Chinese Alchemy: Taoism, the Power of Gold, and the Quest for Immortality (Mind, Body, Knowledge)

A most excellent book

excellent service

There are similarities with Western traditions, which may be where the author got her title and themes. On the one hand there was a desire to create Gold and achieve a lengthy existence. On the other hand, there was the desire to achieve what I refer to as the Transcendental Experience. The author shares a long history of the traditions in China (and nearby countries), but the goals of these alchemists seem not to be too different from those of Western practitioners; the difference being that the Eastern practitioners were more philosophical about their pursuits. It seems that Eastern alchemy put more emphasis on near-immortality, whereas Western alchemy focused more on the creation of gold. We also learn how much a Proper Balance (such as Yin/Yang) was important to Chinese Alchemists. She does relate Chinese Alchemy to other disciplines: Astrology, the five elements, yoga, magic, etc. I’m sure she sees a relation to all these, but it seems like padding to me. I would prefer Practice over History, but fortunately Ms. Cooper covers both.

The text went back and forth between how the East perceives things and then the West, it was quite back and forth, making it hard to learn much or keep the information straight.My favorite chapters were the ones on Yoga and Magic. Even though magic may be performed in Taoist alchemy, they don't work with angels or demons but in accordance with the Tao. The text actually said they shun working with angels and demons, unlike most of the other paths such as Shamanism and Christianity. This concept was so eye-opening for me!"... the true hsien did not use the mastery of spirits in his work on the spirit; that was done by yoga, self-mastery and by co-operation with Nature to become one with her rhythms."(This feels like an older book (with an updated cover?), even though the publishing date says 2016, sources were cited as early as the 1800s.)My Notes and Quotes-"The whole work of alchemy is summed up in the phrase 'To make of the body a spirit and of the spirit a body'...""If one were born at night, one's fate was yin; if, during the day, it was yang.""As Chuang Tzu wrote: 'The masses value money; honest men fame; virtuous men resolution; and the Sage the soul.' ""Years are yin or yang according to whether they are even or odd numbers, but cycles always start with a yang number and end with a yin."I think this book would be helpful to someone who is already well informed in the area of Chinese culture or alchemy, more so than the beginner.I purchased this from my local used bookstore. I was under no obligation to write a review, my honest opinion is freely given.