Re: VMs: Giordano Bruno, was Re: Astrology etc.

[jean-yves artero <jyartero@xxxxxxxx>]

Hi Pam,

 

This is certainly of interest IMHO. If it s not a mere hoax or nonsense, VMS is obviously a means of communication, like hopefully every writing...

As you know, I am not certain that it only deals with astronomy/astrology.

Yes, VMS is said to contain two "hands" at least, but I am not aware that there is any theory

according to which he was written by two authors. Or are you thinking of JD and EK? BTW are there any clues that they wrote something together?

 

About GB I agree that he is a demonstration of the interest of secretly supporting certain ideas, given the general intolerance of the time. But I doubt that the botanical

part of VMS for instance is only part of the disguise. I see no reason to consider that

this one and not for instance the balneo section or...the astronomical/astrological

one is/are aiming at concealing the actual message to convey.

 

Since you are proposing the word Steganographia, I would answer that in that case the best

place for hidding the "criminal" thought to deliver would be the paintings in general, and not

at this stage such or such part of the paintings.

 

What I could add as an alchemy student is that as already said in the list

there are often more significance in carvings of alchemy books than in the

texts themselves (when the two "languages" are present in the same work).

 

An other point is that very often the essential part of a writing is a short one,

in a text for instance, and is at first glance unseen especially by an ignorant

reader, because the rest of the writing is common or even meaningless. I have at least

one example of this in mind, but of course it s off topic (;-)).

 

I have also the experience that in Renaissance and even after there were significant differences between certain printed books and copied ms which moved around under

cover. I already wrote that too in the list about Trithemius.

 

Finally, would your hypothesis be right, we should be in a position to think that

there are or (alas) there were more exemplars of the VMS or more even probably

additional sheets with the key for it. In fact we are sure of this, more or less, since some

pages of our present VMS are obviously missing.

 

Cheers,

 

Jean

Pamela Richards <spirlhelix@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi, Jean


I wonder if anyone has been exploring the idea that
the VMs might have been used as a means of
communication between two or several
astronomers/astrologers. It is said to contain two
languages, and it has been suggested there are two
authors at least. . . when we see the outcome of
Bruno's ideas, we know that certain individuals were
courting disaster by writing about these things. What
if they used a book which looked like a medieval
botanical to pass messages to one another, a la
Steganographia? Such a book, although no doubt kept
under cover, may have appeared intermittently in
trnasit between coreespondents, thus creating the
urgent need for heavy encryption.

Wondering. . .

Warmly,

Pam


--- jean-yves artero wrote:

> Hi Rene, Pam and everyone.
> > OT, Sorry don't remember wether this means on or off
> topic. Here is an abstract of Jim Reeds
> bibliography, as requested. It s the number 35 or so
> of printed documents list:
>
>
> Ephron, H. (Pseud. ``DENDAI'') ``A burning
> question in re the Voynich MS (slightly revised).''
> The Cryptogram. 43(1977). March-April, pp.22,46-48;
> May-June,pp.49,51-52,72. [Discussion; suggests G.
> Bruno is author.]
>
> FWIW my opinion is that yes, we should be thinking
> more about a possible connection between GB, JK,
> TB...
>
> More to follow, hopefully.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jean
>
>
> Pamela Richards wrote:
> Hi, Rene
>
> Here is some information for list members who want
> to
> know more about Bruno and read his actual works:
>
> --The work in which he defended the ideas of
&g! t; Copernicus is _Cena de la Ceneri_ (translated "The
> Ash
> Wednesday Supper), published in 1584
>
> --De l'Infinito, Universi e Mondi (translated "on
> the
> Infinite Universe and Worlds), published in 1584
>
>
> Those are the only two references that I am aware of
> which Bruno makes to these beliefs. There are many
> reasons to suppose that Bruno could be deemed a
> heretic in the eyes of the Church. His ideas ran far
> beyond the pale of thinking acceptable to the
> Church,
> and in many areas. Please do not equate me with the
> Church in saying this; I am far from defending the
> Church, and I am sure I would have been burned in
> Bruno's time, too. I am only reiterating the point
> that Bruno's ideas were more compatable with
> Neoplatonism, Hermeticism, and Gnosticism than with
> Catholic Christianity, and I believe it is likely
> upon!
> one of these points that he was charged by the
> Church.
>
>
> Others who know more about the Inquisition may
> correct
> me on this, but it is my understanding that he could
> only be charged as a heretic as a result of
> propounding ideas which attacked stated church
> dogma;
> and in 1600, I get the impression that the Church
> hadn't even begun to envision, let alone formally
> address, the widely divergent thinking that Bruno
> proposed when he referred to other Suns and other
> inhabited worlds.
>
> Although Bruno challenged the idea of the
> crystalline
> spheres, which today we may concurr with on an
> astronomical basis, we also know that he was an
> astrologer. When I say that astrology could be used
> in ways unacceptable to the Church, Bruno comes
> immediately to mind. He was known for his use of
> astrological magic; in p! articular he is associated
> with astrolgical magical techniques involving
> "bonding".
>
> Here is one of my favorite quotes of Bruno's:
>
> "There are three gates through which the hunter of
> souls [animarum venator] ventures to bind: vision,
> hearing and mind or imagination. If it happens that
> someone passes through all three of these gates, he
> binds most powerfully and ties down most tightly."
>
> "He who enters through the gate of hearing is armed
> with his voice and with speech, the son of voice. He
> who enters through the gate of vision is armed with
> suitable forms, gestures, motions and figures. He
> who
> enters through the gate of the imagination, mind and
> reason is armed with customs and the arts."
>
> "A General Account of Bonding" from Cause, Principle
> and Unity, ed. Blackwell & Lucca (Cambridge, 1997)
> page 155. >
> Bruno was an expert in his day in concepts of "media
> manipulation", its use in magic, and how to prevent
> its mind-numbing effects. This resistance to
> "group-think" is evident in how he lived his life as
> well as how he died.
>
> Here is a site where many of this prolific writer's
> works can be read:
>
> www.esotericarchives.com/bruno/home.htm
>
> Here is a list of works available on that site:
>
> De Umbris Idearum ('The Shadow of Ideas') (1582)
> (Latin)
> Bruno became a noted expert in the art of memory
> while
> still a Dominican monk. He repeatedly demonstrated
> his
> memory techniques, including to Pope Pius V. Bruno
> carried the traditional mnemonic training well
> beyond
> the Dominican traditions.
>
> This is Bruno's first book on memory, and presents a
> rich system which integrates mnemonics, psychology
> (ala Ficino), and hermetic magic. This work is dealt
> with at some length by Frances A. Yates in her
> Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition (1964).
> Ars Memoriae ('The Art of Memory') (1582) (Latin)
>
>
> Cantus Circaeus ("Incantations of Circe") (1582)
> (Latin)
> An early work by Bruno on the art of memory with
> strong magical elements. It is written in the form
> of
> a dialogue between the great sorceress Circe and her
> assistant or apprentice Moeris.
> Ars Reminiscendi -- Triginta Sigilli (1583) (Latin)
>
>
> Explicatio triginti sigillorum (1583) (Latin)
>
>
> The Heroic Frenzies... ('De Gli Eroici Furori')
> (English)
> Another major work of Bruno's, almost impossible to
> find, dealing with the philosophy of love and love
> as
> a means of mystical ascent.
> De Magia (Latin)
! > One of the very few of Bruno's books to deal
> explicitly with magic. It remained unpublished until
> Tocco's edition of 1891. I consider this text of
> equal
> importance with Agrippa's Occult Philosophy. For a
> translation, see Cause, Principle and Unity, ed.
> Blackwell et al.
> Theses De Magia (Latin)
>
>
> Magia Mathematica (Latin)
> By "mathematical magic" Bruno means magical
> practices
> that use characters, seals, and figures.
> De vinculis in genere (Latin)
> This is Bruno's other great book on magic, dealing
> with "bonding in general." Couliano characterizes it
> as "one of those little-known works whose importance
> in the history of ideas far outstrips that of more
> famous ones." (E&M p. 89) It explains how the masses
> can be manipulated with psychological and magical
> bonds, and how one can escape these snares.
>
! > Warmly,
>
> Pam
>
>
> --- Rene Zandbergen wrote:
>
> > Dear all,
> >
> > Giordano Bruno is a truly interesting character.
> > Before going into Pamela's post, I'd like to
> mention
> > that there is a little-known threory that the VMs
> > was actually written by Bruno. I wonder if anyone
> > has read the publication in question and could
> > summarise its main points to the list. It is cited
> > at Jim Reeds' bibliography, which I cannot access
> > right now (I tried Stolfi's mirror copy).
> >
> > Bruno was in Prague for a few months in 1588.
> > He dedicated a book to Rudolf, for which the
> > emperor gave him 300 Thalers.
> > (I have no no idea how that relates to ducats).
>
=== message truncated ===


=====
"I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing, than to teach ten ! thousand stars how not to dance."



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