The Occult Manuscript Compendium Rarissimum

The Compendium Rarissimum is an extraordinary occult manuscript held in the collections of London's Wellcome Library. 

The full title of this, short, yet astounding manuscript is Compendium rarissimum totius Artis Magicae sistematisatae per celeberrimos Artis hujus Magistros. Anno 1057. Noli me tangere, which means Most rare summary of the entire Magical Art put together by the most famous Masters of this Art. Year 1057. Do not touch me.

Despite the year mentioned in the title, scholars suggest that the book was written much later, in 1775. 

Compendium Rarissimum is about demonology and it is handwritten in both German and Latin. It contains, in total, 31 watercolor illustrations of demons, kabalistic signs, sigils and other figures; its demonology corresponding closely to the Hell hierarchy laid out in The Book of Abramelin. 

The manuscripts begins with three pages of seals, of which only two have headings: the first illustrates the characters of evil spirits, the second records the characters of elemental spirits and the third, those of the good spirits. There seem also to be pictures relating to necromancy, the act of communicating with the dead in order to gain information about, and possibly control, the future. 

Its purpose and authorship remain unknown.

The Wellcome Library graciously shared high-quality scans of the entire manuscript, with download options including a full PDF of the entire document, HERE.

Also read: 

• 10 Ancient books that promise supernatural powers

Moon Worshiping

Hunter-gatherer societies generally thought of the moon as male, and its absence during new moon periods as dangerous.

Conversely, agrarian societies regarded the moon as female and benevolent. This may be because the planting and harvest schedules were based on moon cycles, and the moon came to be seen as a symbol of fertility. Over time, that relationship towards agricultural fertility expanded to include human and livestock fertility, hence the female symbolism.

Evidence of moon worship has been uncovered at archaeological digs all over the world, from the ancient Celts to the Egyptians.

Because of its size and also because of the events which accompanied the first appearance of the Moon, many ancient peoples regarded the Moon as the chief of the two luminaries. “The sun was of smaller importance than the moon in the eyes of the Babylonian astrologers.”

The Assyrians and the Chaldeans referred to the time of the Moon-god as the oldest period in the
memory of the people: before other planetary gods came to dominate the world ages, the Moon was the supreme deity. Such references are found in the inscriptions of Sargon II (ca. -720) and Nabonidus (ca. -550). The Babylonian Sin—the Moon—was a very ancient deity: Mount Sinai owes its name to Sin.

The moon has always played an important role in Egyptian religion. During ancient times, it was never as important to the Egyptians as the sun, though the moon was considered by them to be the nightly replacement of the sun. Within all of the known creation accounts, the Sun is always paramount. However, in the relationship between the Moon and the stars, the lunar god can be designated as "ruler of the stars”. The associated genders and level of benevolence changed according to dynasty.

That symbolic tradition survived and traveled to the Middle East, where the crescent symbol figures heavily into Islamic tradition. Archaeological evidence shows that Allah was initially the moon god, married to the sun goddess, and the stars were his children.

Modern pagans are primarily responsible for the resurgence of moon worship, although the attitude is somewhat different from the ancient traditions. Wiccans, especially, freely admit that they do not necessarily worship the moon itself, but use it as a symbol to represent the Goddess. The Goddess is the female aspect of deity, associated with fertility, while the sun is the male aspect associated with protection - these traits are often invoked during ceremony or magic rituals, to exploit the predisposition of the state of the sky to enhance the ritual's outcome.

Most moon festivals take place in autumn, because they are normally associated with the harvest. Halloween began as the pagan Samhain, and Thanksgiving is another modern interpretation of ancient harvest festivals.

Modern Chinese culture still celebrates the Mooncake Festival, which falls towards the end of September - another harvest festival. The bearing of lanterns and the giving of mooncakes commemorates a 14th-century uprising against the Mongols, but the holiday itself is focused upon the moon. Altars are set up to face the full moon, and the moon goddess Chang'e is a prominent figure of the day, prayed to by women hoping for good husbands and fertility.

Also read:

• Who is the Moon Goddess?
• Plant your own magical moon garden
• Inspiring Quotes About Autumn

The Vatican and the Goddess Vatika of the Underworld

The origin of the name Vatican is unclear. It has nothing to do with the Bible, Greek language or Latin, but most researchers think the name was borrowed from the Etruscan language. 

More than twenty-eight centuries ago, and before the legendary founding of Rome the mysterious Etruscans ruled the region of the Mediterranean before the rise of Rome.

Although the Etruscans developed a system of writing, the Etruscan language remains only partly understood, and only a handful of texts of any length survive, making modern understanding of their society and culture heavily dependent on much later and generally disapproving Roman and Greek sources. 

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the origin of the name Vaticanus is uncertain; some claim that the name comes from a vanished Etruscan town called Vaticum.

The Etruscans did not bury their dead inside the walls of their cities. Instead, they built a large cemetery on a hillside slope outside of their ancient city in the area that later became the city of Rome. The area, which is now St. Peter's Basilica, thus became known as the "Vatican". 

The guardian was the Etruscan goddess Vatika. She was the goddess of the Underworld and it was her duty to keep a watching eye on those who had passed away. 

It seems that the Etruscan’s beliefs about the afterlife were similar to those of ancient Egyptians. Treatment of the deceased's remains was important for survival and successful journey to next life.

Vatika had several other related meanings in ancient Etruscan. The name was not only associated with the goddess of the Underworld. 

It was also the name of a bitter grape that grew wild on the graveyard slope, which the peasants made into what became infamous as the name of one of the cheapest (and worst) wines in the ancient world.

It was also the name of a hallucinogenic weed, that grew on the slope and when chewed, was thought to produced prophetic vision.

Vaticinia was the name of the Etruscans female oracles. And according to a Vatican curator, the Vatican Hill takes its name from the Latin word Vaticanus, a vaticiniis ferendis, in allusion to the oracles, or Vaticinia, which were anciently delivered here.

The word passed into Latin as a synonym for "prophecy". The Latin word vaticinor means "foretell, prophesy" from vatis "poet, teacher, oracle".

Also read:

• Mictecacihuatl, the Aztec Goddess of the Underworld
• Scrying, The Ancient Art of Revelation
• Origins of the Magicians 

Inspiring Quotes About Autumn

Fall has arrived. Behold the changing leaves, and enjoy the crisp breeze. Let your eyes take in the bursts of color. Transformation is afoot and hope is in the air.

Enjoy these inspirational fall quotes and these spectacular fall foliage photos.

"Leaves are falling. Autumn is calling.”

―Unknown

“A fallen leaf is nothing more than a summer’s wave goodbye.”

―Unknown

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree."

―Emily Bronte

"I can smell autumn dancing in the breeze. The sweet chill of pumpkin and crisp sunburnt leaves.”

―Unknown

"It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in Autumn."

―B. C. Forbes

"Autumn begins with a subtle change in the light, with skies a deeper blue, and nights that become suddenly clear and chilled. The season comes full with the first frost, the disappearance of migrant birds, and the harvesting of the season's last crops."

―Glenn Wolff and Jerry Dennis

"The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let the dead things go” 

―Unknown

"And all at once, summer collapsed into fall…”

―Oscar Wilde

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower" 

―Albert Camus

“Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile."

― John Howard Bryant

"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.”

―Elizabeth Lawrence

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house."

― Nathaniel Hawthorne

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

―F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” 

― Lauren DeStefano, Wither

"There is something incredibly nostalgic and significant about the annual cascade of autumn leaves."

―Joe L. Wheeler

"Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day.”

―Shira Tamir

"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face.”

―John Donne

"How beautifully leaves grow old! How full of light and color are their last days!”

―John Burroughs

"Dancing of the autumn laves on a surface of a lake is a dream we see when we are awake.”

―Mehmet Murat Ildan

"Autumn mornings: sunshine and crisp air, birds and calmness, year's end and day's beginnings.”

―Terri Guillemets

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” 

― L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Happy Autumn! 

Get Ready For Venus Retrograde – Tempting Your Dark Side

Take care of yourself, because we’re fast approaching one of the most emotionally challenging and deceptive retrogrades in all of astrology.

Venus Retrograde 2018 starts on October 5th at 10° Scorpio. Venus retrograde will last for 40 days, until November 15th when Venus goes direct at 25° Libra.

Venus — planet of love, romance, luxury, prosperity, and affection — will begin her apparent spin backwards through orbit, taking our hearts with her. Remember that this planet isn’t all roses, diamonds, and love letters. Oftentimes, she can be jealous, possessive, and vindictive when she’s feeling threatened.

If Venus Retrograde 2018 is already giving you chills, listen to this: Venus goes retrograde in Scorpio, the most intense sign of the zodiac. Death, sex, finances, and taboos – in general, what people never talk about – are Scorpio’s territory.

Can you imagine what it means to have the Goddess of Love going through Scorpio? The Valley of death, the inferno? Let’s put it like this: If Romeo and Juliet was an astrological transit, it would have been Venus Retrograde in Scorpio.

Because Venus is in retrograde only 7 percent of the time, it’s in retrograde less than any other planet in astrology. This, in and of itself, makes its impact on our universe undeniably strong.

Challenging your ability to give and receive affection, make wise choices with your money, and resist negative temptation, it’s wise to avoid committing to love affairs or lofty purchases during this time. When Venus is in retrograde, she’s presenting you with opportunities that might seem thrilling at first, but will only lead you toward destruction.

Your love life will be put to thew test 

Aphrodite’s bad points are often overlooked. She had a reputation for jealousy, revenge, possessiveness, and infidelity.

Love is a whirlwind of chaos and confusion during Venus retrograde. If you’re in a relationship, you might face conflict with your partner that puts your commitment in jeopardy. If you’re single, you might be tempted to ignore red flags and give your heart away to someone who isn’t trustworthy.

You will most definitely be thinking with your reproductive organs and not your brain, so do try to resist the sex if you can. You may get a series of red flags but still ignore them. A one night stand might during this time might seem harmless and disposable, but on a spiritual level, this goes far deeper.

Sometimes we think we need a sexual fling because it has been a while, we just want to have fun and we feel we can take it or leave it. But with Venus retrograde, we might develop an obsessive attachment to the so-called “friend with benefits”, which we hadn’t bargained for. We could find we are kept in a very unpleasant psychic, sexual bondage.

There’s also a chance that lovers or friends from your past will resurface, totally disrupting life as you know it.

Even though these romantic challenges can be severely damaging, remember that Venus is currently bringing every negative emotion in love to the forefront. She’s luring your heart towards danger, and you do have the power to see beyond her ruse. If a situation seems risky, that’s because it is. Do your best to avoid toxic temptation during this time and you’ll avoid much of the effects of Venus retrograde. Your ex is your ex for a reason.

But there’s much more to this Venus Retrograde than the obsessive intensity of Venus in Scorpio.

While Venus retrograde starts in Scorpio, Venus Retrograde ends in Libra.

And this is where (in Libra) we will have the final outcome, the resolution of this transit.

During Venus’ time retrograding through Libra, we are going to be encouraged to think about how our actions are affecting others.

Every action we take creates a ripple effect around the entire Universe. With Venus retrograding through Libra, we are going to be encouraged to really think about the other, and to reflect on whether we are treating people how we wish to be treated.

Be cautious with your wallet

Although Venus is known for being the planet of love, she’s also the planet of luxury, and during her retrograde, all that glitters is definitely not gold. You might feel tempted to overspend on things you don’t need, giving in to opulence and pleasure when it’s not wise, and feeling insecure about your financial state.

If there’s a non-essential and overly expensive product you’re lusting over, it’s wise to hold off on making the purchase until Venus retrograde is over. By the time this haze of deception has dissipated, you might suddenly realize that that product is a total rip off.

If you’re feeling ashamed of your financial state during Venus retrograde, trust that it’s also because Venus might be making you seem a lot less fortunate than you truly are. Remember that money comes and goes. By no means does your financial state define you. When Venus retrograde has you comparing yourself to the rich and wealthy, try to feel grateful for all that you already have.

Why Is This Venus Retrograde So Important?

From all Venus retrogrades, Venus in Scorpio retrogrades are the most profound and bring the greatest transformations.

Your life will be transformed to an extent you never thought was possible.

Venus Retrograde will thrust you out of your comfort zone and into the unknown. Yes, it can be challenging. Yes, it can be painful. It can feel like an unending, uphill battle against the world. 

It can certainly feel like a difficult transit. And this is because Venus Retrograde can bring unfinished business back into your life. And we humans are wired to avoid having to deal with unfinished stuff. Otherwise, we would have dealt with the ‘stuff’ in the first place.

Unfinished stuff is heavy, energetically consuming and requires hard work and sacrifice. But if you don’t solve it, then it lingers somewhere in the background, and it ends up consuming even more energy and effort in the long run.

And this is where Venus Retrograde chimes in. She will challenge you to change what you are most comfortable with. 

Let’s say you’re used to be the “giver” in relationships. Venus Retrograde will make you see the reality for what it is. Maybe people take advantage of you. No more hiding and fooling yourself that these people love you for who you are.

Or maybe you are the one taking advantage of others. Venus Retrograde will expose any unfair advantage or manipulation attempt in order to maintain power.

Even if every Venus retrograde is different, Venus retrograde cycles follow a clear pattern.

Unlike other retrogrades, like Mercury retrogrades or Mars retrogrades, Venus retrogrades are very cyclical. Remember the beautiful flower pattern?

Venus cycles repeat in fact 5 times over a period of 8 years. Each Venus retrograde is a repetition of the Venus Retrograde that happened 8 years ago, 16 years ago and so on.  

Every 8 years Venus goes back to the same area of your chart.

Last time we had this was October 2010. Venus retrograde activated the same area of your chart. What happened back then in your life? Check your diary, look in your social media feed, or search your mailbox to find out what was going on in your life.

Channel your feelings into creative expression

All retrogrades are slow, introspective, and contemplative times, but Venus retrograde involves no ordinary introspection. It’s a journey through some of the darkest shadows of your heart, and it will have you oscillating between pain and pleasure as though you’re riding a dangerous, yet exciting roller coaster ride. This energy can be heavily destructive if it isn’t given form or structure. What better a way to channel your emotions than through art, poetry, dance, and self-expression?

The upside of Venus retrograde is that it can also be a wonderfully creative time. Whether you’re feeling aroused, angry, or full of heartache during this period, these emotions are the foundation of some of the greatest works of art known to mankind. Use it to create something beautiful and you’ll look back on this time fondly.

Also read:

• Neptune Retrograde – Spiritual Quest 
• Shaken Out Of Comfort: The Transit of Uranus in Taurus
• Saturn in Capricorn 
• What does Mercury in retrograde mean?
• Millionaires Don’t Need Astrologers, Billionaires Do
• The Dark Side of Each Zodiac Sign

The Quarter Experiment from Prometheus Rising

“Whatever the Thinker thinks, the Prover will prove.” – Robert Anton Wilson

Robert Anton Wilson (1932 - 2007) became, at various times, an American novelist, essayist, philosopher, polymath, psychonaut, futurist, libertarian and self-described agnostic mystic. Recognized as an Episkopos, Pope, and Saint of Discordianism by Discordians who care to label him as such, Wilson helped publicize the group/religion/melee through his writings, interviews, and strolls.

He described his work as an "attempt to break down conditioned associations, to look at the world in a new way, with many models recognized as models or maps, and no one model elevated to the truth."

Robert Anton Wilson possessed an uncanny ability to introduce his readers to their own mental projections of themselves and the universe—and thoroughly distort the boundaries between the two. 

Prometheus Rising is a book by Robert Anton Wilson first published in 1983. It is a guide book of "how to get from here to there", an amalgam of Timothy Leary's 8-circuit model of consciousness, Gurdjieff's self-observation exercises, Alfred Korzybski's general semantics, Aleister Crowley's magical theorems, Sociobiology, Yoga, relativity, and quantum mechanics, amongst other approaches to understanding the world around us, and claiming to be a short book (under 300 pages) about how the human mind works and how to get the most use from one. Wilson describes it as an "owner's manual for the human brain".

The book examines many aspects of social mind control and mental imprinting, and provides mind exercises at the end of every chapter, with the goal of giving the reader more control over how one's mind works.

"Once you start doing the exercises, you realize that you’re not just reading a driver’s manual of the universe—you’re also behind the driver’s seat! Most of the consciousness changing exercises in Wilson’s books take little effort but can produce lasting change in perception. All they require are commitment, patience, and practice". - Ultraculture

The Quarter Experiment, from Prometheus Rising:

“1. Visualize a quarter vividly, and imagine vividly that you are going to find a quarter on the street. Then, look for the quarter every time you take a walk, meanwhile continuing to visualize it. See how long it takes you to find the quarter.

“2. Explain the above experiment by the hypothesis of ‘selective attention’—that is, believe there are lots of lost quarters everywhere and you were bound to find one by continually looking. Go looking for a second quarter.

“3. Explain the experiment by the alternative ‘mystical’ hypothesis that ‘mind controls everything.’ Believe that you made the quarter manifest in this universe. Go looking for a second quarter.

“4. Compare the time it takes to find the second quarter using the first hypothesis (attention) with the time it takes using the second hypothesis (mind-over-matter).

“5. With your own ingenuity, invent similar experiments and each time compare the two theories—‘selective attention’ (coincidence) vs. ‘mind controls everything’ (psychokinesis).

“6. Avoid coming to any strong conclusions prematurely. At the end of a month, re-read this… think it over again, and still postpone coming to any dogmatic conclusion. Believe it possible that you do not know everything yet, and that you might have something still to learn.”

This experiment is designed to help the reader understand the role of thought and belief in structuring the universe. Whatever it is that you think, your mind will immediately set about proving—the existence of God, the sovereignty of the American President, or any number of conspiracy theories. Your mind will find proofs of those things everywhere.

From Prometheus Rising, Robert Anton Wilson (1997, 2nd rev. ed., tenth printing)

Find his book on the right bar of our site. 

Ancient Goddesses Cult Worship

The Goddesses path to enlightenment is still strong throughout the world and it’s practiced among Shamans, Gnostics, Yogis, Wiccans, Mystics, Kabbalists, and Pagans.

The Goddess tradition is also known as the Teachings of the Rose. The rose is a symbol of the Goddess, as well as for alchemy and gnosis, which are branches of the ancient goddess spiritual tradition. The rose was used as a symbol for Mary, as it was also used as an ancient symbol of Venus.

One of the titles of the Templars was Knights of the Rose Cross. When the secret societies of Europe acquired the Gnostic and alchemical wisdom of the Knight Templars, many also adopted Mary as their patroness and the rose as their symbol. An example of another popular alchemical sect that shares the symbol of the Rose are the Rosicrucians, meaning ‘those of the rose cross’. These various hidden societies became collectively known as sub-Rosa. That is to say, they existed under the symbol of the rose.

Although it is widely held belief that these secretive groups were exclusively created to protect Mary’s sacred bloodline, which may also be true, it was the secret alchemical tradition that she was a patroness of which was actually being so closely guarded for so many centuries. That is not to say there is not such bloodline in existence, but merely that this was not the singular or primary concern, in this author’s humble opinion, of the Templars efforts.

In the Holy land, the Templars learned many of the mysteries from the Sufis, who in tern learned from earlier Goddess cults of the Babylonian Ishtar, and still earlier Sumerian Inanna.

In pre-Islamic times, Mecca was founded to be a shrine to the Goddess. The Black Stone of Kaaba in Mecca, towards which Muslims still pray in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca today, is set in large solid silver mountings which on whole resembles the vulva of the Goddess.

The Kaaba is accurately aligned on two heavenly phenomena: the cycles of the moon and the rising of Canopus, the brightest star after Sirius. Pre-Islamic worship of the Goddess seems to be primarily associated with AI’Lat, which simply means ‘goddess’. She is a triple goddess, similar to the Greek lunar deity Kore/Demeter/Hecate. Each aspect of this trinity corresponds to the phase of the moon. Islamic traditions continue to recognize these three, but labels them ‘daughters of Allah’.

Deities of other cultures known to have been associated with black stones included Aphrodite at Paphos, Cybele at Pessinus and later Rome, Astarte at Byblos and the famous Artemis/Diana of Ephesus.

The sacred Black Stone that now enshrines in the Kaaba was the feminine symbol, marked by the sign of the yoni (vagina), and covered like the ancient Mother by a veil. The Black Stone rests in the Haram, “sanctuary”, cognate of “harem”, which used to mean a Temple of Women, in Babylon, a shrine of the Goddess Har, mother of harlots. Hereditary guardians of the Haram were the Koreshites, “children of Kore”, Mohammed’s own tribe. The holy office was originally held by women, before it was taken over by male priests calling themselves eni Shayban (Sons of the Old Woman”).

Various Classical writers describe the sexual rituals which went on the honor of the ancient Goddess - which included he practice which is now known by the disdainful term of ‘sacred prostitution’. Knowledge of ancient rites, as well as the transmutation of sexual energy, was retained through the ages and not completely eradicated by the arrival of Patriarchal religions.

The Sufis taught the Knights Templars that the goal of internal alchemy was to awaken the divine power of the goddess within the human body.

From the Sufis, the Templars also learned that the eight pointed star, or cross, is both a symbol of the goddess as well as an ancient symbols for alchemy. The Templars also venerated many others symbols of the goddess, such as the doves, roses, and five pointed stars. In fact the controversial horned goat of Mendes, a symbol which the Templars made androgynous and adopted, which they also referred to as Baphomet, is actually a translation of Sophia the goddess.

From the Johannites, which emerged out of the Gnostic sect called the Essenes, the Templars were initiated into the Goddess rites and teachings brought to the Middle East from the Far East. It is the same Essene sect that Jesus was said to have been born into. Because of the influence of the Sufi, and the Johannites, the Templars game to know of the Holy Spirit as the power of the Goddess. It was this goddess power that the Knight Templars attempted to transmit into their sacred ceremonies, and the same goddess power that they acknowledged to be the Holy Grail itself.

Extracts from the book Occult Secrets of Vril (chapter 8: Sophia) by Robert Sepehr.

Also read:

• Taoist sexual practices and sexual vampirism in ancient China
• Origins of the Magicians 
• The Aryan Solar God, and the Age of Aries 
• Subterranean Worlds of Inner Earth
• 1666 Redemption Through Sin