San Cipriano From Sorcerer To Saint
San Cipriano From Sorcerer To Saint. By Etruscan Corner
In her 1885 book The Land Beyond the Forest, Emily Gerard (1849–1905) writes:
Scholomance is supposed to exist somewhere in the heart of the Transylvanian mountains. The secrets of nature, the language of animals, and all the spells are taught by the devil himself, including the secret language of Magic. Only ten pupils are admitted at a time, called Solomonari. When the course of learning is finished, nine of them are released to return to their homes, the tenth pupil is kept by the devil as payment. He will henceforth be the devil's aide-de-camp, tasked with riding a dragon to control the weather.
The Dragon And The Sorcerer by Marcel Olinescu in "Mitologie Românească" (Romanian mythology)
San Cipriano From Sorcerer To Saint
It was believed that the school recruited a handful of pupils from the local population. The duration of their study was seven or nine years after which the pupils would come to know all the mysteries of heaven and earth, "as Solomon knew them." The final task for obtaining the diploma required copying all of humanity's knowledge into a "Book of Solomon."
The word Solomonari also suggests a connection with King Solomon and a certain assonance with Salamanca, in Spain, the famous city of knowledge, with medieval stories of witchcraft taught by the devil located in the Cueva de Salamanca.
Scholomancy appears in Iberian texts associated with none other than Saint Cyprian of Antioch. Attracted by power, Cyprian becomes a student of the Devil and later, by grace, God grants him control over his former tutor.
Cueva de Salamanca
San Cipriano From Sorcerer To Saint
The Cueva de Salamanca corresponds to what was the crypt of the now non-existent church of San Cebrián. Legend has it that, in the space of the crypt, Satan, disguised as a sexton, taught lessons in occult sciences, magic, and astrology to seven pupils for seven years; one of them would remain in his service forever. The Grotto became so famous that its existence transcended the world and today in numerous South American countries, caves are generically called salamancas, attributing magical characters and virtues to their interiors. The ancient parish church of San Cebrián, named in chapter CCCXIII of the Fuero de Salamanca, is known to have existed in 1156. Located in the territory of the Franks, who arrived to repopulate Salamanca under the command of Don Giralt Bernal, in 1584 it was demolished and its stones were used for the construction of the New Cathedral. Through the sacristy of this parish, 22 steps descended leading to the Grotto of Salamanca where, according to tradition, magic, aeromancy, capnomancy, chiromancy, divination, catoptromancy, gastromancy, alchemy, geomancy, lecanomancy, judicial astrology, necromancy, pyromancy, and every occult science were taught by the former rector of the University, Marquis of Villena Don Enrique de Aragón (1394-1434), as testified by a multitude of chroniclers. The parish church was equipped with a chapel dedicated to the cult of Saint Cyprian, a fact already provided – along with the legend – by the German traveler Hieronymus Münzer in his *Itinerarium Hispanicum*, written during his journey through Spain between 1494 and 1495 and therefore close to the events that gave rise to the legend.
The Life As A Sorcerer
Saint Cyprian, bishop of Antioch, should not be confused with Saint Cyprian of Carthage, another early Christian bishop who was martyred about 50 years earlier.
He was probably born in the 3rd century in Antioch of Syria, during the reign of the Roman emperor Decius (249-251); a decidedly Roman city, as was the entire Mediterranean of that era.
Saint Cyprian is a complex figure whose story intertwines legend and reality. Before his conversion, Cyprian was a famous magician and sorcerer with a vast knowledge of magical and occult arts. He was known for summoning demons and performing acts of black magic, and his fame as a powerful magician was widespread.
His name is decidedly pagan: Cyprian derives from Cyprus, and Cyprian was an epithet of Venus or Aphrodite, due to the particular veneration she had on Cyprus, having been born from the sea foam that bathes the island.
Antioch of Syria is today the capital of the Turkish province of Hatay. The Hatay Necmi Asfuroğlu Archaeological Museum contains artifacts spanning all eras, starting from the Paleolithic, but there is no doubt that its collection of Roman and Byzantine mosaics is considered among the most important in the world.
San Cipriano From Sorcerer To Saint
Cyprian, from childhood, was dedicated to the service of the Greek god Apollo. He then entered the mysteries of the Roman god Mithras at the age of seven. He participated in the Eleusinian Mysteries where he: "carried the torch of the Greek goddess Demeter, wore the white robes of Kore (otherwise called Persephone, daughter of Demeter) and served the serpent of Pallas (one of the Greek Titans)," before being sent to Mount Olympus where, living only on fruits and acorns, he learned to control the weather and the seas, to change the nature of the air, to unleash thunder and rain.
At the age of ten he learned divination "from the movement of animals, from the sound of trees, and from the whispers of the dead."
At fifteen he began receiving lessons from seven great sorcerers from whom he learned many secrets. Then he went to the city of Argos, where, after serving the goddess Juno for a certain period, he learned the practices of her priests. He also lived in Taurapolis (on the island of Icara) in the service of the goddess Diana; from there he went to Sparta, where he mastered necromancy and other spells to communicate with the dead.
At the age of twenty, Cyprian arrived in Egypt and in the city of Memphis he learned magic, *heka* in Egyptian, considered a very ancient primordial force, older than all the gods. At thirty he went to the Chaldeans and after learning astrology, he concluded his studies. After that, he returned to Antioch as a sorcerer and magician.
Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus – circa 1485
San Cipriano From Sorcerer To Saint
Living in Antioch, he instructed many in his witchcraft: he taught some to fly through the air, others to sail on boats on the clouds, and still others to walk on water. He was venerated and glorified by all pagans as a high priest, and many turned to him for their needs.
After his conversion, Saint Cyprian confessed to having met the Prince of Darkness.
Believe me, I saw the prince of darkness himself, for I propitiated him with sacrifices. I greeted him and spoke with him and with his elders; he liked me and I placed myself entirely at his service, obeying his every command.
Saint Cyprian is also known for the mysterious El Libro de San Cipriano – Tesoro de Hechicero, which contains rituals of occultism, exorcism, and magic. It is a collection of rituals and supposed spells that, according to various legends, were written by Cyprian before his conversion to Christianity. This book, however, only appeared in the 19th century, long after the saint's death.
Pyramid Of Pharaoh Sahura At Abusir
San Cipriano From Sorcerer To Saint
Heka literally means "he who activates the Ka," the aspect of the soul that embodies personality. One of the oldest images of the deification of Heka is found in the solar temple of Pharaoh Sahura at Abusir, dating back to the Fifth Dynasty (2450-2325 BC). Often Heka is depicted alongside Thoth, god of wisdom and knowledge, which symbolically indicated that magic should always be accompanied by these two virtues.
"Heka magic is many things, but above all it has a close association with the word and the power of the word. In the realm of Egyptian magic, actions did not necessarily speak louder than words: they were often the same thing. Thought, action, image, and power are theoretically united in the concept of Heka." ~ Ogden Goelet, Egyptologist
The Pact with the Devil
El Libro de San Cipriano is a summa of various grimoires from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. It is the compendium of ancient Hebrew parchments, donated by the spirits to the German monk Jonas Sufrino.
On Mount Brocken, Sufurino makes a pact with Lucifer himself, who gives him a book titled "Complete Treatise on True Magic or the Sorcerer's Treasure" with the following dedication: "We dedicate this book to the new adept of the unknown sciences," signed Lucifer; and below: "I declare that this book has shown me true wisdom, obtaining through its study complete dominion over all creation," signed Cyprian the Magician.
Here is how Jonas Sufrino presents Cyprian to us:
The saint venerated under this name was, before his conversion to Christianity, one of the most famous magicians ever known. He practiced all the magical arts until, at the age of thirty, he converted to the Christian religion. During his profession as a Magician, he wrote numerous books on witchcraft and esoteric rituals, performed numerous spells and prophecies, carried out operations, achieved surprising effects, astounding the world with his secret arts. He wielded formidable power over infernal spirits, who obeyed him in every command, thus succeeding in producing astonishing enchantments.
According to legend, although his conversion was authentic, Saint Cyprian did not abandon his necromantic practices from within the church. His knowledge of spirits sees him as the author of various exorcism prayers: Saint Cyprian remains a unique link between the practices of the Church and those of the occult, a paradoxical element of popular Christianity that embraces magical arts.
It is interesting to note how the texts attributed to Saint Cyprian varied considerably in their content: some were books of folk magic, others prayers and instructions for priests on how to deal with demons and spirits, and still others contained rites of black magic.
Books that became very popular, especially in Spain and Portugal, and from there to the New World. In Central and South America, Saint Cyprian is the saint of sorcerers and spiritual practitioners, and his texts became highly sought after, full of secrets employed in black magic, used by *curanderos* and *curanderas* called upon to tame rebellious spirits. Saint Cyprian is also present in the cult of the Santísima Muerte.
His presence in the spiritualist practices of Brazil and Venezuela is great due to his connection with the mysterious cult of Kimbanda, where the Saint is associated with the powerful Exu Meia Noite, the entity considered by many to be the true guide of Saint Cyprian.
The Vision Of Faust On Walpurgis Night On Mount Blocksberg, Luis Ricardo Falero (1880) – Within the context of old Germanic traditions, the night between April 30 and May 1 celebrated the full arrival of spring, a vigil that was later considered by Christians a reprehensible gathering of witches who emerged from their shelters to dance in honor of the Moon on Mount Brocken. To ward off demonic figures, the feast of Saint Walpurga (710 – 779) was therefore superimposed on the pagan tradition, eventually becoming "Walpurgis Night."
San Cipriano From Sorcerer To Saint
Mount Brocken With Transmitters – Mount Brocken is the highest peak (1,142 meters) of the Harz mountains in Germany, located between the Weser and Elbe rivers. Despite its low altitude, it tends to be covered in snow from September to May, and haze and fog envelop it for almost 300 days a year. Its microclimate resembles that of mountains close to 2,000 meters in height.
San Cipriano From Sorcerer To Saint
Cyprian The Magician
Before his conversion to Christianity, Saint Cyprian was a magician whom people paid to get something they wanted, and Cyprian used his authority among the spirits to fulfill these requests. One of these clients was a young man named Aglaides, who wished to marry the young Justina.
Justina also lived in Antioch. The young man Aglaides sought Cyprian's help and asked for a spell to convince Justina to marry him. But whatever Cyprian tried, he achieved nothing, for Justina fought all the magician's cunning through her prayers and fasting.
Cyprian continued to invoke demons to attack the young Christian woman, trying to arouse carnal passions in her, without success.
The Conversion
The sorcerer Cyprian saw that all the power of the devil was useless against a young girl who had faith in Jesus Christ. Cyprian promptly decided to renounce Lucifer and become a disciple of Christ.
He thus began a path of redemption, abandoning magical practices. He went to the local bishop Anthimus and threw all his books into the fire.
He received Baptism and seven days later was ordained a reader; on the twelfth day, subdeacon; on the thirtieth day, deacon. After a year he was ordained a priest. In a short time, Saint Cyprian was elevated to the rank of bishop while Justina retired to a monastery and there became abbess.
During the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian (303-311), in the year 304, Bishop Cyprian and Abbess Justina were arrested and taken to Nicomedia, where, after fierce torture, they were beheaded with the sword.
At the sight of this death of innocents, a certain Theoctistus converted and was beheaded along with the holy martyrs. Their bodies remained unburied for six days. Some sailors from Nicomedia took them and secretly transported them to Rome where they were buried on the estate of a matron named Rufina. Later, in their honor, Rufina had a basilica built near the port of Claudius where the bodies of the saints remained until the 12th century. Subsequently, Christian believers somehow managed to transfer the skeletons of Justina and Cyprian to the island of Cyprus.
Church of Saints Cyprian and Justina - Meliko
San Cipriano From Sorcerer To Saint
The Church of Saints Cyprian and Justina was built in the 14th century on the site of an older church. It is said that King Peter I, who reigned over the island from 1359 to 1369, venerating the holy relics and drinking water from the sacred spring, was healed from the ailments that afflicted him. As a sign of gratitude, he ordered the construction of a large church and a silver urn for the miraculous relics. In the churchyard there is a spring of healing water, which is expelled through pipes from the northern altar. In Meliko, Saints Cyprian and Justina are celebrated on October 2nd.
The remains of the holy martyrs Cyprian and Justina, enclosed in gilded silver reliquaries, are the main objects of veneration in the church. On the lid, the icons of the saints are painted. According to history, the remains of the saints, brought to the island from Rome via Syria, have lain in the church since the 13th century, curing corruption and warding off the evil eye.
It is St. Leonardo da Porto Maurizio (1676 – 1751), who attracted enormous crowds with his sermons, who narrates the story of Saints Justina and Cyprian for us.
Even today, Christians and Orthodox pray to Saints Justina and Cyprian to protect them from witchcraft and Satanism, which "is always lurking in the dark corners of society."
In popular tradition, however, Saint Cyprian remains the patron of magicians, sorcerers, occultists, witches, illusionists, herb and root doctors, demonologists, necromancers, spiritists, and those who cast spells for clients. Saint Cyprian is the one to call upon when dealing with the spirits of the dead and is invoked to remove curses, reverse spiritual attacks, and all matters involving the occult. He is celebrated on September 16th, while he is remembered by Orthodox Christians on October 15th.
The Archaic Virgins
Justina defended her virginity with all her might; however, we want to remember that archaic virgins were women not subjugated to the yoke of man. Not necessarily chaste in the strictly physical sense for this reason. They were profoundly and absolutely autonomous, independent, and free women.
They were those women who had preserved within themselves the fascinating and enchanting power that can emanate from a wild and mysterious forest or a pure and uncontaminated spring. Maintaining Virginity therefore meant preserving that magical power of joy, of enchantment, forgetting one's personal identity. Intuiting and perceiving Love in animals, plants, and in all of Nature, they would be enchanted by its many manifestations, feeling a great desire to merge and dissolve into it, a great nostalgia for such freedom.
Leda Bearne', The Archaic Virgins
All the great heroes were born from virgin mothers: Gilgamesh, Marduk, Buddha, Osiris, Dionysus, Genghis Khan, Jesus. All Sons of the Great Mother, the original force, and their enormous powers came from Her. Therefore, we must not confuse virginity with chastity.
Eudocia Augusta, Cathedral of Sofia, Byzantine empress, wife of Emperor Theodosius II, venerated as a saint.
It is not difficult to be seduced by the poetic version that Eudocia gave of the story of Saint Cyprian. In the "Martyrdom of Saint Cyprian," Eudocia wrote the story of Saints Cyprian and Justina, a beautiful Greek poem composed of three books. The work is interesting for its content and its form: Eudocia transmits the Christian message through the epic tradition of Homer, drawing from sacred texts, late prose, and Hellenistic literature. The work is rich in neologisms, probably the result of the author's own creativity.
San Cipriano From Sorcerer To Saint
Many symbols, colors, and objects are often associated with Saint Cyprian. Purple and white are the colors of the candles dedicated to him; a small cast-iron cauldron, perhaps alluding to the torture he suffered at the hands of Diocletian's men; crystal spheres resonate with this saint who is very much at home in the esoteric and magical.
The number nine is strongly connected with this saint, with his followers leaving nine offerings or ex-votos when he grants their requests. The day of the week dedicated to him is Saturday. By using a combination of symbols that resonate strongly with Saint Cyprian, one can begin to erect a shrine or an altar that can then serve as a means through which to develop a relationship of strong connection with him.
