Usefull Website

See, I told you I'd post soon! Anyway, I found a wonderful website called the Internet Sacred text Archive. It's basically a huge database with thousands of religious books, new and old. Two sections of note are the Internet Book of Shadows, here, and the Grimoire page, here. I think that page is still under development, but it's worthy of bookmarking! Be sure to explore the rest of the site too. It looks like a good way to learn about world religions, not to mention interesting!

Speak out to this misinformation site!

Hello again everyone. This article is not related to grimoires, but I really want to spread the word about it. Here is a copy of the article I posted to the Witch's Voice . . .

Today I came across a horrible website that is spreading hate about not only witchcraft and Wicca, but also Judaism and many other peaceful religions! While I think that the site owner may have good intentions (to "save" so-called "evil-doers") , he/she doesn't have a clue what he/she's talking about . . . We as witches, Wiccans, Pagans, etc, have enough trouble with superstitions and hate as it is. Unfortunately, when I searched for "about witchcraft" on Google, this website was the fourth link on the results page. How will we ever be able to face the world without persecution if this and other websites are blaring out our supposed evil ways? Let's speak out to the site owner; tell him or her who we really are. We are not evil criminals out to cause harm in the world. You know as much as I do that we just want to be able to live happy, healthy and peaceful lives. This is one way that we can make a difference. Together we are strong!
Here is the link to the page in question:
http://www.exposingsatanism.org/witchcraft.htm

Much love and light to all,

Nefabit

Language Barrier

One of the greatest challenges that comes with studying historic grimoires and occult texts is being able to comprehend what is being read. There are three variations to this challenge; the first would be that most are in languages that are not only foreign, but very different from any modern language. Even if you speak Modern French fluently, it would be difficult to get much out of a text in Old French, as language evolves drastically over hundreds of years. The second challenge is that of reading a text that is translated loosely, though is still written in a style more Shakespearean than modern; it is still readable, but is still trying. The third, and probably the worst, is trying to read a text that has been translated very poorly. Most older translations are translated word for word. This brings up several problems; grammar is often horrible or nonexistent, and hardly any of the "translated" text makes sense. Obviously, this is all quite problematic. With the exception of poorly translated texts (in which case one can find a better edition of the text), the only way to cope with such dilemmas is to practice, practice, practice. I recommend reading Shakespeare plays, old poems, pretty much anything from that era. Doing so is guaranteed to make studying easier and enjoyable.

Rare Occult Booksellers

Well, so far I've discovered two sellers of antique, first edition, rare and out of print occult books. The first one I found, The Magickal Library, also sells new items, herbs, and occult artifacts. The second, Wierus Occult Antiques, sells extremely rare, antique books, many of them original first edition copies of hard to find texts that are hundreds of years old (yet in very good condition). If and when I become rich, this is what I'll be spending money on. Ok, maybe after I have beautiful antique European furniture throughout my house. These books go for thousands of dollars, but oh, they're worth it. When you consider the information inside them, concealed for centuries, and the fact that in many cases there are as few as two left in the world, yeah. It's worth it. Sometimes the whole language barrier could be a problem, because most of these are in Old English, French, Latin, German, Italian or Spanish, and sometimes Arabic and Tibetan. Oh well, I plan on becoming multi-lingual anyway.

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Again with the not-being-related-to-grimoires
thing, but . . . this is just so beautiful. I actually found this last year, and I remembered it when I came across a similar book. This picture does not do the binding justice. The picture I had found before was much better, but I couldn't find it! :( The Rubaiyat is a book of Persian poetry by Omar Khayyam. (I suppose that "Rubaiyat" means poetry) One of the original copies of the book was believed to have been lost when the Titanic sank.
Now, I must go eat.

Meren heart
Nefabit :3

The Grimoire of Pope Honorious III

Isn't the above statement a bit of an oxymoron? A grimoire written by a Pope?! Well, yes. Apparently he justified his writing with the statement that priests should be able to work with demons so as to control them. Which, I happen to agree with him. (detour!) See, I have always disagreed with the Wiccan notion that we should not study black magick. What closed minded thinking! How are we supposed to defend out witchy selves from goblins and demons and other assorted nasties if we don't know anything about them, what they are or how they work? I actually applaud Pope Honorius III. Very logical and modern thinking. Especially considering that he reigned during the 13th century. (He looks like he's sleeping in this portrait)
Unfortunately, I have not been able to get my little paws on a copy of his 120 page blaspheming manual as of yet, as the title is currently going for between $500 and $2,000. I'll surely find a cheap copy when I get back to the mainland. Hopefully I'll find a copy in an antique store, and hopefully the shopkeeper won't know what it's worth. Wouldn't it be just wonderful if I could get a copy for five dollars? I cna't wait to be able to go book hunting (detour again!) There are only a few antique stores on Oahu, and the prices are jacked up because the price of land and rent is so high and there aren't very many antiques here, considering it's only been modernized for about 50 years. So, anyway, I don't have one yet, so I can't really tell you what's in it. But apparently people really want it.
Apparently, this is what the available printing looks like. If I happen to find this copy for cheap, I'd buy it, but I'd prefer to have a pretty hardbound copy of such a book. Perhaps I'll get lucky. Or, of course, I could always make my own binding for it! Yes, I think bookbinding is a good skill. And with a glue bound book it would be very easy to disassemble the thing. Of course, I'd have to sew it myself, but the stitch is not that hard. I think the hardest part of bookbinding would be folding the signatures. Luckily I don't have to do that, and hopefully I won't have to at any point. I'll have to post about how to do that specifically. It's all complicated and icky. I'd have to find good illustrations, though. I must snoop.
Meren heart,
Nefabit :3

Was the Gutenburg Press Stolen?

I read an interesting paper somewhere a while back that I just now remembered. Ok, so it isn't really related to grimoires at all, but hey, it's my blog after all. Anyway, the article said that the original idea for the printing press was, in fact, stolen! Too bad they hadn't invented patents back then. The story goes that the printing press was not in fact invented by Johann Gutenburg, but rather a Dutch woodworker named Laurens Coster. Laurens came across a birch tree while out in the forest looking for wood and decided to carve some letters out of the bark to take to his children. He wrapped them in his handkerchief and started for home. When he arrived, he saw that the sap had stained the handkerchief, which gave him a brilliant idea: using blocks of wood to create type. However, after he began working, someone caught wind of the idea and stole the supplies while Laurens was at Mass. He sold the idea and supplies to Johann Gutenburg, who then decided that using metal would be more practical and durable than wood. And of course, the rest is history.
Now, allow me to state that I do not know if this story is true. But, true or not, it is an interesting story. Of course, it wouldn't surprise me if the story were true, but I noticed something that was a bit off. How could a woodcutter in the 1400s have been literate? In general, only nobility were taught to read and write during that time. I suppose he could have been taught the alphabet by a customer if he was commissioned to create an alphabet board for some noble children, but other than that I don't see how. In any case, it is a lovely, wonderful story.

Meren heart,
Nefabit :3

Anthropodermic Bibliopegy

Wow, now that sure is a mouthful. So what is anthropodermic bibliopegy? It is the practice of binding books in human skin. Interesting and disturbing at the same time. The book on the left is a 300 year old ledger. The book below is the narrative of James Allen the Highwayman, and as he requested on his death bed, is bound in his own skin. I wonder what would make anyone wish for that . . .
The practice of binding books in human skin dates back to around the 16th century, though I imagine there are older examples that have deteriorated. Many museums have books bound in human skin, though few actually put them on display. There are also many skin bound books in private collections. I actually wouldn't mind having one. I'm such a hopeless bibliophile. (lover or collector of books)
It is also very common for fictional grimories to be bound in skin, such as The necronomicon (yes, it is fictitious). It wouldn't surprise me if some of them where, though to my knowledge there are no skin-bound grimoires that have been found. Now, once I did see a grimoire bound in toad skin. That had to have been quite a project.

Meren heart,
Nefabit :3

The Voynich Manuscript

Now this is intriguing! The Voynich Manuscript was written in an unknown language and script by an unknown author, and covers many varied topics - most of them magickal, from an herbalism to alchemy and astrology . To me, this looks like a grimoire written in code! And what a better way to write a grimoire at the height of the church's power than in an indecipherable code? Check it out
here! I'd love to get my paws on a copy of that text . . . even if I couldn't read it per se. Here's some of the text (below)
Here is a great link where you can see the entire text in high resolution photos! Here is an Amazon list with books about the Voynich manuscript! I ran out last night and purchased a book called The Voynich Manuscript by Gerry Kennedy and Rob Churchill, and it's a great buy. The Voynich Manuscript is filled with mystery. The next time I'm in that area, I want to go to Yale university and see the manuscript for myself. This is an exciting discovery with a rich history. Something interesting I found out is that it is theorized that it belonged to Roger Bacon, whom I believe to be of the same Bacon family as Sir Henry bacon, who was a friend of my Great, great, great, etc. Grandfather. Or uncle or something. I'd have to ask Mom. My family tree is more like a rat's nest. :p However, it is also proposed that it was written by John Dee, a famous occultist and author of many staple occult texts. Whomever wrote it, I feel a strong connection to the book, and whether that is due to my strong desire to understand the unknown and rare, or it an ancestor of mine wrote it, I don't know. Don't care either. I want a copy. In fact, I want to find out if I can make scans of the book and make a binding for the new pages. It would be a very interesting task.
On the right is the book I purchased on the manuscript. As far as I know, it is the best out there. You can find it here.
And now, I must do more research. *re-inserts nose into book*

Meren heart,
Nefabit :3

From "gramaire" to "grimoire"

Edit: (4.20.07) I can't figure out why the text in this post is so . . . multicolor. I've tried fixing it, but the answer alludes me. Sorry about that. (return to original text)
Well, as promised, here is what I know about the history of the word grimoire and its first forms. . .
"Grimoire" is French in origin. It was originally gramaire (there are a few varied spellings, but this seems most common), which is also related to our modern word "grammar". In fact, gramaires were literally how-to books and were most commonly books on grammar or etiquette. How the word most likely began to describe magick books is technically undecided, though I think it's most likely that grimoire and gramaire were used similarly to our modern "dictionary" or "lexicon". While the word "dictionary" generally refers to a book that describes the meanings of words, it is also used to describe books on other subjects as well. Nowadays, both the English and French translation of grimoire is "a book of spells or rituals."
So what were the first grimoires like? Most of them were collections of sigils and incantations intended to summon demons or angels in order to do the magician's bidding. Although the old grimoires are mostly black magick based, many of them had innumerable references to God, angels, the Commandments and other Christian references. Whether this was done out of fear of the Church or personal belief is unknown.
Many of the old grimoires had their roots in Hebrew, Egyptian and Druidic high magick. The rituals were intricate and detailed, and were mainly based on the use of conjuring spirits to do bidding, rather than our modern system of magick using out own willpower. These books also contained instructions for creating tools and attire, mixing potions and elixirs, and performing alchemy, necromancy and divination.
So how would you like to read some of these grimoires yourself? Allow me to note that most of these books are very old and have been translated numerous times from language to language; depending on what edition you purchase, (you'll have to snoop around) you may get a poorly translated edition. Some of the books have portions missing, and many are of unknown authorship. The keys of Solomon, for example, are believed not to be written by Solomon, as the original dates only to the fifteenth century.

The Greater Key of Solomon, or the Goetia
The Lesser Key of Solomon, or the Lemegeton
The Red Dragon, or The Grand Grimoire (Le Grande Grimoire)
The Picatrix, or the Ghayat al-Hakim fi'l-shir
Pauline Art, or Ars Paulina
The Book of The Dead
The New Art, or Ars Nova
The Three Books of Occult Philosophy
Fourth Book of Occult Philsophy
The Magickal Elements, or The Heptagram
The Magus, or the Celestial Intelligencer
The Kabbalah
The Sworn Book of Horonious, or Liber Sacer Mysteriorum
The Grimoire of Armadel
The Dee Diaries
Five Books of the Mysteries, or Quinti Libri Mysteriorum
Arbatel of Magic, or Arbatel de magica Veterum
The Necronomicon

Or, if you'd prefer to study these grimories in a lighter, easy to read format, check out Aaron Leitch's book
Secrets of the Magickal Grimories, which can be found here

Idea for a future post: Find out which editions are the best and recommend them here (this may take some time . . .)

Meren heart,
Nefabit :3