https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl By; Dhusya Ganeshamoorthy, Durham College en-us 2019-04-08 14:07:46 UTC 2024-06-08 13:03:32 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Lightdecrease.png dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349529220 What is Alchemy? Alchemy was the study of changing base metals for example lead, into higher more developed metals such as gold. However it is more than that, it dives deep into the spirituality. Alchemy believes that everything around us is connected to the spirit world. Metals were alive and that they grow within Earth.
Therefore, it was believed that base metals were spiritually and physically immature to higher metals.

The picture below shows the ancient symbols that pertain to alchemy, they depict the elements as well as the planets and metals that are the foundation to be able to manipulate them to create what is needed.

This is clearly shows ancient wisdom as the knowledge of this craft has been passed down from different time periods through scriptures and "science".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy ]]> 2019-04-08 14:43:33 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349529220 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349538453 Gold is considered the highest form of metal, and it represents perfection in all aspects of the mind, body, and sole.]]> 2019-04-08 14:57:49 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349538453 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349541575 During the time that Isaac Newton existed, alchemy was no longer a common practice, in fact it was seen as backwards. Although he never published his research in the science, his interest was in the Philosopher's Stone. Many practitioners kept their research a secret, which meant that it was coded differently from one another. Newton's main objective was to find the key to the world's mysteries.  
The picture depicts Newton's work on alchemy, however the real importance is in the fact that his reputation as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer etc, helped because his codes were more romantic and it strayed pretty far from science. 
Newton was able to separate science and alchemy as two entirely different practices.

https://listverse.com/2015/06/07/10-alchemists-who-created-strange-modern-legacies/]]> 2019-04-08 15:03:42 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349541575 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349556206
"Paracelsus was one of the most influential medical scientists during the early 16th century." When he practiced alchemy it was during a time where alchemy was still widely accepted. Paracelsus was focused on the understanding that there are 4 main elements; fire, water, earth and air. These elements were a form of "natural" spirits that also represent other spirits. Essentially he believed that these spirits were everywhere. He also believed that the human body had little differences in the materials needed to practice alchemy. So with basic understanding of these principles that the human body can be manipulated from being sick to healthy.

The picture below I feel best represents his passion for medical science as well as his belief in alchemy while he combined the two practices to help the human body. 
There are clear flaws to the theory as he was persistent in believing that the human body can be manipulated based on theoretical principles. However, due to his combined practice of medical science and alchemy could have been the reason for his success. The continued study of this art has lead to Appeal to Authority red flag. The more that influential and recognized professionals studied the art and tried to code the exact ingredient to gold and immortality, the more authority was given the practice of alchemy.

https://listverse.com/2015/06/07/10-alchemists-who-created-strange-modern-legacies/

http://broughttolife.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/people/paracelsus]]> 2019-04-08 15:29:02 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349556206 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349573129 It was a popular belief that with this stone one could change any metal into gold, and it would provide the elixir of life. So far Alchemy has been about manipulation and medical phenomenon, however, alchemy was also about perfecting the human soul. The philosopher's stone supposedly could do that along with curing illnesses, prolong life, and bring about spiritual strengthening.
 The picture below depicts Isaac Newton's recipe for creating the philosopher's stone.

I feel that there is some ancient wisdom that have been passed down through ancient wisdom. This website depicts the way this practice has been around since the common era in the East side of the world. As it transcended time and parts of the world it tied back to the ancient practice of Hinduism and other old religious/spiritual practices.

https://www.livescience.com/54162-newton-recipe-for-philosophers-stone-rediscovered.html]]> 2019-04-08 15:59:06 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349573129 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349584970 The Elixir of life was also known as the elixir of immortality. It is a potion created from the Philosopher's stone that was said to grant eternal youth as well as an immortal life. This elixir could also help cure any illness which helped prolong life.  In India the Amitra (elixir of life) was described in the Hindu scriptures. In China he ancient Chinese believed that ingesting long-lasting precious substances such as jade, cinnabar or hermatite would help attain  longevity to whomever consumed them.

This website talks about the history of where Elixir of life have been practiced throughout the world. This is connected to the pseudoscience of all natural where the claim of elixir of life is approached in a scientific manner which can be deceiving.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elixirs-of-life-a-history_b_59496f6de4b07e2395ce1007]]> 2019-04-08 16:20:13 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349584970 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349591058 2019-04-08 16:31:39 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349591058 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349600407 Alchemy seems to pre-date ancient Egypt, however it seem to have come into light more so during this time period. This video claims that it brings forth the calculations of the heavens in matter such as math, astronomy, medicine etc.

The pseudoscience that I chose to use is Ideological Support. This video does well in making the information that it presents in a serious manner from the music, to the way they keep adding relevant and scientifically proven facts into the midst such as mathematical formulas to play up the reality of the topic. They are trying to create a non-biased, and serious perception from the viewer 


]]> 2019-04-08 16:48:28 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349600407 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349711692 Through out history medicine and alchemy have both been used in healing rituals and even modern medicine practitioners have had a serious relationship with alchemy. I have posted this video to depict the way this gentleman uses alchemy to create medicinal treatments for everyday uses.
It is evident that he believes in what he is saying and feels that the research that he has conducted is all natural and enough to conduct healing. At the beginning he starts the intro with the basis of the elements and from least to greatest complexity. But then he tries to make it relate-able by stating that he goes about it through trial and error to see what works and what doesn't.

The red flag that pops into mind when watching this video in mystical energy. Practitioners seem to manipulate the energy to do what is needed at the time. In this video he believes that the energy of the plants that he has selected can be manipulated to heal a sore throat or the common cold with other natural ingredients that he has picked out from his farm through his research. ]]> 2019-04-08 20:46:13 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349711692 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349716881 This Youtuber takes alchemy and makes it relate-able by calling the ancient practice of changing led to gold, a metaphor. She uses this to as a self-help to transform oneself to the person that they want to be rather than the person whom they are.
This connection was very close to a confirmation biased. She uses what alchemy was back in history and even briefly explains how long this has been in practice for and then relates it back to what she thinks its in perception.; "changing out life into gold" was how she interprets it. She goes about explaining the steps to that ultimate transformation of the self, through the use of Alchemy. ]]> 2019-04-08 21:07:50 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349716881 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349720588 The study of alchemy had seemed to contribute greatly to modern science from metal work, to the production of gunpowder, to even to the formation of the periodic table of elements.

The connection that I see is the confusion of correlation. The need to obtain the exact codes to changing basic metals into gold, and the search for eternal life lead to the understanding of real science. The research that was conducted by Issac Newton and other practitioners helped form  real medical realizations that helped the formation of modern day world. ]]> 2019-04-08 21:26:28 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349720588 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349728895 2019-04-08 22:14:17 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349728895 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349729254 2019-04-08 22:16:46 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349729254 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349729578 2019-04-08 22:19:12 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349729578 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349730064 2019-04-08 22:22:59 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349730064 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349730305 1. The topic that surprised me most was that science and alchemy at one point was used together to remedy a person, if one didn't work then there was no real objection to try the other. I found that the norm of this natural science to be fascinating. 
2. Alchemy has always been interesting to me as I am Hindu, and the realization of how much alchemy is embedded into the religion frankly shocked me. The more I did research the more I understood why certain aspects were important. For example, it is frowned upon for a person to not wear gold or have it on their person. the perception has been that it keeps us (mind, body and soul) safe. I never really understood that but when I did my research and I read that gold represents perfection and Hinduism strives to achieve the perfect soul throughout life so that they may enter nirvana it made so much more sense to me. 
3. I truly enjoyed researching about the Elixir of Life. The types of magic that find a way to incorporate this into its stories has interested me, even to the extent of our modern day magical series; Harry Potter has brought life back into this generation!
4. I am most likely going to remember that Isaac Newton, a scientist who discovered gravity had a very serious interest in alchemy. But this also taught me that one needs to be able to think outside of the box to discover new concepts. If we are not open to the possibility of something new or different then it will never be possible. 
5. The most dangerous is the red herring in my opinion because ultimately its the manipulation of diverting the viewers attention from one issue by distracting them with serious sound effects and other non-related topics that come up as pictures to add realism. That is part of our everyday world and its vital for us to take heed to them. The least dangerous in my opinion is all natural, where natural science is used to try and understand society and complex modern science. This is because essentially society advanced from this manner of thinking. Historically humanity used this to understand things that were not conceivable because the knowledge didn't exist yet. 
6. The most important knowledge I would pass on is to keep an open mind, and to question everything. It sounds like an oxymoron but the reality is both are needed to work in duality. One needs to be open to new information, new methods to advance. However we need to question what we find as well to ensure the reality of what we found is true. ]]> 2019-04-08 22:24:36 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349730305 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349737275 2019-04-08 23:19:28 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349737275 dhusya123 https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349737586 2019-04-08 23:21:04 UTC https://padlet.com/dhusya123/brq5kjq9r3kl/wish/349737586