The Forge and the Crucible: The Origins and Structures of Alchemy

About this book

Primitive mans discovery of the ability to change matter from one state to another brought about a profound change in spiritual behavior. In The Forge and the Crucible Mircea Eliade follows the ritualistic adventures of these ancient societies adventures rooted in the peoples awareness of an awesome new power.The new edition of The Forge and the Crucible contains an updated appendix in which Eliade lists works on Chinese alchemy published in the past few years. He also discusses the importance of alchemy in Newtons scientific evolution.