Picatrix

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The Picatrix (or Ghâyat al-Hakîm fi'l-sihr; also known as The Aim of the Sage) is a grimoire of uncertain origins, probably written circa 1200 CE. Offering talismanic and astrological guidance, the text clearly comes from a non-European and non-Rosicrucian ethos.

It has been attributed to al-Majriti (an Andalusian mathematician), but this attribution is doubtful, and the author is sometimes listed as "PseudoMajriti". Originally written in Arabic, a Latin translation appeared in 1256 from the court of Alphonso X of Castile.

The book had a major influence on West European magical thinking from Marsilio Ficino in the 1400s, to Thomas Campanella in the 1600s, to Ivan Chtcheglov in the 20th century. The edition in the British Library passed through several hands: Simon Forman, Richard Napier, Elias Ashmole and William Lilly.

A translation of the first two books appeared in English in 2002.

[edit] External links

• Antioch Gate has published the entire Arabic text of the Picatrix (keywords: Picatrix.pdf, Goal of the Wise.pdf, Aim of the Sage.pdf, Ghayat al-Hakim.pdf, Das Ziel des Wiesen.pdf, Majriti.pdf, Magriti.pdf).
• Ouroboros Press has published books 1 and 2 in their Volume I.
• Christopher Warnock presents his astrological use and interpretation of the work
• Picatrix: The Latin version of the "Gh¯ayat al-.hak¯im" ; text, introduction, appendices, indices / ed. by David Pingree. London: Warburg Institute, 1986 (=Studies of the Warburg Institute 39).
• Picatrix: Das Ziel des Weisen von Pseudo-Magriti, aus dem Arabischen ins Deutsche übersetzt von Hellmut Ritter und Martin Plessner. London: Warburg Institute, 1962 (=Studies of the Warburg Institute 27).
• Picatrix Latin text of the Pingree edition.