![]() During the early 20th century, editions began to appear in South America, and copies can now be purchased from the streets of Mexico City to herbalist stalls high in the Andes. Grimoires purporting to have been written by a legendary St Cyprian (there was a real St Cyprian as well) became popular in Scandinavia during the late 18th century, while in Spain and Portugal print editions of the Libro de San Cipriano included a gazetteer to treasure sites and the magical means to obtain their hidden riches. As well as practical household tips it included spells to catch fish, charms for healing, and instructions on how to make a Hand of Glory, which would render one invisible. The flood gates of magical knowledge were opened during the so-called Enlightenment and the Petit Albert became a name to conjure with across France and its overseas colonies. The "Little Albert" symbolises the huge cultural impact of the cheap print revolution of the early 18th century. ![]() Some had lofty ambitions to obtain wisdom from the "wisest of the wise", while others sought to enrich themselves by discovering treasures and vanquishing the spirits that guarded them. While some denounced these Solomonic texts as heretical, many clergymen secretly pored over them. By the 15th century hundreds of copies were in the hands of Western scientists and clergymen. Mystical books purporting to be written by King Solomon were already circulating in the eastern Mediterranean during the first few centuries AD. With its pseudo-Hebraic mystical symbols, spirit conjurations and psalms, this book of the secret wisdom of Moses was a founding text of Rastafarianism and various religious movements in west Africa, as well as a cause célèbre in post-war Germany. From Germany it spread to America via the Pennsylvania Dutch, and once in cheap print was subsequently adopted by African Americans. The Sixth and Seventh Books of MosesĪlthough one of the more recent grimoires, first circulating in manuscript in the 18th century, this has to be number one for the breadth of its influence. ![]() Their origins date back to the dawn of writing and their subsequent history is entwined with that of the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the development of science, the cultural influence of print, and the social impact of European colonialism." 1. "Grimoires are books that contain a mix of spells, conjurations, natural secrets and ancient wisdom.
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