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The Caretaker

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SHAPIRO REVIEW DRAFT - 8/30/2022

INTRO

They are bad. This observation, like Ben’s work, is neither poignant nor original. I do not like Mr. Shapiro, and I will not claim to approach this review from a place of impartiality. To do so would be dishonest of me. At the same time, I wish to highlight the opportunity this coll...

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GRECO-ROMAN MAGIC - 9/29/2022

GRECO ROMAN MAGIC

INTRODUCTION

Intr

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GRECO-ROMAN MAGIC - 8/26/2022

GRECO ROMAN MAGIC

INTRODUCTION

Intr

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GRECO-ROMAN MAGIC - 8/25/2022

GRECO ROMAN MAGIC

INTRODUCTION

Intro

  • We know basically nothing
  • We have to pull what we can from literary sources
  • Scant mentions from philosophers and historians
  • We do have historical evidence though
  • Public records of questions asked of t...

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update:

Just so I'm not sitting here panicking about my livelyhood, I'm gonna set up a backup Tumblr @cryptotheism

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Update:

So this morning I woke up and found that my entire Tumblr had been terminated without warning. Six years and 100,000 followers worth of posts are gone. I have emailed staff, and am attempting to recover my account. It is in their hands now. 

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MAGIC AND MAGICIANS IN THE GRECO-ROMAN WORLD - 8/13/2022

GRECO ROMAN MAGIC

INTRODUCTION

Intro

  • We know basically nothing
  • We have to pull what we can from literary sources
  • Scant mentions from philosophers and historians
  • We do have historical evidence though
  • Public records of questions asked of t...

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THE GRECO-ROMAN MAGICAL MILIEU - 8/8/2022

INTRO

  • One of the problems with the term “Western occultism” is the variety of traditions that form complex relationships that are always being renegotiated
  • There are many structural parts of western magic that could not exist without the Greek tradition, even though a lot...

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THE GRECO-ROMAN MAGICAL MILIEU - 8/7/2022

INTRO

  • One of the problems with the term “Western occultism” is the variety of traditions that form complex relationships that are always being renegotiated
  • There are many structural parts of western magic that could not exist without the Greek tradition, even though a lot...

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THE GRECO-ROMAN MAGICAL MILIEU - 7/25/2022

THE GRECO-ROMAN MAGICAL MILIEU

The year is 100 CE and it’s a great year for soup. Emperor Trajan just became consul of a Roman Empire that is Romeing as hard as it will ever Rome. The Egyptians have been Rome’d, Judea has been Rome’d, most of Western Europe has been Rome’d. The Medi...

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THE GRECO-ROMAN MAGICAL MILIEU - 7/21/2022

THE GRECO-ROMAN MAGICAL MILIEU

The year is 100 CE and it’s a great year for soup. Emperor Trajan just became consul of a Roman Empire that is Romeing as hard as it will ever Rome. The Egyptians have been Rome’d, Judea has been Rome’d, most of Western Europe has been Rome’d. The Medi...

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THE GRECO-ROMAN MAGICAL MILIEU

THE GRECO-ROMAN MAGICAL MILIEU

The year is 100 CE and it’s a great year for soup. Emperor Trajan just became consul of a Roman Empire that is Romeing as hard as it will ever Rome. The Egyptians have been Rome’d, Judea has been Rome’d, most of Western Europe has been Rome’d. The Medi...

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THE GRECO-ROMAN MAGICAL MILIEU - 7/15/2022

THE GRECO-ROMAN MAGICAL MILIEU

The year is 100 CE and it’s a great year for soup. Emperor Trajan just became consul of a Roman Empire that is Romeing as hard as it will ever Rome. The Egyptians have been Rome’d, Judea has been Rome’d, most of Western Europe has been Rome’d. The Medi...

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THE GRECO-ROMAN MAGICAL MILIEU - 7/7/2022

THE GRECO-ROMAN MAGICAL MILIEU

The year is 100 CE and it’s a great year for soup. Emperor Trajan just became consul of a Roman Empire that is Romeing as hard as it will ever Rome. The Egyptians have been Rome’d, Judea has been Rome’d, most of Western Europe has been Rome’d. The Medi...

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THE GRECO-ROMAN MAGICAL MILIEU - 7/5/2022

THE GRECO-ROMAN MAGICAL MILIEU

The year is 100 CE and it’s a great year for soup. Emperor Trajan just became consul of a Roman Empire that is Romeing as hard as it will ever Rome. The Egyptians have been Rome’d, Judea has been Rome’d, most of Western Europe has been Rome’d. The Medi...

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ANCIENT JEWISH MAGIC: A HISTORY - COMPLETE NOTES

INTRODUCTION: A CONFLICT IN TERMS

  • in fact, it took a complete outsider – an Indian anthropologist and novelist – to admit that a very large number of the documents in the Geniza . . . consist of magical formulae, and treatises related to esoteric rites.”
  • While the delib...

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NOTES - ANCIENT JEWISH MAGIC 6/24/2022

INTRODUCTION: A CONFLICT IN TERMS

  • in fact, it took a complete outsider – an Indian anthropologist and novelist – to admit that a very large number of the documents in the Geniza . . . consist of magical formulae, and treatises related to esoteric rites.”
  • While the delib...

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JEWISH MAGIC: A HISTORY - NOTES

INTRODUCTION: A CONFLICT IN TERMS

  • in fact, it took a complete outsider – an Indian anthropologist and novelist – to admit that a very large number of the documents in the Geniza . . . consist of magical formulae, and treatises related to esoteric rites.”
  • While the delib...

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MAGIC BOOK - 5/16/2022

ASIDE: A QUICK FIELD GUIDE TO MALICIOUS SPIRITS

The term “demon” has become a shorthand for “the things that carry pitchforks in Christian Hell.” However, many of the entities referred to as “demons” are not demons.

Just as one must take care not to mistake a crow for a ra...

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ASIDE: A QUICK GUIDE TO MALICIOUS SPIRITS

ASIDE: A QUICK FIELD GUIDE TO MALICIOUS SPIRITS

The term “demon” has become a shorthand for “the things that carry pitchforks in Christian Hell.” However, many of the entities referred to as “demons” are not demons.

Just as one must take care not to mistake a crow for a ra...

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UNTITLED MAGIC BOOK - 5/5/2022

ASIDE: A QUICK FIELD GUIDE TO MALICIOUS SPIRITS

The term “demon” has become a shorthand for “the things that carry pitchforks in Christian Hell.” However, many of the entities referred to as “demons” are not demons.

Just as one must take care not to mistake a crow for a ra...

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NOTES: JINN AND PRE-ISLAMIC DEMONOLOGY

DJINN: WHAT ARE THEY?

  • Associated with Islam, and the pre-islamic world of the arabian peninsula
  • Humanoid, ghostlike creatures
  • Djinn is singular, Djinnni is plural
  • From the root word J-n-n, meaning to hide or conceal
  • God made three sentient types of ...

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MAGIC BOOK - 4/21/2022

SOLOMONIC MAGIC

An understanding of western magic is incomplete without King Solomon. Of the various figures that populate the biblical tradition, Solomon is one of the most complicated. He is difficult to fit into any one mold, existing as both pious king of Israel, and wanton hedonist. Un...

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UNTITLED MAGIC BOOK - 4/11/2022

The medieval world saw the emergence of a new paradigm for magic. What was once only a loose conglomerate of legends and folk traditions was now a loose conglomerate of legends, folk traditions, and meticulously systemized knowledge. And like most important things in the medieval era, this new pa...

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MEDIEVAL MAGIC - 4/8/2022

The medieval world saw the emergence of a new paradigm for magic. What was once only a loose conglomerate of legends and folk traditions was now a loose conglomerate of legends, folk traditions, and meticulously systemized knowledge. And like most important things in the medieval era, this new pa...

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UNTITLED MAGIC BOOK - 3/30/2022

The medieval world saw the emergence of a new paradigm for magic. What was once only a loose conglomerate of legends and folk traditions was now a loose conglomerate of legends, folk traditions, and meticulously systemized knowledge. And like most important things in the medieval era, this new pa...

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UNTITLED MAGIC BOOK - 3/28/2022

The medieval world saw the emergence of a new paradigm for magic. What was once only a loose conglomerate of legends and folk traditions was now a loose conglomerate of legends, folk traditions, and meticulously systemized knowledge. And like most important things in the medieval era, this new pa...

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MEDIEVAL MAGIC - 3/22/2022

The medieval world saw the emergence of a new paradigm for magic. What was once only a loose conglomerate of legends and folk traditions was now a loose conglomerate of legends, folk traditions, and meticulously systemized knowledge. And like most important things in the medieval era, this new pa...

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MEDIEVAL MAGIC - 3/17/2022 (NEARLY THERE)

The medieval world saw the emergence of a new paradigm for magic. What was once only a loose conglomerate of legends and folk traditions was now a loose conglomerate of legends, folk traditions, and meticulously systemized knowledge. And like most important things in the medieval era, this new pa...

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MEDIEVAL MAGIC - 2/15/2022

The medieval world saw the emergence of a new paradigm for magic. What was once only a loose conglomerate of legends and folk traditions was now a loose conglomerate of legends, folk traditions, and meticulously systemized knowledge. And like most important things in the medieval era, this new pa...

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