Hermetic Recreations

This book reveals more than it conceals, which can't be said for most alchemical writings. You can see pieces of it in Fulcanelli's expositions, and it also closely parallels the I.C.H. book "Alter Naturweg" as if cut from the same cloth. It's been said that this book has been suppressed, and I can see why.Hermetic Recreations gets into what to do with the matter/subject, how to produce the Mercury salt, how to perform the Eagles, take the nascent Stone through the various Reigns, and how to multiply it and direct it toward the metal kingdom.You'll find these steps mentioned in other texts but here it's more linear, straightforward, and expository than those. Not that all is spelled out, there are still riddles here, but it's a "charitable" text as they say. There are important details in here not found in other works.The editors/translators wrote a great introduction as well, discussing the possible origins of the text and its ties to Cyliani, Alter Naturweg, and John Palmer. They also speculate on what the starting subject/matter of The Work might be, perhaps a kind of clay. In my opinion, maybe it's not clay but something occasionally found in clay, neither entirely metal nor entirely mineral, marked by nature with the insignia of the cross.If you've been reading Fulcanelli or Cyliani and have hit a wall, Hermetic Recreations can cut that gordian knot for you. It's the clearest, most concise, and therefore most important alchemical text I have read.Lastly, I should comment on the book design. Even though it isn't the limited hardcover edition, it's still really nice with a satin texture cover and great typesetting and design. The translation came out great. English is on the right pages, transcribed French on the left, and the English text has plenty of footnotes clarifying the who/what/where of certain things mentioned in the text. Extensive bibliography at the end too.We're privileged to have this book available for purchase thanks to the dedication and teamwork of the four authors/translators of this edition. I'm really grateful for their efforts.