Whether regarded as a science or philosophy, alchemy provided the beginnings for chemistry and the basis for modern lab techniques. Alchemists believed that the secrets of nature could be revealed through laboratory experimentation and examination and they successfully revealed many of those secrets. Alchemy is defined as the process of taking something ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary, sometimes in a way that cannot be explained. (YourDictionary.com) This definition, though true, does not encompass all that alchemy is about. Alchemy also involved the idea of transforming one's spirit. If one could learn how to purify gold, one could use the technique to purify the human soul (Thelemapedia: The Encyclopedia of Thelema & Magick). Alchemy first developed independently in both Egypt and China. In China, the creators of alchemy were Taoist monks. Consequently, Chinese alchemy was based on Taoist beliefs and practices. Wei Po-Yang is credited with the foundation of Chinese alchemy. The Chinese primary goal of alchemy was not the transmutation of base metals into gold. When alchemy began in China, the word for gold was not yet a word in the Chinese language. The primary goal of Chinese alchemy was to discover the elixir of life, a substance that when ingested, brings eternal life. In Chinese alchemy exercise techniques were practiced with the purpose of manipulating one's life force and prolonging life. Minerals and plants were also ingested for the same purpose. Alchemy spread to India from China. The Indians practiced alchemy in the same fashion as the Chinese ( The Magic and Myth of Alchemy). By around the 4th century BCE in Egypt, there was a basic practice of alchemy in place. It was practiced by the priestly class. Alexandria was the center of alchemical knowledge. Most information about early alchemy in Egypt has been lost due to their library in Alexandria being burned when the Christians invaded. (The Magic and Myth of Alchemy) However, according to legend, it is believed that Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom, was the creator of alchemy in Europe. Thoth eventually became Hermes-Thoth when alchemy began to be prac