Topic: Zosimos

The practice of dream incubation is traced back to ancient Greek temples where patients sought medicinal cures through divinely inspired dreams. Hippocrates reportedly collected these dream-based solutions to form early medical texts. Copenhaver details a specific alchemical method from the 4th-century writer Zosimos, which involves posing a specific technical or creative problem to the mind immediately before falling asleep to elicit a solution during the dream state.

The Corpus Hermeticum and the Emerald Tablet are highlighted as foundational texts for alchemical inner practices. Cotenoir explains that while alchemical texts often focus on formulas, they frequently allude to spiritual exercises found in Hermetic and Gnostic writings. These practices involve silencing the mind and turning the senses inward, similar to Buddhist meditation, to facilitate the ascent of the soul.

Chris Bennett describes his research process, utilizing Google Books to find references to cannabis in Latin texts from the 15th and 16th centuries. He highlights "gems" found in the works of Zosimos and Paracelsus, including early treatments for epilepsy using cannabis. Bennett emphasizes the importance of tracking various historical spellings of the word to uncover hidden references.