The Alchemical Imagination: Alchemy and the Language of Symbols with Eliza Swann
Schedule
Thu, 04 Jun, 2026 at 07:30 pm
UTC+01:00Location
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, EH12 5AP Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Edinburgh, SC
A talk by modern alchemist and artist Eliza Swann exploring the rich symbolic world of alchemy. Alchemists developed one of the most intricate symbolic systems in Western history. Their images encoded practical knowledge, spiritual insight, and philosophical ideas activating initiations into an altered way of perceiving. Swann will guide audiences through the meanings and mechanics of these symbols, showing how they operate in alchemical manuscripts, engravings, and artworks. Alongside vivid stories of historical alchemists and their imagery, Swann highlights how this symbolic tradition continues to influence poetry, visual art, and contemporary creative practice. Open to all levels of familiarity with alchemy, The Alchemical Imagination offers an engaging introduction to the strange, beautiful, and powerful symbolic language at the heart of alchemical visual culture.---
Eliza Swann is an interdisciplinary artist, intuitive, writer, and educator based in New York. They are the author of The Anatomy of the Aura and the founder of the Golden Dome School, an alternative school that explores the mystical dimensions of art. Eliza’s new book The Alchemical Imagination draws on Eliza’s ten years of teaching alchemy in universities and cultural institutions, including a long-standing popular interdisciplinary art and alchemy course at the Pratt Institute. Eliza has a BA in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from Central St. Martins in London. Their writing has appeared in BOMB, Arthur, Contemporary Art Review LA, Momus, and Perfect Wave, and numerous anthologies. Their work has been supported by PEN America, the Foundation for Contemporary Art, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Pratt Faculty Development Fund, the Feminist Center for Creative Work, and many other arts institutions.
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Book Description: The Alchemical Imagination is the first book of its kind to address the ancient subject of alchemy through the lens of contemporary creativity. Eliza Swann distills this arcane science into an accessible series of philosophies and techniques to help readers find a deeper connection to their own creativity. Part workbook and part historical journey through the lives and practices of the alchemists, The Alchemical Imagination traces the principles of alchemy through its applications in proto-chemistry, healing arts, psychology, visual art, and literature to help readers develop the tools to arrive at their own Great Art.
Edinburgh Branch of the Theosophical Society in Scotland
at the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre
SPRING / SUMMER PROGRAMME 9 APRIL – 25 JUNE 2026
VENUE: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, 25 Palmerston Place EH12.
Talk: 7.30 - 8.50pm in the Sanctuary Room (Tea/coffee in Cafe from 7.00pm)
Admission: £5 Members / £7 Non-members. ALL WELCOME
PAYMENT - BY CASH ONLY ON THE EVE
Where is it happening?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, EH12 5AP Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Unsettling Limited, 46 Palmerston Place, Edinburgh, EH12 5BJ, United Kingdom
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