Cyprian Day 1 – Hunting Treasure, Breaking Enchantment

I will be making 9 small posts on Cyprian over the days. Nothing long because I don’t think Cyprian likes talk just for the sake of Talk. This year I took an hour on the first day to read through The Immaterial Book of St Cyprian complied and translated by Jose Leitao. I don’t think a lot of people have paid attention to this short collection of 31 legends about the Book of St Cyprian, which is a shame, because what people need more than new spells, is context.

There are a three common elements that run though the legends.

1. They mostly all involve the finding of treasure or rescue of a maiden.
2. The treasure or maiden is enchanted and inaccessible.
3. The reading of the book itself is the key to breaking the enchantment more than the performance of anything in the book.
4. The protagonist almost always fucks it up and the maiden or treasure disappears.

Sometimes it is just imprecise reading that messes it up, but in many of the legends it is giving in to fear of the terrors that happen when the book is read. In the last legend, it is the very exclaimation of “God Help Me” that causes the Devil and Golden Calf to disappear.

The treasure to me of course wisdom, which often enough is depicted as a maiden (Sophia). Our ordinary perception of the world is in fact an enchantment that we need to break. Do we do this through the literal reading of the book? Which one since there are variations? To me this is a challenge to know the Saint himself, but he will not make it easy. Fearful things will appear and if you run back to the way you used to see the world when these are presented to you, you will lose your prize.

Just some reflections from the first day.Also, go buy Jose’s book. If you like the image of St Cyprian on this page you will probably also like Marta Spendowska. She is a Sorceress-Artist who does the most incredible icons. Check her out