Alchemy was a medieval forerunner of chemistry. The term referred to the process of manipulating matter; most of the time, metals turning into gold. It was a very secretive and sketchy act to do. Often times, alchemists did not do it for the riches it would grant them, but for spiritual reasons. Back then, many people believed that everything had a spirit inside it. Metals for these believers were especially important because not only did they contain a spirit, but they were found growing in the Earth. They thought that by performing Alchemy, they would reach spiritual perfection.
“As James Randi notes in his ‘Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural,’ ‘Beginning about the year 100 and reaching its flower in
“As James Randi notes in his ‘Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural,’ ‘Beginning about the year 100 and reaching its flower in