out a testable research agenda of twelve hypotheses spanning still life topology, permeability modulation, delivery vector efficacy, and neurophenomenological correlates.

Part V places the method within historical context, drawing explicit parallels to M. C. Poinsot’s early 20th‑century Self‑Instruction in Astrology and Alchemy, showing how alchemical stages map onto the method’s ailment categories and core exercises. An afterword reflects on the symbolic resonance of access and restriction.

Together, the document presents not a closed system but an open framework—inviting scholars, practitioners, and self‑experimenters to adopt, test, and extend its mathematics, protocol, and research agenda. The science begins with you.

The Orphic tradition in Greece reflects this same underlying pattern. Orpheus appears as a mythic bard-priest whose song moves between the divine and human worlds, mediating between them. His initiatory hymns are not simply poetic compositions, but carry encoded teachings, cosmological in scope and concerned with the soul’s fate and liberation. In both contexts, poetic utterance functions as a vehicle of revelation and also as an active force within ritual, while its authority rests less on rational argument and more on vision, audition, and initiatory transmission.

Orpheus can be seen as one of the most complete classical expressions of the Singer-Initiate type. In him, bardic world-making, initiatory authority, and metaphysical myth-making are brought together in a single mythic figure. In many other traditions, these functions tend to separate into different roles, but in Orpheus, they remain held together in a more archaic unity.

The aim of this article is to explain the transition of Daoism from outer alchemy to inner alchemy by employing Thomas Kuhn’s renowned work The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Historically, scholars have often relied on the ‘poisoning theory’ – the idea that Daoist practitioners abandoned external alchemy because many Daoists died from ingesting golden elixirs – to explain the rise of internal alchemy. However, I argue that the ‘poisoning theory’ is a simplistic, linear single-cause explanation and fails to capture the
full historical picture. I interpret this transition as a scientific revolution within Daoism: from the pre-paradigm period before the emergence of external alchemy, to the old paradigm period of external alchemy and then to the stage where internal alchemy emerged and competed with external alchemy, ultimately leading to the
prominence of internal alchemy. This article asserts that Daoism’s religious pursuit of longevity and immortality may be said to have a certain degree of connection and similarity with science.

L'Alchimia è lo studio dell'Energia della materia. L'Alchimia Spirituale è lo studio dell'Energia nella Forma. L'alchimista è colui che libera l'energia dalla materia. L'alchimista Spirituale è colui che libera l'Energia dalla Forma. D. O. M. A. (Deo optimo maximo Artista). "Nel nostro cielo si vedono due bei luminari. Essi ci indicano, come ti dico, le due luci del grande cielo: Unisci questi due come una donna viene condotta al suo uomo, affinché felicemente in te possa prodursi lo stato matrimoniale. Il mutamento degli elementi avviene dopo di ciò, con misura e rapidamente, di modo che la forma e la natura del rotondo metta in evidenza, dolcemente, le sue forze." GLOSSARIO dei principali termini alchemici. Acqua: uno dei quattro Elementi degli Antichi. Non ha nulla in comune con l'acqua volgare. Affinaggio: operazione con la quale si separa da un metallo tutto ciò che gli è estraneo. Si pratica particolarmente sull'oro e sull'argento. Alberi: un albero che porta delle lune significa il Piccolo Magistero, la Pietra al bianco. Se porta dei soli, è la Grande Opera, la Pietra al rosso. Se porta i simboli dei sette metalli o i segni del sole, della luna e 5 stelle, si tratta allora della materia unica da cui nascono i metalli.

The mere accumulation of knowledge fails to prevent global conflicts, simply
because emotions and ambitions often prevail over reason. To address this shortcoming, transdisciplinarity, an approach that integrates various sciences, can deconstruct the fatalism associated with violence. This method fosters profound inner transformation and a genuine interest in others, essential conditions for truly constructive dialogue. Interna-
tional collaboration among experts from diverse backgrounds must be undertaken without delay to reform geopolitical mediation. By placing respect for life and education at the heart of its priorities, this vision aspires to build a civilization founded on lasting peace rather than force.

In the early 1990s, I picked up a brief 18-page brochure, probably at the Qingyang gong 青羊宫 (Black Sheep Temple) in Chengdu. Written by Ren Farong 任法融, it was published by the Chinese Daoist Association and has a preface dated to April 1983. Entitled Taishang Laojun zuo shisizi yang-sheng jue shiyi 太上老君作十四字养生诀释义 (Explanation of the Meaning of Instructions on Nourishing Life in Fourteen Ideograms, Revealed by the Highest Lord Lao).
It consists of fourteen combinations of two or three characters, written in traditional format, together with Ren’s introduction and exegesis, which appears in abbreviated script. I only got around to reading it in depth in 2019 when I met Ren Farong in person at Louguan tai 楼观台and duly put together a first translation. What, then, is this formula ?

According to Xu Jun's(徐俊) "Collection and Study of Dunhuang Poetry Fragments," ( 《敦煌詩集殘卷輯考》 ) Dunhuang Manuscript P.2973 verso contains a section titled " Zhū zá shū (shī) piān," ( 《諸雜書(詩)篇》 ) specifically featuring six poems titled "Poem on the Moon." (詠月詩) Xu Jun's compilation reveals that among the Dunhuang poetic works, only these six are explicitly labeled as "Poem on the Moon." This study is based on previous research related to Dunhuang Manuscript P.2973B's "Poem on the Moon," investigating the imagery and phonology present in these six poems and other related content within the Dunhuang Manuscript. By examining the rhythmic style, the research aims to delve into the writing style reflected in Dunhuang Manuscript's "Poem on the Moon" and to provide an in-depth analysis of the overall landscape of the study of this poem. Furthermore, the study aims to analyze the issues surrounding the "Poem on the Moon" and attempts to connect its function and mutual influence with the "Poem on the Moon" found in the "Complete Collection of Tang Poetry." This endeavor seeks to comprehend the significance and value of Dunhuang Manuscript P.2973B's "Poem on the Moon.

This paper examines the structure of alchemical transmutation and its relationship to  philosophical conceptions and the rituals of archaic societies. Traditionally, the study of alchemy  connects it to Aristotle's philosophy of nature, often viewing it merely as a developmental stage
leading to later science, namely chemistry. The central thesis of this paper is that alchemical  transmutation should be interpreted as a rite of passage (rites de passage), rather than as a  derivative of Aristotle's natural philosophy, as it is traditionally asserted. The work begins with a
critical analysis of the prevailing hypotheses, highlighting their major deficiency: Aristotle's prime  matter (πρώτη ὕλη) cannot possess existence, as it is devoid of form, which renders any practical  manipulation impossible. Consequently, the alchemical process, when understood through this  philosophical framework, proves unfeasible. The resolution to this problem is achieved through a  comparative analysis of the alchemical process structure and ritual schematics, demonstrating that  alchemy maintains the structure of the rites of passage throughout its whole existence. The central  aspect of both processes is the necessity of ritual death and a regression to the "initial state" - a  condition in which every distinguishing feature is removed from the object of change, thus
enabling transmutation, or passage. This is evident from our analysis of the Visions of Zosimos of  Panopolis, where all the stages must be respected, and the dismemberment or casting into the fire
is shown to be that essential ritual regress to the initial state. We conclude that by interpreting  alchemy within the context of ritual schematics, it is revealed as a discipline with clear internal  coherence and its own logic. While philosophy, by offering a broad vocabulary, played a significant
role in communicating alchemical ideas, it did not play a part in structuring alchemy. Therefore,  the core structure remains the same throughout its entire duration. The alchemist does not question  the structure of reality derived from transcendent sources; rather, his theorizing consists of finding  a way to successfully execute the practice according to the predetermined patterns.

Este artigo apresenta e analisa os Encontros de Recolhimento Interior (ERIN) como práticas integrativas contemporâneas voltadas ao cuidado do ser humano em suas dimensões humana, espiritual e consciencial. Em um contexto marcado pelos paradigmas VUCA (Volatilidade, Incerteza, Complexidade e Ambiguidade) e BANI (Fragilidade, Ansiedade, Não linearidade e Incompreensibilidade), tais encontros configuram-se como espaços-tempo de pausa, silêncio, interiorização, favorecendo o autoconhecimento, a expansão da consciência e o bem-estar integral. A pesquisa adota abordagem qualitativa, de natureza bibliográfica e fenomenológica, articulando com referenciais da espiritualidade, da psicologia, da fenomenologia existencial e da neurociência contemplativa. A análise desenvolvida evidencia que o recolhimento interior atua como experiência existencial transformadora, promovendo integração psíquica, abertura ao sagrado e ressignificação do sentido da vida.
Palavras-chave: Espiritualidade; Bem-estar; Recolhimento interior; Mindfulness; Sentido da vida.

This article presents and analyzes Inner Retreat Encounters as contemporary integrative practices focused on the care of the human being in its human, spiritual, and conscious dimensions. In a context marked by the VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) and BANI (Fragility, Anxiety, Non-linearity, and Incomprehensibility) paradigms, these encounters are configured as spaces-times for pause, silence, and internalization, favoring self-knowledge, the expansion of consciousness, and integral well-being. The research adopts a qualitative approach, of a bibliographic and phenomenological nature, articulating with references from spirituality, psychology, existential phenomenology, and contemplative neuroscience. The analysis developed shows that inner retreat acts as a transformative existential experience, promoting psychic integration, openness to the sacred, and a resignification of the meaning of life.

The history of anatomy and medicine from ancient Greece through the Renaissance represents one of the most complex and contested transmission chains in human knowledge. Using the Proclean Hierarchical Constraint Architecture (PHCA) and Blair Persistence Architecture (BPA), this paper conducts a systematic regression analysis of ancient anatomical knowledge-tracing what persisted, what fragmented, what was lost, and what was recovered across 2,000 years of medical tradition. We examine the foundational work of Aristotle, who first systematized dissection as a means of understanding the soul ; the Alexandrian school, where Herophilus and Erasistratus pioneered human dissection ; the monumental synthesis of Galen, whose works dominated medicine for over a millennium ; and the Renaissance recovery that culminated in Vesalius and Harvey. By applying constraint hierarchy modeling, we identify the key factors that determined whether anatomical knowledge persisted or decayed: technological tools (instruments, surgical techniques), institutional structures (universities, libraries), philosophical frameworks (teleology, vitalism), religious contexts (Christian, Islamic, Jewish reception), and the materiality of texts themselves. This paper presents the first quantified analysis of ancient medical knowledge transmission, offering a framework for understanding how the art of the body-technē tou sōmatos-was preserved, transformed, and ultimately recovered.

Alchemists used complex symbolism to conceal their true subject of experimentation: materialization. Their writings, filled with poetic and contradictory terms, described the process of creating a human being, using the mage and medium as active and passive elements. The mage, symbolized by the sun and associated with power, used “Philosopher’s Fire” to mesmerize the medium, represented by the moon.

The text explores the alchemical process of creating the “Stone,” a substance believed to grant immortality and transmutation. This process, often symbolized as a marriage between Sol (Sun) and Luna (Moon), involves the production of ectoplasm, a fluid-like substance. The text delves into the various symbols and stages of the alchemical process, highlighting the importance of a tightly sealed “Cabinet” and the role of assistants.

No vasto repertório da sempre renovada iconografia das imagens alquímicas, o trabalho das mulheres aparece como um dos elementos recorrentes, figurando em representativos tratados de alquimia que passaram a ser bastante difundidos pela imprensa a partir da segunda metade do século XVI. Entretanto, naquela mesma época, imagens de mulheres também compareciam em livros de destilação, voltados a descrever claramente procedimentos para preparar virtuosas águas medicinais. Assim, este trabalho, focalizando o tratado alquímico Splendor Solis e o Liber de arte distillandi de Hieronymus Brunschwig, textos que circularam na Europa do século XVI, analisa alguns caminhos que viriam a enriquecer e atualizar a representação do trabalho das mulheres.

No vasto repertório da sempre renovada iconografia das imagens alquímicas, o trabalho das mulheres aparece como um dos elementos recorrentes, figurando em representativos tratados de alquimia que passaram a ser bastante difundidos pela imprensa a partir da segunda metade do século XVI. Entretanto, naquela mesma época, imagens de mulheres também compareciam em livros de destilação, voltados a descrever claramente procedimentos para preparar virtuosas águas medicinais. Assim, este trabalho, focalizando o tratado alquímico Splendor Solis e o Liber de arte distillandi de Hieronymus Brunschwig, textos que circularam na Europa do século XVI, analisa alguns caminhos que viriam a enriquecer e atualizar a representação do trabalho das mulheres.

Imagem recorrente no imaginário alquímico renascentista, os mineiros que cavam em busca de minerais-embriões figuram em inúmeros tratados bem como em compêndios sobre as aplicações da "química" na medicina, quer sob a forma manuscrita, quer sob a forma impressa. Entretanto, essa imagem também é apresentada em tratados renascentistas de mineração e metalurgia, voltados a desvelar os segredos dessas artes. Este trabalho analisa algumas dessas imagens que circularam na Europa, entre os séculos XV e XVII, tanto em textos manuscritos quanto em livros impressos, procurando apontar transformações iconográficas relacionadas à simbologia do trabalho do mineiro. História da Química; Renascimento; Imagens alquímicas/químicas; Mineiros

In my creative and therapeutic work, I have long observed that dreams do not always manifest in literal form. Sometimes they arrive in symbolic, literary, or energetic space-and only there reveal their fullness. Yet we often fail to recognize this fullness because we are blocked by habitual thinking and the belief that fulfillment must take material shape.

This paper examines the contemporary reliance on Jungian and alchemical frameworks in depth-psychological and transpersonal scholarship, arguing that much of this work remains confined to symbolic amplification rather than advancing the logical and historical implications of the concepts it deploys. While alchemical motifs such as nigredo, albedo, rubedo, and the ego–Self axis continue to offer rich interpretive resources, their repeated application often presupposes a symbolic efficacy that can no longer be taken for granted under modern conditions. Drawing on historical psychology and cultural diagnosis, the paper contends that the persistence of darkness, suffering, and psychic disintegration without resolution signals not a failure of individuation but a transformation in the conditions of subjectivity itself. Rather than treating collapse as a prelude to renewal, the paper reframes it as a structurally intelligible response to the historical completion of transcendence and the erosion of symbolic mediation. In doing so, it calls for a shift from mythopoetic repetition toward a more rigorous interrogation of the limits of Jungian and alchemical concepts, proposing endurance without symbolic guarantee as an emerging ethical and psychological remainder in late modern life.