T he Alchemist’s Handbook has long been an essential contribution to the study of Alchemy since its fi rst publication in 1960. It still stands as a groundbreaking work presenting in clear, concise lan- guage a practical manual of working knowledge that was formerly handed down under oath of secrecy. Th e scope of alchemical work is to provide both a means to synthesize all the other sciences and the necessary training of the intellectual and spiritual faculties. “Th e teachings of Frater Albertus are part of a lineage that traces back to Rosicrucian sources and much earlier, and Th e Alchemist’s Handbook is still the best introduction to that lineage. If you feel the call of Alchemy and want real information on the subject, this is defi nitely the book you will want to read, reread, and read again. It may just turn out to be the book that changes your life.” —from the foreword by Robert Allen Bartlett, author of Real Alchemy Th e Alchemist’s Handbook discusses in detail: (cid:31) Th e basic fundamental principles of Alchemy (cid:31) A guide to the formation of an inexpensive home laboratory with illustrations of the necessary equipment (cid:31) Step-by-step instructions for the work of the lesser circulation, the alchemical transformation within the plant kingdom Frater Albertus Spagyricus(Dr. Albert Richard Riedel, 1911–1984) was founder of the Paracelsus Research Society in Salt Lake City, which later evolved into Paracelsus College. Based on the Paracelsian concept of three essentials, Body, Soul, and Spirit, Frater Albertus developed a system of teaching alchemical concepts using the spagyric technique of separation and cohobation, or repeated distillation. Th e unique gradated courses allow students to explore aspects of the vegetable, mineral, and animal kingdoms in an understandable and accessible way. Frater Albertus had a profound eff ect on the way Alchemy and particularly the spagyric method was dis- seminated and understood in the mid- to late twentieth century. www.redwheelweiser.com AAllbbeerrttuuss__AAllcchheemmiisstt HHaannddbbooookk__ccvv mmxx..iinndddd 11 44//55//2222 1111::0077 AAMM The Weiser Classics series off ers essential works from renowned authors and spiritual teachers, foundational texts, as well as introductory guides on an array of topics. Th e series represents the full range of subjects and genres that have been part of Weiser’s over sixty-year-long publishing program—from divination and magick to alchemy and occult philosophy. Each volume in the series will whenever possible include new material from its author or a contributor and other valuable additions and will be printed and produced using acid-free paper in a durable paperback binding. AAllbbeerrttuuss__AALLCCHH HHAANNDDBBOOOOKK WWCC PPRREESSSS ppaaggeess..iinndddd 11 33//2255//2222 66::2288 PPMM AAllbbeerrttuuss__AALLCCHH HHAANNDDBBOOOOKK WWCC PPRREESSSS ppaaggeess..iinndddd 22 33//2255//2222 66::2288 PPMM AAllbbeerrttuuss__AALLCCHH HHAANNDDBBOOOOKK WWCC PPRREESSSS ppaaggeess..iinndddd 33 33//2255//2222 66::2288 PPMM AAllbbeerrttuuss__AALLCCHH HHAANNDDBBOOOOKK WWCC PPRREESSSS ppaaggeess..iinndddd 44 33//2255//2222 66::2288 PPMM A Practical Manual AAllbbeerrttuuss__AALLCCHH HHAANNDDBBOOOOKK WWCC PPRREESSSS ppaaggeess..iinndddd 55 33//2255//2222 66::2288 PPMM This edition first published in 2022 by Weiser Books, an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser, llc With offices at: 65 Parker Street, Suite 7 Newburyport, MA 01950 www.redwheelweiser.com Copyright © 1974, 2022 by The estate of Frater Albertus Foreword copyright © 1974, 2022 by Israel Regardie Foreword copyright © 2022 by Robert Allen Bartlett All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, llc. Reviewers may quote brief passages. First published in 1960 by the Paracelsus Research Society. Revised and expanded edition first published in 1974 by Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC, ISBN: 978-0-87728-655-8. This Weiser Classics edition includes a new foreword. ISBN: 978-1-57863-765-2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request. Series Editors Mike Conlon, Production Director, Red Wheel/Weiser Books Judika Illes, Editor-at-Large, Weiser Books Peter Turner, Associate Publisher, Weiser Books Series Design Kathryn Sky-Peck, Creative Director, Red Wheel/Weiser Typeset in Arno Pro Cover image adapted from Mutus Liber, plate 6, by Isaac Baulot [Genevae? s.n. ?, 1702] Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division Printed in the United States of America IBI 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 AAllbbeerrttuuss__AALLCCHH HHAANNDDBBOOOOKK WWCC PPRREESSSS ppaaggeess..iinndddd 66 33//2255//2222 66::3333 PPMM Contents Foreword, by Israel Regardie ..................................ix Foreword, by Robert Allen Bartlett .......................... xiii Preface to the First Edition .................................xvii Preface to the Second Revised Edition ....................... xxi Chapter I. Introduction to Alchemy ..............................1 Chapter II. The Lesser Circulation ..............................13 Chapter III. The Herbal Elixir ..................................23 Chapter IV. Medicinal Uses .....................................35 Chapter V. Herbs and Stars .....................................41 Chapter VI. Symbols in Alchemy ...............................53 Chapter VII. Wisdom of the Sages ..............................63 Conclusion ................................................105 Appendix .................................................125 Alchemical Manifesto ......................................129 AAllbbeerrttuuss__AALLCCHH HHAANNDDBBOOOOKK WWCC PPRREESSSS ppaaggeess..iinndddd 77 33//2255//2222 66::2288 PPMM AAllbbeerrttuuss__AALLCCHH HHAANNDDBBOOOOKK WWCC PPRREESSSS ppaaggeess..iinndddd 88 33//2255//2222 66::2288 PPMM Foreword by Israel Regardie This is the age of “how to do it” books. There is one on almost any subject you can think of. Since they fill a variety of needs, they have proven a boon. From them you can learn to paint, sew, plant a herb garden, build a brick barbecue in the backyard, become an interior decorator, and rewire your own home. Almost every imagin- able topic has been covered by these books. So if you assumed that this Manual falls in this category, you would be right—save for the simple fact that it is a great deal more. Alchemy has exerted a strange fascination over mankind for centuries. The underlying philosophical theorem was that if the Divine Will had originally acted upon the prima materia to produce the precious metals and all else, why should not the alchemist—purified in mind and body and an expert in the then-known laboratory techniques—seek to emu- late the same natural process in a shorter span of time? One has only to read a good history of chemistry, or to peruse a little of the vast alchem- ical literature, to become aware of its awful seductiveness. Men have left homes and families, squandered fortunes, incurred sickness and disease, gambled away prestige, social, and other positions in quest of the goals perceived in the alchemical dream—longevity, perfect health, and the ability to transmute base metals into gold. One must not be deluded by superficialities here. The alchemi- cal adepts were patently dedicated and God-fearing men, holding the  AAllbbeerrttuuss__AALLCCHH HHAANNDDBBOOOOKK WWCC PPRREESSSS ppaaggeess..iinndddd 99 33//2255//2222 66::2288 PPMM