Cautio Lectoris
Disclaimer
Last updated: 2026-05-28
Codex Arcanum is a love letter to the ancient writings — a library for readers who want to encounter Enoch and Hermes and the *Picatrix* in their own words, on their own terms. Nothing here is religious instruction. Nothing here is medical advice. Nothing here will predict your future. What you'll find is the texts themselves, carefully sourced and beautifully presented, and an AI tutor patient enough to walk you through them one line at a time.
Article I
This is not ritual instruction
The texts in this library — the Lemegeton, the Key of Solomon, the Picatrix, the Sefer Raziel, and others — were composed within historical religious and magical traditions and describe operations those traditions held to be efficacious. We present them as literary and cultural artifacts. We do not endorse any claim to supernatural efficacy. We do not encourage the performance of any described ritual. If you choose to engage with this material as a contemporary practitioner, the responsibility for that choice is wholly yours, including all consequences — psychological, social, legal, and otherwise.
Article II
The AI is not omniscient
Translations and analyses are generated in part by Claude Sonnet 4.5, a large language model. The model is broadly competent at classical languages and historical literature, but it is not infallible. It can mistranslate, hallucinate citations, conflate authors, and produce confident-sounding errors. Where the model is uncertain it is instructed to say so, and we preserve those uncertainty markers in the rendered text. For any consequential scholarly or spiritual decision, cross-reference an academic source.
Article III
Not medical or psychological advice
Several of the traditions documented here — Tibetan Buddhism, Sufism, Vedic mantra practice, Kabbalah — describe states of consciousness, breath disciplines, and meditative techniques. If you have a mental health condition, are pregnant, have epilepsy or a cardiovascular condition, or are taking psychiatric medication, do not attempt the techniques described in any of these texts without first consulting a qualified medical professional. Reading about the practice is safe; performing the practice without preparation is not.
Article IV
Not a substitute for traditional instruction
Most of the traditions documented in the Codex insist — emphatically, in their own words — that they cannot be learned from books alone. The Sufi orders require formal initiation. The Vajrayāna requires empowerment from a qualified lama. The Kabbalistic tradition forbids the practical operations to anyone under forty who has not first completed a full course of theological study. These warnings are part of the tradition. We preserve them in the source material because they were written by the people who knew the territory.
Article V
Age and content
The Codex contains historical material that may be disturbing to some readers, including descriptions of ritual sacrifice (the Carthaginian Tophet), violent conjuration formulae (the Goetia), eschatological visions (the Book of Enoch), mortuary literature (the Bardo Thödol), and other content of mature scope. The application is intended for users aged 13 and older. Parents and educators should evaluate the material for their own context.
Article VI
No claim to predict the future
Divinatory systems documented here — the runes, the oracle bones, Tarot correspondences, planetary hours — were used historically as prognostic tools. We document them as cultural practices. We do not represent that any divination performed using this application or its sources will accurately predict any future event. Treat divinatory readings, if you choose to do them, as a mirror for reflection, not as a forecast.
Article VII
Intellectual property of the source texts
The underlying ancient manuscripts (cuneiform tablets, the Voynich Manuscript, the Phoenician inscriptions, etc.) are in the public domain by virtue of their age. Specific English translations seeded in the Library are either public-domain editions (Mathers 1889, Charles 1917, Budge 1895, Westcott 1887, J.F. 1651, Dee/Casaubon 1659, Crowley 1904) or original Codex Arcanum content (the AI- translated Picatrix, the Keeper's Edition primers). The Codex Arcanum brand, design, original commentary, sigil illustrations, and tutor persona are © 2026 Codex Arcanum. See the Sources page for complete attribution and license details.
Article VIII
If you are struggling
If something you've read here is causing you real distress, please close the app and reach out to someone. In the US, call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). In the UK, 116 123 (Samaritans). In Australia, 13 11 14 (Lifeline). Anywhere else, the directory at findahelpline.com has crisis services for every country in the world. The texts will still be here when you're ready. We mean that.
Article IX
Contact
Questions about anything in this disclaimer: support@codexarcanum.app