I am an independent scholar and blogger living in Seattle, Washington. I specialize in the translation of Latin- and Arabic-language Hermetic and esoteric texts into readable modern English.I obtained an M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington in 2015. My specialties were Classical Arabic, Medieval Latin, Textual Studies, and Indigenous Studies. I have also studied Arabic Language and Literary Translation at the post-graduate level at Indiana University. Supervisors: Paul Remley, Professor of English, University of Washington and Terri DeYoung, Professor of Arabic, University of Washington Phone: 206/377-9076 Address: 703 Cottage Ave. Indianapolis IN 46203
Transmission of Alchemy is a new literal Arabic to English translation from two versions of an an... more Transmission of Alchemy is a new literal Arabic to English translation from two versions of an ancient source-work known as The Epistle of Morienus, the Wise Monk, to Prince Khālid bin Yazīd.
The expression of alchemy preserved in these wonderful manuscripts was foundational to both Islamic and European alchemical traditions. The Epistle of Morienus is considered a primary historical eyewitness account of the momentous occasion when the torch of Byzantine alchemy was transmitted to the Islamic Empire. From there, it would evolve into its dynamic new, experimental and medicinal form as Islamic al-Kīmyāʼ.
Not only is it a record of alchemy’s transmission to the rich Islamic culture of the Umayyad Caliphate during the 7th century, but also Islamic alchemy’s transmission into Europe. The original Arabic form of The Epistle of Morienus is considered by many researchers to be one of the first – if not the first – of many initial alchemical texts translated into Latin during the 11th and 12th centuries.
The dialogue between Morienus and Prince Khālid holds the key to realizing alchemy as a model for mystic insight, be it framed in terms of Greek philosophical principles, Alexandrian Chrysopœia or Christian mysticism – all of which Morienus harmonizes and wonderfully expresses with a startling wholeness. Somewhat Hermetic or Gnostic in tone, Morienus draws on these as well as Persian, Greek, Jewish and Egyptian sources of wisdom accurately and from memory in his dialogue with Prince Khālid.
Morienus’ alchemical expression reflects several Alexandrian Chrysopœian precedents, yet is surprisingly unique in its own right. The work also reveals itself as seamlessly marrying operative and mystic foundational theory with practical work in both alchemy and transcendent wisdom. Transmission of Alchemy will delight professionals and enthusiasts alike who share interest in alchemy, history, spirituality and mysticism.
This bibliography of H. Rider Haggard's popular novel She: A History of Adventure addresses the c... more This bibliography of H. Rider Haggard's popular novel She: A History of Adventure addresses the cultural milieu in which the author created his influential adventure fantasy. In particular, the bibliography addresses Britain's imperialist efforts in Africa, the public fascination with "exotic" spiritual practices and beliefs in fin-de-siècle Britain, and the 19th-century archaeological discoveries in the Middle East and Africa. The bibliography was compiled with the view that Haggard did not, as has been asserted, compose the novel via automatic writing, but carefully constructed it addressing ideas and preoccupations which were current in his time.
This paper examines the history and background of Coastal Salish oral literature and the work of ... more This paper examines the history and background of Coastal Salish oral literature and the work of Native American storyteller Johnny Whis.Stem.Men.Knee Moses. The paper discusses the state of preservation of the Salishan languages in the Puget Sound region, particularly Lushootseed and Samish. The paper analyzes two of Moses' storytelling performances, one of which was given in Lushootseed and English, the other in Samish and English. An attempt to describe and analyze Puget Salish poetics is made, along with a comparison to Albert Lord's analysis of Serbian epic poetry in The Singer of Tales. The paper concludes that the effects of the genocide of Native Americans have resulted in a paucity of materials from which the researcher can draw conclusions concerning Coastal Salish poetics and oral literature. This recognition of this paucity should act as an impetus for future researchers to document and archive Native American languages and oral literatures.
Note: the documents included here are translations that were used to complete the article. They ... more Note: the documents included here are translations that were used to complete the article. They are not the texts of the article itself. The article's co-author, Dr. Philip Senter, wrote the actual article, while the translations are mine.
Here we investigate claims that pterosaurs survived into the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In 1557, 1640, and 1651 the European naturalists Pierre Belon, Ulisse Aldrovandi, and Giovanni Faber, respectively, published illustrations of winged, bipedal specimens that had been stuffed and mounted. Some recent young-Earth creationist authors claim that these specimens were recently-killed pterosaurs. The drawings and descriptions are detailed enough to test the pterosaur hypothesis as well as the alternative hypothesis that the specimens are taxidermic composites of parts of different animals. However, before now, no one has investigated these three cases or attempted to test these hypotheses. Here we report an investigation in which these hypotheses are tested. By comparing the specimens with pterosaurs, we found that in all three specimens, all regions of the body are inconsistent with pterosaur anatomy. Comparison with extant animals reveals that Belon’s and Aldrovandi’s dragons are decapitated snakes with attached mammal heads. Their wings are the pectoral fins of flying gurnards (Dactylopterus volitans). Their “legs” are the forelimbs of rabbits or canids in reptile-skin sleeves. The dragon illustrated by Faber and owned by Cardinal Francesco Barberini includes the skull of a weasel (Mustela nivalis), the belly skin of a snake, the dorsal and lateral skin of a lizard, and the tail skeleton of an eel (Anguilla anguilla). These hoaxes now join the list of discredited “proofs” of human-pterosaur coexistence.
Rough copy of a translation of Ahmed Khalid Tawfiq's Egyptian Pocket Novel "The Legend of the Hou... more Rough copy of a translation of Ahmed Khalid Tawfiq's Egyptian Pocket Novel "The Legend of the House of Serpents." A more polished version is in the works. This Lovecraftian tale concerns a young villager who moves into an apartment building in Cairo, only to discover that the tenants are transforming into vicious serpents. A strange and impoverished accountant who lives there holds the secret to this strange phenomenon.
The following is a translation of an excerpt from the thirty-seventh epistle from the Encyclopaed... more The following is a translation of an excerpt from the thirty-seventh epistle from the Encyclopaedia of the Brethren of the Purity (رسائل إخوان الصفا), concerning Eros (العشق).
"The Tale of Ninao" has been excerpted from Haggag Hassan Oddoul's The Final Voyage of Sindbad/رح... more "The Tale of Ninao" has been excerpted from Haggag Hassan Oddoul's The Final Voyage of Sindbad/رحلة السندباد الأخيرة. The translation was completed in November, 2014. Details concerning the author and the work are included with the story.
Transmission of Alchemy is a new literal Arabic to English translation from two versions of an an... more Transmission of Alchemy is a new literal Arabic to English translation from two versions of an ancient source-work known as The Epistle of Morienus, the Wise Monk, to Prince Khālid bin Yazīd.
The expression of alchemy preserved in these wonderful manuscripts was foundational to both Islamic and European alchemical traditions. The Epistle of Morienus is considered a primary historical eyewitness account of the momentous occasion when the torch of Byzantine alchemy was transmitted to the Islamic Empire. From there, it would evolve into its dynamic new, experimental and medicinal form as Islamic al-Kīmyāʼ.
Not only is it a record of alchemy’s transmission to the rich Islamic culture of the Umayyad Caliphate during the 7th century, but also Islamic alchemy’s transmission into Europe. The original Arabic form of The Epistle of Morienus is considered by many researchers to be one of the first – if not the first – of many initial alchemical texts translated into Latin during the 11th and 12th centuries.
The dialogue between Morienus and Prince Khālid holds the key to realizing alchemy as a model for mystic insight, be it framed in terms of Greek philosophical principles, Alexandrian Chrysopœia or Christian mysticism – all of which Morienus harmonizes and wonderfully expresses with a startling wholeness. Somewhat Hermetic or Gnostic in tone, Morienus draws on these as well as Persian, Greek, Jewish and Egyptian sources of wisdom accurately and from memory in his dialogue with Prince Khālid.
Morienus’ alchemical expression reflects several Alexandrian Chrysopœian precedents, yet is surprisingly unique in its own right. The work also reveals itself as seamlessly marrying operative and mystic foundational theory with practical work in both alchemy and transcendent wisdom. Transmission of Alchemy will delight professionals and enthusiasts alike who share interest in alchemy, history, spirituality and mysticism.
This bibliography of H. Rider Haggard's popular novel She: A History of Adventure addresses the c... more This bibliography of H. Rider Haggard's popular novel She: A History of Adventure addresses the cultural milieu in which the author created his influential adventure fantasy. In particular, the bibliography addresses Britain's imperialist efforts in Africa, the public fascination with "exotic" spiritual practices and beliefs in fin-de-siècle Britain, and the 19th-century archaeological discoveries in the Middle East and Africa. The bibliography was compiled with the view that Haggard did not, as has been asserted, compose the novel via automatic writing, but carefully constructed it addressing ideas and preoccupations which were current in his time.
This paper examines the history and background of Coastal Salish oral literature and the work of ... more This paper examines the history and background of Coastal Salish oral literature and the work of Native American storyteller Johnny Whis.Stem.Men.Knee Moses. The paper discusses the state of preservation of the Salishan languages in the Puget Sound region, particularly Lushootseed and Samish. The paper analyzes two of Moses' storytelling performances, one of which was given in Lushootseed and English, the other in Samish and English. An attempt to describe and analyze Puget Salish poetics is made, along with a comparison to Albert Lord's analysis of Serbian epic poetry in The Singer of Tales. The paper concludes that the effects of the genocide of Native Americans have resulted in a paucity of materials from which the researcher can draw conclusions concerning Coastal Salish poetics and oral literature. This recognition of this paucity should act as an impetus for future researchers to document and archive Native American languages and oral literatures.
Note: the documents included here are translations that were used to complete the article. They ... more Note: the documents included here are translations that were used to complete the article. They are not the texts of the article itself. The article's co-author, Dr. Philip Senter, wrote the actual article, while the translations are mine.
Here we investigate claims that pterosaurs survived into the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In 1557, 1640, and 1651 the European naturalists Pierre Belon, Ulisse Aldrovandi, and Giovanni Faber, respectively, published illustrations of winged, bipedal specimens that had been stuffed and mounted. Some recent young-Earth creationist authors claim that these specimens were recently-killed pterosaurs. The drawings and descriptions are detailed enough to test the pterosaur hypothesis as well as the alternative hypothesis that the specimens are taxidermic composites of parts of different animals. However, before now, no one has investigated these three cases or attempted to test these hypotheses. Here we report an investigation in which these hypotheses are tested. By comparing the specimens with pterosaurs, we found that in all three specimens, all regions of the body are inconsistent with pterosaur anatomy. Comparison with extant animals reveals that Belon’s and Aldrovandi’s dragons are decapitated snakes with attached mammal heads. Their wings are the pectoral fins of flying gurnards (Dactylopterus volitans). Their “legs” are the forelimbs of rabbits or canids in reptile-skin sleeves. The dragon illustrated by Faber and owned by Cardinal Francesco Barberini includes the skull of a weasel (Mustela nivalis), the belly skin of a snake, the dorsal and lateral skin of a lizard, and the tail skeleton of an eel (Anguilla anguilla). These hoaxes now join the list of discredited “proofs” of human-pterosaur coexistence.
Rough copy of a translation of Ahmed Khalid Tawfiq's Egyptian Pocket Novel "The Legend of the Hou... more Rough copy of a translation of Ahmed Khalid Tawfiq's Egyptian Pocket Novel "The Legend of the House of Serpents." A more polished version is in the works. This Lovecraftian tale concerns a young villager who moves into an apartment building in Cairo, only to discover that the tenants are transforming into vicious serpents. A strange and impoverished accountant who lives there holds the secret to this strange phenomenon.
The following is a translation of an excerpt from the thirty-seventh epistle from the Encyclopaed... more The following is a translation of an excerpt from the thirty-seventh epistle from the Encyclopaedia of the Brethren of the Purity (رسائل إخوان الصفا), concerning Eros (العشق).
"The Tale of Ninao" has been excerpted from Haggag Hassan Oddoul's The Final Voyage of Sindbad/رح... more "The Tale of Ninao" has been excerpted from Haggag Hassan Oddoul's The Final Voyage of Sindbad/رحلة السندباد الأخيرة. The translation was completed in November, 2014. Details concerning the author and the work are included with the story.
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The expression of alchemy preserved in these wonderful manuscripts was foundational to both Islamic and European alchemical traditions. The Epistle of Morienus is considered a primary historical eyewitness account of the momentous occasion when the torch of Byzantine alchemy was transmitted to the Islamic Empire. From there, it would evolve into its dynamic new, experimental and medicinal form as Islamic al-Kīmyāʼ.
Not only is it a record of alchemy’s transmission to the rich Islamic culture of the Umayyad Caliphate during the 7th century, but also Islamic alchemy’s transmission into Europe. The original Arabic form of The Epistle of Morienus is considered by many researchers to be one of the first – if not the first – of many initial alchemical texts translated into Latin during the 11th and 12th centuries.
The dialogue between Morienus and Prince Khālid holds the key to realizing alchemy as a model for mystic insight, be it framed in terms of Greek philosophical principles, Alexandrian Chrysopœia or Christian mysticism – all of which Morienus harmonizes and wonderfully expresses with a startling wholeness. Somewhat Hermetic or Gnostic in tone, Morienus draws on these as well as Persian, Greek, Jewish and Egyptian sources of wisdom accurately and from memory in his dialogue with Prince Khālid.
Morienus’ alchemical expression reflects several Alexandrian Chrysopœian precedents, yet is surprisingly unique in its own right. The work also reveals itself as seamlessly marrying operative and mystic foundational theory with practical work in both alchemy and transcendent wisdom. Transmission of Alchemy will delight professionals and enthusiasts alike who share interest in alchemy, history, spirituality and mysticism.
Here we investigate claims that pterosaurs survived into the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In 1557, 1640, and 1651 the European naturalists Pierre Belon, Ulisse Aldrovandi, and Giovanni Faber, respectively, published illustrations of winged, bipedal specimens that had been stuffed and mounted. Some recent young-Earth creationist authors claim that these specimens were recently-killed pterosaurs. The drawings and descriptions are detailed enough to test the pterosaur hypothesis as well as the alternative hypothesis that the specimens are taxidermic composites of parts of different animals. However, before now, no one has investigated these three cases or attempted to test these hypotheses. Here we report an investigation in which these hypotheses are tested. By comparing the specimens with pterosaurs, we found that in all three specimens, all regions of the body are inconsistent with pterosaur anatomy. Comparison with extant animals reveals that Belon’s and Aldrovandi’s dragons are decapitated snakes with attached mammal heads. Their wings are the pectoral fins of flying gurnards (Dactylopterus volitans). Their “legs” are the forelimbs of rabbits or canids in reptile-skin sleeves. The dragon illustrated by Faber and owned by Cardinal Francesco Barberini includes the skull of a weasel (Mustela nivalis), the belly skin of a snake, the dorsal and lateral skin of a lizard, and the tail skeleton of an eel (Anguilla anguilla). These hoaxes now join the list of discredited “proofs” of human-pterosaur coexistence.
Unpublished Translations by Darius M Klein
The expression of alchemy preserved in these wonderful manuscripts was foundational to both Islamic and European alchemical traditions. The Epistle of Morienus is considered a primary historical eyewitness account of the momentous occasion when the torch of Byzantine alchemy was transmitted to the Islamic Empire. From there, it would evolve into its dynamic new, experimental and medicinal form as Islamic al-Kīmyāʼ.
Not only is it a record of alchemy’s transmission to the rich Islamic culture of the Umayyad Caliphate during the 7th century, but also Islamic alchemy’s transmission into Europe. The original Arabic form of The Epistle of Morienus is considered by many researchers to be one of the first – if not the first – of many initial alchemical texts translated into Latin during the 11th and 12th centuries.
The dialogue between Morienus and Prince Khālid holds the key to realizing alchemy as a model for mystic insight, be it framed in terms of Greek philosophical principles, Alexandrian Chrysopœia or Christian mysticism – all of which Morienus harmonizes and wonderfully expresses with a startling wholeness. Somewhat Hermetic or Gnostic in tone, Morienus draws on these as well as Persian, Greek, Jewish and Egyptian sources of wisdom accurately and from memory in his dialogue with Prince Khālid.
Morienus’ alchemical expression reflects several Alexandrian Chrysopœian precedents, yet is surprisingly unique in its own right. The work also reveals itself as seamlessly marrying operative and mystic foundational theory with practical work in both alchemy and transcendent wisdom. Transmission of Alchemy will delight professionals and enthusiasts alike who share interest in alchemy, history, spirituality and mysticism.
Here we investigate claims that pterosaurs survived into the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In 1557, 1640, and 1651 the European naturalists Pierre Belon, Ulisse Aldrovandi, and Giovanni Faber, respectively, published illustrations of winged, bipedal specimens that had been stuffed and mounted. Some recent young-Earth creationist authors claim that these specimens were recently-killed pterosaurs. The drawings and descriptions are detailed enough to test the pterosaur hypothesis as well as the alternative hypothesis that the specimens are taxidermic composites of parts of different animals. However, before now, no one has investigated these three cases or attempted to test these hypotheses. Here we report an investigation in which these hypotheses are tested. By comparing the specimens with pterosaurs, we found that in all three specimens, all regions of the body are inconsistent with pterosaur anatomy. Comparison with extant animals reveals that Belon’s and Aldrovandi’s dragons are decapitated snakes with attached mammal heads. Their wings are the pectoral fins of flying gurnards (Dactylopterus volitans). Their “legs” are the forelimbs of rabbits or canids in reptile-skin sleeves. The dragon illustrated by Faber and owned by Cardinal Francesco Barberini includes the skull of a weasel (Mustela nivalis), the belly skin of a snake, the dorsal and lateral skin of a lizard, and the tail skeleton of an eel (Anguilla anguilla). These hoaxes now join the list of discredited “proofs” of human-pterosaur coexistence.