Ars Memorativa
Introduction: The Ars Memorativa or Art of Memory is a specialty that has received little or no attention since the end of the sixteenth century. Although rumors about experimentation with the memory arts among the Council of Seven during the clan's formation have circulated for centuries, little is known about the truth of the matter or how effective those ancient practices might have been and of course, the council remains silent on the subject to this night.
According to the histories of Clan Tremere, the Ars Memorativa would languish for another six centuries until the rise of Giordano Bruno an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician, poet, and astrologer. Bruno like many Mages of his day was something of a virtuoso straddling both the mystical and scientific paths in the pursuit of knowledge. Giordano was an eclectic Mage who originally began his career under the auspices of the Celestial Chorus, but quickly transferred his loyalties to the Solificati (later known as the Children of Knowledge) and if the rumors are true in later life he again transferred his allegiance to the Order of Reason (later known as the Technocracy). He is most celebrated for his cosmological theories, which went even further than the then novel Copernican model. He proposed that the stars were just distant suns surrounded by their own exoplanets and raised the possibility that these planets could even foster life of their own (a philosophical position known as cosmic pluralism). He also insisted that the universe is in fact infinite and could have no celestial body at its "center".
Unfortunately, the sixteenth century was not a forgiving time in which to be a free thinker and in 1593 Giordano Bruno was captured and tried for heresy by the Roman Inquisition on charges including denial of several core Catholic doctrines. Of course, the Inquisition found him guilty, and in 1600 he was burned at the stake in Rome's Campo de' Fiori. After his death he gained considerable fame, being particularly celebrated by 19th- and early 20th-century commentators who regarded him as a martyr for science, although historians have debated the extent to which his heresy trial was a response to his astronomical views or to other aspects of his philosophy and theology.
In addition to cosmology, Bruno turned his genius from the macrocosm of astronomy and astrology to the microcosm of the art of memory. It is clear that Giordano was deeply influenced by Arab astrology, Neoplatonism, Renaissance Hermeticism, and legends surrounding the Egyptian god Thoth. He combined historical mnemonic techniques like the Method Loci (an ancient memory technique utilizing architectural layouts to organize memories into easily recalled sequences) with his studies into the qualitative approach to mathematics and the application of spacial concepts in geometry to linguistics. This unique synthesis of techniques allowed Giordano a mastery of recall that was legendary and became a subject upon which he not only wrote several scholarly works, but upon which he also lectured throughout Renaissance Europe.
Despite the best efforts of the Inquisition, many of Bruno's works survived in antiquarian collections and occult libraries throughout Europe into the Twentieth Century. While many of these works were acquired by the Inquisition and locked away within the Vatican's legendary archives, a number of his journals, workbooks and texts were acquired by individual scholars, universities, and secret societies (Clan Tremere among them). In the 21st century, a few of his works have even been scanned, translated from Latin in a number of modern languages, and then uploaded to the Internet. Some of these digital works are for sale, while others are free to all and many are forgeries created by unknown sources perhaps as disinformation or to discredit Giordano's growing following in the modern era.
The Ars Memorativa is more than a path of thaumaturgy, it is a mystical school of thought with attendant rituals and a deep body of lore reaching back to antiquity. The following thaumaturgic path is one such derivation on Giordano Bruno's works and represents the potential of mnemonic magic through blood thaumaturgy. Like all paths of thaumaturgy it is hierarchical from simple parlor tricks to the miraculous at the apex of the path. The path can be used to enhance the warlock's memory or to limit the cognizance of his enemies. At its lowest levels, the thaumaturge can recall any particular fact he might know instantaneously. As the path progresses, the caster can weaken another individual's short-term memory, boost his own memory to a godlike level, reach out and delve other people's memories and eventually create a mental fortress that not only organizes his thoughts and memories but also defends his mind against alien intrusion.
- Level 1 - Abstract Figures
- Abstract Figures allows the thaumaturge to recall any single memory instantly without effort. Any sequence of numbers, images, phrases, etc.
- The power of Abstract Figures is based on the idea that by using creative visualization, the thaumaturge can create an appropriately abstract image with the correct sympathetic resonance to conjure forth the desired memory instantaneously. One of Giordano Bruno's many example to his students included a series culled from classical antiquity called: The Seven Images of Mars. The first example in the series is as follows: "The First Image of Mars is a Man armored and riding upon a Lion upon whose Helm a Vulture strikes with it’s beak. He is a Man of most ferocious appearance." This image evokes different responses from different students, but never fails to indelibly imprint itself upon the apprentice's memory. These type of abstract images are meant to shock the mind into recollection, while classical and medieval images are fine, the modern student of mnemonic magic need not stop there and sources of imagry can be drawn from virtually any source. Some of the best modern examples might be a favorite childhood book, t.v. commercials, scenes from graphic novels, the Kama Sutra, and almost all modern art.
- System:
- Level 2 - Short-term Memory Loss
- STML allows the the thaumaturge to short circuit another individual's ability to either recall information from his short term memory or to add anything new to his short term memory during the period this power is active against him.
- Level 3 - Simonides' Feast
- This power allows the thaumaturge to spend blood to improve his memory, both for recall of past facts and to memorize new information.
- Level 4 - Mnemosyne's Bridge
- This power allows the thaumaturge to forge a sympathetic mental link (similar, but not identical to, level 4 Auspex - Steal Secrets) to a target, allowing the warlock to scry that individuals memories.
- Level 5 - Fortress of the Mind
- This power organizes the thaumaturge's memories into an architectural format that allows the warlock to defend his secrets from mental intrusion.
