Encyclopedia

Tunis

A major North African port city and center of Islamic scholarship, frequently cited in early modern European texts regarding Mediterranean trade and diplomacy.

6 books · 117 mentions

Timocharis

An ancient Greek astronomer whose early star catalogs provided the longitudinal data used by Hipparchus to discover the precession of the equinoxes.

6 books · 114 mentions

Thomas à Kempis

A 15th-century German-Dutch monk and author of 'The Imitation of Christ', a cornerstone of the Devotio Moderna movement and Western Christian mysticism.

6 books · 113 mentions

The Evil Eye

A widespread belief in the power of a malevolent gaze to cause physical harm, frequently discussed in early modern treatises on fascination and natural magic.

6 books · 104 mentions

The Artist

A term used in alchemical and Behmenist literature to denote the practitioner or 'artifex' who performs the Great Work.

6 books · 103 mentions

The Fountain

A recurring symbolic location in alchemical and Rosicrucian texts, representing the source of spiritual purification and the 'mercurial' water of the philosophers.

6 books · 102 mentions

Triumvirs

A term referring to a political alliance of three powerful individuals in the late Roman Republic, specifically the First Triumvirate (Caesar, Pompey, Crassus) and the Second Triumvirate (Antony, Octavian, Lepidus). Their history was a common subject in Renaissance political philosophy.

6 books · 101 mentions

Tithi (Lunar Days)

A fundamental unit of time in Vedic chronometry, defined by the Moon's 12-degree separation from the Sun.

6 books · 101 mentions

The Trinity

The Christian doctrine defining God as one essence subsisting in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Esoteric interpretations often relate this triadic nature to the structure of the soul and the alchemical principles of nature.

6 books · 100 mentions

The Alchemist

A practitioner of the hermetic art of alchemy, seeking the transmutation of matter and the perfection of the soul through the creation of the Philosopher's Stone.

6 books · 100 mentions

The Wise Man

An idealized figure in Stoic and Hermetic philosophy who possesses perfect reason and virtue, often identified in alchemical texts as the 'Sapiens'.

6 books · 98 mentions

The First Principle

In metaphysics and Neoplatonism, the ultimate, self-existent source from which all other things derive their being. It is often identified with 'The One' or God in the works of Plotinus, Ficino, and later theosophists like Jakob Böhme.

6 books · 96 mentions

Tivoli

An ancient Italian town near Rome known for its classical ruins and the Villa d'Este, which significantly influenced Renaissance architecture and garden design.

6 books · 91 mentions

Tithis (Lunar Days)

The duration of a lunar day in the Hindu calendar, calculated based on the longitudinal difference between the Sun and the Moon.

6 books · 90 mentions

Turnus

The legendary King of the Rutuli and the primary antagonist of Aeneas in Virgil's 'Aeneid', often discussed in literary commentaries on virtue and fate.

6 books · 89 mentions

The Master

A title often referring to an authoritative teacher, such as Aristotle in philosophy or a spiritual guide in mystical and alchemical traditions.

6 books · 88 mentions

Trismegistus (Hermes Trismegistus)

A legendary Hellenistic figure and purported author of the Hermetic Corpus, regarded as a sage who combined the attributes of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. He is a foundational figure in Western esotericism, alchemy, and the Renaissance revival of Neoplatonism.

6 books · 88 mentions

Theogony

A genre of ancient literature, most famously represented by Hesiod, that recounts the origins and genealogies of the gods. It represents an early attempt to systematize the cosmos through the lineage of divine beings.

6 books · 87 mentions

Typography

The art and technique of arranging type for printing. The invention of movable type in the 15th century was a transformative event in Western history, enabling the rapid spread of scientific, religious, and occult ideas.

6 books · 86 mentions

Temple of Vesta

An ancient Roman sanctuary dedicated to the goddess of the hearth, where the sacred fire was perpetually maintained by the Vestal Virgins.

6 books · 86 mentions

The Three Worlds

A cosmological framework in esotericism and Kabbalah, typically referring to the terrestrial, celestial, and supercelestial (or divine) realms.

6 books · 82 mentions

The Philosopher

The standard epithet used in medieval and early modern scholasticism to refer to Aristotle, the primary authority on natural philosophy.

6 books · 81 mentions

Triplicate ratio

A mathematical term from Euclidean geometry referring to the ratio of the cubes of two quantities. It was frequently employed in early modern physics and Keplerian planetary laws.

6 books · 79 mentions

Tubal-cain

A biblical figure mentioned in Genesis as the 'forger of all instruments of bronze and iron,' traditionally regarded in alchemical and Masonic lore as the first smith and a progenitor of the hermetic arts. He symbolizes the transition from primitive nature to technological mastery.

6 books · 78 mentions

The treasury

A term often referring to a physical or metaphorical storehouse of wealth, knowledge, or sacred objects, such as the 'Gazophylacium' in biblical contexts or alchemical 'thesauri'. In esoteric literature, it frequently denotes a collection of hidden spiritual truths.

6 books · 75 mentions

Thebaid

A region of ancient Egypt comprising the southernmost nomes of Upper Egypt, famous in late antiquity as a center for early Christian monasticism and Hermetic lore.

6 books · 75 mentions

Twelve Earthly Branches

A Chinese ordering system used for keeping time, directions, and in astrology, often paired with the Ten Heavenly Stems to form the sexagenary cycle. They are central to Taoist cosmology, divination, and the organization of traditional calendars.

6 books · 73 mentions

Tiber

The main watercourse of the city of Rome, frequently appearing in Renaissance literature and hermetic texts as a symbol of Roman antiquity and divine providence.

6 books · 73 mentions

Tertian fever

A form of malaria characterized by paroxysms of fever occurring every third day, frequently analyzed in early modern humoral pathology and medical letters.

6 books · 72 mentions

Thetis

A sea nymph and mother of Achilles in Greek mythology, often used in alchemical and poetic texts to symbolize the watery principle or the depths of the prima materia.

6 books · 71 mentions

Tripartite Soul (Reason, Anger, Desire)

Plato's psychological theory dividing the human psyche into three parts: the rational (logistikon), the spirited (thymoeides), and the appetitive (epithymetikon).

6 books · 67 mentions

The Judge

A symbolic or archetypal figure in legal, theological, and alchemical texts, representing divine justice, the faculty of judgment, or a specific planetary intelligence.

6 books · 64 mentions

The One (Unity)

The supreme, transcendent principle in Neoplatonism, particularly in the works of Plotinus, from which all existence emanates and to which all things seek to return.

6 books · 60 mentions

Truth

A central concept in metaphysics and epistemology concerning the correspondence of thought or language to reality, often personified in esoteric traditions as a divine revelation.

6 books · 57 mentions

Terpander

A semi-legendary Greek poet and musician of the 7th century BCE, credited with the invention of the seven-stringed lyre and significant in Renaissance discussions of musical harmony.

6 books · 41 mentions

Textual variants

5 books · 279 mentions

Thomas Norton

A 15th-century English alchemist and author of 'The Ordinal of Alchemy', a highly influential poem detailing the theoretical and practical aspects of the Great Work.

5 books · 182 mentions

The Deluge

5 books · 158 mentions

Tabernacle

A portable dwelling place for the divine presence in Hebrew tradition, or an architectural niche designed to house a sacred object. In the Renaissance, it referred both to the biblical structure and to specific ornamental frames in buildings.

5 books · 133 mentions

The Thorax

5 books · 129 mentions

Trachea

5 books · 125 mentions

Tangents

In geometry, a straight line that touches a curve at a single point; the development of tangent theory was essential to the birth of calculus.

5 books · 116 mentions

The Seven Spirits of God

A concept from the Book of Revelation often interpreted in Rosicrucian traditions as the seven planetary influences or divine operations.

5 books · 110 mentions

Trismegistus (Hermes)

The legendary Hellenistic figure credited as the author of the Hermetica, a body of texts forming the basis of Hermeticism, alchemy, and Western esotericism. He is often presented as a syncretic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth.

5 books · 105 mentions

Twice-born (Brahmins)

A concept in Hindu social structure referring to members of the three upper varnas whose spiritual initiation signifies a second birth into sacred knowledge.

5 books · 101 mentions

The Great Art (Ars Magna)

5 books · 98 mentions

Third Figure

A combinatorial diagram in the 'Ars Magna' of Ramon Llull used to relate different philosophical principles through the systematic rotation of concentric circles.

5 books · 96 mentions

Triumvirate

A political regime dominated by three powerful individuals; in historical texts, it usually refers to the alliances of the late Roman Republic or is used metaphorically for groups of three.

5 books · 96 mentions

Tobit

5 books · 96 mentions

Theages

5 books · 95 mentions

Thisbe

5 books · 94 mentions

Triune God

The Christian theological doctrine of the Trinity, defining God as three consubstantial persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In early modern natural philosophy and esotericism, this concept was often mapped onto tripartite structures in nature and the human soul.

5 books · 93 mentions

Trinity College, Cambridge

A constituent college of the University of Cambridge that became a major center for natural philosophy and the scientific revolution during the 16th and 17th centuries.

5 books · 92 mentions

Theophylact

5 books · 92 mentions

Tropic of Capricorn

The southernmost latitude where the Sun can be directly overhead, marking the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

5 books · 91 mentions

The Good (Bonum)

The ultimate object of knowledge and the supreme principle in Platonic philosophy, often identified with the Sun in the physical world and God in theology.

5 books · 91 mentions

Theory vs. Practice

A fundamental philosophical distinction concerning the relationship between abstract intellectual understanding and the practical application of knowledge.

5 books · 90 mentions

The Stone (Philosopher's Stone)

The legendary alchemical substance capable of turning base metals into gold and producing the Elixir of Life, symbolizing spiritual perfection.

5 books · 89 mentions