Psellus - On the Operation of Demons: Now Available!

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At long last here is one of the best works I have read and edited. Originally translated from Greek to English by Collisson in the mid 1800s, Psellus' Socratic-style dialogue covers all the basics of demonology and then some in a compact form.

I definitely recommend this work to those who intend to delve into anything related to summoning or studying the demonic- the categorizations are all here (although some who believe in demons may not agree with the categories given.) Loosely speaking, we have here a reference to the concept of airy spirits as spoken of in other works of the era; elsewhere they are often regarded as natural, rather than demonic, forces. Psellus also alludes to the use of psychotropics in demonic possession as well as dementia but never quite regards them in their modern, secular form.

34 pages.

A Twofer! Coming Soon: Aurora of the Philosophers and Operation of Demons

Two literary materials (both fairly short and quick edits) will soon be available and will be posted here, presumably on different days; Paracelsus' extremely good "Aurora of the Philosophers" and Psellus' "Operation of Demons."

The first text, by Paracelsus, is partially philosophy, partly how-to, and partly warning to the reader to avoid alchemical charlatans- counterfeiters especially, using various chemical means to make fake currency. The philosophical content includes a deep and rather insightful analysis of the origins of magick itself- not merely alchemy.

Psellus' work ruminates through a Socratit dialogue on the topic of categorizing demons: What are they? What do they appear as? How many categories of them exist? It also provides an amusingly modern explanation (without meaning to) of the force of possession, attributing one such case noted in the text as the result of some sort of hallucinogenic drug. This work was already translated into English in the 1840s and needed precious little actual editing beyond a foreword to explain the work, new formatting, and some de-antiquation of a few lingering archaic references.