The Keeper's Path

Title: Fluid Condensers: Unlocking the Mysteries of Gold, Alchemy, and Magick
Author: Arik Arkadian
Genre: Magical Reference

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any sort of payment for this review. This is my opinion of this author’s work and not a paid advertisement for this book.

“A fluid condenser is a blend of natural ingredients prepared in a symbolic way using magickal correspondences, timing, and ritual.” – Silver RavenWolf

Have you ever had the idea that you had been doing something for a long time, and you know that it works, but you haven’t really figured out exactly how it works? Or where it originated from?

That’s what it was like for me reading this book.

For me, alchemy is one of those things I didn’t put a lot of study into. At least, I didn’t think that I did. I studied about Cermonial/High Magick for several years, but beyond a few of the practices–the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, for example– I didn’t really incorporate much of that work into my regular practice. I use the theory of Ceremonial Magick more than the practice of it, if that makes sense.

So receiving this book for review was intriguing. I haven’t read a book detailing things about alchemy or High Magick for many years. I didn’t know what to expect or how much usefulness I would find from it.

I was quite pleasantly surprised!

One of the best things I found within these pages was the amount of historical reference integrated among all of the instruction and examples given. I love digging into topics for research and seeing where they started and how they’ve changed and adapted over time. Going back through the Hermetic Principles, the works of Agrippa and Levi, and the early modern references to the alchemical search for gold (spoiler alert: it’s not really about transmutation of lead into gold, at least not on a physical level) were all presented beautifully in this book.

A good reference source, in my opinion, has more than just charts and tables listing all kinds of correspondences.

Those things are included, but what I found that set this work apart were the historical notes and explanations.

There are references, tables, charts, practices, examples, meditations… It’s one of the most concise and complete books I’ve had the pleasure to read. In fewer than 300 pages, Arik has compiled one of the best reference books around that covers topics from astrological, planetary, elemental, herbal, and mineral connections and how to pull from these (and others) to create a fluid condenser, which is an integral part of using ritual or magical tools.

I try to place books into categories for beginner, intermediate, and advanced and this book defies categorization because it’s got everything! The tables and references and explanations are perfect for beginners, the practices and meditation work take you into the intermediate area, and the construction of tools and their uses are firmly where I’d put advanced work.

I probably wouldn’t have picked up this book on my own, as I’m not a Ceremonial Magician and not all that focused on researching alchemy, and I would have missed out on a true treasure. Don’t make that mistake!