ESOTERICA

The Witch Trials and the Rise of Modernity and Capitalism - Sylvia Federici - Caliban and the Witch

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 05:51:00 -0000

In this episode of Esoterica we explore Sylvia Federici's thesis that the witch trials, rather than being a peripheral event in European history, were pivotal in the transition to capitalism and modernity. She argues that the social instability of the middle ages was tipped into social chaos with the advent of the Black Death. In the aftermath, ruling powers sought to suppress workers' uprisings, women's autonomy, and peasant rebellions. The witch hunts served this task and beta-tested, so to speak, the social and legal procedures which would later be unleashed upon the indigenous people of the new world and African slaves.

Recommended Readings:

Federici - Caliban and the Witch - 978-1570270598
Federici - Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women - 978-1629635682
Levack - The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe - 978-1138808102
Levack, ed. - The Witchcraft Sourcebook - 978-1138774971
Levack, ed. - The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America - 978-0198723639
Peters and Kors, ed. - Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700 - 978-0812217513

#federici #witches #trials

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Ancient Angel Magic - Sefer HaRazim - The Book of Secrets - Jewish Magic

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:30:00 -0000

The Sefer HaRazim ( Book of Secrets / Mysteries) is an ancient Jewish book of angel magic dating to the 3rd or 4th century CE. It was discovered in the Cairo Genizah in the 1960's in fragments and was edited together over the course of three years by Mordecai‏ Margalioth. In the text we find descriptions of the seven heavens, angelic military formations, and magical spells corresponding to the various heavens and angels. Sefer HaRazim is an interesting combination of both Merkabah mysticism (in which mystics 'descend' to the throne of the Divine through the palaces of G-d) and the sophisticated technologies of Greco-Egyptian magic. This episode explores the text in depth, several of the spells, angelic names and the long-standing impact of this kind of angelic magic on later traditions of magical practice.

Recommended Reading:

Michael Morgan - Sepher Ha-Razim: The Book of Mysteries - 978-0891306153
Margalioth, Mordecai - Sepher Ha-Razim - Jerusalem: Yediot Achronot, 1966
Medieval Latin Translation: https://histbest.ub.uni-leipzig.de/rsc/viewer/UBLHistBestCBU_derivate_00000077/cod_mag_40_jpg/cod_mag_40_001.jpg

#angel #magic #judaism

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Introduction to Merkavah Mysticism - 10 of 15 - Dangers and Ordeals

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:30:00 -0000

Welcome to our seminar on Merkavah Mysticism

Hundreds of years prior to the rise of the Kabbalah, shaman-like rabbinic mystics were described as having made the terrifying and awe-inspiring descent into the Divine Palaces. There they met with and bypassed fearsome angels with magical codes, gained control over angelic powers, became transformed into beings of fire, gained vast wisdom and mounted the very throne of G!d to carefully measure the vast dimensions of the divine body. These experiences and their praxes are recorded in about 50 manuscripts now known as the Hekhalot (lit. palaces) literature. Outside of specialists this late-classical form of (a)(de)scent mysticism is poorly understood and little appreciated. In this course, we will explore the foundations, social origins, myth-world, praxes and the afterlife of Merkavah Mysticism.

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Course Syllabus: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1URUIb_AkZGM3hXzTnPFAwQYkZf_WgL0Q9wWWqSr2ug0/edit?usp=sharing

Course Materials: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-93Z0g92p4xMTFRjk5KznFvh65oRjFAo

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Esotericism in Philosophy: Pythagoras and Parmenides

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:30:00 -0000

Philosophy is taken to be the paragon of rational argumentation and logical analysis but I want to explore the esoteric and mystical aspect of ancient Greek philosophy - a dimension often ignored or unstressed . This is the first in a series that will explore this more arcane side of western philosophy from ancient Greece to contemporary analytic and continental schools.

Support Esoterica on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel

Recommended Readings:

Kirk, Raven and Schofield - The Presocratic Philosophers: A Critical History with a Selection of Texts - 978-0521274555
Philosophy Before Socrates - Richard D. McKirahan - 978-1603841825
Eric Dodds - The Greeks and the Irrational - 978-0520242302
Walter Burkert - Lore and Science in Ancient Pythagoreanism - 978-0674539181
Charles Kahn - Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans - 978-0872205758
Peter Kingsley - Ancient Philosophy, Mystery, and Magic: Empedocles and Pythagorean Tradition - 978-0198150817
Parmenides - Martin Heidegger - 978-0253212146 (caveat lector!)

#esotericism #presocratic #philosophy

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The Lesser Key of Solomon - History of Solomonic Magic and Goetia - Check out updated 2023 video!

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 18:30:00 -0000

Solomon has been associated with both exoteric and esoteric wisdom - especially magic and control of demons - for millennia. This Episode of Esoterica explores the history of Solomonic magic and the it's most famous expression in the Lemegeton or The Lesser Key of Solomon. We will deep dive into the history of Solomon as a sorcerer, the development of Solomonic Magic, and the composition and structure of the major parts of the Lesser Key, especially the infamous book of demonic conjuring the Goetia.

Check out the updated video here - https://youtu.be/d3DmMeJX-io

Check out Angela's episode: https://youtu.be/8WJzCwK6Hus

Recommended Reading:

Elizabeth M. Butler - Ritual Magic - 978-0271018461 - Best academic study of Solomonic magic, though getting a bit dated
Joseph H. Peterson - The Lesser Key of Solomon - 978-1578632206 - Best edition of the text though Skinner and Rankine's Goetia of Dr. Rudd - 978-0738723556 - has an excellent introduction, well-worth close study

#goetia #magic #occultism

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Sefer Yetzirah - Book of Formation - Introduction to a Core Early Text of Kabbalah Cabala Qabbalah

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 18:30:00 -0000

The Sefer Yetzirah is perhaps the oldest text of what would become the Jewish Mysticism known as the Kabbalah. Though, virtually everything about this brief text is a mystery. When was it written, by whom and exactly what it means are all hotly debated topics by academics, kabbalists and occultists. Indeed, the text is so linked with magical power that commentaries on the text describe how one might construct artificial life itself in the form of the famed Golem. This episode explores the origin, development and contents of this elusive but profound mystical text

Gershom Scholem - Kabbalah - 978-0452010079 (dated but still useful)
Tzahi Weiss - Sefer Yesirah and Its Contexts - 978-0812249903
Peter Hayman - Sefer Yesira: Edition, Translation and Text-critical Commentary - 978-3161483813 (ILL this one)
Don Karr - Notes on Editions of Sefer Yetzirah in English - https://www.academia.edu/22875900/Notes_on_Editions_of_Sefer_Yetzirah_in_English
Aryeh Kaplan - Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation - 978-0877286905 (Lurianic perspective)
Sefer Yetzirah HaShalem - Harav Moshe Tzuriel - (check seforim stores)

#kabbalah #yetzirah #golem

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Who was Belial, the Demon?

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 17:30:00 -0000

The demon Belial seems to have emerged from an obscure force of nature to then become the leader of the Apocalyptic forces of Evil in the Dead Sea Scrolls. And, while only mentioned only once in the New Testament, Belial has become an important evil spirit in both contemporary Goetic magic and Popular Culture alike. But, what are the origins of Belial, a demon that once sat at the apex of the diabolical hierarchy?

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Magic in Ancient Israel and the Hebrew Bible - Divination Necromancy Amulets and the Witch of Endor

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 17:30:00 -0000

Ancient Israel is one of the most studied cultures of the ancient world. Though, one understudied aspect of their society was the practice of magic. This episode of Esoteric explores what little archaeological and literary evidence remains for the study of ancient Israelite magic. Here we will look at silver amulets found in Jerusalem's tombs and dive into the Hebrew Bible to try to understand the forms of magic that are typically forbidden there. Here we will find various forms of divination and necromancy including the infamous account of the so-called "Witch of Endor."

Recommended Readings:
Yuval Harari - Jewish Magic before the Rise of Kabbalah - 978-0814336304
Gideon Bohak - Ancient Jewish Magic - 978-0521180986
Joshua Trachtenberg - Jewish Magic and Superstition - 978-1614274070 - Dated, proceed critically!

#magic #bible #judaism

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Does ESOTERICA rely on AI?

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:30:00 -0000

Laying out my position on the use of AI - especially generative AI - here at Esoterica.

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Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

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Was Lilith a Joke? How Bad Translation and Parody Created a Demon

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:30:00 -0000

Since the romantic rehabilitation of Lilith from child-murderer and nocturnal seducer of men to symbol of feminine power and defiance, Lilith has become one of the most recognizable of modern demons. But her origin, first in ancient Mesopotamia and then in the early medieval Jewish literature are marked by curious historical accidents. Curiously enough, Lilith may have emerged as a linguistic mistake and a text meant to parody rabbinic legends. Let’s explore the historical vicissitudes of She of the Night, Lilith.

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New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing
Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

Lilith 1 - https://youtu.be/n1EKccz4fS0
Lilith 2 - https://youtu.be/U-jIScgb7Nc
Mirror of Lilith - https://youtu.be/uNfcdZ0UCc4
Lilith & Incantation Bowls - https://youtu.be/wyI9m50ODB4
New Incantation Bowls feat. Lilith - https://youtu.be/0YIZhuIpkPA

ESOTERICA sales for the holidays!

Lilith Incantation Bowls back in limited stock - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/shop/p/handcraft-aramaic-incantation-bowl-limited-edition

20% off any purchase at our Rare Book Store - code HOLIDAY at checkout - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

New Necromantic Mirror of Floron shirt and 15% off all merch with code HOLIDAY at checkout - https://my-store-d6a943.creator-spring.com/

Looking to buy books on western esotericism check out my study guide - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing

Recommended Readings:

Patai - The Hebrew Goddess
Blair - De-demonising the Old Testament
McDonald - In Possession of the Night: Lilith as Goddess, Demon, Vampire
Chavalas - Women in the Ancient Near East
Naveh, Shaked - Amulets and Magic Bowls
Montgomery - Aramaic Incantation Texts from Nippur

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Win a 1300 Year Old Incantation Bowl Fragment - Novel Occult Book Catalog!

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:30:00 -0000

Win an authentic piece of magical history: a 1300 year old Incantation Bowl Fragment and learn about our new antiquarian occult book catalog!

Check out the catalog here: https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

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Introduction to Merkavah Mysticism - 13 of 15 - The Sar Torah and Sh’iur Komah

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:30:00 -0000

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Magic and Disease - Thinking about the history of magic in the time of COVID-19

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:30:00 -0000

Human beings have fought disease since the dawn of history employing a wide range of tools especially including magic. This episode of Esoterica is a brief tour of some of the magical tools, spells, charms, and amulets magician-doctors have used in their fight against illness through the ages. We begin at the dawn of civilization in ancient Nippur and travel through the times of the Greco-Egyptians, the black death, medieval Christian England, the Renaissance before ending with a Jewish angelic incantation against illness printed in Amsterdam in 1701. Of course, this is only a glimpse of the enormous anti-disease magic out there but I hope it provide some historical and human insight into this ongoing struggle with COVID-19 we are all enduring. I hope you and your loved ones stay safe out there!

#magic #disease #history

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John Dee - The Monas Hieroglyphica - Part I - History and Context

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:30:00 -0000

This is part one of a series discussing Dr. John Dee's revolutionary, though obscure, 1564 text the Monas Hieroglyphica (The Hieroglyphic Monad). In part one we will discuss the philosophical and historical context of the text and present the main thesis of our analysis: Dee is seeking to reform human knowledge through using a powerful symbol to purify specifically alchemy and cabala. Part two will explore Dee's theory of alchemy and cabala and part three will show how the Hieroglyphic Monad has its power through combining the semiotic (representational) and the ontological (being itself).

These episodes represent a more introductory version of my thesis on the Monas Hieroglyphica prepared at the University of Amsterdam.

You can read the entire thesis here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z3_C6qUjjeL58EciAl00iXOUWMoKAQtG/view?usp=sharing

Standard text and translation of the Monas Hieroglyphica - C. H. Josten, Ambix, 12:2-3 (1964): 82-221

I'll provide more recommended readings on the Monas Hieroglyphica in the third episode.

#dee #enochian #monas

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Kabbalah and Zohar - Advice and Tips for Starting to Study the Zohar - the core text of the Kabbalah

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:30:00 -0000

I was recently asked about tips for how to start studying the Zohar, the core text in the development of the Jewish Mystical tradition or Kabbalah. I've been study this incredibly challenging text from both religious and academic perspectives for years and here are some tips and advice for anyone - Jewish, non-Jewish, academic, secular, occultist, or just fan of literature - for starting to study this amazing text. Also note the links to the texts below including some recommendations for editions to study at any level of Zohar study.

Sample Section of Talmud - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RLHGFBVl79KWYav7HSgAMblU7Q5lOP4RpTBSjm47tA4/edit?usp=sharing

Zohar Editions from Starter to Advanced

Zohar: Annotated & Explained - 978-1893361515 - Best text for absolute beginner
Zohar: The Book of Enlightenment (Classics of Western Spirituality) - 978-0809123872 - More diverse texts, still great for absolute beginner
The Pritzker Zohar in 12 volumes - https://www.sup.org/zohar/ - Best translation in English
Sefer Zohar (Hebrew/Aramaic) - Margaliot 3 volume edition - Standard edition for both Academic and Religious reference
From here, move on to both academic and religious commentaries

The Zohar can be incredibly challenging to study. Here is a short syllabus in graduated form from easier (Midrash haNe'elam) to more difficult (Idra Rabba) sections:

Midrash haNe'elam / The Hidden Midrash - (2:4a–5b, 14a–22a, 2:35b–40b 46b-47b and volume 11 of the Pritzker Zohar vol. 11 )
The Sava (2:94b–114a - Pritzker Zohar vol. 5) and Yanuka pericopes (3:186a–92a - Pritzker Zohar vol. 9)
The main body of the Zohar - The Introduction being a real challenge
Idra Zuta or the The Lesser Assembly (3:287b–96b - Pritzker Zohar vol. 9)
Sifra di-Tzeni'uta (2:176b–179a - Pritzker Zohar vol. 9)
Idra Rabba or The Greater Assembly (3:127b–145a - Pritzker Zohar vol. 8)

#kabbalah #zohar #mysticism

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SOLD OUT! Join @ESOTERICA and @Atun-Shei Films Tour of Esoteric New England 2026

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:30:00 -0000

Join Andy Rakich (Atun-Shei Films) & Dr. Justin Sledge (Esoterica) for an October tour of Esoteric New England, October 9-16 2026:

Purchase Tickets here - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/shop/p/esoteric-new-england-with-andy-justin-october-2026
Donate to the budget of "The Alchemist" ► https://www.paypal.me/atunsheifilms

The tour will start in rural Rhode Island visiting forgotten King Philip's War battlefields, then pass through Providence to see H.P. Lovecraft's old neighborhood. Entering Massachusetts, we'll visit New Bedford, historic center of the whaling industry, and get to see living history sites at Plimoth Patuxet Museums. We'll enjoy fireside drinks in an early 18th century haunted house, explore Walden Pond and the sites where the Revolutionary War began, and check out the headquarters of a Puritan alchemist. Finally, we'll wrap things up (where else) in Salem, center of the 1692 witchcraft delusion and the Halloween capital of America. Full itinerary will be sent upon ticket purchase.

Exact times will be provided closer to the start of the tour.

This tour will be primarily a fundraiser for Andy and Justin’s short “The Alchemist” with the hopes of eventually producing a feature length version. You’ll get to see scripts, our look-book, and help shape our vision for the project: an attempt to center historically accurate alchemy in film.

What’s Included: A week of on-location tours, education, meals, drinks and hang-outs with Andy and Justin.

What’s NOT included: Airfare, hotels, transportation, meals, drinks, site tickets. This will be a bit of gonzo tourism. Participants will have access to a private discord server to coordinate shared hotels, overland transportation to sites, etc.

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Corpus Hermeticum - Introduction to Hermes Trismegistus and Hermetic Philosophy

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:30:00 -0000

The Corpus Hermeticum are the texts and teachings ascribed to the legendary Egyptian sage, priest, and philosopher Hermes Trismegistus. When translated and published by Ficino in 1471 these texts were heralded as the very source of pure, perennial wisdom. In the subsequent years, these ideas went on to have a massive impact upon what is now called western esotericism. Just what are these teaching? What is the history of the text? How did this pagan wisdom survive into modernity? In this episode of Esoterica we introduce the Corpus Hermeticum, Hermes Trismegistus & Hermetic Philosophy.

Reccomended Reading:

Dillion - The Middle Platonists: 80 B.C. to A.D. 220 - 978-0801483165
Copenhaver - Hermetica - 978-0521425438
Litwa - Hermetica II - 978-1107182530
Salaman, van Oyen, Wharto, Mahe - The Way of Hermes - 978-0892811861
van Bladel - The Arabic Hermes - 978-0195376135
Fowden - The Egyptian Hermes - 978-0691024981
Festugière - La révélation d'Hermès Trismégiste - 978-2251326740

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Five Myths Surrounding Alchemy

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:30:00 -0000

Alchemy is one of the most misrepresented and poorly understood aspects of Western Esotericism. This video takes a look at five misconceptions from both the scientific dismissal of alchemy to the purely spiritual/psychological interpretation of its processes and symbolism.

Support Esoterica: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel

Recommended Reading:

Linden, Stanton J. (ed.) The Alchemy Reader: From Hermes Trismegistus to Isaac Newton. 978-0521796620. Nicely edited collection of alchemical primary texts.
Principe, Lawrence. The Secrets of Alchemy. 978-0226103792. An up-to-date history of alchemy.
Newman, William. Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's "Secret Fire" 978-0691174877. Cutting edge research on alchemy in the 17th century. An amazing wok of scholarship.
Roob, Alexander(ed.) Alchemy & Mysticism. 978-3836549363. A collection of alchemical imagery and symbolism, also a nice coffee table book!

Spiritual / Psychology School of Interpretation

Atwood, Mary Anne. A Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery….(many re-print editions). The first text to introduce the ‘spiritual interpretation” of alchemy.
Eliade, Mircea. The Forge and the Crucible: The Origins and Structure of Alchemy. 978-0226203904. Religious-philosophical interpretation of alchemy.
von Franz, Marie-Louise. Alchemy: An Introduction to the Symbolism and the Psychology. 978-0919123045. An introduction to the Jungian psychological interpretation of alchemy.

#alchemy #hermeticism #mysticism

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How to Explore the Occult and Western Esotericism

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:30:00 -0000

Studying Western Esotericism can be a daunting task. How to even begin? I prepared a self-study guide for getting access to the most reliable and accessible literature on topics in Esotericism up to around 1650, updated for 2026. In this episode I want to walk you through my methodology, the study guide itself and how you can use it to bring yourself up to date on the scholarship. Let's build a library of the occult and the esoteric together!

You can find the study guide here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing

Consider Supporting Esoterica!
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New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing
Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

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What are the Mayan Mysteries of the Oldest American Manuscript?

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:30:00 -0000

900 years ago, a set of Mayan scribes composed what is now the oldest American book. But it remains mysterious. On its pages various deities seem to menace, capture and behead victims, attack sacred temples and threaten the world order all on specific dates in the religious 260 days Mayan Calendar. What scholars have revealed is a complex astrological almanac detailing specific dates in the four phases of the planet Venus and the doom that came with them. Let's explore the Códice Maya de México and the foreboding doom brought by the planet Venus.

Consider Supporting Esoterica!
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Merch - https://www.youtube.com/@TheEsotericaChannel/store
New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing
Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

Mayan Bloodletting Mysticism - https://youtu.be/qqsTx0JutsA

The Mesoamerican Calendar - https://youtu.be/t9E_eXE33JE?si=k1aJkBFUkWRnrLlC

Recommended Reading:

Códice Maya de México - https://amzn.to/4qAJSoU
https://archive.org/details/maya-codex-mexico/MCM%20Page.1.jpg
Schele, etc., - Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art - https://amzn.to/3ZrFRHc
Tedlock - Popol Vuh - https://amzn.to/4r4ZMHE
Coe - The Maya - https://amzn.to/4qAdfYt
Coe, Stone - Reading the Maya Glyphs - https://amzn.to/49Lm9ef
Montgomery - Dictionary of Maya Hieroglyphs - https://amzn.to/49KARCh

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The Origins of Dracula - How Printing Made a Monster

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:30:00 -0000

How did Dracula become...Dracula? The grim tales of Vlad III the Impaler, Voivode of Wallachia, are infamous. Touted as a bloodthirsty tyrant and a pious defender of Christendom, much of our knowledge of Dracula's stems from a now lost 1463 anonymous German Pamphlet. Reprinted many times, including woodcuts of Vlad dining among his impaled and mutilated victims, these early texts detail the "frightful and strange" deeds of Vlad Dracula. But, what can we reconstruct of the lost original 1463 "Geschichte Drakole Waide - The History of Voievode Dracula"? And, can we trust such accounts as historically reliable? Was Vlad the Impaler as horrible as recounted? Did he drink the blood of his victims like the Vampire that now bears his name? Let's explore the earliest narratives of Vlad Dracula!

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One Time Donation Support - Paypal Donation - https://www.paypal.me/esotericachannel
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New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing
Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

Recommended Readings:

Cazacu - Dracula - https://amzn.to/4733XwH

Corpus Draculianum - https://www.harrassowitz-verlag.de/search.ahtml?act=suchen&type=quick&keyword=draculianum

Corpus Draculianum YouTube - @CorpusDraculianum

St. Gall 'Dracula" MS - https://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en/csg/0806/283/0/
Dracole Waida - https://bildsuche.digitale-sammlungen.de/index.html?c=viewer&bandnummer=bsb00032879&pimage=00006&v=5p&nav=&l=en

Historia von dem wilden Wüterich Dracole Waida, Straßburg: [Matthias Hupfuff], 1500 - https://dlib.gnm.de/item/8Inc16936/5

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What is the Hermetic God and Demiurge?

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:30:00 -0000

The concept of the Demiurge is often associated with the demonic cosmos creator of the Gnostics. But, what do we know about the ancient Hermetic Demiurge? Emerging from the world of Greco-Egyptian religion and philosophy, Hermeticism was a powerfully optimistic means of reuniting one's high consciousness (Nous) with the Divine Parental Light after exorcising one's body of fatalistic daimonic infestation. But, the Hermetic Spiritual Philosophy is ambivalent about the place of any Demiurge in it's cosmology and means of salvation. Yet, some texts do speak of a magnificent Solar Demiurge as the conduit and cosmic artisan. Just what is the place of the Demiurge in Hermeticism?

Demiurge 1 - https://youtu.be/mTnQ__VSQzc
Demiurge 2 - https://youtu.be/GWHLuZgixHI
Demiurge 3 - https://youtu.be/xfG0w4k6EA8
Demiurge 4 - https://youtu.be/kq-CoIFf8l0

Thumbnail art from Zdzisław Beksiński

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One Time Donation Support - Paypal Donation - https://www.paypal.me/esotericachannel
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Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

Recommended Readings:

Hermetic Spirituality and the Historical Imagination - https://amzn.to/4r7cRRB
Hermetica I: The Corpus Hermeticum, Asclepius, and Nag Hammadi Hermetica Ordered as a Path of Initiation - https://amzn.to/47P4kvf
Dr. David Litwa's YT channel - @m.davidlitwa
The Demiurge in Ancient Thought: Secondary Gods and Divine Mediators - https://amzn.to/49tSc3Z

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Mysticism vs Satan - Hildegard of Bingen's Sacred Exorcism

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:30:00 -0000

Can Mysticism Defeat Satan? In 1196 the mystic Hildegard of Bingen was called to help cure a noble woman of demonic possession. However, it became clear that only a divine revelation could combat these demonic forces. And, in a mystical vision, Hildegard received a powerful ritual of exorcism through which She and God alone could contend with the forces of Satan. This Mystical Exorcism is one of the most fascinating in history and may have, unwittingly, helped to form the foundation of the Clerical Necromantic Underground.

Consider Supporting Esoterica!
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New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing
Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

Recommended Readings:

Hildegard of Bingen: Scivias - https://amzn.to/4vEtsyx
Selected Writings: Hildegard of Bingen - https://amzn.to/3OIXxfE
Hildegard of Bingen - https://amzn.to/3OViaFB
Sarah Higley - Hildegard of Bingen’s Unknown Language: An Edition, Translation, and Discussion - ISBN-13: 978-1403976734

The Letters of Hildegard of Bingen - https://amzn.to/4cAzEil
The Personal Correspondence of Hildegard of Bingen - https://amzn.to/4sMOdW8

The Digital Version of the Reisencodex - https://hlbrm.digitale-sammlungen.hebis.de/handschriften-hlbrm/content/pageview/449620

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Necromancy - How to Read a Historical Book of Magic / Necromancy - Reading a Real Necronomicon

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:30:00 -0000

This episode celebrates 1000 Subscribers! This time we answers fans of the channel's request for an analysis of a historical book of magic. What if you were to stumble onto an actual copy of the something like the Necronomicon of HP Lovecraft / Evil Dead lore? How would you go about actually reading it? Here, we discuss at length, the various processes scholars perform to understand medieval books - from book binding, to writing media, to medieval Latin and the complex set of abbreviations that often encode the writing of the middle ages - by looking at a page from CLM 849 or the Munich Necromancer's Manual. As you will see, this specific spell is uses demonic magic to produce a magical cloak capable of rendering the magus invisible to all all manner of beings.

Recommended Readings:

Richard Kieckhefer - Forbidden Rites: A Necromancer’s Manual of the Fifteenth Century - ISBN-13: 978-0271017518
Bernhard Bischoff - Latin Palaeography: Antiquity and the Middle Ages - 978-0521367264

You can also enter for the manuscript just contacting me via my website (https://www.justinsledge.com/contact) with favorite reflections on an episode - I don't this to be strictly based on patron support and that helps to meet legal guidelines so you don't need to pay anything at all to enter!

#magic #necromancy #manuscript

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The Mystical Theology of Affection - Bernard of Clairvaux

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:30:00 -0000

Is Love fundamental reality? Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 - 1153) is among the pillars of western mysticism. In his mystical theology, he takes John's declaration that "God is Love" to it's radical conclusion: Love is both the means and the goal of all existence. Thus, the soul must undergo a series of transformations through love so as to be raptured up into the Divine Love which is God. Let's explore the mystical theology of Love!

Consider Supporting Esoterica!
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel
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New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing
Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

Recommended Readings:

Bernard of Clairvaux: Selected Works - https://amzn.to/4qU6oZ1
Sermons on the Song of Songs Set - https://litpress.org/Products/CFZ02/Sermons-on-the-Song-of-Songs-Set-Volumes-14
The Mystical Theology of St. Bernard - https://amzn.to/4r2iO1h
The Growth of Mysticism: Gregory the Great Through the 12 Century - https://amzn.to/4caDAYG

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Esoteric Film Review and Analysis - A Dark Song

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:30:00 -0000

A review and analysis of the 2016 film A Dark Song. I'll be discussing the esoteric and occult aspects of the film including the Abramelin operation, Aleister Crowley's infamous invocation at Boleskine, and some thoughts on how the film deals with the Faustian trope in a novel manner.

A whole video on the Abramelin operation will appear in the future as part of Esoterica's series on books of magic - stay tuned!

Support Esoterica on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel

Recommended Readings:

A Dark Song trailer and rent - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-S3JqJZJ3s

Dehn, Guth, Duquette - The Book of Abramelin: A New Translation - 978-0892542147 - The best edition of the text (sadly, no critical edition of the text exists to date)
Mathers - The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage - 978-0486232119 - Classic but defective
Sadly, it appears that Crowley's Confessions are out of print and very exspensive but I am sure they can be found online
The Boleskine House Foundation - https://www.boleskinehouse.org/ - contact them to help restore this important piece of Scottish and Esoteric history!

#occult #abramelin #crowley

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ESOTERICA at 1,000,000 Followers

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:30:00 -0000

My deepest gratitude to all of you as @TheEsotericaChannel crosses 1,000,000 subscribers.

ESOTERICA sales for the holidays!

Check out and Subscribe - feel free to add other worthwhile ReligionTube Channels!

Let's Talk Religion - https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkReligion
Angela's Symposium - https://www.youtube.com/@drangelapuca
Religion for Breakfast - https://www.youtube.com/@ReligionForBreakfast
The Modern Hermeticist - https://www.youtube.com/@TheModernHermeticist
Seekers of Unity - https://www.youtube.com/@SeekersofUnity
Dan McClellan - https://www.youtube.com/@maklelan
Kipp Davis - https://www.youtube.com/@DrKippDavis

Lilith Incantation Bowls back in limited stock - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/shop/p/handcraft-aramaic-incantation-bowl-limited-edition

20% off any purchase at our Rare Book Store - code HOLIDAY at checkout - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

New Necromantic Mirror of Floron shirt and 15% off all merch with code HOLIDAY at checkout - https://my-store-d6a943.creator-spring.com/

Looking to buy books on western esotericism check out my study guide - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing

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Mystical Language - Hildegard of Bingen's Lingua Ignota (Unknown Language) - Early Invented Tongue

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:30:00 -0000

The first in a series here at Esoterica exploring esoteric languages and symbol systems! This video takes a look at the Lingua Ignota (Unknown Language) of the 12th century mystic and polymath Hildegard of Bingen.

Support Esoterica on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel

O Orzchis Ecclesia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGCAOf9gjBM

Recommended Readings:

Sarah Higley - Hildegard of Bingen’s Unknown Language: An Edition, Translation, and Discussion - ISBN-13: 978-1403976734
Hildegard's Music on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hildegard+music
Hildegard - Hildegard of Bingen: Scivias - ISBN-13: 978-0809131303
Selected Writings: Hildegard of Bingen - ISBN-13: 978-0140436044
Fiona Maddocks - Hildegard of Bingen - ISBN-13: 978-0571302437
Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen - Matthew Fox - ISBN-13: 978-1879181977

#hildegard #ignota #conlang

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Who was Asherah - Wife of Yahweh?

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:30:00 -0000

Did Yahweh have a Wife? Asherah is an goddess and cultic object well, though mysteriously, attested in the Hebrew Bible - but what do we really know about Asherah? Let's explore the the history of this goddess: divine matriarch, consort and power behind the throne. From ancient Babylon, the Hittite Empire, the Canaanites, the Hebrew Bible and South Arabian texts let's see what we can learn about this goddess. Do recently discovered inscriptions even indicate that she was the lost or even suppressed Wife of Yahweh? And, how does the Kabbalah restore Asherah as the Divine Feminine? Let's explore the history and mythology of Asherah.

Consider Supporting Esoterica!
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel
One Time Donation Support - Paypal Donation - https://www.paypal.me/esotericachannel
Merch - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ/store
New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing
Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

Recommended Readings:

Did God Have a Wife? - https://amzn.to/4oweMOe
A Reassessment of Asherah - https://amzn.to/3Lpy3Cb
The Cult of Asherah in Ancient Israel and Judah - https://amzn.to/47rcM3G

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Magic in Theory - The Stellar Ray Theory of Al-Kindi

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:30:00 -0000

This episode is the first in a series focusing on theories of magic. We begin with one of the most popular medieval theories: the stellar rays of Al-Kindi. Al-Kindi, a 9th century Islamicate philosopher, who argued that the stars emits rays which trickle down to the sub-lunar world where they qualify matter. Further, all entities emit rays. Certain occult or hidden rays can be manipulated by the sage to induce apparently supernatural or magical effects though speech, powerful symbols and animal sacrifice. This idea provided a route to natural, as opposed to ritual/demonic, magic in the middle ages and underwrote much of astrological theory. The stellar ray theory would also be built into the famous book of the magic the Picatrix which would be one of the earliest books learned magic to enter Western Europe. Indeed, the argument in defense of occult forces in the universe is essential for modern physics.

Recommended readings:

Pormann and Peterson - The Philosophical Works of al-Kindi - 978-0199062805
Liana Saif - The Arabic Influences on Early Modern Occult Philosophy - 978-1137399465
Al-Kindi - De Radiis (pp. 139-260) - Marie-Thérèse d'Alverny and Françoise HudryArchives d'histoire doctrinale et littéraire du Moyen Age, Vol. 41, 1974 - https://www.jstor.org/stable/i40184716
Al-Kindi: On the Stellar Rays - trans. Zoller and Hand - http://www.projecthindsight.com/archives/medieval%20contents/al-kindi.html
Esmé L K Partridge - Al-Kindi's Theory of The Magical Arts: A Commentary on Al-Kindi's Treatise 'On Rays' - https://www.academia.edu/36457042/Al-Kindis_Theory_of_The_Magical_Arts_A_Commentary_on_Al-Kindis_Treatise_On_Rays

#magic #astrology #alkindi

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Introduction to Merkavah Mysticism - 15 of 15 - The Twilight of the Merkavah

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:30:00 -0000

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Introduction to Merkavah Mysticism - 12 of 15 - Goals of the Merkavah Mysticism

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:30:00 -0000

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Medieval Mystical Women - The Beguines - Hadewijch Mechthild of Magdeburg and Marguerite Porete

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 04:30:00 -0000

The typical view of the middle ages is one of cultural, intellectual and religious stagnation. This is hardly the truth. The European Middle ages were marked by innovations at almost every cultural register including spirituality. This episode explores the radical and probing mystical spirituality of the Beguines, a lay culture of women who worked in the skilled trades, publicly preached, aided the poor and destitute, all as part of their own autonomous spiritual vocation. These women were also extraordinary mystics and theologians. We briefly explore three of these amazing women here: Hadewijch of Antwerp, Mechthild of Magdeburg & Marguerite Porete to reveal how their mysticism abounds in love, light, madness, and annihilation.

This episode is also a collaboration with my colleague Filip Holm over at Let's Talk Religion where he will be exploring the role of women in Sufism / Islamic Mysticism. Check out his video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVSZaxcg6RY

#mysticism #beguine #women

Recommended Readings:

Hadewijch: The Complete Works - 978-0809122974
Marguerite Porete: The Mirror of Simple Souls - 978-0809134274
Mechthild of Magdeburg: The Flowing Light of the Godhead - 978-0809137763
Swan - The Wisdom of the Beguines - 978-1629190082
McGinn - The Flowering of Mysticism - 978-0824517434

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Introduction to Merkavah Mysticism - 14 of 15 - Magical Context and Afterlife

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 04:30:00 -0000

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What is Spiritual Alchemy?

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:30:00 -0000

What is Spiritual Alchemy? Most people interested in alchemy these days are primarily interested in alchemy as a kind of mystical self-transformation. But, where did this concept first emerge in European Alchemy? We first find the concept that the concept of alchemy as spiritual transformation in a obscure text known as Azoth Et Ignis - Azoth and Fire (1584-99/1702). Born in heterodox Protestant, Paracelsian and mystical circles Azoth and Fire argued that in the mystery of the number 666 we find that alchemy is theology and theology is alchemy. But how does Christ become the Stone of the Philosophers' Stone, our means of Spiritual Transformation and the process by which We perfect Nature itself? Let's explore this obscure, profound and important text: Azoth and Fire!

Consider Supporting Esoterica!
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One Time Donation Support - Paypal Donation - https://www.paypal.me/esotericachannel
Merch - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ/store
New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing
Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

Recommended Readings:

Zuber - Spiritual Alchemy - https://amzn.to/49QU4DX
Azoth Et Ignis - https://archive.org/details/azothetignisdasi00fict/mode/1up
Das Lebendige Buch : Ms. germ. fol. 1070 , 1599 - https://digital.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/werkansicht?PPN=PPN737954477&PHYSID=PHYS_0045&DMDID=DMDLOG_0001&view=picture-download
Alchemistische Sammelhandschrift - Cod. Allerheiligen 3 - https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbdd/content/pageview/2949214

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How Angel Magic Brought Us the Internet - The Steganographia of Trithemius

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:30:00 -0000

Did Angel Magic give us the Internet? In around 1499 Johann Trithemius began combining alchemical theory, astrology, the combatory arts and angel magic into a vast occult system by which to rapidly transmit information, acquire languages, induce prophecy and illuminate the soul. He called this occult science the Ars Steganographia and he was condemned for it. Despite rumors that he was a vile necromancer, Trithemius would continue his studies: founding arcane modern cryptology, tutoring Agrippa as he developed the Occult Philosophy, inspiring the development of the Lesser Key of Solomon, uncovering the astral cycles of history and much more. Let's explore the Ars Steganographia!

Consider Supporting Esoterica!
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel
Merch - https://www.youtube.com/@TheEsotericaChannel/store
New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing
Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

Recommended Readings:

Bran, Trithemius and Magical Theology - https://sunypress.edu/Books/T/Trithemius-and-Magical-Theology
DO NOT BUY this book from Amazon. They use a POD service and the book will just fall apart.

Skinner & Clark, Steganographia - https://amzn.to/3PocHar
Dan Harms on the Skinner Steganographia - https://medium.com/@danharms_29771/steganographia-a-review-5b26849f45c7

Gamer - Die Polygraphia des Johannes Trithemius - https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9789004507753/html?lang=en

Frater Acher - https://scarletimprint.com/publications/p/black-abbot-white-magic

Shumaker - Renaissance Curiosa - Johannes Trithemius and Cryptography

The Art Theurgia Goetia - https://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/theurgia.htm

Steganographia 1606 - https://books.google.com/books?id=yqRNAAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Steganographia 1608 - https://archive.org/details/SteganographiaBSB1608/mode/1up
Steganographis Vindicated 1721 - https://books.google.it/books?id=wYFZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP9#v=onepage&q&f=false
John Dee's Manuscript copy - https://www.library.wales/discover-learn/digital-exhibitions/manuscripts/early-modern-period/steganographia/

De Septem Secundeis - https://esotericarchives.com/tritheim/tritem.htm
https://www.google.com/books/edition/De_septem_secundeis_id_est_intelligentii/ij48AAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1
De Septem Secundeis 1522 -
https://www.google.com/books/edition/De_septem_secunda_Deis_id_est_intelligen/EaRRAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1
De Septem Secundeis 1545 - https://www.google.com/books/edition/De_septem_secundeis_id_est_intelligentii/ij48AAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1

Polygraphiae 1613 - https://www.google.com/books/edition/Libri_polygraphiae_VI/aN-uEaXeZN0C?hl=en&gbpv=1

Liber octo quaestionum 1534 - https://www.google.com/books/edition/Liber_octo_quaestionum_quas_illi_dissolv/vhI8AAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1

"" - https://www.esotericarchives.com/tritheim/8quest.htm

The infamous Bovillus Epistle p. 172 - https://www.google.com/books/edition/Opuscula_Liber_de_intellectu/jtyJxrDZvsoC?hl=en&gbpv=1

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Egyptian Alchemy : Decoding the Greek - Egyptian Alchemy - The Formula of the Crab / Scorpion

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 02:30:00 -0000

Alchemy is, perhaps, best known for it's elaborate symbolism but just how far back into history can we trace these allegories, secret codes, and hidden meanings? In this episode of Esoterica we investigate what is likely one of the earliest encoded alchemical texts: "the Formula of the Crab" or "the Formula of the Scorpion." Found in a 10th century Greek manuscript, this formula contain a Greco-Egyptian alchemical process for producing a gold-like alloy of copper, silver, and lead. As we explore the formula we will also discuss how Greco-Egyptian alchemy differed from later theories under the influence of the mercury-sulfur theory of the metals. What will discover is an emphasis on the ability to control the color of metals as opposed to metallic transmutation reflecting the religious vocation of the earliest Egyptian metallurgists.

Recommended Reading:

M. Berthelot - Collection des anciens alchimistes grecs - https://archive.org/details/collectiondesanc23bert/mode/2up

S. Linden - The Alchemy Reader: From Hermes Trismegistus to Isaac Newton - 978-0521796620

S. Grimes - Becoming Gold: Zosimos of Panopolis and the Alchemical Arts in Roman Egypt - 978-0473407759

#alchemy #egypt #hermeticism

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Win a 439 year old book of Alchemy by Paracelsus!

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 02:30:00 -0000

Win this wonderful book of alchemy! Learn more in the video.

Esoterica Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/esotericaoccultbooks/
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel

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Frankenstein and the Occult - How Victor Made the Monster

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 01:30:00 -0000

One of the outstanding mysteries of Frankenstein is just how did Victor bring the Monster to life? We are given some clues that he had long studied famed authors of the Occult - Albertus Magnus, Cornelius Agrippa and Paracelsus - so what might we learn about making and animating monsters and the dead from these authors? From Necromancy, animating corpses with demons, the Kabbalistic Golem and the Homunculus let's explore how to make a Monster!

This video is a collaboration with @AtunSheiFilms - make sure to check out his amazing, feature length video essay on Frankenstein here - https://youtu.be/CY3LkkAgePg?si=9WjgOo1YVqR8PzEd

Consider Supporting Esoterica!
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel
One Time Donation Support - Paypal Donation - https://www.paypal.me/esotericachannel
Merch - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ/store
New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing
Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

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A Primer on Western Esotericism

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 01:30:00 -0000

An introduction to the relatively new field of western esotericism focusing on
the scope of field including magic, mysticism, alchemy, theosophy, and more; several of the dominant academic approaches to the field; where to study western esotericism at the university level

Support Esoterica on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel

Recommended Readings:

Antoine Faivre - Western Esotericism: A Concise History - ISBN-13: 978-1438433783
Arthur Versluis - Magic and Mysticism: An Introduction to Western Esoteric Traditions - ISBN-13: 978-0742558366
Kocku Von Stuckrad - Western Esotericism - A Brief History of Secret Knowledge - ISBN-13: 978-1844657476
Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke - The Western Esoteric Traditions: A Historical Introduction - ISBN-13: 978-0195320992
Wouter J. Hanegraaff - Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed - ISBN-13: 978-1441136466

#esotericism #occultism #hermeticism

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Introduction to Merkavah Mysticism - 11 of 15 - Qualifications and Praxes of the Merkavah

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:30:00 -0000

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Hand-Crafted Lilith Incantation Bowls Available - Limited Holiday Supply

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:30:00 -0000

Aramaic Incantations Bowls were an ancient magical technology for warding off the power of demons, especially Lilith, and malevolent sorcery. Numberings in the thousands, these bowls represent a now lost anti-demonic magical tradition. Esoterica has resurrected this practice in the form of a beautiful objet d'art: a hand-made, contemporary bowl featuring a traditional Lilith image and Aramaic inscription composed by Justin Sledge all based on historical examples in a very limited run of 50 bowls.

You can find the bowls for purchase here: https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/shop/p/handcraft-aramaic-incantation-bowl-limited-edition

Learn more about Aramaic Incantation Bowls: https://youtu.be/wyI9m50ODB4

The Aramaic Incantation, w/ English translation can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s-dTOknQE7Zi960XP_gvADZMcrbROxB3zjWdC2FRHl4/edit?usp=sharing

ESOTERICA sales for the holidays!

Lilith Incantation Bowls back in limited stock - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/shop/p/handcraft-aramaic-incantation-bowl-limited-edition

20% off any purchase at our Rare Book Store - code HOLIDAY at checkout - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

New Necromantic Mirror of Floron shirt and 15% off all merch with code HOLIDAY at checkout - https://my-store-d6a943.creator-spring.com/

Looking to buy books on western esotericism check out my study guide - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing

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Primer on Alchemy (FIA Lecture)

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:30:00 -0000

This is a lecture I gave last year at the Flint Institute of Art on the history, theory, and symbolism of alchemy. It's going to serve as an introduction to alchemy until I make a series for the channel.

Support Esoterica: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel
Support Adam McLean's art and research: https://www.alchemywebsite.com/bookshop/index.html
Support the Flint Institute of Arts: https://flintarts.org/join-and-give/ways-to-give

Recommended Readings:

Linden, Stanton J. (ed.) The Alchemy Reader: From Hermes Trismegistus to Isaac Newton. 978-0521796620. Nicely edited collection of alchemical primary texts.
Principe, Lawrence. The Secrets of Alchemy. 978-0226103792. An up-to-date history of alchemy.
Newman, William. Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's "Secret Fire" 978-0691174877. Cutting edge research on alchemy in the 17th century. An amazing wok of scholarship.
Roob, Alexander(ed.) Alchemy & Mysticism. 978-3836549363. A collection of alchemical imagery and symbolism, also a nice coffee table book!

Spiritual / Psychology School of Interpretation

Atwood, Mary Anne. A Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery….(many re-print editions). The first text to introduce the ‘spiritual interpretation” of alchemy.
Eliade, Mircea. The Forge and the Crucible: The Origins and Structure of Alchemy. 978-0226203904. Religious-philosophical interpretation of alchemy.
von Franz, Marie-Louise. Alchemy: An Introduction to the Symbolism and the Psychology. 978-0919123045. An introduction to the Jungian psychological interpretation of alchemy.

#alchemy #transmutation #hermeticism

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Greek Roman Egyptian Magic - Greek Magical Papyri - Books of Magic

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 23:30:00 -0000

We explore the earliest collection of magical texts in the ancient world - The Greek Magical Papyri (PGM) and the Egyptian Demotic spells. The PGM is the greatest collection of ancient magic. Written on papyrus these collections of spells, incantations, evocations, represent the rich cross-pollination between various cultures, religious systems, and forms of magic and divination. From Egyptian, Roman, Jewish, Greek cultures and religions emerges an amazing religious and magical syncretism. This video introduces the PGM and discusses a collection of spells including: an invisibility lotion, the invocation of Helios, a rare example of lesbian love magic, a curse for your boss, magical athletic ability, protection from demons, an anger management spell and more. This video is part of a series on books of magic in history - subscribe for future videos!

Support Esoterica on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel

Recommended Readings:

Betz - The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation - 978-0226044477
Ankarloo and Clark - Witchcraft and Magic in Europe vol II - Ancient Greece and Rome - 978-0812217056
Ogden - Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman World - 978-0195385205
Waston - Magic in Ancient Greece and Rome - 978-1788312981
Harris - Ancient Egyptian Magic - 978-1578635917

#magic #egyptan #greek

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Esoterica - Patreon Call

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 23:30:00 -0000

Support Esoterica on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel

Esoterica hopes for your support as we create videos on alchemy, magic, mysticism, theosophy, hermetica philosophy, kabbalah, gnosticism, new age spirituality!

I will be making videos on the topics above along with ongoing series on books of magic, occult languages, major figures in esoteric spirituality, a chronological introduction to western esotericism, along with film and book reviews and more!

Only a handful of institutions in the world offer high quality, scholarly access to these topics and I want Esoterica to provide content in this field from the most reliable sources available.

Your support makes that possible. Thank you for considering becoming a monthly donor!

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Kabbalah - Merkabah Hekhalot and Sar Torah Mysticism - Ancient Chariot and Angelic Kabbalah

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 23:30:00 -0000

Jewish mysticism is one of the foundations for Western Esotericism and this video explores some of the earliest strata of those mystical texts. In the Merkaba (chariot) / Hekhalot (palaces) texts mystics describe the terrifying and awe-inspiring descent - not ascent - into the divine palaces, meet with fearsome angels, gain control over angelic power, become transformed into beings of fire, and mount the very throne of G-d to carefully measure the vasts dimensions of the divine body. This video also explores the Sar Torah (Torah Prince) literature where mystics engage in Jewish theurgy in order to gain immediate knowledge of legal, magical, and religious lore. We also setup a future discussion of early Jewish magical texts such as the Sefer haRazim (The Book of Secrets) and the most obscure, taciturn, and amazing Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation).

Support Esoterica on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel

Recommended Readings:

James Davila - Hekhalot Literature in Translation: Major Texts of Merkavah Mysticism - 978-9004252158
James Davila - Descenders to the Chariot: The People Behind the Hekhalot Literature - 978-9004115415
Vita Daphna Arbel - Beholders of Divine Secrets: Mysticism and Myth in the Hekhalot and Merkavah Literature - 978-0791457245
Gershom Scholem - Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism - 978-0805210422
Menachem Kellner - Maimonides' Confrontation with Mysticism - 978-1904113294
Michael D. Swartz - Scholastic Magic: Ritual and Revelation in Early Jewish Mysticism - 978-0691010984 (Great text mostly dealing with Sar Torah Mysticism)

#merkavah #kabbalah #hekhalot

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The Evolution of Ghosts

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 22:30:00 -0000

Ghosts have a history. Despite seeming like a timeless aspect of religion, metaphysics and culture, ghosts have evolved through time. From polemics with 'pagan' Romans, encounters with Germanic mythology and combat with Enlightenment Rationalism, Ghosts have greatly transformed through time. Let's explore the evolution of the western Ghost.

Consider Supporting Esoterica!
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel
One Time Donation Support - Paypal Donation - https://www.paypal.me/esotericachannel
Merch - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ/store
New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing
Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

Recommended Readings:

Medieval Ghost Stories: An Anthology of Miracles, Marvels and Prodigies - https://amzn.to/437On0c
Ghosts in the Middle Ages: The Living and the Dead in Medieval Society - https://amzn.to/3IX7pQ3
Afterlives: The Return of the Dead in the Middle Ages - https://amzn.to/4344vjh

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Psychedelic Natural Magic - Potions from the 1558 Magiae Naturalis of Giambattista della Porta

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 22:30:00 -0000

While psychoactive substances are a core component in many religious traditions, with the exception of alcohol, they are conspicuously missing from much of the western European context. Did and how did such substances play a role in religious, philosophy, mysticism, and magic? This episode explores what appears to be an early selection of mind-altering compounds found in the enormously popular 1558 Magiae Naturalis (On Natural Magic). of Giambattista della Porta. Here della Porta describes four such 'potions,' to use his language, which allegedly cause "pleasant madness for a day" and provide for a range of phenomenological effects from 'being silly' to 'thinking one an animal or fish." What role did "potions" like these play beyond recreation - such as the ubiquitous flying ointments of the middle ages? What does it mean for such "potions" to appear in a book on "natural magic"?

Disclaimer and Plea: I've blurred out sections which contain specific ingredients, amounts, and processes for creating the 'potions' described by della Porta for reasons of safety. It is highly unadvised to attempt to recreate or ingest anything described in this text. I also know that early modern translations of this text exist and they are very easy to find. Please respect my wishes to not reproduce the description (in Latin, English, etc.) for how to make these 'potions' in the comments. I want encourage safety, responsible consumption of psychoactive substances, and harm reduction and without specialist vetting I can't reproduce these instructions in good conscious. Comments which violate this request will be deleted.

Recommended Readings:

Giambattista della Porta - 1558 - Magiae Naturalis (On Natural Magic) - https://books.google.com/books?id=R6vzpy4WQYMC&pg=PR5#v=onepage&q&f=false

#magic #psychedelics #occultism

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Necromancy and Magic - The Munich Necromancer's Manual - CLM 849 - Actual Historical Grimoire of Sorcery

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 22:30:00 -0000

The first in a series here at Esoterica exploring books of magic or grimoires. This episode takes a look at the Munich Necromancer's Manual: the spells inside (summoning a castle, a 'love' spell and a spell to find buried treasure), the author and their historical context, and more books are medieval magic.

Support Esoterica on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel

Recommended Readings:

Richard Kieckhefer - Forbidden Rites: A Necromancer’s Manual of the Fifteenth Century - ISBN-13: 978-0271017518
Richard Kieckhefer - Magic in the Middle Ages - ISBN-13: 978-1107431829
Owen Davies - Grimoires: A History of Magic Books - ISBN-13: 978-0199590049
Witchcraft and Magic in Europe - eds, Bengt Ankarloo and Stuart Clark
- Six Volumes
Magic in History Series - Published by Penn State University Press (various texts and authors)

#necromancy #magic #grimoire

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What is Theurgy? Proclus and Pagan Liberation

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 21:30:00 -0000

Precious little on pagan theories of salvation survive from the ancient world. However, Proclus' On the Hieratic Art According to the Greeks is an amazingly brief and yet profound introduction to salvation through Theurgy or God-Doing. In this text, we learn of the four-stage process by which one achieves magical powers and immortalization through various forms of theurgy. From recognizing the world as part of the divine flowing out, incantations, divine epiphanies, occult passcodes, animating cultic statues, and conjunctions with the Divine. Surviving in just one manuscript exemplar and first printed in 1497 - both in Ficino's hand and translation - Proclus On the Hieratic Art is one of the most important testimonies to the synthesis of Pagan philosophy and religious ritual!

Consider Supporting Esoterica!
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel
Merch - https://www.youtube.com/@TheEsotericaChannel/store
New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing
Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

Recommended Readings:

Proclus' On the Hieratic Art according to the Greeks: Critical Edition with Translation and Commentary - https://amzn.to/4tideKm
-The Thomas Taylor translation is also perfectly fine - listen to it read by @TheModernHermeticist here - https://youtu.be/LXycfJBopWU?si=VNGAqhYbUOxXojWX

The Elements of Theology: A Revised Text with Translation, Introduction, and Commentary - https://amzn.to/4rhrt0N

All From One: A Guide to Proclus - https://amzn.to/4cgidF8

Proclus: An Introduction - https://amzn.to/3O4JTTu

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Magical Symbols - History of Sigils Angelic Alphabets and Symbols of Power

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 21:30:00 -0000

This video traces the origin and development of magical symbols from late-classical Egypt through their development into Western European Magic. These characters likely began as debased hieroglyphics and would eventually develop into unique symbols of power, the seals and sigils in angelic and demonic mage, and form the basis for angelic script / alphabets. This video is a part of a series on magical and occult symbolism so make to subscribe if that interests you!

Support Esoterica on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel

Recommended Readings:

Richard Gordon's article - https://www.academia.edu/13925134/Charakteres_between_Antiquity_and_Renaissance_Transmission_and_Re-invention
Don Skemer - Binding Words: Textual Amulets in the Middle Ages - 978-0271027234

#magic #sigil #seal

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The Mystical Dreams of Descartes - Exploring the Origins of Rationalism and Modernity

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:30:00 -0000

In this episode we explore the non-rational origins of rationalism by investigating a series of dreams had by Rene Descartes - thought to have founded rationalism and modern philosophy - on the night of November 10/11, 1619. Early in his career Descartes, like many intellectuals of his day, was searching for new intellectual and scientific foundations as the worldview provided by Aristotle had become moribund. In this search, Descartes explores many avenues for the truth from strict logic to mystical Rosicrucianism. In this context, he experiences a profound fit of 'enthusiasm' and has a series of three dreams which ground and propel his own foundationalist project. This episode explores how the origins of rationalism and modernity are simply more esoteric, even mystical, than we typically learn in intellectual history or philosophy classes.

Recommended Readings:

Adrien Baillet - La vie de Monsieur Descartes - https://archive.org/download/bub_gb_RhNEAAAAcAAJ/bub_gb_RhNEAAAAcAAJ.pdf
John Cottingham - The Philosophical Writings of Descartes in 3 vols.
Alice Browne - Descartes's Dreams - https://www.jstor.org/stable/750999
Michael Keevak
- Descartes's Dreams and Their Address for Philosophy - https://www.jstor.org/stable/2709883
William Shea - Descartes and the Rosicrucian Enlightenment - Metaphysics and Philosophy of Science in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, Pages 73-99
Frances A. Yates - The Rosicrucian Enlightenment, pgs 113 et passim

#descartes #philosophy #rationalism

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The Philosophy of Witchcraft

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:30:00 -0000

The apex of the Witch Trials coincided with the emergence of Modern Philosophy. But, what did these new philosophers think about Witches, Witchcraft, Demonology and the trials raging around them? From Agrippa, Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza and beyond, let's explore how the major philosophers of early modernity reasoned about the realm of the supernatural and witchcraft.

Consider Supporting Esoterica!
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel
One Time Donation Support - Paypal Donation - https://www.paypal.me/esotericachannel
Merch - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ/store
New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing
Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

Recommended Readings:

Levack - The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe
https://amzn.to/3xqE1vr

Levack - The Witchcraft Sourcebook
https://amzn.to/3xn6B0M

Peters - Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History
https://amzn.to/4aP0LUC

Mackay - The Hammer of Witches: A Complete Translation of the Malleus Maleficarum
https://amzn.to/4cRfIHy

Clark - Thinking with Demons: The Idea of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe
https://amzn.to/4cS3Jtk

Hutton - The Witch
https://amzn.to/43TnyML

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Esoterica Channel Promo

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 19:30:00 -0000

I'm Dr. Justin Sledge and welcome to Esoterica where we explore the arcane side of history, philosophy and religion.

Support Esoterica: https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel

What is that arcane side? We focus on concepts in what can broadly be called esotericism including: magic, mysticism, alchemy, hermetic philosophy, theosophy, gnosticism, and more

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John Dee - The Monas Hieroglyphica - Part II - Alchemy and Cabala

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 19:30:00 -0000

This is the second episode exploring Dr. John Dee's famous 1564 Monas Hieroglyphica. In this episode we continue our discussion of Dee's Semiotic-Ontology (his link of Representation with Being) by exploring his early theories of alchemy and Cabala. Dee was a maverick in both fields. In alchemy, Dee sought to pursue the "Mercury Alone" theory while maintaining a relationship with traditional alchemy and introducing novel Paracelsian elements. In the field of Cabala, Dee employs traditional Jewish techniques for the manipulation of the Hebrew language to transform the Monad itself. When Dee combines the talismanic, alchemical, and cabalistic he will seek a "Cabala of Being" which will reform reality itself - the topic of the third episode.

These episodes represent a more introductory version of my thesis on the Monas Hieroglyphica prepared at the University of Amsterdam.

You can read the entire thesis here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9iShqG1gJavUXVKVnk2d1UzQVE/view?usp=sharing

Standard text and translation of the Monas Hieroglyphica - C. H. Josten, Ambix, 12:2-3 (1964): 82-221

I'll provide more recommended readings on the Monas Hieroglyphica in the third episode.

#dee #enochian #monas

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How Medieval Incantations Worked

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 18:30:00 -0000

Magical and medicine have long shared a contested border. However, with the introduction of learned medicine into Europe, magical incantations were increasingly sidelined for Galenic principles and practice. However, Urso of Salerno (d. c. 1220) rejected both Church skepticism and Galenic orthodoxy by incorporating Incantations into his medical practice. In his Aphorisms Urso provides one of the most sophisticated theories for the function and application of magical Incantations. Let's explore how medieval incantations worked!

Consider Supporting Esoterica!
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/esotericachannel
Merch - https://www.youtube.com/@TheEsotericaChannel/store
New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing
Rare Occult Books - https://www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

Recommended Reading:
Van der Lugt - The Learned Physician as a Charismatic Healer
Bulletin of the History of Medicine
Vol. 87, No. 3 (Fall 2013), pp. 307-346 (40 pages)
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26305934

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