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Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer
Isaac Newton was the legendary superman of science in the 17th century. Remembered for his articulation of the laws of gravity and motion; and his groundbreaking discoveries with optics. In addition to his mathematical genius and astounding work in physics he was also made master of the royal mint of Great Britain. However, there was another side of Mr. Newton that you may not know about: he was a closet alchemist; perhaps a better description of him might be an obsessive-compulsive alchemist who practiced in secret. He pursued the path to transmute base metal into gold in his own private laboratory. If that weren’t enough for the polymath, he also spent his spare time searching the scriptures for the clues to when Christ would return and punish sinners. I guess he just wasn’t as much of a pure scientist as we thought, and allows for part of the reason as to why Michael White labelled Newton, the “Last Sorcerer” (1997).
(Royalty free photo from Pixabay)
History and Goals of Alchemy
Newton was not the only high profile person who was a practicing alchemist. The history, characters and multiple nuances of alchemy are not well known, and there are large missing gaps of knowledge; and what is known usually contains gross errors and misconceptions. My purpose here is not so much to teach about alchemy, but to show that what some alchemists sought to produce in the laboratory, Satoshi Nakamoto has virtually accomplished with Bitcoin. To understand the connection, and why it is significant, it is helpful to know a little bit about alchemy.
Alchemy as practiced in the West boasts a legendary history dating back to the time of ancient Egypt. In Western Europe alchemy seems to have begun to take root around the 10th century CE when a flood of alchemical, astrological and a host of other interesting Arabic texts found their way from the middle east and north Africa, through Spain and then to Europe. The texts were translated into Latin for the Europeans and the effects on history are well documented. By the time of the Renaissance the esoteric knowledge from the Arab documents had spread throughout Western Europe. Because of its popularity there was a host of self-proclaimed alchemists popping up everywhere in Europe. Some attempted the transmutation of matter into products for medicinal purposes; others sought to find the elixir of eternal life; and the ones who gained the most fame were those who sought to transmute base metal into gold. Naturally, there was a lot of gravitation towards the turning metal into gold, especially by kings, popes, and emperors. Another aspect of alchemy was that it was a spiritual practice. While physical alchemy was definitely practiced, those who sought the spiritual path was to discover the “spiritual gold” that could transform one’s heart. Some argue that alchemy was always a spiritual practice, and the greed of humans brought a literalized meaning to it that was more amenable to wealth building, than soul building. In any event, there is a long history of those attempting to make gold, even if that may not have been the original purpose of the alchemical practice.
The process of alchemy as practiced in the laboratory, was usually described as a long and arduous process. In short, a base material was placed into a vessel (also known as a retort or alembic) and heated, mixed, reheated, distilled, heated and so on until the element of “gold” was achieved. It may also surprise you to know that there are currently still hundreds, if not thousands of practicing alchemists around the world. The bulk of those alchemists are decidedly spiritually and medicinally oriented in their practices.
Bitcoin: The Realization of Many Alchemists’ Dream
In a lot of ways, the cryptocurrency community reminds me of the followers of alchemy. Among other similarities, here is a group that is looking for a better way, in a new exciting field replete with its own language, and finding a path to create wealth in a new and innovative way. These similarities made me realize that what Satoshi accomplished with Bitcoin is very much like what the gold seeking alchemists' sought; that is, to produce an enduring “pure gold” from something of humble (or no) substance. If the product of alchemy is gold, the historical standard of supreme value, then Bitcoin is the perfect metaphor as well as the literal representation for the new "gold." Bitcoin too was born in a laboratory, if you will, a technological laboratory; via the blockchain – and also like alchemy, has and is being produced through a long and arduous mining process. The new digital currency was still fueled by the imagination, bolstered with the idea of a new future, a better future, a durable economic engine of hope with potential equanimity as well as freedom - wish fulfillment in multiple ways.
Similarities Between Alchemy and Bitcoin
There are several striking similarities with the phenomenon of Bitcoin and classical alchemy, and I believe I know why that is. It can be explained because they both are an attempt to arrive at an idealized set of archetypal goals, based upon human primary needs; that is, they serve to fill the hunger of the human imagination with multiple shared hopes and dreams all in one bundle: financial freedom, equality, a potential shift of power to give people a feeling of autonomy, security and the potential of wealth that cannot be so easily taken away as land or bank accounts. Perhaps Bitcoin, given its capacity to provide the great and multiple hopes of so many, should be more nobly designated the new "holy grail?" Or is it?
The Similarities of Alchemy and Bitcoin
- They are both difficult to explain to the uninitiated
- They are both impossible to describe in a few words
- Both have been banned several times, and in several countries
- Both have been castigated as something dreadful
- The subject matters are compelling, and call to something deep within the curious
- Something of great value is created from something of little or no value
- There is much ignorance about the subjects
- There is a great deal of controversy around them
- Each has their own cryptic language, used with their own special vocabulary
- There are greedy people involved grabbing for money and power around them
- Their “products” are produced in a “laboratory”
- There are/were absolute scammers involved with both
- Both have been used to seek to improve the world
- Financial Security and freedom are an expectation
- A connection with the “Other” is hoped for with the initiated
- They both contain spoken, and unconscious hopes and dreams
I am still pondering these real, metaphoric, and imaginative connections. It intrigues me that what the ancient mind conceived in a conceptual and magical framework has been produced in a real and tangible way. In the meantime, I’d be interested in knowing what you think.
Some Helpful Resources
For further research into alchemy’s history and practice you will want to go to the source, Adam McLean’s website. https://www.alchemywebsite.com/ You will quickly be overwhelmed with information. If you would like more direction concerning alchemy, I’ll be happy to guide you to the right sources. I’ve been involved with the study of the history, practice and images of alchemy for several years now and have loved every bit of it.
White, Michael. Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer, The Fourth Estate: London, 1977. A great and readable biography on Newton.
