Conclusion

Natural magic is not so much about spells and hexes, as it was about study and manipulation of the natural world. Scientists were highly intrigued by the natural world during the Renaissance. They sought to find connections to the secrets that the natural world held in store. Humanists and the educated nobles began studying plants, stars, and anatomy to have a better understanding of the natural world in which they lived. The results of their direct observations and experiments were written in books of secrets. These books held a rich encyclopedic knowledge of recipes for medicine, cookery, perfumes, pastes, soaps, inks, dyes, liquors, and even gem manipulation or alchemy. The Secretes of the Reverende Mayster Alexis of Piemount mentioned throughout this exhibit as The Book of Secretes is one of these books. It is a Renaissance era do-it-yourself handbook containing many different sections with recipes devoted to the section's topic. The sections we focused on for this exhibit were Medicine, Food, Inks and Dyes, and Metals and Gems. These recipies would have been useful as simple home remedies to elevate the lifestyle of the common man. 

The idea of using sources of information is not an old concept. People today still rely on books, blogs, magazines, and the internet to find "life hacks" that they can do themselves with things they have already in their homes to make their lives better and easier.