Adam McLean (born 7 March 1948 in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
) is a Scottish writer on
alchemical
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, ...
texts and
symbolism. In 1978 he founded the ''
Hermetic Journal'' which he published until 1992 during which time he also started publishing the ''Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks'', a series of 55 editions (to 2018) of key source texts of the
hermetic
Hermetic or related forms may refer to:
* of or related to the ancient Greek Olympian god Hermes
* of or related to Hermes Trismegistus, a legendary Hellenistic figure based on the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth
** , the ancient and m ...
tradition. From 2004 he began collecting tarot cards in order to document tarot art and built up a collection of 2500 items. In 2016 he set up the ''Surrealism Website'' in order to document surrealist painters. This currently shows the work of 100 surrealist artists. He also created a series of 20 video lectures on many facets of surrealist paintings. In 2017 he set up an art gallery ''The Studio and Gallery'' in
Kilbirnie in
North Ayrshire in order to promote the work of emergent and lesser-known artists.
Career
McLean developed an interest in alchemy in his youth which has continued throughout his life. Located in Glasgow, McLean accessed the wealth of alchemical texts located in The Ferguson Collection in
Glasgow University Library, the Young Collection also in Glasgow, and the John Read Collection at
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
. From 1990 to 2002 McLean’s work was supported through the
Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica
Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica (BPH) or The Ritman Library is a private Dutch library founded by Joost Ritman located in the Huis met de Hoofden (House with the Heads) at Keizersgracht 123, in the center of Amsterdam. The Bibliotheca Philos ...
.
Aside from his prolific writing and publishing efforts, McLean has contributed to the study of alchemy through the collecting, cataloguing and archiving of alchemical texts; the creation of alchemical art and study courses; and the establishment of web resources that bridge the interests of scholars and esotericists.
Influence
Since the early 1980s, Adam McLean has been credited as a pioneer in the resurgence of English language alchemical texts, creating a huge expansion in interest at both a scholarly and popular level. In 1995, he founded ''The Alchemy Website'', greatly increasing the availability of alchemical texts and art for a general audience.
John Granger named McLean as one of the three figureheads of modern alchemical influence alongside
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, phi ...
and
Titus Burckhardt
Titus Burckhardt (24 October 1908 – 15 January 1984) was a Swiss writer and a leading member of the Perennialist or Traditionalist School. He was the author of numerous works on metaphysics, cosmology, anthropology, esoterism, alchemy, Sufism ...
.
[John Granger. "Alchemy: Jung, Burckhart, or McLean?" April, 2007. http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/alchemy-jung-burckhart-or-mclean/]
Bibliography
References
External links
The Alchemy WebsiteSurrealism website
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLean, Adam
British writers
Living people
1948 births