The Rite of the Royal Art and the Royal Art Society
The study of alchemy is not only a matter of history—it is also a living tradition. The Rite of the Royal Art represents a modern embodiment of alchemical philosophy, symbolism, and practice, carried forward as a discipline of transformation, creativity, and insight. It is presented through the Royal Art Society, a fellowship dedicated to exploring the principles of the Magnum Opus in contemporary life—uniting science, symbolism, and human development in a path of illumination.
As part of Science Abbey’s broader commitment to integrating ancient wisdom with modern knowledge, the Royal Art Society offers a living example of how alchemical theory continues to evolve today. Its curriculum, rites, and creative expressions carry forward the art of inner and outer refinement, reinterpreted for an age of global science and integrated humanism.
Explore more at: www.royalartsociety.com
Articles in the Royal Art Series
The Royal Art: Alchemy and Science
The Royal Art (An Introduction to Alchemy)
Ancient Indian Alchemy
Chinese Alchemy
Chinese Daoist Alchemical Meditation
The Mysteries and Science: Origins of Western Alchemy Part I
Magic and Science: Origins of Western Alchemy Part II
The Western Mystery Tradition: Neoplatonism, Hermeticism and Kabbalah
The Early Alchemists of the West
The Muslim Alchemists
Buddhist Alchemy
The Origins of Freemasonry in Architecture, Science and the Liberal Arts
Medieval Alchemy: Between Monastery and Laboratory
The Medieval Hermetic-Kabbalistic Tradition and Rosicrucianism
Alchemy in Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism
Alchemy in Three Hermetic Orders: G.’,D.’., O.T.O. and A.’.A.’.
Russian Alchemy: A Hidden Tradition of Transformation
Alchemy and the Birth of Modern Science
The Memory Palace, Archetypes, Psychotherapy and Symbolic Alchemy
Zanoni: An Alchymical Romance
An Alchemical Rite: The Royal Art Society
AUTHOR
D. B. Smith is an independent historian, ritualist, and comparative religion scholar specializing in the intersections of Western esotericism, Freemasonry, and Eastern contemplative traditions. He formerly served as Librarian and Curator at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, overseeing historically significant artifacts and manuscripts, including those connected to George Washington’s personal life.
Initiated into The Lodge of the Nine Muses No. 1776, a philosophically focused lodge in Washington, D.C., Smith studied under influential figures in the Anglo-American Masonic tradition. His work has been featured in national and international Masonic publications, and his efforts have helped inform exhibits, lectures, and televised documentaries on the history and symbolism of Freemasonry.
Smith’s parallel study and practice of Soto Zen Buddhism—including ordination as a lay practitioner in the Katagiri-Winecoff lineage—has led him to investigate convergences between ritual, mindfulness, symbolic systems, and the evolving role of spiritual practice in secular societies. He is the founder of Science Abbey, a platform for interdisciplinary inquiry across religion, philosophy, science, and cultural history.
