A Note on Sources and Translations

For the most part, I have selected sources for classical texts that are online and in the public domain for the reader’s convenience. In some cases I could not find an online translation or edition acceptable to me and have therefore cited print versions of these books. In other cases, such as that of the Chaldean Oracles, these print versions are academic editions, which tend to be expensive. If you wish to consult those editions, I would encourage using your local library, where you can request to borrow those books from libraries that have them in their possession.

In some places I have done my own translations of some Greek texts. I sometimes chose to do so to make a particular distinction from the original text clearer than it is made in some other translations. Sometimes I chose to do my own translations so they would fit better in ritual (a precise academic translation does not always trip nicely off the tongue during a ceremony). Sometimes I chose to do it for the practice and sheer fun of it—and to show off a little. I most assuredly did notdo it because I quibble with the commonly available academic translations of these works, which are always excellent.