The Phenomenon of Alchemy of the West in the Diachronic Dimension

The article deals with the phenomenon of alchemy in the diachronic dimension. The authors analyse the specifics of its sociocultural being. The interrelationship and succession between the Hellenistic, Arabic and European alchemy allow to consider them as the stages of the genesis of the essentially single phenomenon. Also, they can be considered as the links of one tradition that can be called the Western one. It is shown that a mystical and esoteric character is an invariant feature of alchemy during all the stages of its history. In other aspects, the phenomenon demonstrates a unique sociocultural adaptability that allows to expand its temporal existence in the specific forms to the present day.