Frater Albertus Spagyricus (Albert Richard Riedel) born May 5,(1911–1984); founder of the

Paracelsus Research Society Paracelsus (; ; 1493 – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance. He w ...

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, which later evolved into the Paracelsus College. Based on the

Paracelsian Paracelsianism (also Paracelsism; German: ') was an early modern History of medicine, medical movement based on the theories and therapies of Paracelsus. It developed in the second half of the 16th century, during the decades following Paracelsu ...

concept of three essentials, Body, Soul and Spirit, Frater Albertus developed a system of teaching alchemical concepts using the spagyric technique of separation and

cohobation In pre-modern chemistry and alchemy, cohobation was the process of repeated distillation of the same matter, with the liquid drawn from it; that liquid being poured again and again upon the matter left at the bottom of the vessel. Cohobation is a ...

. The unique graduated courses allowed students to explore aspects of the

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. ( ...

and

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

kingdoms in an understandable and accessible way. After his death in 1984, the college ceased operations in the

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but continued to carry on the tradition in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Frater Albertus had a profound effect on the way

Alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...

and particularly the Spagyric method was disseminated and understood in the mid to late 20th century. His works were translated into many languages. He was a rosicrucian (an

AMORC The Ancient and Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis (AMORC), also known as the ''Rosicrucian Order'', is the largest Rosicrucian organization in the world. It has various lodges, chapters and other affiliated bodies throughout the globe, operating in ...

member).

Written works

* Drei Novellen 1932 * Dachstubenverse eines Ausgewanderten (Attic Poems of an Emigrant) * The Alchemist's Handbook 1960 * From One to Ten 1966 * Praxis Spagyrica Philosophia (Leipzig, 1711) (1966 PRS limited ed. 500 copies) 1998 Weiser with From One to Ten * The Seven Rays of the QBL (1st. Ed. 1981.) 1985 Weiser * Praktische Alchemie im Zwanzigsten Jahrhundert 1970 PRS (German) * Men and Cycles of the Universe 1970 * The Alchemist of the Rocky Mountains 1976 PRS (limited edition 500 copies) * Gently I Answered and Said 1978 PRS (limited edition 500 copies) * Book on Antimony (only mention)

Associated works

* Parachemy 1973–1979 * Parachemica 1976 - 1980 P.R.S. (Aust.) * Essentia 1980 - 1984 * AMO 1983 Paracelsus College; First English translation from German by Robert Firmage; introduction by Frater Albertus * Golden Manuscripts 1973-74 Para Publishers

Translations (provisional list)

German *Praktische Alchemie im Zwanzigsten Jahrhundert 1970 PRS *Der Mensch und die kosmischen Zyklen 1971 *Von Eins bis Zehn 1972 *Der Alchemist aus den Rocky Mountains 1980 *Die Sieben Strahlen der Q.B.L. 1973 *Sanft antwortete ich und sprach... 1979 French *Le Manuel de l'Alchimiste translator Denis Claing; Les Ateliers du MAAT/ L.P.N Spanish *Manual del Alquimista 1980 *El Hombre y los Ciclos del Universo Italian *Manuale dell’Alchimista 1978 Astrolabio Czech *Príručka alchymisty 2000 *Praxis spagyrica philosophica & Od jedné do deseti 2000

External links

Paracelsus CollegeAncient Mystical Order Rosae-Crucis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albertus, Frater 1911 births 1984 deaths 20th-century alchemists 20th-century American educators American alchemists