FULCANELLI

by Rivière

Dans ce Fulcanelli (Qui suis-je ) - qui fait suite son prcdent livre " o tout tait pas dit, loin s'en faut " -, Patrick Rivire dvoile, preuves l'appui, la vritable identit de l'nigmatique et prestigieux alchimiste, auteur du Mystre des Cathdrales et des Demeures Philosophales. Il fait ressortir l'clatante personnalit de cet tre, combien ! hors du commun. Nous voil loin du " Fulcanelli dvoy " que certains contempteurs n'ont pas manqu de vilipender, en fonction de leurs propres inconsquences et limitations admettre la pure vrit ; la mdisance et l'ignorance qui les caractrisent si parfaitement ne parviendront jamais faire oublier la mmoire du vrai Fulcanelli par les gnrations futures, alors mme que leurs propos acerbes, pourtant dment publis, et grand renfort de publicit, demeureront finalement lettre morte ! On ne fustige et n'touffe pas impunment la vrit, sous le simple prtexte qu'elledrange la confortable ignorance dans laquelle se complat la mdiocrit... Aprs avoir relev soigneusement la prsence d'lments historiques concordants et dterminants, certains faits et documents concrets tant venus tayer et enrichir sa dmonstration, l'auteur ralise ici une biographie sans faille du mystrieux alchimiste ayant ralis la fameuse PIERRE PHILOSOPHALE, au dbut du XXe sicle. Ce " Qui suis-je " demeure tout fait confondant tant les preuves indniables de la vritable personnalit de l'Adepte FULCANELLI sont ici soigneusement accumules. S'agissant, l, de l'lucidation de l'identit d'un personnage clbre demeure, jusqu' ce jour, anonyme, cet ouvrage rpond exemplairement la question pose par le titre de notre collection.

Genres: Alchemy, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Owlseyes]

-Who was Fulcanelli?

Aside his books, and signature…and descriptions made by his friendships, there’s not a single footage or photo to tell about him.





Once, a French writer called Henri Loevenbruck embarked on this enterprise, throughout the “four corners” of France, to know who this so-called alchemist was.
Next, the data the writer assembled.

Fulcanelli last public appearance had been in 1924, on Anatole France’s obsequies.

It is assumed Fulcanelli was born in 1839. He participated in the defense of Paris against the Prussian invasion, in 1870; he got a medallion for that.

In 1905 he met with painter Julien Champagne; who later would illustrate his books. On his graveyard is written: “Apostolous Hermetic Scientie”.

In 1915, he gets to know Eugene Conseliet, then 16 year old. Fulcanelli was then a friend of the family Lesseps, living at the Bertrand hotel in 1916. Maybe he lived near the Temple D’Amitié.

In 1922 he manages to perform a transmutation in a place called “usine a gas de Sarcelles”. In that same year he hands to Conseliet (“his disciple”) some manuscripts and assigns him the task of publishing 3 books. Only 2 were published. In the words on EC: “he withdrawn from me the third book”, whose title was meant to be Finis Gloriae Mundie. So, only “Le mystère des cathedrales” (1926) and “Les demeurs philosophales” (1930) came to light.

Some described him as having: “a clear and penetrating gaze”; a great handsome man…”of white beard”.

Henri Loevenbruck concluded his search wondering: was he a single man, or a collective pseudonym?

His list of suspects included: (1) the astronomer C. Flammarion; (2) the alchemist François Jollivet; (3) the Egyptologist René Lubicz; (4) the academician Jules Violle; (5) Paul Decoeur, according to the book by Walter Grosse. …;


(French physicist Jules Violle, also known as the alchemist Fulcanelli... ?)

-or maybe the illustrator Julien Champagne?

[Malcolm]

English-speaking students of alchemy and related subjects will welcome this translation of alchemist Patrick Riviere's original work in French published in 2000. The author, a student of Eugene Canseliet, brings to this carefully written book both the knowledge and experience to discover the man behind the Fulcanelli pseudonym.

In recent years, a fair number of authors have speculated about Fulcanelli's real name and occupation. In surveying the literature, Riviere even applauds those authors who got in wrong but who respected the master alchemist and his work. Likewise, Riviere laments the fact that some authors wandered into labyrinthine errors because they had no idea what the Great Work was about.

True students who, perhaps, were introduced to Fulcanelli through Mary Sworder's English translation of the "Mystery of the Cathedrals," will be interested to know that Fulcanelli was a highly respected physicist with an exceptional knowledge of mainstream science. Aficionados who, perhaps, were introduced to Fulcanelli 40 years ago via the English translation of "The Morning of the Magicians" will find here the long-awaited clarification of ideas presented there in error.

Knowing the man behind the mask is interesting and helps us more thoroughly understand (to the extent that that's possible) the great French alchemist. More importantly, in closing off the mystery of the alchemist, Riviere allows those interested in the Great Work to pursue the true natures of their inviolate quest rather than endlessly speculating about their teacher's name.

This highly readable book is highly recommended.

[Scott]

Worshipful but just reminds me I need to suck it up and read the Canseliets in the original.