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A grimoire is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination, and how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as angels, spirits, deities, and demons.

In many cases, the books themselves are believed to be imbued with magical powers, although in many cultures, other sacred texts that are not grimoires (such as the Bible) have been believed to have supernatural properties intrinsically. The primary contents found in a grimoire would be information on spells, rituals, the preparation of magical tools, and lists of ingredients and their magical correspondences. In this manner, while all books on magic could be thought of as grimoires, not all magical books should be thought of as grimoires.

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Did you know...

The Set-pig

• ... that the decan Aryt is depicted as Set in the form of a pig?
• ... that The Pope tarot card was renamed The Hierophant by Antoine Court de Gébelin?
• ... that the Three of Cups tarot card is favorable for health?
• ... that the occult horror film As Above, So Below was filmed in the Paris Catacombs?
• ... that The Satanic Bible has sold over 1 million copies?
• ... that the angel Adnachiel governs the human thighs and buttocks?
• ... that Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot took five years to complete?
• ... that the Cathars were massacred to annihilation by the Inquisition?

This month in history Urbain Grandier being accused of witchcraft 2 June - Trial of Urbain Grandier for witchcraft and adultery begins. (1630) 2 June - The Salem Witch Trials commence. (1692) 4 June - Occultist and author Travis McHenry is born. (1980) 10 June - Accused witch Bridget Bishop is executed by hanging. (1692) 10 June - Psychic medium Hélène Smith dies in Switzerland. (1929) 13 June - Author W.B. Yeats is born. (1865) 15 June - Margaret Jones is hanged in Boston for witchcraft in the first such execution for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. (1648) 15 June - New Orleans voodoo practitioner Marie Laveau dies. (1881) 16 June - Vlad the Impaler leads a daring night attack against Sultan Mehmed II near Târgoviște. (1462) 17 June - Michael Servetus is convicted of heresy and sentenced to death by burning. (1552) 17 June - Occultist engineer Jack Parsons dies. (1952) 22 June - The Inquisition finds Galileo Galilei guilty of heresy. (1633) 26 June - Richard III becomes King of England. (1483)

Featured image Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, and gained considerable influence in late Imperial Russia. Alternative religious movements such as spiritualism and theosophy had become popular among the city's aristocracy before Rasputin's arrival in St. Petersburg, and many of the aristocracy were intensely curious about the occult and the supernatural. Rasputin traveled to Saint Petersburg in 1903 or the winter of 1904–1905, where he captivated some church and social leaders. He became a society figure and met Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra in November 1905. Historians often suggest that Rasputin's scandalous and sinister reputation helped discredit the tsarist government and thus helped precipitate the overthrow of the Romanov dynasty a few weeks after he was assassinated. Accounts of his life and influence were often based on hearsay and rumor. Photo Credit: Bloodstone Studios (More Images)

Featured Quote "Let love bind us together, for it is the greatest force in the world." - Constantine I

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