Certain ideas are so universally appealing to the human psyche that their pursuit can be recorded all around the world, independently of one another. Endless riches, eternal life, absolute wisdom, and freedom from sickness are just a few of the utopian ideas that civilizations have spent millennia discussing and searching for. And for as long as these ideas have teased the greatest minds of humanity, there have been theories as to how they might be attained. The most famous and mysterious is, without a doubt, alchemy.
A dark and shadowy practice that blends ancient philosophy, esoteric spiritual ideals, and science, alchemy evokes images of wizards, bubbling potions, and other things that seem like the stuff of fairy tales. And although it is all but entirely discredited now, it really was practiced for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
So, what was it about alchemy that was so appealing for so long? And how exactly did it work? Read on to find out.