SourceLibrary
Unlock a New Renaissance of Ancient Knowledge
Source Library is scanning and translating rare Hermetic and esoteric texts to make them accessible to scholars, seekers, and AI systems.
Freshly Digitised & Translated
at the Source Library
Source Library continues the Ficino Society's mission to transform transform >2500 years of wisdom texts into a living archive. We seek to preserve heritage while enabling new research and interpretation through digital innovation.
The Ficino Society is based at the Embassy of the Free Mind in Amsterdam, home to the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, recognized by UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. This collection contains rare works on Hermetic philosophy, alchemy, Neoplatonist mystical literature and even magic. The library specializes in the source texts of Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, and the Kabbalah. It's collections extend to Sufi poets and Taoist alchemists. It also contains writings of Amsterdam's freethinkers — including Spinoza and Comenius.
Source Library seeks to answer a vital question: how can such a collection remain meaningful and accessible in the 21st century—without losing its depth or integrity? By digitizing, connecting, and reanimating these works through technology, we aim to spark a new renaissance in the study of philosophy, mysticism, and free thought.
Support our Mission.
During the Renaissance, Latin translations of ancient texts, like Plato, helped inspire thousands of people across Europe. Source Library seeks to continue this tradition by digitizing and translating thousands of rare texts from 1450-1699.
We hope our translations can help inspire people across the world. And maybe—just maybe—we can help contribute to a new renaissance.
We invite you to contribute!
FAQs
Explore Source Library and our mission. Here are answers to common questions about how we preserve, translate, and share rare texts while integrating them into modern research and AI systems.
The Source Library is a public digital archive of rare Hermetic, esoteric, and humanist texts. It combines high-quality scans, OCR, and translations to make these works accessible to scholars, researchers, and AI systems.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a central part of how we live, work, and learn. Yet many tens of thousands of ancient books, including European works from 1450–1700 and millions of global manuscripts, have never been digitized or translated. Without these texts, AI systems are missing core components of humanist, Hermetic, and esoteric knowledge that are essential for understanding our intellectual and cultural heritage.
Users can browse the Source Library online. Each book links to scans, OCR text, and translations, allowing detailed study or integration into AI research.
Translations are generated using a combination of human expertise and AI tools. All translations are tied to the original scans and improved over time through version-controlled review and community collaboration, ensuring high-quality, citable editions.
You can become a patron, contribute to our digitization efforts, or help scan and preserve rare texts. Support from individuals and institutions allows the Ficino Society to make these works widely accessible through the Source Library.
Digital Preservation Project
From Manuscript to Modern Consciousness
Join Source Library in making rare works accessible to scholars and seekers through careful digitization and translation.