Dan Attrell

Esotericism Out-Reach

Hey folks, 

Just wanted to let you all know about this Societas Magica event coming up next week. Please register if it's something that interests you. We'll be discussing questions such as "Why is there interest in esotericism? How do our endeavours as content creators overlap and compliment each other? What makes esotericism so attractive? How can we continue collaborating?" and so forth. Please do join us.

Update

Hi friends,

It's been a while since I've posted here and I wanted to keep all you fine folks in the loop. Over the past couple of months my health has not been so great.  Whether as a long-term consequence of COVID or something else (perhaps new allergies?), I've been dealing with a case of chronic sinusitis which I've been fighting off since about last September, and this has significantly affected my ability to produce quality recordings and videos on a regular basis.  You m...

On Medieval Lapidaries, Magic Stones, and Hermetic Talismans [Interview with Vajra Reagan]

A discussion between myself and Vajra Reagan on Lapidaries, Magic Stones, and Hermetic Talismans in the Medieval Latin West. Vajra Reagan is a PhD student at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Medieval Studies. He is the author of “The Hermetic Origins of the Liber sigillorum of Techel” and “The De consecratione lapidum: A Previously Unknown Thirteenth-Century Version of the Liber Almandal Salomonis, Newly Introduced with a Critical Edition and Translation” and the following rec...

The Golden Age of Saturn

An introductory exploration of 'The Golden Age of Saturn' in ancient Greek and Latin literature. This video delves into the popular mythological concept that symbolized a period of peace, prosperity, and harmony before the advent of agriculture, war, and civilization. From Hesiod's vivid descriptions in "Works and Days" to Virgil's pastoral poetry in the "Eclogues," we examine how this theme has been depicted by various classical authors.

Savonarola Against Astrology

Here's a significant but little-known work in the history of astrology: the infamous Dominican Friar Girolamo Savonarola's 'The Futility and Superstition of the Traditions of Astrology' which is a brief anti-astrological polemic from 1497 during the Florentine Renaissance, and inspired by Pico della Mirandola's 'Against Divinatory Astrology.' It is taken from Savonarola's larger work 'The Triumph on the Cross' which is a collection of theological and polemical writings laying out his position...

The Emerald Tablet (Latin and English, Thomas Taylor trans.)

I looked around to find that such a thing did not already exist on YouTube, so I decided to make a short video on The Emerald Tablet, read in both Latin and English interlineally, using Thomas Taylor's translation from 'Proclus: On the Theology of Plato, 1816.' Some differences may stick out to you from the usual translations, but that is simply how the text came to Taylor at the beginning of the 19th century, and how he decided to render it.

On the Laws of Roman Religion

An excerpt from M. Tullius Cicero's De Legibus, on the laws of Roman religion.

The Theology of the Phoenicians

Preserved in Eusebius of Caesarea's Praeparatio Evangelica, the Theology of the Phoenicians by Sanchuniathon presents a euhemerist account of the creation of the world and the birth of the gods from among the ranks of primordial man.

100,000 Subs!

Hey everyone, I just wanted to write a quick message to let you all know that I've finally broken the 100k subscriber mark on YouTube which is pretty awesome. My account has even been verified (though there aren't really any benefits related to that). To celebrate, I've got a big project on the "Theology of the Phoenicians" in the pipeline which should be out by some time next week. You might not think the Phoenicians have anything to do with Hermeticism, but Hermes is actually quite a promin...

On the Gods and the World - Sallust (4th c. AD Hellenic Paganism)

I've been a bit under the weather lately, but I've managed to down enough cold medicine to bring you a reading of "On the Gods and the World" by Sallust, a work of pagan theology from Late Antiquity in the vein of Iamblichus (translated by the one and only Thomas Taylor). Enjoy!

The Six Principles of Hermes Mercurius Triplex

In the 12th century Medieval Latin West, long before there were "Seven Hermetic Principles," there were only six. But what were they? Let's unveil the Hermetic Book of Six Principles of Things to find out.

Confessions of an Ex-Cathar - 1250 AD (with Latin Text)

"Summa fratris Raynerii de Catharis et Leonistis seu pauperibus de Lugduno" or THE SUMMA OF BROTHER RAINERIUS OF THE ORDER OF PREACHERS ON THE CATHARS AND THE POOR OF LYONS (1250 AD) is one Dominican friar's polemic against his former co-religionists wherein he lays bare some of the diverse doctrines of the mature Cathar movement in Southern France and surrounding regions in the decades following the Albigensian crusade.  

Translated from Latin into English by Wakefield & Evans...

Practical considerations for Astral Magic (pt. 2): Aspects, Fixed Stars, and Mansions of the Moon

Here's what will probably be the final installment of my series of videos on Francis Barrett's The Magus (1801), this time focusing on more practical aspects of astral magic, viz. aspects, fixed stars, and the 28 Mansions of the Moon. Please enjoy!

The Origin of the Magic Art

 Adapted from Pliny the Elder's The Natural History (c. 77 AD)

Translated by John Bostock and H.T. Riley. London (1855)

You can read the full text here: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D30%3Achapter%3D1

The Jewel of Alchymy

The true secret of the philosophers' stone; or, Jewel of Alchymy wherein the process of making the great Elixir is discovered; by which base metals may be turned into pure gold; containing the most excellent and profitable instructions in the hermetic art; discovering that valuable and secret medicine of the philosophers, to make men healthy, wise, and happy.   

By Francis Barrett (1801)

Full text here: 2023-07-20 18:44:15 +0000 UTC View Post

Against the Valentinians - Tertullian

From “The Ante-Nicene Fathers” (1903)
Translated by Alexander Roberts

In "Against the Valentinians," the early Latin Christian writer and theologian Tertullian sardonically addresses and refutes the teachings of the Gnostic sect who followed in the footsteps of Valentinus (c. AD 100 – c. 180), a prominent teacher of gnosis who founded his school in Rome.  

Tertullian's work serves as a critical response to the Valentinians' complex cosmology, their understand...

The New Birth Experience in Hermeticism

THE NEW BIRTH EXPERIENCE IN HERMETICISM 

From “Pagan Regeneration” by Harold R. Willoughby, 1929.

PDF: https://archive.org/details/paganregeneration/page/n3/mode/2up

The Religion of Numa (pt. 5): The Augustan Renaissance

The Religion of Numa (Part 5/5): The Augustan Renaissance 

Written by Jesse Benedict Carter (1906)

PDF available here: https://archive.org/details/religionofnumaot00cart/page/n5/mode/2up

I'll have the MP3 attached later, currently it's taking forever to download.

A Vindication of the Rights of Brutes (Thomas Taylor, 1792)

These introductory remarks are by Louise Schutz Boas (1965) and are important for understanding the context in which this text was written:  

"A Vindication of the Rights of Brutes is an exercise in irony, a witty, merry book in which Taylor, using the weapon of laughter, professed agreement with the radical ideas recently published by two of his friends, Mary Wollstonecraft and Thomas Paine, and by carrying these to their logical extremes, reduced them to absurdity. That it was th...

Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus in Picatrix

What is the role of Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus in Picatrix? Can we really call the Picatrix "Hermetic?" This video examines all instances of Hermes' presence in the Latin Picatrix, the medieval treatise of astral magic, and attempts to answer this question from three different perspectives.

New video coming soon!

Hey folks, just a heads up that I've got a new video coming down the pipeline. It's a bit on the long side so it's taken me a bit longer than usual to get all the video edited. You can think of it as an unofficial second installment to the "Is the Kybalion Really Hermetic" video I put out a year or so ago since it focuses on the role of Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus in the Picatrix (and whether the Picatrix can truly be considered "Hermetic" or not). I'll be working with my translation team o...

The Study of Natural Magic: Of the Influence of the Stars [Francis Barrett - The Magus]

A video of "The Study of Natural Magic: Of the Influence of the Stars," excerpted from Francis Barrett's magnum opus, 'The Magus' (London, 1801).

The Religion of Numa (pt. 4): The Decline of Faith

The Religion of Numa (Part 4/5): The Decline of Faith 

By Jesse Benedict Carter (1906)

The 42 Hermetic Books

An account of the the 42 Hermetic Books of the Egyptians by Clement of Alexandria (Stromata, or Miscellanies, Book 6, Chapter 4). The number breakdown of the 42 books was drawn from G.R.S. Mead's translation of the passage (https://www.sacred-texts.com/gno/th3/th333.htm#fn_519).

The passage in Greek: "6.4.35.2 μετίασι γὰρ οἰκείαν τινὰ φιλοσοφίαν Αἰγύπτιο...

The Art and Science of Hermetic Astrology (Interview with Michael Ofek)

An interview with the astrologer and astral magician Michael Ofek about his personal practice.

Unraveling the Sorcery Scandal of 1398: Why the Paris Masters Took a Stand

This is a lightly edited and remastered version of a series of two discussions originally livestreamed on Esoterica with Dr. Justin Sledge back in November of 2022 as "Commentary on the 1398 Condemnation of Sorcery." This version includes improved and lightly-edited audio, more legible slides, and whole host of additional images. Please watch it if you missed it the first time around!

The Religion of Numa (Pt. 3): The Coming of the Sibyl

The Religion of Numa (Part 3/5): The Coming of the Sibyl
Written by Jesse Benedict Carter (1906)

PDF available here: https://archive.org/details/religionofnumaot00cart/page/n5/mode/2up

Patreon Exclusive: Intro to Dionysus

Here's a lecture introducing Dionysus and his divine mysteries to my class on Roman religion. Enjoy!

Patreon Exclusive: Intro to Orpheus

Here's a lecture introducing the figure of Orpheus to my class on Roman religion. Enjoy!

The Stoic Cosmos

The Stoic Cosmos (Excerpt from Cicero's On the Nature of the Gods - w/ English and Latin Text)

An account of the world and its divinity according to the Stoic philosopher Quintus Lucilius Balbus (fl. 100 BC), a character appearing in Cicero's dialogue De Natura Deorum (On the Nature of the Gods). This work is part of a collaboration on Stoic philosophy with ESOTERICA exploring the links between Stoicism and Esotericism, so please check out Dr. Justin Sledge's video "Stoic Origins of Wes...