The Ritman Library

BPH Highlight: Rays from the Rose Cross, September 1938 | Virgo - The Virgin ♍️

Max Heindel’s (1865–1919) Rosicrucian magazine Rays from the Rose Cross ran from 1913 to 2004, with most issues featuring a beautiful header engraving signifying the astrological season of the month. Unlike most of the other issues, this 1938 edition does not include this header, though it does dedicate over four pages to a piece detailing the sign of Virgo, written by one John Gosling. The article is prefaced by an explanation that astrology is “a phase of Mystic Religion, as sublime as the stars with which it deals, and not to be confused with fortunetelling.”

Virgo is the sixth sign of the zodiac, symbolised by “a maiden chaste and pure, a virgin Soul,” writes Gosling. Those born under this sign have an urgent need for purity in thought and feeling, he continues, signifying “the ultimate perfection of the physical experiences.” Love for detail and serving others are also characteristic of Virgo natives.

As a ‘common’ sign, Virgo is in pursuit of the perfect synthesis between thinking and feeling. As a Mercurial sign, it is constantly busy with the question of “Why?” In this, it resembles Gemini, though Gosling makes a point of noting how Virgo is “analytical, feminine, and negative”, in total contrast to Gemini, which is “synthetical, masculine, and positive”. Both forms of “thought power” are necessary for the sake of the whole.

When thrown out of balance, Virgo’s highly psychic and intellectual nature can create erratic thought and negative feeling within, and their critical nature can become destructive; a fall from angel to vixen, the author suggests. When balanced, however, there is an “inner vibration” which makes for fine artists, especially in music and painting.

Enjoy the last days of Virgo season!

“I, the fiery life of divine essence, am aflame beyond the beauty of the meadows.”
— Hildegard von Bingen, Liber Divinorum Operum (Book of Divine Works), c. 1163–1173

Today is the feast day of Saint Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179) 🌀

One of the most famous women of the Middle Ages, Hildegard was a German Benedictine abbess and mystic. Shattering the gender barriers of medieval religious life, she is also known as a writer, composer, poet, herbalist, theologian, and polymath.

Her immense legacy spans numerous fields, with her best-known work being Scivias (composed c. 1142–1151), her first major visionary work. It records and interprets 26 divine visions.

On her feast day, may Hildegard remind you to tend to your inner garden and cultivate what sets you alight: your passions, craft, creativity, and instinct for beauty.

Images in order:

1. The Turning of the Seasons, Liber Divinorum Operum (Book of Divine Works)
2. The Trinity, Scivias, II.2.
3. The Cosmic Egg / The Universe, Scivias, I.3.
4. The Choirs of Angels, Scivias, I.6.
5. The Cosmic Spheres and the Human Being, Liber Divinorum Operum, I.2.

Codex Hermeticus: September 2026 📜

This month’s library newsletter follows a thread of intellectual legacy and the intersection of science and mysticism.

Research intern Kavi Tiwari excavates our collection to study the origins of cryptography, ciphers, and secret writing, studying the works of Johannes Trimethius and his historical influence on the Elizabethan magus Dr. John Dee. From Leonardo Baldi (Leon Seti), expert on the history of science and specialist of late medieval and early modern conceptions of light, we have a piece on the 9th-century light metaphysics of philosopher al-Kindi.

Maria Marqués (Maria Marqués Boving) has written an essay timed perfectly for Hildegard von Bingen’s feast day tomorrow, discussing the medieval polymath’s conception of beauty. Lastly, Corey Andrews (Corey Andrews) shares a short piece on the personal relationship between Manly P. Hall and our founder Joost Ritman, featuring archival ‘receipts’ brought to light by PRS director Kelly Carmena, commemorating Hall’s death anniversary from just over two weeks ago.

📩 The newsletter goes out tomorrow. Sign up via the link in our bio to receive it.

Cover image: St. Hildegard von Bingen, The Universe (The Cosmic Egg), Scivias, Book I, Vision 3 (Folio 14r).

BPH Highlight: Oration on the Dignity of Man | Complete Works of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1557)

In his Oration on the Dignity of Man, understood as 'the manifesto of the renaissance', Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494) presented a radical and controversial vision of humanity. Challenging the medieval conception of a fixed cosmic hierarchy, he argued that human beings were uniquely free to shape their own nature and determine what they might become; an idea that would become one of the defining expressions of Renaissance humanism.

This 1557 Basel edition of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola’s Opera Omnia (Complete Works), published by Henricus Petri, is a cornerstone of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica (BPH) collection. The folio volume was edited by Pico’s nephew Gianfrancesco Pico della Mirandola, and binds together the Oration on the Dignity of Man with his controversial 900 Theses and his kabbalistic and metaphysical treatises.

A notable passage from this specific edition reflects Pico's awareness of the controversy his work ignited:

"I wanted to say this so that it might be understood how great a labor was mine, and what difficulty I faced, to extract the hidden secrets of philosophy from the affected knots of enigmas and the hiding places of fables... And yet my 'dogs' [critics] have not ceased to bark." (translated by )

The 1557 Basel edition is distinguished by its elegant typography and ornate historiated initials. Among them is the woodcut initial ‘L’, introducing the opening word Legi (“I have read”). This sets the tone for Pico’s manifesto, the idea that human dignity emerges from the active pursuit and synthesis of wisdom across diverse intellectual traditions.

The manuscript is on view now in our Grand Exhibition, The House with the Heads: A Monument to Free Thinking, extended until December 28th, 2026. Come and see for yourself!

“Dreamwork frees our consciousness from the rigidity of any imposed pattern, and can awaken us to the laughter and freedom of our true self.” — Sufi teacher and author Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

Join our course Dreamwork Across Cultures and explore everything from Greek incubation to Jungian, Sufi, and indigenous dreamwork, with Farânak Mirjalili.🌙

We start September 20th - sign up via the link in our bio.

BPH Highlight: The Modern Mystic and Monthly Science Review (1937-40).

The Modern Mystic and Monthly Science Review was a London-published journal dedicated to mysticism, the occult sciences, and esoteric philosophies. Founded by Norman Vincent Dagg (1897-1962), the first issue was published in January 1937, and the journal ran consistently for three volumes, when severe paper shortages and economic pressures of World War II forced it to cease publication in 1940.

Dagg was a controversial figure, founding the magazine out of frustration with the British mainstream occult scene of the 1930s with mixed reviews. In the introduction of the very first issue, he writes that the fallout of World War I sent people into the "arms of waiting mediums”, criticizing the rush toward the "Astrological columns of the daily Press.”

He also distanced himself firmly from belonging to any specific spiritual organization, stating: “The Modern Mystic owes allegiance to no sect, society, 'ism' or 'osophy' of any kind. But it does owe allegiance to the truth wherever it finds it." Still, it can be noted that many contributors to the magazine leaned toward anthroposophic beliefs.

Despite a certain abrasiveness in his editorial approach from the get-go, Dagg brought in contributions from an impressive line of respected authors, thinkers, and artists of the time, figures such as Henry Miller, Paul Brunton, and a young Alan Watts.

This issue from September 1938 had a musical theme. It features Austrian physician Eugen Kolisko, remembered as a pioneer in Anthroposophy with an article on Beethoven- , and Bernard Bromage, a prominent English lecturer on mysticism and a member of the Fraternity of the Inner Light (a breakaway group from the famous Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn), exploring musical mysticism of composer Ferruccio Busoni.

During the war years, Dagg alienated himself from this community completely. He abandoned esoteric philosophy to run the periodical Tomorrow (1939–1952), a journal of extreme right-wing politics, severing ties with many of his former contributors. The Modern Mystic remains a remarkable window into the diverse streams of interwar esoteric thought.

“The more the soul is raised above earthly things, the stronger she is.”
— Meister Eckhart (c. 1260-1328), Sermon 67

The week builds toward a Full Moon in Pisces and a partial lunar eclipse in the early hours of Friday, 28th of August 🌒

Eclipses have a chaotic element to them; in what may feel like an interruption of the usual rhythms of the heavens, light suddenly gives way to shadow. This eclipse marks one of the last eclipses on the Pisces–Virgo axis, a celestial dance between these two signs that has been playing out over the last couple of years.

Eckhart’s words come from a meditation on the Moon, reflecting on its waxing and waning, its light from the Sun, and its mysterious influence over the sea. The further the Moon rises from the Earth, he observes, the greater its power.

Image: Athanasius Kircher, lunar illustration from Ars magna lucis et umbrae, 1646.

“She has single stars in each hand, of which the one in the right is seen to be larger and brighter… which some have called the Spike [Spica].” — Astronomica, attributed to Hyginus, c. 1st–2nd century CE.

Happy Virgo Season! ♍︎

Virgo is the largest constellation of the Zodiac, and the second-largest constellation in the entire sky, covering more than 3% of the night sky. Yet for all her size, she is relatively faint, with only one first-magnitude star: Spica, the “Ear of Grain”.

Spica marks the grain held in Virgo’s hand and represents the final reward of a season’s labour, the literal fruit of what has been cultivated and tended. Her second-brightest star, Vindemiatrix, the “Vintager” or “Grape-Gatherer”, sits in her wing, traditionally signalling the time of the grape harvest. Here we find Virgo’s active discernment: knowing exactly when to reap and when to wait.

Ruled by Mercury, the messenger of the gods, Virgo possesses the discerning intellect required to separate the wheat from the chaff. While Leo brought the outward fire of the heart, Virgo turns that energy inward again, calling us back to tend to our crafts, refine what we have been working on, and reap what we have sown.

Across centuries and cultures, Virgo has had many names and many faces. In the Astronomica, attributed to Hyginus, several ancient identifications are gathered together: “Others called her Ceres, because she holds the ear of grain... others call her Erigone, the daughter of Icarius... many have called her Justice [Astraea].”

Swipe to see some of them →

Image: Unknown artist, Virgo, from a Book of Hours, Milan, c. 1470–1480.

The Flight🪽

In classical mythology, the constellation Virgo represents Astraea, the goddess of Justice. According to the Greek poet Aratus of Soli (c. 315–240 BCE), Astraea lived openly among humans during the mythic Golden Age, the primordial age when gods and mortals still lived together in harmony.

As humanity declined through the Silver Age, people became “lesser than their fathers”. Astraea withdrew to the lonely mountains, warning that their descendants would be worse still, bringing wars and “promiscuously shed blood,” as it appears in the Astron