Monday, September 30, 2013

Grimoires then and now (31-HP Day 1)

In the olden days
Grimoires were jealously guarded
Hidden among other tomes of lore.
Barbarous names
Strange god names
Binds of demons
Wings of angels
All recorded and written down
For the use of the Master of the Mysteries.
Expounded upon in detail
By master to apprentice
Under the seal of secrecy.
Fears of the noose and fiery stake
Kept them rare as dragon's teeth.

Yesteryear
Grimoires were little known
Translated by great occultists.
Astrological lore
Kabbalistic mysteries
Pagan beliefs
All smothered with a layer of Christ.
Reserved for those worthy ones
With eyes to see and ears to hear.
Paid for, bartered for
Hand-copied, mimeographed,
Photocopied, bound and filed.
Mythic histories and secret chiefs
Kept them as rare as Masonic handshakes.

Today and maybe tomorrow
Grimoires are knee-deep
Debated and dissected by the herd.
Fraudulent authors
Blinded symbols
Heretic beliefs
Pagan survivals
Open to all, argued by all.
Those outside the pale
Prejudge texts and adepts alike.
Scanned and pixelized
Rivers of free information.
Everyone's a master and no one's a neophyte
Keeps the grimoires unused as common sense.

7 comments:

Jane said...

Interesting

Sherrie St. Cyr said...

Welcome to the challenge!

Morgan Drake Eckstein said...

Thanks.

Unknown said...

Wonderful prose, loved it !

Unknown said...

I shall be reading your posts on all things occult with interest (under the bedclothes!)

Educ8r said...

I adore your breakdown of the Grimoire through time. It is spot on. Well written. Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Well, now I will be up a while longer with the lights on; this was very dark.
Very effective use of words.
Welcome to the challenge.