The personality of Jacob Bruce, statesman and scientist, associate of Peter the Great and famous military leader, is shrouded in the secret of mysticism and occultism. In addition to spells, as well as magic rituals, written by the great Russian sorcerer on the pages of the legendary Black Book, the great magician compiled an unusual month for Russian farmers, popularly nicknamed the Bruce calendar.
The secret of the author's identity
Among the series of associates of Peter the Great, Jacob Bruce is called the brightest and most mysterious figure. The descendant of a noble Scottish family, educated within the walls of Oxford University, had excellent knowledge not only in the field of exact sciences and foreign languages. The sorcerer from the Sukharev Tower, as the people called Jacob Bruce, is considered by mystics to be the founder of Russian astrology, the most educated person of his time.
Combining courage on the battlefield and the ability of a competent military leader with a deep interest in scientific research, Bruce becomes the propagandist of Copernicus' views in the Russian Empire. The Russian scientist and magician happened to personally know Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) - a famous scientist of that era, the author of the most important scientific achievements in the field of mathematics and psychology. For Peter the Great, the astrologer and mathematician Jacob Bruce became a scholarly friend who introduced the tsar to the basics of practical astronomy, which was necessary for the formation of the Russian fleet.
Astrological aspects of the Bryusov calendar made it possible to harmonize the economic structure in the Russian Empire. The handbook has become a reference book for a Russian farmer, and has become the threshold of a modern biodynamic system of farming.
An expert in many sciences played an important role in the issue of urban planning:
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- based on the structure of the Zodiac, he proposed a 12-ray symmetry from the Kremlin, considering the zodiacal radial-ring layout of Moscow to be the most reliable defense;
- before the construction of St. Petersburg, he calculated the exact time of its foundation, so that the city of Peter was erected under the influence of the same zodiac sign that patronizes the emperor.
The release of the first copy of the Bryusov calendar was released in early 1709. According to historical data, the author of the reference book was Vasily Kipriyanov, as indicated by the entry on the first sheet of the famous publication. A librarian by vocation and a book publisher by order of Peter also cannot be called an ordinary person, except for mathematics, navigation, knowledge of foreign languages, Kipriyanov studied astrology. A man of outstanding ability became the author of reference books on mathematics and astrology. In the course of compiling the Calendar, information from ancient Russian renounced books, treatises of Western European astrology were used.
Preparation of the first edition
On the initiative of Peter the Great, Jacob Bruce began compiling an unusual calendar-month, being the head of the Moscow Civil Printing House, as well as a person with encyclopedic knowledge in many areas of life. It is his authorship that belongs to the first two leaves of the reference book, which the people later called the Bruce calendar. After four more sheets were compiled, a six-sheet reference book in A4 format was published in print.
Sensation from "Russian Faust"
For the versatility of knowledge in many fields of science and magic, ordinary people called Bruce a warlock, considered a sorcerer, and Pushkin called him "Russian Faust." The publication of the Bryusov calendar became a sensation in the society of the time when people knew only the Orthodox saints and months. On the pages of the published treatise, the author shared with readers intimate knowledge from the field of astrology, compiled a table of the first astrological calendar in Russia, very successfully combining knowledge of astronomy with information from the calendar and folk signs.
The legendary calendar of the new sample consisted of two parts:
- the reference part contained the structure of the so-called perpetual Easter calendar;
- the predictive part was striking in the accuracy of predictions of many events in life.
The Bruce calendar was extremely useful even for travelers, representatives of the trading estates. The folio contained information on the geographical coordinates of Russian cities and abroad, informed about the distances to Moscow or St. Petersburg from many large cities, and was supplied with lists of post stations. The publication was supplemented with a map of the Petersburg province, as well as the Moscow one with a detailed plan of the region. An inquisitive reader could familiarize himself with the coats of arms of the Russian state.
Information from the help part
In addition to the "Inescapable Easter", the Bruce calendar was especially useful to farmers thanks to the calculation of the positions of the moon, based on its 19-year cycle. One could get acquainted with the peculiarities of the chosen year in the light of the characteristic features of the planet that dominates in it. The unique reference book gained such popularity in Russia that it was published for two centuries in a row.
Predictive Section Accuracy
It was no less popular than the Bryusov calendar itself, it made it possible to predict not only weather changes, but even the likelihood of natural disasters, a change in political and economic situation. For example, according to the predictions from the calendar, 1917 was to be marked by a "happy battle", and 1998 - a "great change" with a new "government".
On the pages of the Bryusov calendar, the birth of Dostoevsky was predicted as the birth in 1821 of a great man who would be famous throughout the world for his "unrelenting labor", despite his "bodily ailments." After each new edition, the unusual guide was overgrown with new sections with the addition of predictions for the future that are relevant to people.
The omens section of the voluminous handbook contained year-by-year tables for all planets with recommendations for times and actions to be taken. Under the name "private predictions" information was collected, which today are called horoscopes. It was not difficult for any person of that time to find out their future by date of birth, to find out their happy days for life changes.
Bryusov's calendar contained a number of useful tips for every day - when to go down the aisle, shave off a beard or go to a dressmaker, start building a new house or start hostilities, even take the baby from the mother's breast.
The solid collection of the Bryusov calendar was reprinted many times with the addition of reference sections, but only until the beginning of the 20th century. The last forecast of the reference book is dated 2000 inclusive in the light of political events, social realities of that time. It is curious that in the article of the newspaper "Soviet Culture", published in 1989, the correspondent talked about a meeting with an elderly peasant from the Russian hinterland. The 90-year-old grandfather used the clever entries of the Bryusov calendar to predict the weather and predict the fate of fellow villagers. Moreover, the accuracy of divination was amazing.
The unusual secret of the popularity of the old Bryusov calendar is in the peculiarities of the psychology of the layman, who was satisfied with the accuracy of the layout of life events, indicating a specific time and actions. If something goes wrong, the blame can be blamed on the villain-author who drew up the action plan.
Tatiana Larina
