Arcanum
Arcanum, from the
Latin arcere, "to shut away," is usually used to refer to
occult mysteries and
doctrines of various sorts. The plural of
arcanum is
arcana. In the oldest sense
arcana were the rituals and
artifacts of mystery religions and
secret societies, which were not supposed to be shown or disclosed to outsiders. The word has a number of uses.
- In alchemy, the Grand Arcanum describes the secret of the philosopher's stone;
- By extension, in one older sense an arcanum is used for any nostrum said to be a panacea, such as the philosopher's stone was believed to be;
- Occult interpretations of the Tarot cards divide the deck into the Major or Greater Arcana, the trumps, and the Minor or Lesser Arcana, the numbered pip cards.
