In essence, alchemy is, in its basest form, a concept of multitudes. It is, inherently multifaceted. Its philosophies and ideas have permeated areas such as psychology, art, literature, science... It may be considered in symbolic and metaphorical terms, or as a type of mysticism, among other things. In however many ways we think about alchemy, we might also think about how alchemical ideas and philosophies have been around, in various forms for thousands of years.