My Approach to the Voynich Manuscript

The Voynich Manuscript has puzzled researchers for over 500 years. Filled with strange glyphs, mysterious plants, and zodiac diagrams, it has resisted all traditional attempts at translation. While most efforts treat it as a lost language or an elaborate cipher, I take a different approach.

Why a New Approach?

Instead of expecting the manuscript to read like sentences in a spoken language, we treat it as structured shorthand — closer to recipe cards or technical notes than to prose. This perspective helps explain why the text looks repetitive, segmented, and unlike any known alphabet.

Our Method

We break down the Voynich text into functional parts to keep it as simple as possible:

  • Prefix → Action (e.g., boil, crush, measure)

  • Root → Ingredient or subject (e.g., a plant, mineral, or element)

  • Suffix → Process or condition (e.g., in water, apply, strain)

By doing this, repeating glyph clusters such as qokeedy or shedy are no longer random. They reveal themselves as instructional steps.

Visual Cross-Checking

Text alone isn’t enough. We also compare glyph groups with:

  • Plant illustrations (roots, stems, flowers, leaves)

  • Astrological diagrams (seasonal or ritual context)

  • Patterns across folios (to see if terms shift in meaning)

This combination of textual segmentation + visual analysis helps us connect words with real-world functions.

Building Transparency

One of the biggest challenges in Voynich research is accessibility. Much of the work is hidden in technical papers or personal notes. Our goal is to make every step clear and visible:

  • Each folio will eventually have its own dedicated page.

  • We will show line-by-line breakdowns with translations.

  • Confidence levels will be marked so readers know what’s solid vs. speculative.

Why It Matters

Whether the manuscript is medical, ritual, or something else entirely, understanding its structure and intent is a step toward solving one of history’s most enduring mysteries. By making my research open and systematic, we invite others to see the patterns for themselves and raise questions!