Alchemy is concerned with extracting and refining the purest essence of a physical substance. Modern alchemists view the physical changes that the substance undergoes as powerful analogies to spiritual and psychological changes within the human psyche. For example, breaking down the solid structure of an herb, as in the process of calcination, exemplifies to the alchemist the tearing down of old beliefs, thoughts and emotions in the alchemist. The mind of the alchemist affects his alchemy, and vice versa.

We are back with a fresh new show straight out of our kitchen laboratory! In this episode, we get our hands dirty with some practical experiments while we discuss the first three of the seven classical alchemical principles: Calcination, Dissolution and Separation.

Calcination breaks down the solid structure of the matter by heat and mechanical force.

Dissolution is the wet work in which the calcinated salts are dissolved in a menstrum.

Separation divides the fine and coarse particles of the matter in a process of filtration.

This is part one of a double episode. Come back soon as we dish out a second serving of that secret sauce that we call Chasing Hermes.

From Mount Olympus to the Pyramids, people of all ages have felt the urge to return to the center of the world, the Axis Mundi. Traditions in virtually all cultures speak of a nave, a central axis, a mystical place where the four directions in space meet in a unified point. Here, heaven and earth meet, enabling the mystic to travel into the heavenly spheres. In this sacred space, the Divine resides with mankind and we are permitted to return to innocence, into a paradisical state.

"Truly, without deceit, certain and most veritable." For over 2.000 years, the Emerald Tablet has been the back bone of hermeticism and has inspired countless of derivative works. It captured the imagination of such brilliant minds as Roger Bacon, Isaac Newton, and Carl Gustav Jung, the father of analytical psychology . Today, the Tablet's influence can clearly be seen in popular books such as The Secret and The Law of Attraction.

In this episode, we go beyond "as above, so below" to discuss what else the Emerald Tablet has to tell us about God, the universe, and pretty much everything in between.

Whether entranced saints or dreaming sages, mystic literature is riddled with references to lucid dreaming, out-of-body experiences and nightly apparitions. Rising through the planes of existence, the skilled mystic leaves the material plane and aspires towards the source of all things to seek council from the universal mind.

In this episode of Chasing Hermes, we take a look at some noted dream mystics throughout history and give some tips on how to learn to astral project yourself.

Springing from the Alexandrian mix of Greek, Roman, Jewish, Christian and Gnostic traditions, the Corpus Hermeticum tells us about the great philosophical frameworks in which the early Hermetic philosophers were operating.

After having been lost for almost a millennium, the Corpus Hermeticum caused a great stir when it was rediscovered in 1460 and became widespread with the introduction of Gutenberg's printing press. Once believed to be older than the writings of both Plato and Socrates, the Corpus Hermeticum influenced many of the Renaissance thinkers and have forever shaped the western mystery tradition.

Can bad events in your life be attributed to someone elses ill-willed thoughts about you? Some people seem convinced this happens to them all the time. On what grounds may we accept or reject such a world view?

In this episode, you will find out how you might be able to tell whether you are under psychic or magical attack - and what you can do about it.

The four classical elements - earth, air, water and fire - dates back to the sixth century B.C.E. It was believed that all of nature consisted of these four basic building blocks, each of which displaying the properties hot or cold, dry or wet. Today, we know much more about the inner workings of matter, but these four elements continue to play an important role as they have forever influenced classical philosophy, psychology, astrology, alchemy and magic.

Did you ever consider this fact: Everything you have ever experienced about the world has been signals sent to your brain from your senses.

The ancient Greeks thought of the human experience as one of being on the inside, looking out. Man is his own little kingdom inside a larger kingdom; a microcosm inside the macrocosm. The Emerald Tablet of Hermes states that the things that are within are a reflection of the things that are without. Can the outside world influence the world within - and vice versa?

In this very first episode of the podcast, we introduce ourselves and our intentions with the show. We also touch on the significance of the show's title and introduce some of the concepts we are going to discuss in later episodes.