The Language of the Stars: Now Available!

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This particular booklet is both well made enough for a total novice of astrology to understand its content and in depth enough to cover things other than the standard "twelve signs and their overlap with other categories" material which shorter astrological works tend to cover.

Written by Burgoyne and explicitly recommended as a good astrological primer by Magnus Jensen (which, honestly, is how I found out that it existed!) it goes fairly deep into drawing up nativity charts, the meaning of and calculations of the planets, their influence into the twelve houses (and the meaning of the same) and far more.

67 pages.

Everybody's Astrology: Now Available!

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This booklet is a compact little guide to the basics of astrology both theoretical and pragmatic. Some of the content here is Magnus Jensen's own theory and opinion, the rest is fairly standard zodiacal lore.

It contains a pair of rising sign tables among other things as well as references to a half dozen other astrological works, admonishing that the world would be a far better place if astrology were more widely understood and practiced.

38 pages.

General Update Time!

Things are going along quite smoothly at present; due to the sudden coming of snow (far earlier than usual) I've gotten a little ADHD addled I suppose and I have three works not complete but all more than half complete; namely the (very good) South Sea Herbal, the Asuri Kalpa, and A work called "Everybody's Astrology." I figure at least one will be done before November ends, and the other two in the first week of December, with three more works to go before the big #100.

That completes the first stage of my work; but there is an enormous load ahead for 2017; namely at least one and probably two entire categories' worth of work ("medical" will combine herbals with homeopathy, and I envision a new category for works related to the psychic arts, mediumship, mesmerism, and similar topics), as well as a planned massive addition of new subjects to the occult playlist I have made.

This is in addition to two side projects; tomorrow I should receive the three booklets I grabbed off ebay, and with my patreon-based donations far higher now I have the cash necessary to seriously look at some of the better booklet lots on ebay over time and grab a few to roughly double the occult archive- this has been actively planned for some time but until now I had so much else to do that I didn't have the time; I want to field at least 200 free scans by the end of 2017 and another 100 on top of that by the middle of 2018.

The second side project is, of course, finalizing the kindle ebook releases and adding links to them to the categories on this blog; unfortunately at least four separate editions were messed up (I'm good at dealing with createspace' system for paperbacks, but I am not used to the kindle process) and I had to completely redo them. If you do find that any of my ebook releases are not properly formatted, please do not hesitate to tell me here in a comment or by message on my Youtube channel.

I am also happy to announce that more than 120 copies of Sickness in Hell have been sold since its release about five weeks ago- this doesn't sound like a lot until you realize that the genre is the literal fringe of the fringe being self released without commercial advertisement by a largely unknown author of fictional works.

A Treatise on Magical Incantations: Now Available!

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This work is another Edmund Goldsmid release, supposedly translated from a work by "Christianus Pazig." That there appears to be no information on this figure indicates that either Goldsmid himself wrote this work or he translated it from a now-extinct piece of (possibly hand written) literature he collected at some point. It is part of the "Bibliotheca Curiosa" that also contains Goldsmid's translation of De Vegetabilis Magicis.

This work mostly rationalizes incantations, and suggests that they are powerless, outside of the realm of god-sanctioned incantations which are mere shows of faith with the power itself coming from the christian deity. It does, however, touch upon Homeric myth, then-modern parlor tricks, and other related topics.

33 pages.

Magic Plants: Now Available!

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"Magic Plants" is not an herbal, strictly speaking, although it treats on the use of herbs in a sorcerous context in some primary sources it lists. Rather, it is a general treatise on the philosophy behind such use within the context of natural magic.

Translated from "De Vegetabilis Magicis" by Goldsmid in the mid 1800s, it is a dense little work, which, in its appendix, adds a tract detailing some witch trial material (almost surely to show the reader the torments applied for an understanding of natural healing and science in the burning times, especially to those who did not even practice sorcery) which speaks of herbalism insofar as witching ointment and a Satan-bestowed "mysterious black powder" used to harm cattle and people is concerned.

28 pages.

Pagan Ideas of Immortality: Now Available!

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This work is one of the most dense academic materials I have edited. Written in the early 20th century, it is a historical look at some of the philosophical schools of antiquity and their conception of the afterlife, purgatory, reincarnation, and the nature of the human spirit.

Its details regarding Mithra do not extend to comparisons to Jesus, as was typical in this era. A century ago, such claims would have been taboo. It dwells instead on multiple stories from antiquity (going back before Rome to previous religious schools which later influenced Rome as well) especially with regards to the form of tartarus and so forth. The evolution of the antiquated conception of the immortal soul is revealed here in great detail.

32 pages.

Three New Works I Acquired

I was unable to obtain one of the works I had in mind for the archive and release; a scrapbook and partly hand-written civil war era medical quack work with various recipes and letters and other miscellaneous inclusions; the price quickly surpassed my willingness to buy a work I was not able to physically examine for condition.

However I did obtain three quack-era works related to medicine, including two on homeopathy and a third on the usage of gunpowder as a remedy. I will release these works as free scans for the archive as soon as I figure out my new printer/scanner combo and will also craft them into new editions.

from the ebay listing

The Devil, His Origin, Greatness, and Decadence: Now Available!

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This manuscript is a fine example of a mid 19th century spiritual historic work. Seeking to explain the origin and general history of Satan up through that point in history, it speaks of Ahriman, the disembodied and physical Satans of time, the Jewish and Christian origins of the same general principles, and the latter day, then-modern rationalist explanation of the devil as essentially a bogeyman.

Of course, more than a century has elapsed since then, and this rationalized imp subsequently became a symbol of capitalism, the leader of communism, the master of the world elite, a banker, and a humorous red skinned figure loosely twain with, of all things, Santa Claus.

58 pages.

I Am Attempting To Obtain some Extremely Important Works

By tonight I may have a very, very special treat for people interested in strange medical and spiritual literature. Lest someone try to outcompete me I won't mention what the specific titles are; but suffice it to say that at least two of the works I am trying to obtain in one lot off ebay are not even mentioned on any website (I doubt the person selling them has any idea of their true value) and a separate work is literally one of a kind. I will do everything in my power to grab these works up, scan them for the archives, and release editions of them as well to perpetuate their apparently exceptionally rare content. No book should ever be entirely forgotten.

Only after the bidding has completed and the works are (I hope) officially mine, will I show them off here and speak of their titles and content. I am extremely excited right now because they relate to the upcoming herbal/etc category I intend to build.

I am also on the lookout for a few other things I wish to obtain also, not all of which relate to literature. I've wanted for some time to get a victorian-era garnet ring but I have to find the exact size and style I desire.

Herbal and Homeopathic Works: New Category Forthcoming

I am pleased to say I finally obtained enough material to begin rendering a series of works to print which will culminate in an entirely new category of literature which, after they are edited, will be listed on this blog; specifically, herbals, homeopathy, and similar works related to folk medicine and similar topics. Some of the titles are hereby listed:

Weeds Used in Medicine (1917)- An interesting and partly illustrated basic herbal.
South Sea Herbal (1715)- A short herbal with many illustrations.
The Treatment of Disease (1886)- An early scientific medical tract.
A Brief Treatise on Various Ailments (1890)- A list of diseases and their herbal remedies.
The Canadian Herbal (1851)- A longer medical tract with various remedies.
Dr Chases' Recipes (1866)- Remedies, herbs, quack medicine, and other material.
Occult Science in Medicine (1893)- Alchemy, astronomy, medicine, and more.
On Snake Bites and their Antidotes (1862)- An article on the obvious from the transactions of the philosophical society of New South Wales.

There are a half dozen other, much longer, works as well that I have acquired for release.

Cotton Mather and Witchcraft: Now Available!

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This short tract is one of the more interesting looks at the Salem Witch Trials that I have seen. Not only does it openly defend Cotton Mather (usually saddled with a significant proportion of the blame for the witch hysteria there) but does so with enough persuasion that over a century after its authorship I found myself at least partly convinced that perhaps Mather really wasn't the devilish sadist he's usually considered. It helps that he arguably outflanked Gregor Mendel in a basic understanding of rudimentary genetics by a century.

Mather, of course, was a pious puritan of his age- but he was also a relatively scientific man with an extreme level of education. This work, then, exonerates him from some of the criticism he began receiving in this mid 19th century era, as rationalists sought to universally condemn virtually all specifically religious minds of the past age. It gives a little bit of insight into the concept of the "white specter" and similar paranormal topics as well.

24 pages.

The Omnium Gatherum: Now Available!

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The Omnium Gatherum is a bizarre but interesting fortune teller. Written in the 1870s and pairing a social oracle with temperance propaganda, it is the offspring of JT Yarrington, who was an activist for this latter cause.

The social purpose is clear; get a group of people together to tell their fortunes with one another and subsequently ponder the evils of alcohol (the "grog sellers" and so forth!) It also contains a dozen testimonials from the press of its age. Indeed, the oracle can be used solo by making slips of paper for each possible answer to the questions but getting a group together really helps when your purpose is to get them talking about the evils of beer and liquor.

44 pages.

General Literary Update: Forthcoming Works

I will be attending a funeral this afternoon. As such my load of work for the day is essentially just an update for "The Piasa" later.

Over the last week I have obtained a large number of new works to work on. I never stick to a timeline and tend to bounce from work to work on a daily basis, to keep the material fresh and interesting and so I don't get bogged down or distracted. Here is a little list of some of the works I'll be releasing over time.

-The Omnium-Gatherum: A substantial oracle twain with pre-prohibition temperance propaganda.
-Modern Vampirism by Eaves: A work on psychic vampirism among other topics.
-The Golden Wheel: A lengthy fortune teller apparently based on Napoleon's Oraculum.
-Of Ghosts and Spirits: A very old (late 16th century) work.
-Witchcraft, the Art of Fortune Telling: A Norwood Gypsy-style fortune teller from the very early 19th century.
-The Origin of the Werewolf Superstition: A short academic treatise on the subject.
-Magic, Divination, and Demonology among the Hebrews: A self explanatory work.

Your Future Revealed: Now Available!

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This interesting work is one among many in the oracle tradition but with two neat twists; first, the oracle is set up to answer via some of the Greek deities, and second the oracle is in Shakespearean quotation.

This likely marketing strategy takes a straightforward, relatively simple oracle and transforms it into something a bit more snazzy. Thirteen questions may be answered by merely using slips of paper upon which the numbers of the gods (or their names) are placed. This system can be adapted for essentially any multiple choice query.

32 pages.

Within the Temple of Isis: Now Available!

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"Within the Temple of Isis" is a strange work of occult fiction overlapped with metaphor and new thought ideology. Crafted in the dusk of the 19th century, it is meant to be a spiritual statement on the purification of mankind among other psychic and paranormal phenomena.

It shows significant influence from, and imparted influence to, the general philosophy of the age- from roughly the 1880s to the 1920s the occult was overarched by the general prevailing wisdom that the world was fallen away from some golden past and that this utopian dream was able to once again be realized. It's quite an interesting work.

66 pages.

The Hindu Book of Astrology: Now Available!

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The Hindu Book of Astrology is slightly mistitled- it is indeed a Western astrological work with some Eastern fusion within its pages; that hardly detracts from the content, since texts from this era tended to do that quite often, especially with Hinduism.

It includes all the signs of the Zodiac, the cusps, the colors, gems, diseases, and so forth of each sign, within a fairly rudimentary framework, and then encourages the reader to relax and study other aspects of the occultism. The Zodiac may be seen as largely a positive one, which is more fixated on elaboration on the positive aspects than dwelling on the negative.

65 pages.