The Tantric Alchemist: Thomas Vaughan and the Indian Tantric Tradition - Hardcover

Peter Levenda

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0892542136 ISBN 13: 9780892542130

Publisher: Ibis Press, 2015

Synopsis

In the 17th century the Welsh alchemist, Thomas Vaughan, and his wife and alchemical partner, Rebecca, died under mysterious circumstances. What they were doing and how it might have led to their deaths has remained a secret - even though the true nature of their experiments is described in code in Vaughan's published works. Readers will find that the many disparate threads of an authentic spiritual tradition are woven together here in a startling tapestry that reveals - without pretence or euphemism - the psycho-sexual technique that is at the root of both Tantra and alchemy; that is to say, of both Asian and European forms of esoteric praxis. Using the works of Vaughan as his text, Levenda applies the "twilight language" of Tantra to the surreal prose of the alchemist and in the process lays bare the lineaments of the arcane tradition that gave rise to the legend of Christian Rosenkreutz, the reputed founder of Rosicrucianism who learned his art in the East and to the 19th- and 20-century occult movements lead by such luminaries as P.B. Randolph, Theodore Reuss, Helena Blavatsky and Aleister Crowley who, also, sought (and discovered) this technology in the religions and cultures of Asia. THE TANTRIC ALCHEMIST is a work on alchemy as decoded by Tantra and a work on Tantra as understood by alchemists. It uncovers works by Thomas Vaughan and suggests how he and his wife - a couple unique in the history of western alchemy - met their fate when dealing with forces they knew only too well, but which were stronger than their ability to control them.

About this title

About the Author:

Peter Levenda is an author of esoterica and historical investigation. Levenda has appeared numerous times on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, NatGeo and in shows ranging from Brad Meltzer's Decoded to The Nostradamus Effect.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ibis Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0892542136
• ISBN 13: 9780892542130
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 376