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Occult Chemistry Illustrated Edition: Clairvoyant Observations on the Chemical Elements

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EDITOR'S PREFACE. When undertaking to prepare a new edition of this book I received permission from the authors to "throw it into the form in which you think it would be most useful at the present time." It was left to my discretion, "What to use and what to omit." I have not found it necessary to avail myself to any considerable extent of this latter permission. But as the contents of the book were originally arranged the reader was ill-prepared to appreciate the importance of the later research for want of introductory matter explaining how it began, and how the early research led up to the later investigation. I have therefore contributed an entirely new preliminary chapter which will, I hope, help the reader to realise the credibility of the results attained when the molecular forms and constitution of the numerous bodies examined were definitely observed. I have not attempted to revise the records of the later research in which I had no personal share, so from the beginning of Chapter III to the end the book in its present form is simply a reprint of the original edition except for the correction of a few trifling misprints. I have thus endeavoured to bring into clear prominence at the outset the scientific value of the light the book sheds on the constitution of matter. The world owes a debt to scientific men of the ordinary type that cannot be over-estimated, but though they have hitherto preferred to progress gradually, from point to point, disliking leaps in the dark, the leap now made is only in the dark for those who will not realise that the progress to be accomplished by means of instrumental research must sooner or later be supplemented by subtler methods. Physical science has reached the conception that the atoms of the bodies hitherto called the chemical elements are each composed of minor atoms. Instrumental research cannot determine by how many, in each case. Occult research ascertained the actual number in some cases by direct observation and then discovered the law governing the numbers in all cases, and the relation of these numbers to atomic weights. The law thus unveiled is a demonstration of the accuracy of the first direct observations, and this principle once established the credibility of accounts now given as to the arrangement of minor atoms in the molecules of the numerous elements examined, seems to me advanced to a degree approximating to proof. It remains to be seen-not how far, but rather how soon the scientific world at large will accept the conclusions of this volume as a definite contribution to science, blending the science of the laboratory with that variety that has hitherto been called occult.

131 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1919

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About the author

Annie Besant

2,122 books149 followers
Noted British reformer Annie Wood Besant vigorously supported socialism, birth control, trade unionism, and rights of women; the cause of independence interested her through her involvement with the theosophical society, and she moved and founded the home rule league in 1916 and served as president of the Indian national congress in 1917.

This prominent activist and orator wrote of Irish.

She, aged 20 years in 1867, married Frank Besant but separated over religious differences.

Once free of Frank Besant and exposed to new currents of thought, she began to question her long-held religious beliefs and the whole of conventional thinking. She began to write attacks on the way of the churches in lives of people. In particular, she attacked the status of the Church of England as a state-sponsored faith.

She quickly wrote a column for the National Reformer, the newspaper of the national secular society, to earn a small weekly wage. The society stood for a secular state and an end to the special status of Christianity and allowed her to act of its public speakers. Very popular public lectures entertained in Queen Victorian times. People quickly greatly demanded Besant, a brilliant speaker. Using the railway, she crisscrossed the country, spoke on all of the most important issues of the day, and always demanded improvement and freedom.

For many years, Besant befriended Charles Bradlaugh, leader of the national secular society. Bradlaugh, a former soldier, long separated from his wife; Besant lived with him and his daughters, and they worked together on many issues. He, an atheist and a republican, also tried to get elected as member of Parliament for Northampton.

She then prominently spoke for the national secular society, wrote, and closely befriended Charles Bradlaugh. In 1877, people prosecuted her and Bradlaugh for publishing a book of campaigner Charles Knowlton.

Besant and Bradlaugh, household names in 1877, then published a book of the American campaigner Charles Knowlton. It claimed that never happy working-class families ably decided not want of children. It suggested ways to limit the size of their families.

The scandal made them famous, and people elected Bradlaugh as member of Parliament for Northampton in 1880.

Actions included the bloody Sunday demonstration and the match girls strike of London of 1888. She led speakers for the Fabian society and the social democratic federation of Marxists. She topped the poll and won election to the school board of London for Tower Hamlets, topping the poll even despite few qualified female voters at that time.

In 1890, Besant met Helena Blavatsky, and over the next few years, secular matters waned. She joined as a member and a prominent lecturer on the subject. As part of her related work, she traveled. In 1898, she helped to establish the central Hindu college.

In 1902, she established le Droit Humain, the first overseas lodge of the international order of co-freemasonry. Over the next few years, she established lodges in many parts of the empire. In 1907, she led at international headquarters in Adyar, Madras (Chennai).

She also joined politics. When World War I broke in 1914, she helped to launch to campaign for democracy and dominion status within the empire. This led to her election in late 1917. After the war, she continued to campaign.

In 1922, she helped establish the Hyderabad (Sind) national collegiate board in Mumbai.

She fought, starting with freedom of thought, Fabians, and workers as a leading member of the national secular society alongside Charles Bradlaugh.

She continued to campaign until her death.

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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Profile Image for David Vintinner.
Author 2 books3 followers
May 5, 2013
Who says good sci fi needs actual characters? This is an imaginary walk through of sub atomic physics, which its authors presented as real, but come now, what work of science fiction reminds you about the fiction part?
29 reviews
January 2, 2021
Joyful read. The book talks about how enhanced perception can help understand the structure of things just by meditating on them. Clairvoyance.

This is explained in Yogasutras of Patanjali as to how if you reach a state of consciousness you can just know an object by doing “samyama” ; CIA had also done similar experiments using something dubbed remote viewing.

This is certainly a good account and a direction towards future fusions of objective science and subjective science (spirituality + direct experience ) but perhaps this whole experiment may be repeated in front of an observation yet again to prove its replicability.
Profile Image for Kenneth.
Author 16 books10 followers
January 25, 2008
a clairvoyant uses his insight to penetrate the structure of matter
Profile Image for Dominika.
370 reviews5 followers
March 6, 2018
too much chemistry, too little occult.

This is pretty interesting if you want to see an alternative view of the elements (in terms of the periodic table), and I personally love stories with a well thought-out magic system, which this could be a great base resource for. I think I was expecting something with more alchemical process, whereas this is more theoretical atomic chemistry. if you're into the title, the appendix is pretty interesting.
Profile Image for Alan Earhart.
137 reviews1 follower
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June 25, 2018
I can't rate this book. I found out about it while reading another book about mistaken element discoveries and it referenced the idea of occult chemistry. So I picked this one up to see what it was about.

Interesting from a history of science/chemistry perspective for me; but, most of it was unreadable. I read the preface and part 1, then skimmed the book until I got to the appendix and then read it (sort of).

A note on this book. It was first published in 1919 so the copyright has expired. You'll find any number of different isbns for it because different people do a print-on-demand of books like this one. The quality can vary depending on how the reproduce it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews

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