Encyclopedia

Alpha and Omega

A symbolic title for God and Christ in the Book of Revelation, signifying the totality, eternity, and the beginning and end of all things.

21 books · 273 mentions

Active Intellect

In Aristotelian and Neoplatonic philosophy, the aspect of the mind that transforms potential knowledge into actual knowledge, often viewed as a divine or universal faculty.

21 books · 258 mentions

Angelo Poliziano

An Italian humanist scholar and poet of the Florentine Renaissance, known for his mastery of Latin and Greek and his close association with Lorenzo de' Medici and Marsilio Ficino.

20 books · 875 mentions

Alembic

A distillation apparatus consisting of two vessels connected by a tube, used by alchemists and early chemists to purify substances and extract essential oils or spirits.

20 books · 488 mentions

Azoth

A term in alchemy representing the universal solvent or mercury of the philosophers, symbolized as the beginning and end of the Great Work.

20 books · 481 mentions

Artephius

A legendary alchemist to whom several important medieval texts are attributed, most notably the 'Secret Book' (Liber Secretus).

19 books · 429 mentions

Antichrist

An eschatological figure in Christian theology representing the ultimate opponent of Christ, central to Reformation-era apocalyptic and polemical literature.

19 books · 398 mentions

Apsides (Apogee and Perigee)

18 books · 732 mentions

Aqua Fortis

An archaic name for nitric acid, a highly corrosive mineral acid used by alchemists for the separation of gold from silver and in various metallurgical processes.

18 books · 541 mentions

Athanor

An alchemical furnace designed to maintain a steady, uniform heat over long periods, essential for the process of transmutation and the Great Work.

18 books · 300 mentions

Albert the Great

A 13th-century Dominican friar, bishop, and polymath whose works on natural philosophy and alchemy significantly influenced the development of Western science and esotericism.

18 books · 237 mentions

Apogee

An astronomical term referring to the point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is furthest from the earth. In the Ptolemaic and Copernican systems, it was a crucial parameter for calculating planetary positions.

17 books · 528 mentions

Agni

The Hindu deity of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices, serving as a messenger between the gods and humanity. In Vedic and Tantric traditions, Agni represents the transformative power of ritual and the vital heat within the body.

17 books · 330 mentions

Ancient Philosophers

A collective term used by early modern esotericists for the lineage of pre-Socratic and Hermetic thinkers believed to possess the Prisca Sapientia.

17 books · 324 mentions

Aesop

A legendary Greek fabulist credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop's Fables, often cited in early modern literature for moral and philosophical instruction.

17 books · 307 mentions

Arius

A 4th-century Christian priest whose teachings on the nature of the Trinity led to the Arian controversy and the formation of the Nicene Creed.

17 books · 247 mentions

Apostasy

The formal abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief or principle. In the context of early modern theology and demonology, it was often associated with heresy and the rejection of the Christian faith.

17 books · 239 mentions

Archeus

A Paracelsian term for the vital internal principle or 'inner alchemist' that governs the biological functions and health of a living organism.

16 books · 808 mentions

Avignon

A city in southeastern France that served as the papal seat in the 14th century and remained a major cultural and religious center in early modern Europe.

16 books · 506 mentions

Atheism

The denial of the existence of a deity, which emerged as a major subject of philosophical debate and polemical defense in the 17th-century 'Crisis of the European Mind'.

16 books · 348 mentions

Augustus Caesar

The first Roman Emperor, often idealized in early modern literature as the architect of the Pax Romana and a patron of the arts and sciences.

16 books · 265 mentions

Ascendant

In astrology, the degree of the zodiac rising over the eastern horizon at the specific time and location of an event, representing the first house of a natal chart.

16 books · 229 mentions

Archelaus

A 5th-century BC Greek philosopher, often called the last of the Ionian school and the teacher of Socrates, who posited that mind and matter were primary principles.

16 books · 221 mentions

Asceticism

The practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from worldly pleasures to achieve spiritual purification and union with the divine. It is a fundamental component of monasticism and various mystical traditions.

15 books · 345 mentions

Argos

An ancient Greek city in the Peloponnese, frequently cited in classical mythology and early modern humanist literature as a center of ancient power and culture.

15 books · 288 mentions

Arctic Pole

The northernmost point of the Earth's axis, often treated in early modern natural philosophy and alchemy as a symbolic or magnetic center of the world.

15 books · 280 mentions

Ammon

An Egyptian deity or king who appears in Hermetic literature as a primary interlocutor and recipient of the secret wisdom of Hermes Trismegistus.

15 books · 246 mentions

Antiperistasis

An Aristotelian concept where the qualities of a substance are intensified by being surrounded by their opposites, such as water feeling warmer in winter.

15 books · 223 mentions

Augury

The ancient practice of interpreting omens from the behavior of birds or other natural phenomena to discern the will of the gods or predict the future.

15 books · 210 mentions

Acheron

A river in the Greek underworld often interpreted in Neoplatonic and esoteric traditions as a symbolic boundary or state of the soul during its post-mortem descent.

15 books · 177 mentions

Amphion

A figure in Greek mythology known for his skill on the lyre, often cited in musical and esoteric treatises as a master of the harmonic power to move physical matter.

15 books · 163 mentions

Antimony

A chemical element and semi-metal of great importance in early modern medicine and alchemy, particularly championed by Paracelsians for its transformative properties.

14 books · 272 mentions

Antarctic Pole

The southern extremity of the Earth's axis, often discussed in early modern cosmology and alchemical allegories as the hidden or 'occult' pole opposite the visible Arctic.

14 books · 267 mentions

Asclepiades of Prusa

14 books · 216 mentions

Attica

A historical region of Greece centered on Athens, regarded in Renaissance Neoplatonism as the intellectual cradle of philosophy and the home of the Academy.

14 books · 200 mentions

Al-Ghazali

A Persian polymath and mystic whose synthesis of Sufism and orthodox Islam had a lasting impact on both Islamic and Western scholastic thought.

14 books · 189 mentions

Aratus

A Greek didactic poet of the 3rd century BC whose work 'Phaenomena' was a primary source for astronomical and meteorological knowledge in the Renaissance.

14 books · 183 mentions

Arithmetic Mean

A mathematical concept representing the sum of a collection of numbers divided by the count of numbers, frequently discussed in early modern music theory and architectural proportions to describe cosmic harmony.

14 books · 176 mentions

Albrecht Dürer

A German Renaissance painter and theorist whose works on proportion and geometry significantly influenced the intersection of art and natural philosophy.

13 books · 822 mentions

Aryabhata

A premier Indian mathematician and astronomer from the classical age whose work, the Aryabhatiya, introduced concepts like the sine function and the rotation of the Earth. He significantly influenced both Indian and Islamic astronomical traditions.

13 books · 606 mentions

Amalgam

An alloy of mercury with another metal, frequently discussed in alchemical texts as a crucial step in the purification and transmutation of metals.

13 books · 304 mentions

Agamemnon

The legendary King of Mycenae and commander of the Greek forces in the Trojan War, frequently cited in early modern texts as a model of tragic leadership and authority.

13 books · 279 mentions

Automata

Self-operating machines or robots, which in the early modern period were subjects of fascination in both natural magic and the development of mechanical philosophy.

13 books · 263 mentions

Astrolabe

An ancient astronomical instrument used by navigators and astronomers to determine the positions of celestial bodies and solve problems related to time.

13 books · 235 mentions

Artaxerxes

The name of several Persian monarchs of the Achaemenid Empire who appear in biblical and classical histories. They are often mentioned in early modern texts concerning the history of the Jews and ancient chronology.

13 books · 231 mentions

Aristippus

A student of Socrates and the founder of the Cyrenaic school of philosophy, which advocated for a form of ethical hedonism.

13 books · 205 mentions

Atlantis

A legendary island nation first mentioned in Plato's dialogues, frequently used in early modern literature as a metaphor for a lost golden age or a utopian scientific society.

13 books · 200 mentions

Antipodes

The parts of the earth diametrically opposite to each other, a concept that challenged medieval geography and prompted philosophical debate during the Age of Discovery.

13 books · 177 mentions

Alkahest

A hypothetical universal solvent sought by alchemists, capable of reducing all bodies to their primary matter. The term was coined by Paracelsus and became a central concept in the iatrochemistry of Van Helmont.

12 books · 404 mentions

Abimelech

A name shared by several biblical figures, most notably the King of Gerar who interacted with Abraham and Isaac, often discussed in exegetical and kabbalistic commentaries.

12 books · 358 mentions

Aludel

A pear-shaped earthenware vessel used in alchemical sublimation, designed to collect the condensed vapors of volatile substances.

12 books · 346 mentions

Avanti

An ancient Indian kingdom and region centered around the city of Ujjain, which served as a major hub for astronomical and mathematical scholarship. It is frequently cited in Sanskrit astronomical texts as a reference point for the prime meridian.

12 books · 267 mentions

Arsenic

A chemical element and potent poison that held a significant place in alchemical practice as a 'volatile spirit' used in the whitening of metals. It was often associated with the 'philosophical moon' or the 'white eagle' in the process of transmutation.

12 books · 218 mentions

Artemisia (Queen of Caria)

12 books · 215 mentions

Aeschylus

An ancient Greek tragedian whose works were rediscovered in the Renaissance and analyzed for their profound moral, theological, and mythological insights.

12 books · 214 mentions

Aulus Gellius

A 2nd-century Roman author known for his 'Attic Nights,' a commonplace book covering grammar, philosophy, history, and law. His work was highly valued by Renaissance humanists for its preservation of fragments from lost classical authors and its model of scholarly inquiry.

12 books · 212 mentions

Arezzo

A city in eastern Tuscany, Italy, known as the birthplace of Petrarch and Guido of Arezzo, and a significant center for Renaissance art and humanism.

12 books · 198 mentions

Atoms

The fundamental, indivisible units of matter proposed by ancient Greek philosophers like Democritus and revived in early modern corpuscular philosophy and alchemy.

12 books · 190 mentions