Dwellings of the Philosophers

By Fulcanelli

Book Overview

2021 EDITION WITH IMPROVED IMAGES

This is the second and last book written by the mysterious Fulcanelli, published in 1929 in France, as two volumes in a short-run edition. This translation follows faithfully that edition.It is believed that Fulcanelli was able to discover the philosopher's stone shortly before 1930, and it is thought that this discovery had much to do with his disappearance.Although many speculate that Fulcanelli may have been the artist Julien Champagne, or Eugene Canseliet (who wrote several introductions to Dwellings of the Philosophers), no one knows for sure who Fulcanelli was.Dwellings of the Philosophers is a fundamental work for alchemy scholars. It is a general treatise on alchemy, enriched by many explanations and comments on the main traditional authors texts. Also, analyzing the hermetic symbolism applied to civil constructions, Fulcanelli sheds light on many alchemical riddles.This book analyses in depth the architectural elements and motifs of different buildings, from a modest house built in the 16th century in Lisieux (a small Norman town), the Dampierre Castle, the Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, and several other chosen examples.Fulcanelli clearly explains, at the beginning of his work (in History and Monument), that carvings and statues offer a truer message than the always distorted written accounts. He said: "It will therefore be explained why we prefer to see the Middle Ages, as the Gothic buildings reveal to us, rather than believing the description of historians".Likewise, Fulcanelli offers much information about the operations and procedures of the alchemical work, analyzing and unveiling the allegories used by many writers of hermetic art to veil the knowledge from those who are not deserving of it.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 099167099X
• ISBN13: 9780991670994
• Release Date: November 2018
• Publisher: Daniel Bernardo
• Length: 286 Pages
• Weight: 1.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Second Paramount Work of Fulcanelli

"Dwellings of the Philosophers" (Les Demeures Philosophales) was the second and the last known work of Fulcanelli as first published in 1929. This two-volume/500-plus-page book consisted of further information on classical architecture and alchemy than his first work, Fulcanelli: Master Alchemist: Le Mystere des Cathedrales, Esoteric Intrepretation of the Hermetic Symbols of The Great Work (Le Mystere Des Cathedrales ... of the Hermetic Symbols of Great Work). In this work, Fulcanelli used a unique method to which differs from the masters before him by the means of scattering the clues or pieces throughout this book. And, it is truly up to the sincere seeker to discover these pieces and complete the puzzle of the great secret. A disciple of Fulcanelli, Eugene Canseliet, mentioned this "puzzle" in his first preface to this work. The means of discovery is highly important to Fulcanelli because he would see who is sincere and who is not sincere during the process of discovery. Such secrets are not for everyone. Fulcanelli, a Great Master Alchemist of the 20th century. He is also the most mysterious figure of the 20th century, whose real name was unknown until the recent ground-breaking work (Fulcanelli - His True Identity Revealed) by Patrick Riviere, who was the student of Eugene Canseliet, a disciple of Fulcanelli himself. To the truth seekers, I would recommend this book as part of your search, either in history, mystery, ancient arts, gothic, or alchemy. And, to the minds of curiosity and researchers, I would recommend this book as well for your keen eyes as you go through the ancient buildings seen in this book and the great symbolism that lies within. The stones in these walls as mentioned in this book give the most accurate truths than any written historical documents.

The real thing

This is the most thought-provoking work on alchemy I have come across. There is so much here, that it's difficult to know where to start. Fulcanelli is the first practical alchemist I've read who came out and said that without divine inspiration and the aid of the stars, one will not be able to carry out the Work. So often it seems that folks concentrate purely on the practical side or worse, purely on the spiritual side. Most seem to ignore the astrological aspects, I guess considering that "as below, so above" is referring to the practical and spiritual, not to the celestial. It is refreshing to hear someone reiterating the importance of all three aspects--material, spiritual, and celestial--for success. Fulcanelli is very explicit when discussing aspects of the Mineral Path, to the extent that I don't understand why I have not seen this book more often referred to when alchemists working on the Mineral Path discuss their operations. I wonder how many people have actually read it. Perhaps folks are put off by the apparent topic, the alchemical decorations on various buildings. But while the book does discuss these decorations, they are only a jumping-off point for discussing alchemical concepts and steps in the process. For instance, when touching upon salamander decorations, he gives many excellent clues about the nature of the Secret Fire. One of the especially interesting things he discusses is what he calls "cabala." This refers not to Kabbalah or Qabalah but is instead a system of transmitting meaning by using visual puns that was especially popular in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, according to him. Anyone who is even slightly interested in alchemy knows the importance in it of graphics. We all know that these pictures are meant to be metaphorical, but Fulcanelli suggests that they incorporate visual puns as well. Looking for these puns gives us a whole new way of reading these pictures. 'Course, we need to know medieval French and German, etc.:) Although alchemy has mostly managed to escape the attention of contemporary writers who simplify complex magical or spiritual systems in order to sell books or make a name for themselves, much contemporary writing about alchemy is dominated by the same sort of fluff-bunnyism that so undermines serious studies of magic. If we go back to the original works, we are presented with the problem of what has been lost in translation, and a number of these were garbled, either deliberately or not. Fulcanelli's book is perfect for the individual who has a background in alchemy and who rejects the "make the Stone in your head" approach yet who has had enough of beating their head against the impenetrable older texts. And that's a lot of us! Fulcanelli will give you new ideas for how to go about alchemy that you cannot find anywhere else.

One of the Most Important Books Ever Written

Fulcanelli's second book, Dwellings of the Philosophers , was originally one volume consisting of some six hundred pages divided into twenty chapters. In his foreword of the book, written in April 1929, Eug?ne Canseliet reveals the key enabling one to penetrate his master's writings. It lies in the following excerpt: His method differs from the one that was used by his predecessors: it consists in describing in detail all the operations of the Work after having separated them into various parts. He thus deals with each phase of the work, begins to explain it in one chapter, interrupts it to pursue it in another chapter, and then completes it in yet a last one. This breaking up, which transforms the Magisterium into a philosophical jig-saw puzzle, is not to scare the learned researcher, but it promptly discourages the outsider, incapable of finding his way in this labyrinth of another kind, and unable to restore the order of the manipulations. At the beginning of the book, Fulcanelli reverts to the subject of stone edifices; the custodians of hermetic science: [...] Our preference remains for the Middle Ages such as revealed by the gothic edifices, rather than that period of time as described by historians. Further on, he alludes to Huysmans' statement: History is the most solemn of lies and the most childish of catches! He seizes that opportunity to question the authenticity of certain tombs - crypts allegedly containing the remains of this or that historical figure, maintaining that it stands to reason that they are empty, unless corpses were substituted! He then again evokes the primacy of the Middle Ages over the period of the Renaissance: [...] We deem that the medieval way of thinking reveals itself as being of scientific essence and no other. Art and literature are merely humble servants of traditional science. Their specific mission is to translate into symbols the truths that the Middle Ages received from Antiquity and of which they remained the faithful repositories. In the next chapter, Fulcanelli gives some definitions of the term alchemy and pays tribute to the Adepts of the past. He then evokes the image of the legendary laboratory with its picturesque character. In the following chapter, entitled "Chimie et Philosophie", Fulcanelli makes a distinction between alchemy and mere chemistry. He describes the first as the "science of causes" and the second as "science of facts". In his opinion, the latter rests on matter and experimentation, while the first originates in philosophy. In the next chapter Fulcanelli makes a point of explaining the hermetic Cabala, which is based on phonetic assonance as well as on certain rules resting on the study of ancient Greek - the language of the Hellenes, and before them of the Pelasgians - perhaps of the very gods themselves! It is the language of the birds, the gay science or gay s?avoir, which enables the initiate to express Knowledge in only veiled terms. After this, Fulcanelli unde

Excellent

I've read every Alchemical and Hermetic Chemistry book I could get my hands on over the last 3 years and this was up there with some of the best. It's not for the beginner because it makes some assumptions of general and basic knowledge about Alchemy that could leave the casual read in the dust. This book really caters to the avid student of Alchemy. It is none the less a book for your alchemical collection because the beginner one day will be no longer, and this book will offer knowledge without a doubt. "The lips of wisdom are closed except to the ears of understanding"

A Masterpiece of Art

This book is alive ! This is the path to join Pastimes, Present and Future... Readind this Book may suggest the desire to become a member of these enlighted souls, the greatest souls earth has ever carried, for the love of the Good, of the Beautiful, and the essence... The most eternal journey you may ever have...Lege, lege, relege, ora et labora KalosKagathos