by Dennis William Hauck
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Product Description
The Emerald Tablet--an ancient document that contains the essence of the alchemical teachings--has had an important influence on many Western spiritual and religious traditions. Ostensibly concerned with turning base metals into gold, alchemy was in fact dedicated to transforming the lead of self into the gold of spirit. This brilliant history of alchemy traces its sources back to ancient Egypt, and presents alchemy as a useful, practical system of self-transformation. Each of the seven steps of alchemical transformation is explained, with hands-on techniques and exercises, treating alchemy as a living discipline for achieving a spiritual awakening.
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Average Customer Review:
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
 Warning: Grossly inaccurate wishful thinking, 2008-11-25
Caveat Emptor - Mr. Hauck has combined his favorite elements from fictional stories and legends around alchemy (and UFOs and Star Trek and other non-related personal interests) and misrepresented them as factual history. A few examples of Hauck's adversarial relationship with facts:
- On page 1 of the introduction Hauck claims that the "Emerald Tablet" document (the indisputed seminal document behind alchemy) is 10,000 years old. This was indeed the claim of Renaissance alchemists who didn't know any better, but modern historians have reliably dated the oldest known copy to the Kitab sirr al-asrar (Secret of Secrets) from 1120 A.D. There's also the niggling point that writing was only invented around 3,500 BC - so Hauck is claiming the Emerald Tablet was written 4,500 years before the invention of writing!
- Hauck inaccurately refers to Hermes (the Greek God) and Hermes Trismegistus (alleged flesh-and-blood author of the Hermetica, more likely an imaginary conflation of the Greek god Hermes with the Egyptian god Thoth) interchangeably.
- Hauk relates the story of Apollonius of Tyana (whom he inexplicably refers to using his Arabic name, Balinas) as though it were historical fact. In fact there is almost no historical information on Apollonius; the best we have is the Life of Apollonius of Tyana by Pythagorean (who was born 50 years after Apollonius died), which historians regard as fiction.
If you're looking for an introduction to Jungian-style personal transformation using alchemy as a metaphor, but find Jung himself too dense, don't care for the many well-written Jung summaries, and you don't mind that the "facts" on which Hauck's argument is grounded are mostly wishful thinking contradicted by history, you might enjoy this book as an easy-to-read fiction which does indeed convey the basics of alchemy as a system for personal transformation. Otherwise steer clear!
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
 The best book on Alchemy that I have read....and I've read many!, 2008-08-25
Hauk's ability to identify the seven doctrines of the Emerald Tablet in his life experiences made this book a valuable resource for me as a student in the school of life. Mr. Hauk has aided his readers greatly in their spiritual search, and pays homage to mankind's greatest teachers, the true Alchemists. This book is the first work by Mr. Hauck that I have read; it won't be the last.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Informative and thought provoking, 2008-02-09
I found this a fasinating read. For the interested layman it gives a good account of alchemy's history in Europe, and explains the basic stages of transformation. Nevertheless, the book confirms that the hermetic form of mysticism seems to be based primarlily on the intellect, so inevitably tends to focus on self rather than others. Thus the power of reason supercedes that of love, which means that adherents (Freemasons, Knights Templars, Rosicrucians, and so on) were susceptible to and had reputations for arrogance. Though I personally enjoy books of this type, ultimately I can't bring myself to share the authors enthusiasm for the alchemical ideal.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
 Alchemy goes Hollywood., 2007-11-05
It's a good start that gets it right in sections, falls short in several crucial areas.....and completely misses the point in others. For example, the hallucinatory section from page 255 pretty well goes against everything taught in alchemy schools. Those who seek out experiences will tend to seek out more such experiences rather than letting the alchemical process evolve naturally. This basic tenet that the adept is taught very early on is ignored, raised red flags straight away.
Nevertheless, a good starting point that acts into a springboard into more measured and well researched works. Lots and lots of references.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Deep and practical for everyday life, 2007-02-06
I found The Emerald Tablet by Dennis William Hauck, a deep, mystical, transformative and practical book, with enough historical information about its origins, great and simple description of the 7 steps with beautiful examples to help us get a clearer idea to what this steps would look in our life, powerful and practical meditations to help the reader get the most out of this experience. As I am reading this book, it's teachings have come alive in my own life, transforming to the core and from the core of my being!!!! A life changing book!!!!
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