The Alchemical Imagination
The Alchemical Imagination by modern alchemist and artist Eliza Swann reclaims alchemy as a living creative practice, offering readers a transformative blend of history, philosophy, and hands-on exercises to renew both their art and themselves.
In medieval Europe, alchemists referred to their combined scientific, mystical, and creative vocation as “The Great Art”—and for good reason. In alchemy, spiritual and material realities are inseparable, which freed alchemists to be interdisciplinary thinkers, leading to some of the most important technological advancements and creative breakthroughs of their era. The Alchemical Imagination traces the principles of alchemy through its applications in proto-chemistry, healing arts, psychology, visual art, and literature to help readers develop the tools to arrive at their own Great Art.
Eliza Swann distills this arcane science into an accessible series of philosophies and techniques to help readers find a deeper connection to their own creativity. Part workbook and part historical journey through the lives and practices of the great alchemists, The Alchemical Imagination highlights often-overlooked female alchemists and queer alchemical imagery and traces their many contributions to contemporary art, handing this ancient craft to a new generation.
You can now pre-order Eliza Swann's
The Alchemical Imagination.
"The very word 'alchemy' can inspire trepidation for even the most ardent of esoteric seekers, calling to mind arcane chemistry and hauntingly beautiful illustrations that are frustrating to decipher.
Dear reader, fear not. Eliza Swann's The Alchemical Imagination is going to be your golden key not only to unlocking a fundamental knowledge of alchemy's history and processes but also to harnessing its spiritual lessons."
from the foreword by Susan L. Aberth, Professor of Art History, Bard
BOOK TOUR DATES
Paul Thek, Technological Reliquaries, 1967, image courtesy PACE Gallery
May 9th, HausWitch, Salem, MA
May 17th, Jefferson Market Library, New York, NY
May 21st, Oblong Books, Rhinebeck, NY
June 4th, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, Edinburgh, UK
June 11th, Treadwell’s, London, UK
June 21st, PRS, Los Angeles, CA
June 27th, Desert General, 29 Palms, CA
June 28th, PRS, Los Angeles, CA
July 3rd, Word Virus, Portland, OR
July 10th, The Henry Miller Library, Big Sur, CA
July 14th, London College of Psychic Studies, ONLINE
October 18th, Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, NY
The Alchemical Imagination the book is also a class! The 2026 session begins May 3rd. “The Alchemical Imagination” is a year-long online immersion that meets monthly, guiding participants through the twelve stages of transformation outlined by the alchemist George Ripley in his teachings on the Philosopher’s Stone.
Running from May 2026 through May 2027, the course gathers on the first Sunday of each month. All sessions are recorded, making it possible to participate live or asynchronously.
The program follows Eliza Swann’s forthcoming book, The Alchemical Imagination, publishing in May 2026.
Using Ripley’s stages as a framework, we draw on metaphors from ancient alchemy to illuminate the deeper structures of the creative imagination, engaging alchemical symbolism as a catalyst for personal and imaginative expansion. Together, we study alchemical texts and images from the healing traditions of ancient China and India, theurgical and magical practices of the Hellenistic world, the artistic and philosophical practices of Egyptian alchemists, the laboratory techniques of Arabic alchemy, the astrological systems of the Greeks, Medieval European magical traditions, and modern alchemical art and literature.
Each month, participants are invited—though not required—to produce an artwork or creative response related to the alchemical stage under study. This may take the form of writing, drawing, performance, contemplative practice, or any medium of choice. The program culminates in a collective sharing and an online exhibition on the Golden Dome website in 2027.
"In the face of escalating violence, ecological collapse, and toxic systems of power, we need to return to sciences that embrace the impossible, reject greed as a driving force, and view the world as emanating from the sacred, worthy of care, attention, and devotion."
— from the introduction by Eliza Swann