Welcome to Gaia! ::

I was just wondering who else liked to study into this? I've started to research his work and and the First Element, along with the Tria Prima. I was wondering who else knew anything about this stuff?

Yeah, it is. I have a book on it, but I think it only goes back as far as the Emerald Tablet. I'm still trying to get a grasp of what the Emerald Tablet means, though, because it supposedly has the key to the perfection of anything, and in that sense, perfection and purification of the first matter to create the Philosopher's Stone. Interest, but very, very confusing. My book focuses more on how to create while informing, not the other way around. It's more about how to extract the souls and essences of plants and the like to make tinctures and elixirs. By the way, does anybody have any good links for a Nicolas Flammel/Philosopher's Stone website. And PLEASE do not give me that longevity.org or whatever. That site bugs me. emo

The Emerald Tablet isn't that hard to understand, but it can be hard to apply. I might be able to help you with it over PMs if you'd like.

For anyone that wants to get into alchemy and make a serious commitment, I suggest www.flamelcollege.org. There is a home study course for alchemy, among other things. The potential problem is that it's costly for someone with little income. The alchemy course is around $500, but it includes textbooks and materials, lab equipment, etc. My only complaint with it is that they haven't been as timely as I would have liked with shipping modules to me, but they've recently moved to a new location and are experiencing growing pains so I forgive them.

I don't think the Philosopher's Stone was a material object, but a metaphor for an attainable spiritual ideal. Same with the turning base metals into Gold. The alchemists used a lot of symbolism and metaphor, that can be seen by looking at alchemistic woodcuts from the Middle Ages.