A concise guide to the history, theory, and practice of alchemy —the art of working with the energies of nature for spiritual development, healing, and transformation. This overview of the history of alchemy, from the first meldings of Egyptian technology to the Middle Ages to contemporary techniques and the relationship between alchemy and chemistry provides evidence that alchemy is much more than a medieval form of psychotherapy. The guide also includes practical laboratory experiments that safely and intelligently lead to an understanding of this ancient art and spiritual practice including step-by-step instruction for beginning a practice in alchemy and an explaination into the theory underlying the art and science of alchemy and how it works.