Alchemy: The Egyptian Connection

You should view this series - the Invisible College - before you do any of the following: get into chaos magic, join your local witches' coven, develop an obsession with Crowley, commit yourself upon pain of death to preserve the secrets of Freemasonry, start analyzing the occult symbolism of the 9/11 and Pizzagate, begin blaming Donald Trump on the Illuminati, or even before you begin a career in Public Relations (though in that case, once you do, please kindly follow Bill Hicks' advice.) This series also offers a helpful foundation for anyone who wishes to pursue the path of the psychologist, the priest, the psychonaut and the shaman. Or if you simply wish to gain a clearer view of western civilization, then you should probably sit quietly with these lectures, too.This is an excellent sober introduction to the subject matter. It is slow in the manner of a straight forward lecture, but your patience will be rewarded. Adrian Gilbert demystifies some basic, common misunderstandings and sets the stage for rich following discussions. He also demystifies a prosaic commonplace or two from our own day, so that one might begin to imagine the cracks in the veil through which emergent paradigms could peek. By implicitly alluding to the perennial philosophy a picture starts to emerge of the continuity which was severed by modernity - by its novelties, its horrors, and primarily by its reductive materialism. But to be sure, this is all delivered with a familiar mien, free of any cynical, devilish or deviant affectation that other speakers on these subjects - even the good ones - sometimes present. You can share this with your parents and they oughtn't blanch.It's funny that contemporary pop civilization so easily dismisses Alchemy as mere 'gold-making magic,' all the while, the mass culture has no ability to perceive gold as anything but bullion or coin, otherwise shaped into decorative status symbols of conspicuous consumption - lost is our assumption of language's inherently poetic and symbolic nature, and so with it our language has lost the psychic capacity of "gold" and its meaning. Hence, the Golden Rule and the Golden Mean have lost their common thread, and yet Gold has become the Official Color of the Very Classy Reality Television President of the United States. These talks help to address this - the alchemical manufacture of gold, that is - in a way that is scientifically sympathetic, historically current, and jovial, all with a mature humility appropriate to the task.Begin by making yourself a nice cup of tea, then sit back and be hypnotized by Adrian's mandala/hallow as it occasionally contributes to his gesture the profile of a horned satyr.

I did not learn anything new or anything I was particularly interested in. This was kind of a time waster for me. Diversions that don’t add to the overall idea. I was surprised he bothered to read a recipe for making bronze or brass. At times vague, nothing juicy. He is genuinely interested though and seems happy to teach the material on the upside. Could’ve been condensed into 20 mins.

This had the potential to be a good documentary, but the presenter, -- who did not identify himself or his credentials -- spent most of the time rambling and going off-topic.

Just a little time killer.

This is a very boring lecture by monotone Adrian Gilbert. He starts for claiming that science makes people skeptic. He talks about the Egyptian view of creation, their gods, and the invasion by Alexander. He then reads a scroll on how they made bronze and combined metals using the word alchemy a lot, but it was never actual alchemy. Brought to you by the Invisible College. I would check out their web site first.