Developer API

Gnosis Lexicon API

Free, open access to a growing corpus of gnostic and esoteric terminology. Built for researchers, developers, and anyone building tools for the study of ancient wisdom traditions.

Base URL

GET https://pleroma.stefansalkimia.com/api/lexicon/public

Authentication

None required. The API is free and open. No API key needed.

Rate Limits

100 requests per hour per IP address. Rate limit headers are included in every response.

X-RateLimit-Limit: 100

X-RateLimit-Remaining: 99

X-RateLimit-Reset: 1712764800

X-License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

Every response also includes an X-License header advertising the CC BY-SA 4.0 license that governs the data — so downstream tooling can detect the license without parsing this page.

Endpoints

GET /api/lexicon/public

Returns a paginated list of all lexicon terms. Supports filtering by pillar, locale, and search query.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
locale	string	"en"	Language: "en" (English) or "bg" (Bulgarian)
pillar	string	-	Filter by knowledge pillar (e.g. cosmology, alchemy, shadow)
q	string	-	Search term name (case-insensitive partial match)
limit	number	50	Results per page (1-500)
offset	number	0	Pagination offset

Example Request

curl

curl "https://pleroma.stefansalkimia.com/api/lexicon/public?pillar=cosmology&limit=10"

Example Response

JSON

{
  "data": [
    {
      "term": "Archon",
      "slug": "archon",
      "definition": "A cosmic parasitic entity in Gnostic cosmology...",
      "pillar": "cosmology",
      "tradition": "Gnostic",
      "etymology": "Greek: archon — ruler",
      "relatedTerms": [
        "demiurge",
        "sophia"
      ],
      "url": "https://pleroma.stefansalkimia.com/en/lexicon/archon"
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "total": 222,
    "limit": 50,
    "offset": 0,
    "locale": "en",
    "hasMore": true
  },
  "attribution": {
    "source": "Pleroma Gnosis Lexicon",
    "url": "https://pleroma.stefansalkimia.com",
    "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
    "required": "Attribution required: 'Powered by Pleroma Gnosis'"
  }
}

GET /api/lexicon/public/[slug]

Returns a single term by its slug, including full content and related blog posts that reference it.

Example Request

curl

curl "https://pleroma.stefansalkimia.com/api/lexicon/public/archon"

Example Response

JSON

{
  "data": {
    "term": "Archon",
    "slug": "archon",
    "definition": "A cosmic parasitic entity in Gnostic cosmology...",
    "fullContent": "A cosmic parasitic entity in Gnostic cosmology that rules the material world...",
    "pillar": "cosmology",
    "tradition": "Gnostic",
    "etymology": "Greek: archon — ruler",
    "pronunciation": "AR-kon",
    "termOriginal": null,
    "relatedTerms": [
      "demiurge",
      "sophia"
    ],
    "relatedPosts": [
      {
        "title": "What Are Archons?",
        "slug": "what-are-archons",
        "url": "https://pleroma.stefansalkimia.com/en/blog/what-are-archons"
      }
    ],
    "url": "https://pleroma.stefansalkimia.com/en/lexicon/archon"
  },
  "attribution": {
    "source": "Pleroma Gnosis Lexicon",
    "url": "https://pleroma.stefansalkimia.com",
    "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
    "required": "Attribution required: 'Powered by Pleroma Gnosis'"
  }
}

Response Fields

Every response is a JSON object with three top-level keys: data (the term or array of terms), meta (pagination + request metadata, list endpoint only), and attribution (license and credit info). The tables below document every field the API can return.

data — term object

Field	Type	Description
term	string	Canonical name of the term as it appears in the lexicon.
slug	string	URL-safe identifier. Use this in the single-term endpoint path.
definition	string	Short one- or two-sentence definition suitable for cards, tooltips, and preview UIs.
pillar	string	The knowledge pillar this term belongs to (e.g. cosmology, alchemy, shadow).
tradition	string	The lineage or tradition the term originates from (e.g. Gnostic, Hermetic, Kabbalistic).
etymology	string \| null	Origin of the word, usually including the source language. May be null when unknown.
relatedTerms	string[]	Slugs of other terms cross-linked to this one. Useful for graph walks and related-reading UIs.
url	string	Canonical URL of the term's page on Pleroma.
fullContent	string	Long-form prose body of the term entry, in Markdown. Single-term endpoint only.
pronunciation	string \| null	Rough phonetic pronunciation guide. May be null. Single-term endpoint only.
termOriginal	string \| null	Original-script form of the term (e.g. Greek, Hebrew) when applicable. May be null. Single-term endpoint only.
relatedPosts	object[]	Array of blog posts that reference this term, each with title, slug, and url. Single-term endpoint only.

meta — list endpoint only

Field	Type	Description
meta.total	number	Total number of terms that match the current filter, before pagination.
meta.limit	number	Page size that was actually applied (after clamping to the 1-500 allowed range).
meta.offset	number	Offset that was actually applied (after clamping).
meta.locale	string	Locale that was resolved for this response (en or bg).
meta.hasMore	boolean	True when there are additional pages after this one. Equivalent to (offset + limit) < total.
meta.warnings	string[] (optional)	Present only when the API silently adjusted your input — for example, clamped an out-of-range limit or fell back to the default locale. Each string explains one adjustment.

attribution

Field	Type	Description
attribution.source	string	Human-readable name of the data source.
attribution.url	string	URL you should link back to when attributing the data.
attribution.license	string	SPDX-style identifier for the license. Always CC BY-SA 4.0 today.
attribution.required	string	The exact attribution string we ask you to display alongside reused content.

Fields marked as "single-term endpoint only" appear when you fetch GET /api/lexicon/public/[slug] and are omitted from the list endpoint to keep responses small.

Available Pillars

Use these values with the pillar query parameter to filter terms by knowledge domain.

cosmology

alchemy

frequency

temple

matrix

shadow

astrology

mastery

sophia

Attribution

This API is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. You are free to use the data in any project, provided you include attribution linking back to Pleroma.

HTML

<a href="https://pleroma.stefansalkimia.com">Powered by Pleroma Gnosis</a>

License

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). You may share and adapt the data for any purpose, including commercial, as long as you provide attribution and distribute derivative works under the same license.

Error Codes

Code	Meaning
200	Success
400	Bad request (invalid locale or parameters)
404	Term not found (single-term endpoint only)
429	Rate limit exceeded. Check the Retry-After header.

Feedback & Contact

Found a bug, a wrong definition, or need a higher rate limit for research or a larger integration? Reach out directly — a human reads every message.

pleroma@stefansalkimia.com

Rate-limit increases are granted case by case. Include a short note about the project and expected request volume and you will usually hear back within a few days.