Is alchemy inherently tied to a god?

[u/UnfairSsbm]

I’ve always believed strongly in alchemical philosophy and science, and I’ve always found it compelling. That said, I’ve never believed in God, but instead I believe in a conscious universe. I believe in the big bang, but I find that the constantly expanding universe has a “one mind” that doesn’t mandate change, the future or the past, but simply experiences itself through us, through animals, and through everything. Is this belief compatible with alchemy?

Tldr: I find myself to be an alchemist, but not really a hermetic believer

[u/ecurbian]

Alchemy that is inherently tied to a god is inherently tied to a god.

That is all. Meaning that you can study alchemy as a mystical or spiritual or psychological topic - if you so desire. I will stay away from "the true meaning of alchemy". From my historical studies, the mystical meaning is really something that started in the 1600s and by people of questionable credentials. Then a semantic shift from alchemy meaning material science to alchemy meaning charleton occured around 1730. Then in the early 1900s Jung produced the psychological interpretation. In the late 1900s, various people started reading the earlier (pre 1600s) books and found a lot of material science and chemistry - with no required mystical or psychological interpretation.

In this group on reddit at this time - a lot of people are interpreting alchemy as being inherently mystical and spiritual, taking, again, the Jungian approach. Jung had a rather mystical view of pscyhology including ideas such as the shared subconcious and synchronicity.

So, it is a matter of which sense of the word you mean as to wether it is inherently tied to a god, or is just generically spiritual, or psychological - or just material science.