Transformations

“Master Teacher Geng “

Woman Alchemist



by Toni Truesdale



“ I burned my Life, that I might find

A passion wholly of the mind”

The Alchemist

-Louise Bogan



Master Teacher Geng was a Tang Dynasty alchemist in Chinese ninth century court. This adept was a woman “fang-shi” (there were also several other women alchemists from the Six Dynasties Period). Master Geng, a Taoist, was so famous that her portrait was preserved on a Ming Dynasty scroll. Her story was recorded by Wu Shu (circa 975 A.D. ), in his account she mastered creating elixirs and transformations. Master Teacher Geng’s greatest achievement was spinning snow into silver at the request of the emperor.



” I dealt a word of Gold

To every creature-that I met-

And Dowered-all the world”

 -Emily Dickenson