Editing Philosopher's stone (section)

==Interpretations==
The various names and attributes assigned to the philosopher's stone have led to long-standing speculation on its composition and source. [[Exoteric]] candidates have been found in metals, plants, rocks, chemical compounds, and bodily products such as hair, urine, and eggs. [[Justus von Liebig]] states that 'it was indispensable that every substance accessible... should be observed and examined'.<ref>John Read. ''From Alchemy to Chemistry'' London: G. Bell. 1957. p. 29.</ref> Alchemists once thought a key component in the creation of the stone was a mythical [[chemical element|element]] named carmot.<ref name="Burt1885">Burt, A.L. 1885. ''The National Standard Encyclopedia: A Dictionary of Literature, the Sciences and the Arts, for Popular Use'' p. 150. [https://books.google.com/books?id=J6QRAAAAIAAJ&dq=carmot+philosopher+stone&pg=RA2-PA151 Available online.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127200721/https://books.google.com/books?id=J6QRAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA2-PA151&dq=carmot+philosopher+stone |date=27 November 2019 }}</ref><ref name="Anton1999">[[Anton Sebastian|Sebastian, Anton]]. 1999. ''A Dictionary of the History of Medicine.'' p. 179. {{ISBN|1-85070-021-4}}. [https://books.google.com/books?id=f70MZLHwvp0C&dq=carmot+philosopher+stone&pg=PA179 Available online.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316063532/https://books.google.com/books?id=f70MZLHwvp0C&dq=carmot+philosopher+stone&pg=PA179 |date=16 March 2023 }}</ref>

[[Esoteric]] [[hermeticism|hermetic]] alchemists may reject work on exoteric substances, instead directing their search for the philosopher's stone inward.<ref>Stanton J. Linden. ''The alchemy reader: from Hermes Trismegistus to Isaac Newton'' Cambridge University Press. 2003. p. 16.</ref> Though esoteric and exoteric approaches are sometimes mixed, it is clear that some authors "are not concerned with material substances but are employing the language of exoteric alchemy for the sole purpose of expressing theological, philosophical, or mystical beliefs and aspirations".<ref>Eric John Holmyard. ''Alchemy'' [[Courier Dover Publications]], 1990. p. 16.</ref> New interpretations continue to be developed around [[spagyric]], chemical, and esoteric schools of thought.

The transmutation mediated by the stone has also been interpreted as a psychological process. [[Idries Shah]] devotes a chapter of his book, ''The Sufis'', to provide a detailed analysis of the symbolic significance of alchemical work with the philosopher's stone. His analysis is based in part on a linguistic interpretation through Arabic equivalents of one of the terms for the stone ([[Azoth]]) as well as for sulfur, salt, and mercury.<ref name="Sufis54">{{Cite book |last=Shah |first=Idries |title=The Sufis |publisher=Octagon Press |year=1977 |isbn=0-86304-020-9 |location=London, UK |pages=192–205 |orig-year=1964}}</ref>