An occult reference library
Le Grand Grimoire
Symbolism, history, and practice across tarot, astrology, witchcraft, mythology, and the esoteric traditions. Written for the curious, not the credulous.
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A reference shelf for the western esoteric tradition.
Tarot, the Ars Goetia, candle magic, alchemy, the Wheel of the Year. Every guide starts from a real question and separates what is documented from what is claimed. No fortune-telling, no merch.
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Find symbols, spirits and practices across 225 guides.
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Juniper: cleansing and protection smoke
We once watched a Basque shepherd burn a sprig of juniper in a copper dish.
The meaning of the 12 houses in astrology
A clay tablet from 410 BCE, now in the British Museum, records the first known horoscope.
How often should you cleanse your space?
A woman in 17th-century Essex swept her threshold at dusk every Saturday, not for dust but for what the dust carried.
Purple symbolism: meaning, history, symbols and practices
Purple symbolism in occult traditions represents the convergence of material power and spiritual transcendence, the color of the threshold between worlds.
What is a tanuki gag? The shape-shifting pranks of the Japanese raccoon dog
A farmer in late-Edo Kyoto heard a sake bottle clink behind a shrine.
How to choose an altar cloth for the Sigil of Baphomet
A black cloth spread across a wooden table.