Grimoires Explained: Manuals of Magic

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

Register for our online class "What Does It Mean To Be a Witch?" religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/

[@yusernaame6947]

Good video hope you do more occult related content, apart from witchcraft and wicca

[@olivercharles2930]

Stick to religion.

[@yusernaame6947]

@@olivercharles2930 Well occultism is spiritual and he covers religion and spirituality

[@ekmalsukarno2302]

Hi there, ReligionForBreakfast, can you please make a video on Balinese Hinduism and how it differs Hinduism in India. Thank you very much.

[@tross-lj2eb]

I did it. So excited!

[@justforplaylists]

There's an article I read, "The Dirty Secret of ‘Secret Family Recipes’" by Alex Mayyasi. It's about how a lot of people assume something is a secret family recipe when it really came from a food package or something. It's actually pretty uplifting. Anyways, it kind of reminds me of this. People can find meaning in things even if they are mass-produced.

[@quiestinliteris]

My Tía Lorraine makes a stellar quiche lorraine. (I genuinely thought she invented it as a kid.) She refuses to share her recipe - specifically with my grandmother. XD Grandmother has a tendency to, ah... "substitute" in recipes. Tía didn't want her making her version of it and telling people it was Lorraine's if she was using, like, mayonnaise and salt pork or something. I made a quiche and brought it to a family get-together. Grandmother was CERTAIN Lorraine had given me the secret recipe. I just got it out of Julia Child's book. 😅

[@KellyDVance]

I have a feeling this may happen with my hand written recipe book. I hate having to hunt and rehunt for recipes I like online, so will write them down with my own notes. If it survives the next however many generations, I can imagine my potential descendants thinking they are secret family recipes when really it was just a standard French bread recipe and braised cabbage isn't hard to do.

[@Matt_The_Hugenot]

So true. I have my mother's recipe book with a mix of some clipped from magazines and packets plus others handwritten in the 1960s. I know for a fact that no one in my family cooked them before about 1920l

[@TechBearSeattle]

A similar example is "this is how my mother did it, because it's the way my grandmother did it, because its the way my great grandmother did it." The reality being that great granny cut the ends off the ham because the only pan she had was too small, or wiped fresh baked loaves of bread with a damp cloth because her wood burning oven tended to leave cinders. Practices born of practical reality can become ancient, hallowed rituals of perfection within a generation or two.

[@melancholyskittle]

aw i just recently learned that my nana’s special triple berry muffins came from a premade “just add milk” package. but they’ll never taste like anything but nana’s house and birthday parties with my cousins and summer days. interesting that i’m not the only person with that sort of story!

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Esoterica for breakfast ;) Great work, Andrew!

[@YouTubdotCub]

When Andrew Henry makes Spooky Season videos, he becomes Justin Sledge for a day!

[@hanzquejano7112]

Yo!

[@Simeonf7750]

Please brother don't intentionally reject the truth,if you honestly follow wisdom and knowledge I promise you you're finally going to arrive to the creator of all wisdom and knowledge and everything Jesus Christ of Nazareth our Lord and God ✝️🙏❤️🛐 I'll pray for you beloved brother 🙏

[@atzmut3884]

I'm a fan 🔥

[@kinilas]

I grew up a Baptist in the American South and Christians very much still use the Bible as a ritual spell book. I have a necklace with a Bible verse on it that I got for protection from evil. Even now that I'm more agnostic in my belief I still wear this necklace because it was such a huge part of my childhood teachings. There were phrases you could chant and songs you could sing to help cure ailments or (according to my mom) help your garden grow. It's amazing to see that we still utilize this centuries old practice even now.

[@BrandanLee]

Can confirm, momma does indeed, like it or not. Especially if not.

[@lbjcb5]

That's fascinating, thank you for sharing.

[@smallyberbigelbe7571]

Science has proven that singing kindly to plants helps them grow taller compared to not singing and even taller compared to yelling at the plants. I don’t know why. I just know that we can observe the phenomena

[@adamcrawford6060]

Thorn Mooney is the correct name to have to host a lecture on witchcraft.

[@AntiFaGoat]

My grimoires are basically "a witch's scrapbook." I write out spells and rituals, but also notes and thoughts about different spiritual beliefs for meditation and magical work. Gnosticism has been a big interest of mine lately, so my first grimoire (which won a blue ribbon in our local county fair's scrapbooking show, btw) is full of notes and my interpretations of that spiritual system. Lastly, my grimoires are a great place to save articles I've found on magic, religious quotes, and generally witchy images I've printed out or found in places. Since I also enjoy sigil magic, I often work through drawing those out in the grimoire pages, too. I then write what the sigil means right side up and inverted to remember later. I do not understand why some witches wouldn't want at least one physical notebook for their own creative work. Even if you are constantly online and want to cut down on paper use, offline ideas and useful garbage still happen.

[@b.a.davis-howe487]

All of my ritual books are MS Word docs printed in 3-ring binders, because I'm constantly making changes to my practices. Different colored binders for different systems, so I can easily grab the right rite.

[@olivercharles2930]

Jeez, at least keep it interesting if you are going to believe in this nonsense. Write it in goat blood on ancient parchment at the 12th of january or something

[@titotobi-lawal2083]

@@olivercharles2930 how is what someone else does with their time affecting you in any way, you seem like a big loser

[@strangelaw6384]

Why would you make changes? Do rituals stop functioning as intended at some point?

[@scaper8]

​@strangelaw6384 Maybe less a loss in functionality and more a refinement of a technique or result?

[@strangelaw6384]

@@scaper8 oh, is refinement and improvement through trials and tests common among such disciplines?

[@Alverant]

My local Renaissance Faire has a store that sells blank books with leather binding and high-quality paper. Now I kinda wanna get one for my own grimoire.

[@ericericson4]

I find it interesting to study "Christian magical practices". A friend of mine from Appalachia, he was in his 90s, told me about his uncle, "He was very smart. he knew the right Bible verse to quote to cure a nose bleed." To get rid of bad dreams, "You need a Bible. It's best if it's old and given to you by a friend. Keep it near the head of your bed. Read some before you sleep so the words get inside you, and leave it open and it will protect you as you sleep."

[@DisposableSupervillainHenchman]

Sounds like his uncle might’ve graduated high school at best.

[@ericericson4]

@@DisposableSupervillainHenchman The man was born between 1900 and 1910. His "uncle" was more likely a granduncle and born at or before the civil war. They could read and write, but I don't know how much schooling they had.

[@Neenerella333]

This reminds me of the mixtures of catholic practices that mix with indigenous rituals like Dia de los Muertos, Santoria, or Voodoo.

[@ericericson4]

@@Neenerella333 It is. Magic (at it's most basic) is our attempt to control the world around us. It doesn't seem to matter which system is used. They are all similar.

[@melaniey.5596]

Ah! If you like those topics I would recommend the video “How to perform an exorcism” by Horses. Alongside talking about exorcisms (and from what he described of it, it might be the closest we get to church backed “Christian magical practices”) he also talked about Christian mysticism.

[@davidsalisbury1427]

Oh that's me at 16:16 thanks for showing off my library!

[@Tinil0]

Hah, how's it feel to be a face of "modern wicca"?

[@markusironwood9736]

I knew you looked familiiar.

[@DisposableSupervillainHenchman]

That’s not a library. That’s a bookshelf of cringe.

[@nerunastus]

​@@DisposableSupervillainHenchmany so pressed

[@richardhall4124]

Scholars always asking why are grimoires but no one's asking how are grimoires

[@KellyDVance]

My old one is probably lonely as I haven't touched it in the decade since becoming atheist. But I'm sure it appreciates your concern.

[@williamhowland9977]

… Weiss, is that you?

[@lecantalouprouge]

That's so funny 😂

[@jellyfish_bubbles]

I was gonna comment this!!! 😂my first thought❤

[@popcornfordinner5057]

Stop it 😂

[@heyhey-jayjay2189]

i’m really glad this video exists for when new baby witches go looking for videos about grimoires, from an academic and anthropologic perspective i’m glad it exists

[@oldcowbb]

perfect timing, just started the Agatha series yesterday

[@TheFloon]

I about jumped out of my seat when Thorn popped up. She is wonderful! So glad to see you doing a collab with her.

[@DeadGators]

9:32 Oh *that's* why my Nanny told me to put a Bible under my pillow to have good dreams when I was a kid! (It did not work.)

[@Amoudiiiii]

It didnt work because from what i know as a muslim the blessing is not from the book itself its from the words in it, recitation is what actually makes the difference

[@mtarek2005]

probably didn't work because sleeping on a heavy hunk of paper under the pillow probably isn't very comfortable and wouldn't let u sleep well(or that bibles don't actually do much)

[@DeadGators]

​@@mtarek2005 It was soft leather and sized big enough that it was actually pretty comfortable. But with you on the last bit. I'm not religious anymore and don't believe in supernatural stuff.

[@khairakhalila0110]

​​@@AmoudiiiiiIt's not the recitation either, it's the believing in the words that matters

[@aaveragegamer6429]

Just got one for Halloween, perfect timing

[@joesmith942]

Is there something in there to improve your candy haul?

[@Narmatonia]

Considering ubiquitous reading and writing are today, it’s interesting to think of a time where any kind of writing could’ve had a magical interpretation to regular folk

[@Despotic_Waffle]

Is the nature of modern society not magical? I for one thing it is. We are communicating by leaving messages 'in the air' from millions of kilimetres away

[@j.2512]

dumb people always think anyone smarter than them is a wizard and must have used witchcraft to succeed

[@JadeCryptOfWonders]

I have a copy of the Luban grimoire of Chinese magic, very interesting stuff from a historical figure most famous for furniture rather than sorcery.

[@nikok410]

The Secret Moon Book of Moses, that sounds pretty cool :D is it super-effective against Majora's Mask?

[@OntologicalShock777]

There are also many practitioner of Magic in the Philippines. the concept of writing is magic itself is seen in the members of Philippine Benevolent missionaries association Inc. and there are also pseudo-Latin incantation spells circulated on f.b group founded by Filipinos imbued in amulet as protection. we Filipinos are magical thinkers so there are many followers of this modern digital occult.

[@bcataiji]

Magic is not a thing, so they are not really practitioners of Magic. It is all a sham just to pass time, exert control, create an air of mystery, etc.

[@acupofwhitetea]

It's a very old concept even before Christian arrived. Anting antings, magic oils and incantations (oracions) was already used until Missionaries inserted their anti Non-christian beliefs in the mix. The only difference is that one have an ego and demonized the indigenous beliefs when the structural framework and concept is completely the same. We still use magic healing oils and relics, especially when it is sold/endorsed by the church or vendors around the church.

[@bcataiji]

@@acupofwhitetea , nobody is using magic anything because there is no magic. You are not addressing the real issue here.

[@stevengentry9396]

Owen Davies has an excellent book on the subject called Grimoires: A History of Magic Books. In it, he describes many of these works, and goes into detail about many of the same points brought out here, as well as others. A fascinating read.

[@chasemorrison4411]

Great Halloween content!

[@daem0nfaust]

I enjoyed grammar books when I was a kid!

[@drestonjclaw2839]

Please go over Thelema. It has inspired so much of modern religious movements.

[@kurthill9070]

17:03 thank you for making this point eloquently. i can't stress the audacity of dematerializing the metaphysical.

[@ikazuchioni]

When I was young, I thought the Necronomicon was real. It scared the $#!+ out of me.

[@MSHNKTRL]

that, and LaVey's Satanic Bible

[@ebrim5013]

Part of the genius (?) of Lovecraftian fiction is it draws so much on real things while also interjecting them with pure fiction and then in a weird sort of way you can see reality start to mimic the fiction. Sometimes people lose track of what was originally at least based on history and what is entirely fabricated works of imagination.

[@darkmoon137]

It is and it should 👁👁

[@-Thauma-]

​@@MSHNKTRLSeriously? That "Bible" is like written by a blindfolded teenager. At least worth a laugh.

[@MSHNKTRL]

@-Thauma- yeah I liked the part about certain angles of a room that contained magick potential. It lent a spark to kick off my occult phase.

[@ccolorsplit]

I've been studying witchcraft and occultism for a few years now, now from a scholarly perspective but from a practical "devotional" perspective. I think this video is very accurate and does a very diverse group of practices justice :)

[@BrazilianCitizan]

This reminds me a lot of what Dan McClellan talks about certain strains of modern evangelical Christianity treating the bible itself as a divine image or amulet

[@Duiker36]

Fun fact: gospel is a shortened form of "good spell". And prayers where you ask for anything are basically magic, because you're requesting intercession as a direct result of your actions. (There are entire debates about whether or not there are legitimate things you're allowed to ask for, such as salvation or grace or wisdom.) Prayer is pretty standard as the key component in a lot of practices in Christian esoterica. The invocation of angels, especially specific angels, also happens surprisingly often.

[@SilentStormParadox]

"Where is grimoires?!" "I'll do you one better. What are grimoires?" "I'll do you one better. Why are grimoires?"

[@MSHNKTRL]

but nobody asks: "HOW are grimoires?"

[@JeffreyOller]

@@MSHNKTRL Nobody asked, should we grimoire?

[@LearnRunes]

Aleister would be pleased to hear you say his surname the way he preferred it said.

[@siddhartacrowley8759]

Yes

[@Wolffanghurricane]

the mi6/cia agent? Who cares what spooks think?

[@daniel.santos]

Never thought I’d see Smosh on RFB. What a wide wild world we live in.

[@ericreativecuts]

I used to work in occult shops and I've met some web witches. I'd say that even if a website is less tangible it still represents a sacrifice of time and energy spent in creating it. It's still an act of love and devotion. Maybe not as difficult as doing it by hand, though I certainly wouldn't find it easier. It's really the act of creation that powers the magic so the medium is less important.

[@veryberrykeri]

one thing that i've tried to do to deal with the de-mystification of the written word, as a witch, is to try and use or create shapes and symbols that are less relational to linguistics, so at least some of the written work isn't immediately subconsciously interpreted as mundane

[@ViridianCrisis7]

Yeah I’ve found that trying to make sigils is helpful in maintaining the ritualistic mindset as they’re not so grounded in the mundane the way writing is

[@ajplays-gamesandmusic4568]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWLUcnaaZdx7mpIsi=FJAP8juLPfMxM5b8

[@jenny_azoth]

*steeples my fingers thoughtfully* excellent. most excellent.

[@PhoenixBeI]

Well, one one side, ancient people used to carve petroglyphs with symbols. It's possible that these were forms of written word that we simply don't understand and can't decipher. On the other, some years ago, I was at a Shuar community in Ecuador. They had some legal issue going on, and everyone gathered in the community hall to hear about it. The man talking, my friend Flavio, was holding a document in his hands. He referred to it as sacred because it spoke. The words written on the page was deemed speech. Since the paper, nothing more than a sheet of paper, became sacred the moment such important information was written on it. Thus, the paper spoke. Makes sense that people deem written symbols, of which writing is one, to be magical.

[@strangelaw6384]

to what degree is this religiosity on par with e.g. worshipping of local deities?

[@naturalistmind]

That's a great way to think about it, raised and educated in the United States I always separated religion and magic and reading but you don't necessarily have to. I must think about this.

[@ajplays-gamesandmusic4568]

There's a really great Alan Moore video where he talks about Ritual Magic, and how a lot of our spooky magical terms can be boiled down to the power of creativity and language. A Grimoire referrers to Grammar. Magic spells, the act of spelling. Written language was powerful before the printing press, because most people could not read or write. The bard was feared as much as witches or wizards, because a sorcerer could curse you, and your family, but the Bard could spin a clever yarn that's capable of making you the laughing stock of your entire kingdom.

[@honey-bagder3451]

I know that this is a religion channel, but I really am enjoying all the recent stuff on magic. Yeah, the line between magic and religion is often filmsy and arbitrary--but still.

[@CommanderdMtllca]

It’s not a religious channel. It’s a *religious studies* channel and that includes the religious practices of Wicca

[@AimbyFrame]

Starlord: "Where are the Grimoires?" Iron Man: "I'll do you one better, what are Grimoires?" Drax: "I'll do you one better 1:02 "

[@alexreid1173]

I have a few thoughts from my own experience! Having digital collections of information is very common, but a lot of people (including myself) have both physical and digital collections. I write the most important things by hand in physical journals, but I keep a lot of longer texts purely digitally (it’s thousands of pages). I think many people still consider physical books and writing to be important. It’s very common for spells to incorporate writing on pieces of paper. Handwriting is encouraged in a lot of spaces. I mostly avoid handwriting because I have joint issues with my hands, but magical and religious writing is the main exception for me. These things always vary wildly between individuals and groups, but I thought I’d give my two cents.

[@brockmckelvey7327]

"Traditionalism and Ecclecticism" I'm glad to see that the issues the Christian Church is facing are shared by other Religions too

[@davidalves31057]

I guess somebody has been paying attention to Agatha All Along 😊 Great content as usual!

[@quiestinliteris]

I have never heard Gardner introduced as "British civil servant" before. XD I also do not know why I find that so funny.

[@-Thauma-]

Oh, I recently came across the word Grimoires, when I read about the story behind the movie 'Hereditary"..

[@aaronhodgin7007]

In the US South (maybe elsewhere to, I’m not sure) people sometimes put a Bible in the dashboard of their car to protect them from car accidents.

[@mynotificationsareoff.400]

Thank you for another thoughtful episode

[@onecalladay]

I keep wondering why you don't mention the books in the library at the Unseen University? The Librarian will be disappointed. Thanks for all your work.

[@divinebitter1638]

Ook Eeeek!

[@JAGzilla-ur3lh]

"Literary Magic" is such a great term.

[@rosanilebron1566]

Words have power. Words utter with intention are powerful. Spoken words are more powerful than written words. Written words are in a dormant state. Spoken words awake when they are uttered. That's why words full of love can be healing and words full of hate can be the source of misery.

[@Frandorman]

I am impressed with your research! Well done.

[@warrendriscoll350]

Needs a followup or larger video. Magical texts is a big area.

[@mikewilson858]

Oh wow, I just started reading the Lemegeton yesterday

[@ebonyblack4563]

Heard about a person today who buried a spellbook they were given from an uncle... I was beside myself at the possible lost history...

[@loglorn]

The facet of written magical/religious treatises being a sign of elitization is still noticeable in afro-brazilian religions; There is a correlation between the presence and importance of written works, be them commercially available books on Umbanda or Kardecist scripture or even the Bible, and the socio-economic status of the practitioners, with more marginalized practitioners being less likely to have written material as a considerable part of their religious beliefs and practices. It's particularly interesting that in more orthodox Candomblé this impulse towards intellectualization/elitization turned to sociological and anthropological descriptions of older attestations of afro-brazilian religion and west african religiosity like those found in the works of Bastide and Verger

[@thesupertaco1934]

Please do a video for chinese folk religion or shenjiao like you did for shinto

[@baranugon8243]

6:33 Looks like three smug cats

[@Giguv05]

All three have little knitted hats with pompoms on

[@robbabcock_]

A truly fascinating topic! Thanks, RFB!

[@Ardabor-GrimoriosyBestiarios]

Thank you very much for your work and dedication, these topics about magic are very entertaining for me and at the same time they help me with my personal research. Greetings from Uruguay

[@TomThumb151515]

On January 6 people put a kind of protection spell on their door lintels. It’s based on the three kings it lasts for a year usually chalk or sticker like a blessing

[@the_lotharingian]

The most powerful grimiore is the scroll of the dragon warrior from kung fu panda

[@anthapersephone7311]

“We don’t know where the word comes from” gets me every time

[@jswets5007]

I would say that parts of Leviticus are grimoire like. Especially the parts that describe the ritual purification of people and priests before offering sacrifice and entering the Tabernacle. As well as the parts describing the sacrificial ritual(s).

[@dwcheshire]

What would be the relationship of a prayer to a spell?

[@olivercharles2930]

Both are wishful thinking. That's about it.

[@OntologicalShock777]

Prayer is the righteous way of doing magic. spell is the heretic way of doing magic.

[@ViridianCrisis7]

They’re the same thing. The only meaningful difference is who/what you’re asking to adhere to the request for you

[@tux_duh]

A spell is a prayer with extra steps essentially. Instead of just words or thoughts use ingredients, crafts, or offerings to bring your wish to fruition

[@Lutefisk445]

​@@OntologicalShock777 Christians practice witchcraft all the time. The only difference is they believe they're the only right ones in the whole world and everyone else is lost. Which is wrong, by the way.

[@LordSlag]

Well this is rare. A ReligionForBreakfast that I'm not interested in. I let the whole thing play in the background, upvoted, and wrote this comment to boost the channel anyway. Love your stuff, dude.

[@michaelryndyk4883]

Funny how different tastes are, i find this topic especially interesting

[@mattisvov]

As it happens, I am at present playing "Midnight Suns" a witchcraft-themed videogame set in the Marvel universe. Here, the Darkhold (even single pages from it) is very much a magic object, not just a repository of magical information. It even seems to have an agency of it's own. I haven't watched Evil Dead in a long time, but if memory serves, the Necronomican there also came off as inherently magical. This is in contrast to the Lovecraft original. It is almost never talked about in terms of "bound in human skin" or things like that. The fact that it can be copied, translated, reprinted is however. The horror in the information it contains. Which fit the Lovecraft theme of "information we would rather not have". I have yet to find a modern Cuthulu Mythos writer explore the concept of "Necronomicon on a torrent site", but that would be absolutely terrifying from a Lovecraftian perspective.

[@GaviLazan]

Considering Jews had (have) the custom of writing passages of the Bible and placing it on their doorframe - a mezuzah - it's hard to say that these Christians weren't likely inspired by that...

[@deepfry8424]

I think a good idea for a video would be the differences between celtic christianity and catholicism. Because when I look it up, it says that it was never separate from the catholic church and was only seperate in terms of some practices and authority structure but it also said that the celtic church didn't recognize the authority of the pope until th Synod of Whitby in 664, so we're they considered to not be catholic until 664? Most things I see online say they were never seperate from the catholic church but I don't understand how there can be a church that's catholic and doesn't answer to the pope since I'm pretty sure that's a central part of catholicism. But yeah I can't find any videos on celtic christianity and online I just find conflicting sources so I just thought I'd throw that out there. ✌️

[@rbfninkelstein2147]

Great idea for a video! Just wanted to chime in that around the 7th century AD the power of the pope wouldn't have been as prevalent over Catholic Christianity as it would be later. The term 'Catholic' would refer to a rather loose organisation of Christians who professed a same 'basic' creed. Beyond that creed there would be a lot of room for differences in local customs and practices (for example how the Eucharist was celebrated or how Easter was calculated). The term really only means that they were not deemed heretics. (Roman) Catholicism as a uniform practice is something that came to be later. It is a different concept from how the 'Church' was viewed back in 663 AD or earlier. Sorry if my reply is too long, I just wanted to try to explain to you why you would find such paradoxical answers. I hope it helped somewhat, if not feel free to ask!

[@deepfry8424]

@rbfninkelstein2147 no that helps a ton, I was thinking it may have just been change in the catholic church over time or something along those lines but I just couldn't find much to go off of online. Thank you for the info it definitely helped!

[@Andrewtr6]

As a fantasy writer, I clicked on this video for ideas for how to incorporate grimoires into my fantasy story. I want to distinguish them from normal spellbooks and tomes. I just haven't decided how to do this.

[@Userinterfaceexperience]

Though, it’s not technically correct in the real world, in the fantasy world, you could designate a grimoire as an inherited book of workings.

[@marcelacristina129]

grimoires always have witches thoughts, impressions, descriptions. It's a spell book+ diary.

[@Andrewtr6]

@Userinterfaceexperience That's one of the ideas I had, but I also thought it should be more than just that alone. Like Harry Potter, my story takes place at a school of magic, but the setting is more like a traditional fantasy world. With that in mind, I was thinking spellbooks could be equivalent to school books. Each spellbook focuses on a different topic. Grimoires might cover different topics that have been learned by a member of a family, coven, or specific person. Not sure about tomes yet.

[@agxryt]

"what do grimoires reveal about the changing nature of magical knowledge and practice" I could take this so much more seriously if you phrased this as "the changing nature of human's beliefs about magic". Addressing the elephant in the room is always good when talking magic or religion, both for credibility and for integrity Beliefs like magic and religion are a response to environments. Theyre a coping mechanism - a "hope" mechanism.

[@Girlsoupco]

Shout out for the Long Lost Friend and Silver Ravenwolf!

[@rajatberry2277]

@rReligionForBreakfast can we have a video where we go through all the books in the backhround of your videos

[@monicaballyurban5786]

Most publised Grimoire, found in every Christian church and house. Starts with 'B', ends in 'e' and is a total of 5 letters. (KZbin won't let me type out the full title of that book, when I try, it won't let me post my comment here.)

[@ShunyShock]

13 minutes after! I feel like I walked into a chef cooking

[@dansamarco1610]

Maybe the "Streisand effect" should've been called the Soloman effect

[@radarlove232323]

I love grimpoires, both real and in fiction. My one great passion in life is making real workable grimoires that actually have the look and vibe of grimoires from fantasy and horror.

[@BlackReaper0]

The part about christian magic writing was awesome.

[@liamcol09]

Super cool thanks for this!

[@leeborocz-johnson1649]

This reminds me of Ronald Hutton, he's an awesome dude.

[@stylicho]

Hey good chap, maybe you can do a video on Jesus and the supposed letters he wrote to kings

[@QuantumHistorian]

I think you're underestimating literacy rate during the Roman Empire. In places like Italy, Greece, and Asia Minor it was probably around the 20% or more. Not a majority, but not a tiny elite either, and higher than in most of early-modern Europe for the couple of centuries following the invention of the printing press.

[@florinivan6907]

Of course you gotta account for the fact that most of these would have been men of an adult or at least teen age. So if you apply a family based model of literacy then maybe 40% of families in Italy Greece or Anatolia had at least one literate member. Of course we gotta add partial literacy where someone may not have known how to read a latin text but would have known at least some words and phrases. Odds are plenty of peasants after dealing with the taxman for years on end would at least have known a few key phrases related to harvests.

[@QuantumHistorian]

@@florinivan6907 True. But I would think that even a small amount of literacy would be enough to dispel some of magical aura around the written word. After all, I can't even begin to read Chinese, but I don't attach mystical values to Hanzi.

[@mcv2178]

​@@QuantumHistorian I read that for many Roman times, you prolly could not read yourself but everyone has a friend who could.

[@authormichellefranklin]

Just to add one small thing: The European witch-cult hypothesis has been debunked. Recommend the works of Ronald Hutton and Jacqueline Simpson on this subject.

[@fuzzyhair321]

The temptations of chaos is subtle especially of those of tzeentch. Be wary of free and easy knowledge for it leads to damnation :P

[@mcdade7489]

Great video. I also really liked your shirt😊

[@johnmarcrander3865]

I wonder if Christian witches would be wizards or clerics I think it would be cool if you were to do a video on the history of nontrinitarian Christian sects

[@Sixth_Beatle]

Writing spells was also observed on the Novgorod birch bark letters in Russia

[@demetriosnavras9577]

very good work!

[@martinminihan7187]

With Wicked coming out soon I’m shocked the Grimmerie wasn’t mentioned

[@drestonjclaw2839]

I am a self-described witch/Celestial Wiccan who innately knew the materiality of one’s book of shadows and/or grimoires is an especially important fact. I believe the handwritten word has its own powers. Yet however, this is not all that practical for record keeping. I personally have a physical copy of my grimoires, written in my special cyphers, and I also have a digital version as well. Digitalization is somewhat required for magick practitioners who are in unwelcome environments, and “not out of the broom closet” with their beliefs. Having a google docs file hidden in one’s locked phone is much easier to hide than a whole book.

[@DisposableSupervillainHenchman]

You’re just wasting your time since magic isn’t real. You might as well try to catch Pokémon.

[@mage1over137]

Who are grimoires?

[@3rd-eye-neenja563]

derp!

[@ArkadiBolschek]

Oh, I know that one :D Grimoires is Melon Husk's ex.

[@NightmareRex6]

the password book or password app is the modern griemore as explained by an old runescape hedge post.

[@markandrzejak997]

Very interesting. As far as writing the spell down yourself or using a printed or digital form....I've been an alter boy a long while ago, never ever have I held a hand written copy of the priest's personal notes. They just read from a book.

[@dominique-valois]

I first learned the word grimoire from the TV series Charmed

[@dylantennant6594]

Could you do a video about Hecate one day? I know you briefly mentioned her in the Wicca video, but I find her worship both ancient and modern with Wiccan’s and Neopagans fascinating.

[@justinbirkholz]

I actually read the Mithras Liturgy and other spells from the magical papyri in my video on witchcraft! It's really interesting.

[@RobRoss]

When I was 12 I was earnestly trying to conjure demons as a science-based investigation into their existence. I remember going everywhere I could asking “where can I find the Grand Grimoire” and everyone staring at me blankly. I wish I had been born 20 years later.

[@RobRoss]

Gaaah I remember also asking about the “Key of Solomon.” Zero feedback, even from reference librarians. I hate adults who think they are protecting people from “bad books.”

[@Sxcheschka]

I really want to get a copy of the Shams al-Marif.

[@libraryoflilylol199]

I mean you can think of digital technology as not physical if you're just using it as a medium to communicate spells, but imagine a computer becoming a magical object through the use of its code.

[@justforplaylists]

There's a series of books about that called the Laundry Files, but it's more cosmic horror. The writing style isn't really to my taste though so I don't know the details.

[@quiestinliteris]

@@libraryoflilylol199 Honestly, the concept of words that exist only somewhere out in the ether, encoded in energies imbued into finely-wrought fragments of precious metals, is pretty damn magical.

[@libraryoflilylol199]

@justforplaylists I'm a sucker for an intriguing magic system so I'll have to look into that

[@olive6634]

this is actually becoming much more commonplace with modern practitioners keeping alters to their deities and ancestors on their phones so they have it wherever they go!

[@nevisysbryd7450]

@@olive6634 How does that work?

[@andrewsuryali8540]

The greatest grimoire of all is unquestionably Mori Summer's Mabinogion. But seriously, it's kinda funny how Chuunikoi entirely by accident has a very good depiction of real-life modern ritual magic practice, despite playing it for laughs and coming from a culture completely separated from the traditional roots of Western esoterica.

[@nonactive3654]

Its intresting how you can see if they were passed down over time that the group would start to think they possessed magic power.

[@darthJ9]

"Turn to page three hundred and ninety four"

[@satyamkaskar]

You returned to comment here too 😂 I have seen your comment on Let's talk religion

[@darthJ9]

@@satyamkaskar it's a good day for ReligionTube when both the goats upload on the same day 🗿