These are intricate mystical drawings that serve as the focal point of the ritual. Practitioners are instructed to "inspect" or gaze upon these figures while reciting corresponding prayers to receive knowledge directly into their minds.
Accompanying the visual contemplation of the notae are the "orations." These are lengthy, sonorous prayers intended to be recited in a state of purity. The prayers are theologically dense, invoking angels, archangels, and the Holy Spirit to open the mind of the operator. Herein lies the primary tension of the Ars Notoria : it straddles the line between prayer and spell. In orthodox Christianity, prayer is a petition to God’s will. In the Ars Notoria , the recitation acts as a trigger or a key, intended to force a specific result—the instantaneous acquisition of knowledge. This mechanistic approach to the divine led to the text’s condemnation by figures such as the inquisitor Nicholas Eymerich, who classified it as a form of demonology despite its overtly pious language. the ars notoria pdf
And perhaps that is the first lesson of the Notory Art. These are intricate mystical drawings that serve as