Alchemy is an ancient art, and was the predecessor to the modern scientific method. The purpose of it was to examine the natural world, and determine how its constituent parts could be disassembled and re-arranged. In this regard, it led to the formation of Chemistry as a science, although Alchemy upholds a more mystical tradition. For the Alchemist, study and practice are not confined to purely the scientific, but inhabit the mind, body, and soul. The understanding of these aspects in objects living and non, is the basis of the Art. In Alchemy, the pinnacle of this understanding culminated in creating the Philosopher’s Stone (Lapis Philosophorum), an object whose power could transform lesser metals, like lead, into higher ones, such as gold. Also, it was said to grant immortal life. The true nature of the Stone has yet to be understood, if such an object exists at all.