Back to the Research Drawing Board

So  I just moved to Alabama with my husband earlier this week. We're so busy getting settled and everything, but amid all the hubub I've found a new way to get excited about and back into my book....

We live five minutes from the university of alabama!!! And they allow non student community members to use their library and online resources (although these are apparently only accessible from the computers within the library)!!! AND I have access to the email addresses for the history and science department faculty members. I've already been in touch with one and we're planning to meet up so he can go over my research and outline. I don't really want to show anyone except my editor and of course blog followers any chapters...thats classified information that is! But I'm excited to have such resources. Through twitter someone invited me to that website called Temple Illuminatus, and theres a page on there called Alchemists Journey...a lot of good information about modern day alchemy being spread around there, if nothing else. I think I'm going to observe for a while and if some people emerge as knowing what they're talking about I might use them for interviews for my chapter about alchemy in the modern world. Might see about taking a yoga class too...that is definitely a development from the middle eastern traditions of alchemy and although I could just do some research it would be much more beneficial to experience it for myself and be able to speak with an instructor. 

The only downside is that trying to research the religious aspects of alchemy will be difficult around here. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but there are an awful lot of baptist churches, and a good number of others too. That's all well and good for me for looking into alchemy in today's world of Christianity. But doing some research about how alchemy still affects other religions, such as islam, might be a little hard. Even with the university right there, its alabama. The religious studies here are a little.....discriminatory. 

Anyhow, going to the library tomorrow to do some research, im hoping to hear back from my editor soon about a new section I added, and I hope to finish a chapter tomorrow and begin a new one. Wish me luck!!!

Its been a while...

Hello! Seems like it's been forever since I posted. Somehow, I got caught up in way too many projects and just let some things slide.

I didn't make my goal of finishing the book by my birthday, and then of course the holidays came around and there was no way in hell I was going to finish during THAT nonsense.

Then I got really into my EMT training, and had a spectacular idea for a series of paintings, and reached a bit of a roadblock on chapters 6-8...

Really I think the lesson here is that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. I threw myself way too into this, and I got burnt out. BUT....I have found new sources, and found some free time in the hubub of my daily schedule to resume writing. Finished chapter six the other day, and a book proposal that has since been submitted to five publishers. I still intend to self-publish at this point, because it will in all liklihood take less time and allow me to preserve the integrity of what I wrote. But a few of the publishers are interested :) No big names yet, but still it makes me feel good :)

So in the spirit of everything ever, here is a chapter six preview, a little blurb out of the middle. It's the chapter about chemistry, so I tried to a pick a blurb that won't put anyone to sleep :)

Although the above chemical theories are some of the most monumental contributions to modern day chemistry, they are not the only contributions the ancient alchemists made.  Furnaces and other apparatuses, such as the alembic, were invented during the Hellenistic Egypt period[1].  Some of these apparatuses have been credited to one Maria the Jewess, who is largely believed to be a mythical figure. However, the person responsible for giving her credit was Zosimos of Panopolis, whose works are largely fragmentary now but do offer a great deal of insight to the world of chemical thought of the era. Why would a man in that time period in Egypt give credit for such inventions to a woman, let alone a Jewish woman[i]?

Maria the Jewess is mentioned in more than a few alchemical works, and she is not the only female alchemist to be mentioned. Zosimos of Panopolis quoted Maria several times in his own works, and is one of the alchemists to attribute to her the invention of the early alembic. His works can be dated to the 4^th century. In the 8^th century, a Byzantine named George Syncellus, mentions “Mary” as a teacher of the aforementioned Democritus, who is known to have lived in the 4^th century BCE. In addition, Maria is named in the Kitab al-Fihrist as one of the fifty two most famous alchemists and as one who knew the preparation of what is known as the Caput Mortuum, the “dead head,” a useless substance left over from some operation or experiment. This term was also used to refer to a brownish-red metallic compound such as ferrous sulphate[2] or copper oxidule. Maria was also known to Morienus, the Roman philosopher, who called her Mary the Prophetess, and to the Arabs, who called her the Daughter of Plato[3].

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[1] The period after Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and Egyptian culture and science was directly influenced by Greek scholars and resources.

[2] Iron sulfate – FeS0₄, also known as green vitriol

[3] In Western alchemical texts, “Daughter of Plato” was also a name used to refer to white sulfur.

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[i] Author’s note: Although none of Maria the Jewess’ writings survived for examination today, she is quoted and mentioned in enough alchemical texts, which span many cultures and centuries, to reasonably believe she existed. The same could be true of her that is true of Ancient Greek history; there is quite a lot that was written that we have no hard evidence actually occurred, and yet we take it to be historical fact for all intents and purposes. Given the time period and the rarity of credit being given to a woman in a scholarly field, it’s not unreasonable to believe that Maria the Jewess, no matter how else she is referred to, may have in fact lived – most likely in the 4^th or 5^th century BCE.