...a way of seeing beyond inner and outer.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Alchemy-khymos

Isaac Newton/Closet Alchemist
Words are only as powerful as their ability to give of ourselves and what we're thinking to each other.  That's why connotation and  context, both circumstantial and personal, are critical to understanding what's being said to us. 

Here at cookedheads, alchemy is going to be a recurrent theme in the coming weeks, but so you all understand what bit we're going to try to give and what we're thinking, here is where this idea-seed was planted:

alchemy Look up alchemy at Dictionary.com

mid-14c., from O.Fr. alchimie (14c.), alquemie (13c.), from M.L. alkimia, from Arabic al-kimiya, from Gk. khemeioa (found c.300 C.E. in a decree of Diocletian against "the old writings of the Egyptians"), all meaning "alchemy." Perhaps from an old name for Egypt (Khemia, lit. "land of black earth," found in Plutarch), or from Gk.khymatos "that which is poured out," from khein "to pour," related to khymos "juice, sap" [Klein, citing W. Muss-Arnolt, calls this folk etymology]. The word seems to have elements of both origins.
Mahn ... concludes, after an elaborate investigation, that Gr. khymeia was probably the original, being first applied to pharmaceutical chemistry, which was chiefly concerned with juices or infusions of plants; that the pursuits of the Alexandrian alchemists were a subsequent development of chemical study, and that the notoriety of these may have caused the name of the art to be popularly associated with the ancient name of Egypt. [OED]
The al- is the Arabic definite article, "the." The art and the name were adopted by the Arabs from Alexandrians and thence returned to Europe via Spain. Alchemy was the "chemistry" of the Middle Ages and early modern times; since c.1600 the word has been applied distinctively to the pursuit of the transmutation of baser metals into gold, which, along with the search for the universal solvent and the panacea, were the chief occupations of early chemistry.

6 comments:

  1. I love the way you build up interest!!!

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  2. I agree C, I step away from the blog for a few days and look what happens!

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  3. hahahaha! I am so mad about you both, but you over estimate my marketing/mental prowess. This isn't anticipation. It's what the hell am I doing and am I sure about all this? xxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooos :D

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  4. Ooooh yes you are! You know you are! Otherwise you wouldn't have posted an engraving of Sir Isaac Newton looking like Lord Byron.

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  5. now, I'm almost laughing hysterically. Please tell me that isn't Lord Byron. The only reason I'm hoping it's not is because I already have a reading assignment from The Universe and I can't quote a single line of Bryon.

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  6. ..or Byron. *sigh. Perhaps it's time to retreat to the Fleuraison and call it a day. lol.. oy.

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