first edition Softcover
1790 · Au Midi
by Duchanteau (Touzay )
Au Midi: De lÕimprimerie de la verite, 1790. FIRST EDITION. Softcover. Very good/No jacket issued. Au Midi: De lÕimprimerie de la verite, 1790. FIRST EDITION. 115 pp. Text in French. Softcover. Small 8vo size. Marbled stiff wrappers. In new, marbled, stiff wrappers; internally crisp and clean. Touzay-Duchanteau has been called a professor of theosophy, professor of algebra and professor of good magic. He was also [self and otherwise] labeled as an hermeticist, esotericist, heterodoxist, occultist and illuminist. Hermeticism or the Western Hermetic Tradition is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the Hellenistic Egyptian pseudepigraphical writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus who is the representation of the congruence of the Egyptian god Thoth and the Greek Hermes. These beliefs have heavily influenced the Western Esoteric Tradition and were considered to be of great importance during the Renaissance. Illuminism is a belief system whereby a believer makes a claim that he has been illuminated or experienced enlightenment of a spiritual nature. Esoteric Christianity is a term which refers to an ensemble of spiritual currents which regard Christianity as a mystery religion,and profess the existence and possession of certain esoteric doctrines or practices, hidden from the public but accessible only to a narrow circle of "enlightened", "initiated", or highly educated people. These spiritual currents share some common denominators, such as: heterodox or heretical Christian theology; the four canonical gospels, various apocalyptic literature, and some New Testament apocrypha as sacred texts; and disciplina arcani, a supposed oral tradition from the Twelve Apostles containing esoteric teachings of Jesus the Christ. Followers of these disciplines believed that the pursuit and discovery of the philosopherÕs stone to be The Great Work. This philosopher's stone (Latin: lapis philosophorum) sodhi kutta is a legendary alchemical substance, supposedly capable of turning base metals, especially lead, into gold (chrysopoeia); it was also sometimes believed to be an elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and possibly for achieving immortality. For a long time, it was the most sought-after goal in Western alchemy, meditated upon by alchemists like Sir Isaac Newton, Nicolas Flamel, and Frater Albertus. The Stone was the central symbol of the mystical terminology of alchemy, symbolizing perfection, enlightenment, heavenly bliss, theophany and of the Christ. Duchanteau-Touzay is said to have died [not surprisingly] after spending forty days imbibing only his own urine in hopes of obtaining the PhilosopherÕs Stone. Very good/No jacket issued. (Insurance required to ship this item). (Inventory #: 43047)