Al-Kimia: The Mystical Islamic Essence of the Sacred Art of Alchemy, by John Eberly (another problem with etymology)

This is a preliminary assessment derived solely from the preview available on Amazon and should not be construed as conclusive in any fashion. What is it with Arabic, etymology and esoteric works? In the introduction this book claims that the original Arabic name for Egypt is ‘Kam’ and that this is the root of the… Continue reading Al-Kimia: The Mystical Islamic Essence of the Sacred Art of Alchemy, by John Eberly (another problem with etymology)

Picatrix: A Medieval Treatise on Astral Magic, by Dan Attrell (a problem with etymology)

This is a preliminary assessment derived solely from the preview available on Amazon and should not be construed as conclusive in any fashion. Reading through the introductory material there is a disconcerting tendency to switch between using Arabic script and Romanization. For those who can read the script the former is of course preferable but… Continue reading Picatrix: A Medieval Treatise on Astral Magic, by Dan Attrell (a problem with etymology)

Picatrix, a problem in translation

The Picatrix is an important manuscript with a thorny lineage. It was composed in Arabic, probably as a compilation | distillation of multiple texts before being translated (reputedly poorly [citation needed]) into Castilian and then into Latin. There is every likelihood that errors were compounded in the chain of translations, no matter how perfect the… Continue reading Picatrix, a problem in translation