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| Vladislav and me |
All my life I had wanted to go to Prague but it was only after coming across Peter Marshall’s book The Philosopher’s Stone, tracing the history of alchemy, that I realised why. For, according to his research, all the writings paintings and sculptures I had created during my extensive inner journey to try to heal my M.E. as well as an abusive childhood, corresponded totally with the architypal images symbols and writings of a traditional alchemical path.
Consequently, off I went to seek out Vladislav Zadrobilek, a famous publisher, dissident and practising alchemist, Peter had mentioned, who had a famous book shop there. Although very old now and a notorious reclusive, I hoped I might just bump into him and persuade him to see my work…. And as if by magic to my utter joy, that’s exactly what happened. The result was, that after explaining to his daughter why I was there, he cordially invited me to supper the following evening when he planned to have an interpreter present.
How I managed to find the street again in the dark, let alone his flat, with no one I approached speaking a word of English, and having somehow lost the address, was another miracle in itself. However, what transpired later that evening surpassed all my wildest expectations, for not only did he endorse my work and want to publish it, but he said I was probably one of only two western women who had successfully completed and recorded a full hermetic journey. Moreover, what made my journey so special apparently, was that I had done it without a guide and utterly innocent of the process. Later, he even took me into his sacred sanctum; a library where he housed all his ancient manuscripts and books.
So there we are, that was the reason I had been so desperate to go to Prague, to that magical city of alchemy, that place where Rudolf 2nd had once held court for all the leading scientific and philosophical minds of Europe: I needed to find those people who spoke the same timeless universal language of the unconscious as myself, who knew they held all the secrets of creation deep within their own genes. I had come home to my real family at last.
NB. Sadly Vladislav died before able to publish my work.
http://www.alchemywebsite.com/vladislav_zadrobilek.html