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In 1911, the French historian Jules Michelet's book "La Sorcière" was published in Paris.
The book is illustrated by Martin van Maële, who specializes in erotic subjects. However, he has less vulgar works. Vulgar in both appearance and content. The list of his works includes several that show us how the Black Mass was perceived by people living in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and what the illustrator of the book thinks about it. This is a short "investigation" is intended to draw attention to seemingly unimportant details in Maële's prints. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an electronic version of "La Sorcière" for 1911, but we have the illustrations in this book. If you think that Maële painted without guidance, you are deeply mistaken.
Looking through the drawings in the book I noticed one of them. The one that describes the place where this wild ritual takes place.
I was interested in the magic circle on the floor. I've seen this somewhere before.
In 1653, Athanasius Kircher publishes Oedipi Aegyptiaci where on pages 75 and 76 shows pentacle of the planet Venus (Friday),
and coincidence is almost identical.
It is also worth considering that there are three other sigils relating to Venus: Hagel,
Bne Seraphim
and the demon Kedemel.
Hagel, as well as Bne Seraphim (located near the left foot lying on the floor), according to Agrippa's Occult Philosophy (II, XXII) is "the Intelligences of Venus." At least that's what "A Blake Dictionary: The Ideas and Symbols of William Blake": «MNE SERAPHIM is a parent of Thel and her sisters (Thel 1:1). The name means nothing, and seems to be Blake's alteration of "Bne Seraphim" ("the sons of the Seraphim") . This latter name is to be found in Agrippa's Occult Philosophy (II, XXII), in which book Blake also found the names of Tiriel and Zazel. According to Agrippa, the Bne Seraphim are "the Intelligences of Venus."» Most likely the inscriptions of Hagel and/or Kedemel should also be present in Mahele's drawing but they are hidden by the body of what is the altar.
The sigils on the perimeter of the circle have their meanings, which can be found, for example, in the book "Transcendental magic, its doctrine and ritual" by Eliphas Lévi.
The drawing is not quite correct and half of it should be reversed, so it would be like this.
As a result, the arrangement of the zodiac signs on the circle is as follows.
Now let's talk about body position. The position of the "altar" may have varied and in the figure in question is depicted in the classic form. This is what Fabre des Essart tells us in his book "Sadism, Satanism and Gnosis" ["Sadisme, satanisme et gnose". 1906]: «Le temple est au fond d’une maison solitaire, dans la rue Beauregard, qui se trouve elle-même isolée des grands quartiers du Paris de Louis XIV. L’autel se compose d’un matelas étendu sur des trétaux. Dans sa superbe et insolente nudité, la Montespan s’y installe et s’y couche sur le dos, à l’encontre de la tradition de la Messe noire classique, où, comme on l’a vu plus haut, la prêtresse prenait la posture inverse, moins obscène. - page. 10»
By the way, Mr. Essart being a "théoricien de la Gnose et du Christianisme Ésotérique" was very unhappy that "Messe noire" has turned into outright "sadisme", under the influence of the highest circles of society («Il appert, de nombreux témoignages, que les gens de la haute société figuraient volontiers parmi les fidèles de la Messe noire. Seigneurs désœuvrés, gentes dames quêteuses de sensations nouvelles, se mêlaient à la tourbe des serfs et des vilains et venaient avec eux, baiser le derrière du bouc. <...> iis se demandèrent si cette racaille en guenilles n’avait pas ses heures d'infernale ivresse, de savante et mystérieuse orgie. Ils allèrent à elle.») Quote from the same book. and.
Regarding other works of van Maële from the mentioned book, not everything could be deciphered.
Perhaps for the figure depicting the lying on the left side the source is another pentacle with a slightly different inscription - ("Tu terribilis es & quis resistet tibi? ex tune ira tua." - Psalm 75:8). Unless I'm confused.
I could not find the images on the second magical circle but remembering the first one, perhaps these sigils are also connected with the planet Venus.
And the last drawing tells a story of marquise de Montespan and the abbot Gibur.
Montague Summers describing the ritual of the Black Mass with the participation of the aforementioned persons, among other things, notes the presence of esoteric characters on Gibur's vestment:
"<...> the celebrant robed himself in a chasuble embroidered with esoteric characters wrought in silver <...>".
If van Maële is accurate enough in the details then perhaps these signs are not made up?
The book is illustrated by Martin van Maële, who specializes in erotic subjects. However, he has less vulgar works. Vulgar in both appearance and content. The list of his works includes several that show us how the Black Mass was perceived by people living in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and what the illustrator of the book thinks about it. This is a short "investigation" is intended to draw attention to seemingly unimportant details in Maële's prints. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an electronic version of "La Sorcière" for 1911, but we have the illustrations in this book. If you think that Maële painted without guidance, you are deeply mistaken.
Looking through the drawings in the book I noticed one of them. The one that describes the place where this wild ritual takes place.
I was interested in the magic circle on the floor. I've seen this somewhere before.
In 1653, Athanasius Kircher publishes Oedipi Aegyptiaci where on pages 75 and 76 shows pentacle of the planet Venus (Friday),
and coincidence is almost identical.
It is also worth considering that there are three other sigils relating to Venus: Hagel,
Bne Seraphim
and the demon Kedemel.
Hagel, as well as Bne Seraphim (located near the left foot lying on the floor), according to Agrippa's Occult Philosophy (II, XXII) is "the Intelligences of Venus." At least that's what "A Blake Dictionary: The Ideas and Symbols of William Blake": «MNE SERAPHIM is a parent of Thel and her sisters (Thel 1:1). The name means nothing, and seems to be Blake's alteration of "Bne Seraphim" ("the sons of the Seraphim") . This latter name is to be found in Agrippa's Occult Philosophy (II, XXII), in which book Blake also found the names of Tiriel and Zazel. According to Agrippa, the Bne Seraphim are "the Intelligences of Venus."» Most likely the inscriptions of Hagel and/or Kedemel should also be present in Mahele's drawing but they are hidden by the body of what is the altar.
The sigils on the perimeter of the circle have their meanings, which can be found, for example, in the book "Transcendental magic, its doctrine and ritual" by Eliphas Lévi.
The drawing is not quite correct and half of it should be reversed, so it would be like this.
As a result, the arrangement of the zodiac signs on the circle is as follows.
Now let's talk about body position. The position of the "altar" may have varied and in the figure in question is depicted in the classic form. This is what Fabre des Essart tells us in his book "Sadism, Satanism and Gnosis" ["Sadisme, satanisme et gnose". 1906]: «Le temple est au fond d’une maison solitaire, dans la rue Beauregard, qui se trouve elle-même isolée des grands quartiers du Paris de Louis XIV. L’autel se compose d’un matelas étendu sur des trétaux. Dans sa superbe et insolente nudité, la Montespan s’y installe et s’y couche sur le dos, à l’encontre de la tradition de la Messe noire classique, où, comme on l’a vu plus haut, la prêtresse prenait la posture inverse, moins obscène. - page. 10»
By the way, Mr. Essart being a "théoricien de la Gnose et du Christianisme Ésotérique" was very unhappy that "Messe noire" has turned into outright "sadisme", under the influence of the highest circles of society («Il appert, de nombreux témoignages, que les gens de la haute société figuraient volontiers parmi les fidèles de la Messe noire. Seigneurs désœuvrés, gentes dames quêteuses de sensations nouvelles, se mêlaient à la tourbe des serfs et des vilains et venaient avec eux, baiser le derrière du bouc. <...> iis se demandèrent si cette racaille en guenilles n’avait pas ses heures d'infernale ivresse, de savante et mystérieuse orgie. Ils allèrent à elle.») Quote from the same book. and.
Regarding other works of van Maële from the mentioned book, not everything could be deciphered.
Perhaps for the figure depicting the lying on the left side the source is another pentacle with a slightly different inscription - ("Tu terribilis es & quis resistet tibi? ex tune ira tua." - Psalm 75:8). Unless I'm confused.
I could not find the images on the second magical circle but remembering the first one, perhaps these sigils are also connected with the planet Venus.
And the last drawing tells a story of marquise de Montespan and the abbot Gibur.
Montague Summers describing the ritual of the Black Mass with the participation of the aforementioned persons, among other things, notes the presence of esoteric characters on Gibur's vestment:
"<...> the celebrant robed himself in a chasuble embroidered with esoteric characters wrought in silver <...>".
If van Maële is accurate enough in the details then perhaps these signs are not made up?
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