Hadean Press recently posted a description of the contents of their latest publication, Opuscula Cypriani. Their website says:
No one blog post, blurb, or email can do the Opuscula Cypriani justice. We’ve described what the book is about, and previously listed the titles of the assorted prayers, books, and almanacs which have been translated from the Portuguese into English. Now I’d like to talk about what’s in them.
There are a total of five, full-colour reprints of manuscript Cyprian prayers which have been transcribed and translated, including Ms. 2559, the stuff of legends – the oldest Iberian Book of St. Cyprian discovered to date.
By far the most striking of the manuscript prayers is that of Paulo Caetano Teixeira Leite (1783), a priest from Braga accused of “superstition, preventing the correct ministry of the holy office and perjury”. One wonders what treasures he was seeking!
After the prayers we move into the realm of printed books. Here we find the elusive two-part Porto edition of the Book of St. Cyprian along with many others translated in full or in part by the author. Spells, seals, and spirit lists, talismans, systems of cartomancy and chiromancy, prayers and exorcisms, and necromancy.
My favourite part of Cypriani is the third part where we meet the aunties Monica and Micaela.
One of the things we learn in the Cypriani is that the name of Aunty Monica is sometimes interchangeable with that of St. Cyprian in some of the spells given. As you can see in its title (above), there is enough in this single chapter to keep us busy with sorceries and witchcrafts.
There are over two hundred spells and recipes contained in the Cypriani, some of which are not for the faint of heart. I have indexed lists of ingredients and tools mentioned in this book, as well as created a list of all the spells and recipes found within. Here are just a few of them:
To call invisible spirits to communicate with the incarnate
To cleanse a house of evil spirits
To communicate with the spirits on St. John’s Eve
To cripple our enemies.
To cut the icterus
To destroy any evil that has been done to us
To disenchant through herbs
To divine where a treasure is or a stolen object and who stole it
To drive otherworldly souls away
To drive the Devil away from your door
To duplicate the quantity of money one possesses
To end the abuse of a husband or lover on a woman
To end unfounded jealousy and reestablish conjugal trust
To find lost objects or discover the whereabouts of a fleeing person
To force the appearance of the bewitcher
None of this even scratches the surface of what the Opuscula Cypriani contains. Jake Stratton-Kent says in the first review of the book:
Even at first glance, this book is simply awe inspiring. The announcement from Hadean tells you a good deal about the scope and extent of the work, but looking it over is another matter entirely. The scope, depth and thoroughness is simply unparalleled and encyclopedic, without being merely academic. Indeed the author’s enthusiasm and empathy is infectious, and the practical value of the material is well served by his presentation.
Opuscula Cypriani is, quite simply, a massive survey of Cyprianic texts and traditions, with copious examples given in the fullest way possible: with many reproductions of manuscripts, plus transliterations and translations. Individual prayers and other formulae as used by Iberian sorcerers and recorded by the Inquisition are given, along with various Cyprianic grimoires – some overlapping with Honorious and Grand Grimoire traditions is clarified at length. So too the practice of Cyprianic cartomancy is elucidated, and I anticipate returning to these portions of the book as soon as possible. These and other topics are elucidated with the greatest clarity and completeness desirable.
In short the work is – as might be expected from his previous volume – sympathetic, compendious and thorough. Indeed, few areas of folk and grimoire tradition have been elucidated as thoroughly anywhere else. This is an absolute must for Cyprianic studies and an incredible resource for conjure magic in the Saint Cyprian tradition.
As you can see, the Opuscula Cypriani is a true sorcerer’s treasure and we feel extremely privileged to be the publisher of this important work.
Pre order your copy – https://www.hadeanpress.com/shop/opuscula-cypriani
