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"The Unknown World" cover with pentagram, winged figures, and occult subjects listed on the left side.

The Unknown World: A Magazine of Mysticism and Secret Knowledge

A close look at The Unknown World, Arthur Edward Waite’s short-lived 19th-century magazine devoted to esotericism, mysticism, alchemy, and the occult sciences.

A Spiritual Union and Marriage to Die For: Madame Guyon and the Bridal Metaphor in the Song of Songs

Discover the life and theology of Madame Guyon (1648 - 1717), a controversial Christian mystic whose writings link suffering, spiritual death, and divine union.

Two of Cups - Tarot Cards from Robert Gilbert’s Collection

Explore rare Waite-Smith tarot drafts and unique artifacts in Gilbert’s collection. Uncover the material history, mystical evolution, and secrets of A.E. Waite.

The ‘Dweller of the Threshold’ in Western Initiatory Literature

The ‘Dweller’ or ‘Guardian of the Threshold’ is claimed to be a specter which appears to the initiate as soon as they begin to ascend the path into the higher worlds of s

The Famous Engravings Accompanying Böhme's Works, which were (not) appreciated by everyone

Who engraved Jacob Böhme's mystical prints? A diary in the BPH collection unveils Michael Andreae and the curious fate of his recut copper plates.

The Wonder-Working World of ‘Christian’ Reuchlin

Reuchlin's pioneering Christian Cabbala works defended Jewish literature, linked Jesus to the Tetragrammaton, and bridged Kabbalah with Renaissance humanist thought.

Survival of the Smartest?

Reflections from clearing out the Schuhmacher antiquarian bookshop: how books survive across centuries, and why banned books endure longest of all.

Empires of the Stars: The Long Life of Hellenistic Astrology

Trace astrology's journey from Hellenistic Rome to Sasanian Persia, where emperors, scholars, and mystics shaped a thousand year tradition of cosmic wisdom.

The Sound of Stillness: The ‘Mystic Chord’ of Alexander Scriabin

Discover how Theosophy shaped Scriabin's mystical music, his color-pitch system, the legendary "mystic chord," and his Promethean vision of human consciousness.

The First Italics Ever Printed

Hidden in a 1500 woodcut of St. Catherine of Siena lie the first printed italics, designed by Francesco Griffo for Venetian printer Aldus Manutius.

The Number of the Sun: Magical Squares and Riddles in The Güldene Rose (1767)

Explore The Güldene Rose (1767): a collection of alchemical poems by J.R.V.M.D., featuring solar riddles, magical squares, and the symbolism of gold.

De-ciphering the ‘Hand of the Mysteries’

An exploration of the Hand of the Mysteries, decoding its seven symbols as substances, techniques, and mnemonic devices in early modern alchemy.

The Story Behind a Bookplate: What a book can tell us about the owner

Jose Bouman, librarian at the Ritman Library of the Embassy of the Free Mind, explores the story behind a bookplate by Friedrich Nicolai (1733-1811)

From the Stars to the Signs: How Ancient Cultures Shaped Astrology

Charlotte Zhu from the Embassy of the Free Mind explores how ancient cultures shaped astrology - from Mesopotamia to Hellenistic Astrology.

Exhibition Highlight: Isabella de Spiritu Sancto, Recreationen. Manuscript, autograph ca. 1670

Author Natalie Koch explores the Isabella de Spiritu Sancto, Recreationen manuscript, autograph ca. 1670, from the Embassy of the Free Mind's Gewetensvrijheid exhibition

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