Mystic Chemist: The Life of Albert Hofmann and His Discovery of LSD - Softcover

Hagenback, Dieter; Werthmüller, Lucius

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0907791441 ISBN 13: 9780907791447

Publisher: Synergetic Press, 2013

Synopsis

Mystic Chemist begins at the start of the twentieth century, in the Swiss town of Basel which is evolving from a popular health spa into a major industrial city. The story concludes more than a century later, after celebrating Albert Hofmann’s 100th birthday. It tells the unique story of a soon to be famous scientist, highlighting his academic journey, his research at Sandoz and then, as the discoverer of LSD, his meetings and interactions with illustrious writers, artists and thinkers, from all over the world, whose common interest is a fascination with the new wonder-drug. Luminaries like Aldous Huxley, Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert appear on the scene and Hofmann begins a prolific correspondence with them and other interested parties. Sometimes he sends a sample, other times he hears of their “trips” on LSD or other psychedelic substances, like mescaline or psilocybin. From the beginning he takes a positive view towards efforts by physicians and psychotherapists to include LSD in new approaches to the treatment of illnesses. He sees the "psychedelic" potential of this "wonder drug" as beneficial to all. And he expresses his conviction that mystical experiences and trips to other worlds of consciousness are the best preparation for the very last journey he and every one of us well must eventually make. At the age of 102, Albert Hofmann dies at home. His vitality and open mindedness stay with him until his last breath. The life of Albert Hofmann, the Mystic Chemist, is a testimony to how one can reach a great age all the while remaining physically and mentally fit and spiritually aware. Mystic Chemist: The Life of Albert Hofmann and His Discovery of LSD tells the story of Albert Hofmann’s life and the parallel story of the wonder-drug, LSD. The book runs to 408 pages and contains over 500 color and black and white photographs, illustrations and drawings; some of them never published before. With a foreword by world renowned Czech psychiatrist Stanislav Grof, Mystic Chemist will be published in May 2013, and is available in hardcover and softcover editions.

About this title

About the Author

Dieter Hagenbach was born 1943 in Basel, Switzerland and studied in architecture and the arts at the Academy of Fine Arts, Düsseldorf, Germany. In 1975 he founded Sphinx publishing house, with works by Joseph Campbell, H.R. Giger, George Gurdjieff, Jean Houston, Timothy Leary, John Lilly, Terence McKenna, Alan Watts, Robert Anton Wilson, among others. From 1977-1986 he was editor of Sphinx magazine and the German language edition of the Brain/Mind Bulletin. Dieter Hagenbach met Albert Hofmann in the mid-1970s and remained his friend until his death.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Mystical Wonders of Nature

The distant battlefields had little effect on eight-year old Albert. Despite the horrors of war, those years spent with his parents and siblings on Martinsberg were happy ones for him.His love of nature was reinforced by the plants and animals surrounding him. Nothing pleased him more than to wander through the fields and forests, alone or with his pals, and look out over the valley below through which the Limmat River wound its way to Zurich. He was a keen observer of the changing seasons, the greening of spring, the long summer days, the withering foliage in fall, and the winter snow that magically blanketed the fields and meadows in white. "I promised myself then that one day I would again live in country like the Jura.”
Each spring, Albert returned to walk through the forest on Martinsberg. There, he felt free yet secure and forgot all worries. One sunny morning he would remember the rest of his days, his perceptions sharpened acutely; he had a spontaneous mystical vision of the unity of all being that would shape his life ever after. He can vividly recall it in great detail: "The beauty of nature was revealed to me in the miracle of creation and defined the basics of my world view.” He could not recall the year but knew it was on a May morning and the particular place it happened. As he walked through the forest, he began to hear birdsong more clearly, the fresh green of the trees and the sparkle of leaves seemed more intense. Everything shone incredibly clearly. He wondered if he hadn't looked or listened carefully until then or whether, on that particular morning, the springtime forest first revealed itself in actuality. He felt his heart surge and was filled with bliss more profound than at any time before in his life, a sense of affinity with his surroundings, absolute emotional security as part of creation.

Edition details

• Publisher: Synergetic Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0907791441
• ISBN 13: 9780907791447
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 408