DOCSLIB.ORG

National Library of Canada To

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
National Library of Canada To National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1*1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, nie Wellington OftawaON KlAON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada Your fik Votre référence Our fi& Notre rdfdrence The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microforrn, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/fïlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. The Revival of the Occult Philosophy: Cabdistic Magic and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dam Alison L. Butler A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fbilihnent of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts The Department of Religious Shidies Memo rial University of Newfoundland August 2000 St. John's Abstract It is essential that we include the history ofthe western rnagica.1 tradition in any study of intellectuai history. The belief in and practice of magic is part of an interpretation of existence with a long history. That humanity continues to tuni to magic for answers about the universe, hurnan beings, and their interaction with the world demonstrates that it is not a mode of thinking which can be dated to a certain time period, The history of the western rnagical tradition defied the existence of a world process of rationalisation. This thesis wdl show how the tradition did so in the Renaissance and continued to do so in a revival of that same magicai system in nineteenth-century Engiand. Specifically, in this study we will focus on the establishment and development of cabalistic magic and how it provided the ideai systern in which many currents of esotericism could be assimiIated. We wiil show how this synthesis began in the Renaissance by scholars such as Pico della Mirandola, Johannes Reuchlin and Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim, and we will show how the process was concluded by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, a co- founder of a nineteenth-century English magical society, The Hemetic Order of the Golden Dam. Along the way we vddiscuss the contributions of various scholars and occultists and demonstrate their roles in either maintainhg and, or expanding the system of cabalistic magic. This dissertation builds upon the work of Dame Frances Yates and her study of cabalistic magic in her book, me Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethun Age- The conclusion reached in this thesis is îhat the revival of cabalistic magic in nineteenth-century .. Il England was not merely a restatement of the theories and ritual formulated by the Renaissance magi but was &O a restatement of their intellectual processes. The members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn took the magical material passed down through the ages and applied the same process of synthesis, thus expanding the magical tradition and fulnlling the potential of the cabdistic magical system This revival and expansion of the western rnagicai tradition in an era of scientific advancernent and secu1arisation is but one example of the eternal relevance of rnagic to intellechiai history as a vaiid and popular interpretation of the world in which we exist. Acknow ledgements 1 am forever gratefùl to Dr. David N, Bell for guiding my studies and introducing me to a fàscinating area of schoiarship. 1extend my most sincere gratitude to Dr. David Hawkin and Dr. Hans Rollmann for their support and assistance. 1 also wish to thank the Department of Religious Studies and the School of Graduate Studies for financiai support in the form of feilowships and assistantships. Finally I wish to thank my mother, Emma Butler, for everything, and Jay Cook for his continuous encouragement. Table of Contents Chapter One: Beginnings ............. .. ....~~.-.~......~~~~~~.~~..................................1 Chapter Two: Beyond Attri'bution: The Importance of Barrett's Magus .. .................ututututut..21 Chapter Three: The Dawning of a New Order ......... .. ................................ ............... .. 6 1 Chapter Four: Mathers's Magic and the Rebirth of the Occult Philosophy ...... .. .. .. .. -. 89 Chapter Five: Summation and Conclusion ......................... ......ttttttt.t ..................... 120 Bibliography of Works Cited ..... .... ....,... .. .. ........ ....... .... ..... 132 Chapter One: Beginnings Throughout history, social and intellectual movements have occurred that deS. orthodox, western sociological and historical accounts of human existence. The view that humans progress through history in an increasingly rational way is a comrnon theory which is king chaiienged more and more by a variety of academic disciplines. Nevertheless, this view remains a tenacious one that is deeply embedded in much of western thought. The traditional images of primitive people tend to portray them as ape-like in bo th physique and mind. Just as the people are viewed as inferior, so are their beliefi and their ways of interpreting the universe. This way ofviewing history was strengthened during the scientiilc revolution of the seventeenth century when the demarcation between science, magic and reiigion was also Merestablished. Religion and science became Uicreasingly disassociated and institutions like the Royal Society in London bolstered the importance of science in western Europe. Protestant thought of the same century played a significant role in denigrating magic vis-à-vis religion. Not only did Reformation thought reafErm the earlier Judaic stand that magic was false religion, but it added its own stigma by cIaiming that magic was also inefficacious. ' Orthodox intellectuai history has been founded on the belief that rationalization is a iinear process that progresses temporaliy. Wo rking within this fiamework, much of the study of magic has been tainted with a bias. This bias supports the superiority of science over magic and reason over the irrational. Thus, when any inquiry is carried out into the role of magic in society and history, it is inevitably 'Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah, Magic, science, religion, and the scope of rationality (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1WO), 19. associated with inferiority and the necessity to explain the existence of this beLief in the hational in the face of a supposedly rational This explanation is fiequently defensive and dismissive of the irrational thought for which it attempts to account. Obviously, there elcist moments in history which do not support such a notion of rationaiization. These moments challenge the orthodox view of inteilechral history and beg for another explanation. The Renaissance produced such a moment when important developments in humanistic thought and scientifïc advancement occurred at the same tirne as a resurgence of hermetic magic and other occult beliefs. The entire Neoplatonic movement was steeped in what was thought to be the magic and myth of ancient cultures. During the Renaissance, such a clear-cut idea of a progressive rationakation of intellectud thought has no place.3 This was an era in which advancements were made in the study of mathematics and angel rnagic. Prominent and respectable scholars studied both medicine and natural magic. Despite the obvious advancement in many areas deemed respectable by advocates of science, the Renaissance was also a tirne for retrieving knowledge fiorn the past, and often using that knowledge to accompiish the aforementioned advancements. Progress was made in the intellectual thought of western 'For examples of this attempt to explain, or for explanations of this type of reaction, see Tambiah's Magic, science, religion, and the scope of rationa@ (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1!BO), H. R. Trevor-Roper' s The European Wirch-Cruze of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries (New York: Harper & Row, 1969), Keith Thomas's Religion and the Decline of Magic (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 197 1; repr. Odord: Odord University Press, 1997) and James Webb's introduction in his The Occult Underground (La Salle: Open Court Publishing, 1974). 3 Europe during the Renaissance. However, that progress was made possMe by looking to the past for guidance and dom.Some three hundred years later, a sidar phenornenon occurred in a different region, once again challenging the notion of a world process of successive rationalization Nineteenth-century England was the location of a revival of the magical philosophy and creation of occult systerns of thought that had occurred in Spain, France, Baly and Germany during the Renaissance- This revival resulted, once again, in the advancement of intenectual thought- This dissertation will examine the nature of cabalistic magic in nineteenth-century England, how it revived not merely the texts of the Renaissance, but also the syncretic spirit of Renaissance Neoplatonism, and how this revival influenced, and was influenced by, intellectud history. This analysis will be carried out fiom a perspective different
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Redalyc.Kabbalah, Symbolism and Metaphysicsin Russian Freemasonry of the XVIII Th–XIX Th Centuries
    REHMLAC. Revista de Estudios Históricos de la Masonería Latinoamericana y Caribeña E-ISSN: 1659-4223 [email protected] Universidad de Costa Rica Costa Rica Khalturin, Yuriy Kabbalah, Symbolism and Metaphysicsin Russian Freemasonry of the XVIII th–XIX th centuries REHMLAC. Revista de Estudios Históricos de la Masonería Latinoamericana y Caribeña, vol. 7, núm. 1, mayo-noviembre, 2015, pp. 128-140 Universidad de Costa Rica San José, Costa Rica Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=369539930009 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative REHMLAC+, ISSN 1659-4223, Vol. 7, no. 2, Mayo - Noviembre 2015/ 128-140 128 Kabbalah, Symbolism and Metaphysics in Russian Freemasonry of the XVIIIth – XIXth centuries Yuriy Khalturin PhD in Philosophy (Russian Academy of Science), independent scholar, member of ESSWE. E-mail: [email protected] Fecha de recibido: 20 de noviembre de 2014 - Fecha de aceptación: 8 de enero de 2015 Palabras clave Cábala, masonería, rosacrucismo, teosofía, sofilogía, Sephiroth, Ein-Soph, Adam Kadmon, emanación, alquimia, la estrella llameante, columnas Jaquín y Boaz Keywords Kabbalah, Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Theosophy, Sophiology, Sephiroth, Ein-Soph, Adam Kadmon, emanation, alchemy, Flaming Star, Columns Jahin and Boaz Resumen Este trabajo considera algunas conexiones entre la Cábala y la masonería en Rusia como se refleja en los archivos del Departamento de Manuscritos de la Biblioteca Estatal Rusa (DMS RSL). El vínculo entre ellos se basa en la comprensión tanto de la Cabala y la masonería como la filosofía simbólica y “verdaderamente metafísica”.
    [Show full text]
  • Rosicrucianism from Its Origins to the Early 18Th Century
    CHAPTER TWO ROSICRUCIANISM FROM ITS ORIGINS TO THE EARLY 18TH CENTURY In order to understand the 18th-century Rosicrucian revival it is necessary to know something of the origins and early history of Rosicrucianism. This ground has already been covered many times,1 but it is worth covering it again here in broad outline as a prelude to my main investigation. The Rosicrucian legend was born in the early 17th century in the uneasy period before religious tensions in Central Europe erupted into the Thirty Years' War. The Lutheran Reformation of a century earlier had finally shat­ tered the religious unity of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. On the other hand, as the historian Geoffrey Parker has observed, the Reformation had not produced the spiritual renewal that its advocates had hoped for.2 In the prevailing atmosphere of political and religious tension and spiritual malaise, many people turned, in their dismay, to the old millenarian dream of a new age. This way of thinking, dating back to the writings of the 12th-cen­ tury Calabrian abbot Joachim of Fiore, had surfaced at various times in the intervening centuries, giving rise to movements of the kind described by Nor­ man Cohn in his Pursuit of the Millennium3 and by Marjorie Reeves in her Joachim ofFiore and the Prophetic Future.4 Joachim and his followers saw history as unfolding in a series of three ages, corresponding to the three per­ sons of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in that order. They believed that hitherto they had been living in the Age of the Son, but that the Age of the Spirit was at hand.
    [Show full text]
  • Rosicrucianism in the Contemporary Period in Denmark
    Contemporary Rosicrucianism in Denmark 445 Chapter 55 Contemporary Rosicrucianism in Denmark Rosicrucianism in the Contemporary Period in Denmark Jacob Christiansen Senholt Rosicrucian ideas were present in Denmark already during the seventeenth century, fuelled by the publication of the tracts Fama fraternitatis rosae crucis and Confessio fraternitatis in Germany in 1614 and 1615 respectively. After a gap in the history of Rosicrucian presence in Denmark of almost 300 years, modern Rosicrucian societies spread across the world, and following this wave of Rosi­ cru cian fraternities, Danish offshoots of these fraternities also emerged. The modern­day Rosicrucians and their presence in Denmark stem from two differ­ ent historical roots. The first is an influence from Germany via the Rosicrucian Society in Germany (Rosenkreuzer­Gesellschaft in Deutschland), and the other comes from the United States, with the formation of Antiquus Mys ti cus­ que Ordo Rosæ Crucis (AMORC) by Harvey Spencer Lewis (1883–1939) in 1915. The Rosicrucian Fellowship The history of modern Rosicrucianism in Denmark starts in 1865 when Carl Louis von Grasshoff (1865–1919), later known under the pseudonym Max Heindel, was born. Although born in Denmark, Heindel was of German ances­ try, and spent most of his life travelling in both the United States and Germany. He was a member of the Theosophical Society and met with the later founder of Anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner, in 1907. In 1909 he published his major work, The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception, which dealt with Christian mysticism and esotericism, and later that year Heindel founded The Rosicrucian Fellowship. It was a German spin­off of this group lead by occultist and theosophist Franz Hartmann (1838–1912) and later Hugo Vollrath, that later became influential in Denmark.
    [Show full text]
  • The Language of Demons and Angels Brill’S Studies in Intellectual History
    THE LANGUAGE OF DEMONS AND ANGELS BRILL’S STUDIES IN INTELLECTUAL HISTORY General Editor A.J. Vanderjagt, University of Groningen Editorial Board M. Colish, Oberlin College J.I. Israel, University College, London J.D. North, University of Groningen R.H. Popkin, Washington University, St. Louis-UCLA VOLUME 119 THE LANGUAGE OF DEMONS AND ANGELS Cornelius Agrippa’s Occult Philosophy BY CHRISTOPHER I. LEHRICH BRILL LEIDEN • BOSTON 2003 This book is printed on acid-free paper. The cover image shows the harmony and proportion of the human body with respect to the seven heavenly bodies, demonstrating the theory of the microcosm. From De occulta philosophia 2.27, 331/347 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lehrich, Christopher I. The language of demons and angels : Cornelius Agrippa’s occult philosophy / by Christopher I. Lehrich. p. cm. — (Brill’s studies in intellectual history, ISSN 0920-8607 ; v. 119) Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 90-04-13574-X 1. Agrippa von Nettesheim, Heinrich Cornelius. 1486?-1535. 2. Occultism. I. Title. II. Series. B781.A34L44 2003 130’.92-dc22 2003055665 ISSN 0920-8607 ISBN 90 04 13574 X © Copyright 2003 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910 Danvers, MA 01923, USA.
    [Show full text]
  • Theosophical Siftings Christian Rosenkreuz and the Rosicrucians Vol 6, No 15 Christian Rosenkreuz and the Rosicrucians
    Theosophical Siftings Christian Rosenkreuz and the Rosicrucians Vol 6, No 15 Christian Rosenkreuz and the Rosicrucians by William Wynn Westcott Reprinted from "Theosophical Siftings" Volume 6 The Theosophical Publishing Society, England [Page 3] THE Rosicrucians of mediaeval Germany formed a group of mystic philosophers, assembling, studying and teaching in private the esoteric doctrines of religion, philosophy and occult science, which their founder, Christian Rosenkreuz, had learned from the Arabian sages, who were in their turn the inheritors of the culture of Alexandria. This great city of Egypt, a chief emporium of commerce and a centre of intellectual learning, flourished before the rise of the Imperial power of Rome, falling at length before the martial prowess of the Romans, who, having conquered, took great pains to destroy the arts and sciences of the Egypt they had overrun and subdued ; for they seem to have had a wholesome fear of those magical arts, which, as tradition had informed them, flourished in the Nile Valley; which same tradition is also familiar to English people through our acquaintance with the book of Genesis, whose reputed author was taught in Egypt all the science and arts he possessed, even as the Bible itself tells us, although the orthodox are apt to slur over this assertion of the Old Testament narrative. Our present world has taken almost no notice of the Rosicrucian philosophy, nor until the last twenty years of any mysticism, and when it does condescend to stoop from its utilitarian and money-making occupations, it is only to condemn all such studies, root and branch, as waste of time and loss of energy.
    [Show full text]
  • OCCULT BOOKS Catalogue No
    THOMPSON RARE BOOKS CATALOGUE 45 OCCULT BOOKS Catalogue No. 45. OCCULT BOOKS Folklore, Mythology, Magic, Witchcraft Issued September, 2016, on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the Opening of our first Bookshop in Vancouver, BC, September, 1986. Every Item in this catalogue has a direct link to the book on our website, which has secure online ordering for payment using credit cards, PayPal, cheques or Money orders. All Prices are in US Dollars. Postage is extra, at cost. If you wish to view this catalogue directly on our website, go to http://www.thompsonrarebooks.com/shop/thompson/category/Catalogue45.html Thompson Rare Books 5275 Jerow Road Hornby Island, British Columbia Canada V0R 1Z0 Ph: 250-335-1182 Fax: 250-335-2241 Email: [email protected] http://www.ThompsonRareBooks.com Front Cover: Item # 73 Catalogue No. 45 1. ANONYMOUS. COMPENDIUM RARISSIMUM TOTIUS ARTIS MAGICAE SISTEMATISATAE PER CELEBERRIMOS ARTIS HUJUS MAGISTROS. Netherlands: Aeon Sophia Press. 2016. First Aeon Sophia Press Edition. Quarto, publisher's original quarter black leather over grey cloth titled in gilt on front cover, black endpapers. 112 pp, illustrated throughout in full colour. Although unstated, only 20 copies were printed and bound (from correspondence with the publisher). Slight binding flaw (centre pages of the last gathering of pages slightly miss- sewn, a flaw which could be fixed with a spot of glue). A fine copy. ¶ A facsimile of Wellcome MS 1766. In German and Latin. On white, brown and grey-green paper. The title within an ornamental border in wash, with skulls, skeletons and cross-bones. Illustrated with 31 extraordinary water-colour drawings of demons, and three pages of magical and cabbalistic signs and sigils, etc.
    [Show full text]
  • INTRODUCTION Rosicrucianism Is a Theosophy Advanced by an Invisible
    INTRODUCTION Rosicrucianism is a theosophy advanced by an invisible order of spir­ itual knights who in spreading Christian Hermeticism, Kabbalah, and Gnosis seek to enliven and to preserve the memory of Divine Wisdom, understood as a feminine flame of love called Sofia or Shekhinah, exoterically given as a fresh unfolded rose, yet, more akin to the blue fire of alchemy, the blue virgin. Rosicrucians have no organisation and there are no recognizable Rosicrucian individuals, but the order makes its presence known by leaving behind engram- matic writings in the genre of Hermetic-Platonic Christianity.1 The historical roots of Hermeticism is to be located in Ancient Egypt. Long before the rise of Christianity, Hermetic texts were struc­ tured around the belief that organisms contain sparks of a Divine mind unto which they each strive to attend. Things easily transform into others, thereby generating certain cyclical patterns, cycles that peri­ odically renew themselves on a cosmic scale. These transformations of life and death were enacted in the Hermetic Mysteries in Ancient Egypt through the gods Isis, Horus, and Osiris. In the Alexandrian period these myths were reshaped into Hermetic discourses on the transformations of the self with Thot, the scribal god. These dis­ courses were introduced in the west in 1474 when Marsilio Ficino translated the Hermetic Pimander from the Greek. The story of Chris­ tian Rosencreutz can be seen as a new version of these mysteries, specifically tempered by German Paracelsian philosophy on the lion of the darkest night, a biblical icon for how the higher self lies slum­ bering in consciousness.2 In this book, I develop the Rosicrucian theme from a Scandinavian perspective by linking selected historical events to scenarios of the emergence of European Rosicrucianism that have been advanced from other geographic angles.
    [Show full text]
  • PURDUE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL Thesis/Dissertation Acceptance
    Graduate School ETD Form 9 (Revised 12/07) PURDUE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL Thesis/Dissertation Acceptance This is to certify that the thesis/dissertation prepared By Angela C. Ghionea Entitled RECURRING THOUGHT PATTERNS AND RESURFACING ALCHEMICAL SYMBOLS IN EUROPEAN, HELLENISTIC, ARABIC, AND BYZANTINE ALCHEMY FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD Doctor of Philosophy For the degree of Is approved by the final examining committee: James R. Farr Chair Myrdene Anderson Anthony T. Grafton To the best of my knowledge and as understood by the student in the Research Integrity and Copyright Disclaimer (Graduate School Form 20), this thesis/dissertation adheres to the provisions of Purdue University’s “Policy on Integrity in Research” and the use of copyrighted material. Approved by Major Professor(s): ____________________________________James R. Farr ____________________________________ Approved by: Douglas R. Hurt 04/16/2013 Head of the Graduate Program Date RECURRING THOUGHT PATTERNS AND RESURFACING ALCHEMICAL SYMBOLS IN EUROPEAN, HELLENISTIC, ARABIC, AND BYZANTINE ALCHEMY FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Purdue University by Angela Catalina Ghionea In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2013 Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana UMI Number: 3591220 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI 3591220 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013).
    [Show full text]
  • Alchemy, the Ancient Science
    Alchemy, the Ancient Science by Neil Powell For centuries a number of men of science and Alchemy, learning spent their lives in the practice of the Ancient alchemy, searching for a way to change ordinary metals into gold. Why did they try? Science Did any of them succeed? We know that alchemists today continue the old tradition and the age-old quest. Will they succeed? Contents 1 The Meaning of Alchemy The basic ideas and processes of the traditional alchemists. 2 The Principles of Alchemy 24 The theoretical background to the work that the alchemists carried out. 3 Two Mysterious Frenchmen 40 Flamel, a medieval alchemist, and Fulcanelli, a modern writer on alchemy. 4 The Medieval Masters 54 Mysterious figures, half-veiled in legend, of alchemy's great period. 5 The Wandering Alchemists 80 The masters who traveled from city to city contacting other adepts. 6 What Happened to Alchemy? 96 The changes that occurred in alchemy as the infant sciences developed. 7 Sex and Symbolism 118 The course of Eastern alchemy, and how it influenced alchemy in the West. 8 Alchemy Lives On 130 The practice of alchemy in the 20th century. The Meaning of Alchemy It is late at night. In a room hidden away Absorbed in the long labor of a dual search—for the secret that from prying eyes, an old man bends over a will enable him to transmute base flask of bubbling colored liquid. All around metal into gold and to achieve spiritual perfection—the alchemist is a clutter of jars, bottles, and apparatus pursued his involved experiments, laying the foundations for the that looks somewhat like the equipment in a science, then still unborn, that modern school chemistry laboratory.
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Influence of the Rosicrucian Fraternity on Freemasonry
    Historical Influence of the Rosicrucian Fraternity on Freemasonry Introduction Freemasonry has a public image that sometimes includes notions that we practice some sort of occultism, alchemy, magic rituals, that sort of thing. As Masons we know that we do no such thing. Since 1717 we have been a modern, rational, scientifically minded craft, practicing moral and theological virtues. But there is a background of occult science in Freemasonry, and it is related to the secret fraternity of the Rosicrucians. The Renaissance Heritage1 During the Italian renaissance of the 15th century, scholars rediscovered and translated classical texts of Plato, Pythagoras, and the Hermetic writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, thought to be from ancient Egypt. Over the next two centuries there was a widespread growth in Europe of various magical and spiritual practices – magic, alchemy, astrology -- based on those texts. The mysticism and magic of Jewish Cabbala was also studied from texts brought from Spain and the Muslim world. All of these magical practices had a religious aspect, in the quest for knowledge of the divine order of the universe, and Man’s place in it. The Hermetic vision of Man was of a divine soul, akin to the angels, within a material, animal body. By the 16th century every royal court in Europe had its own astrologer and some patronized alchemical studies. In England, Queen Elizabeth had Dr. John Dee (1527- 1608) as one of her advisors and her court astrologer. Dee was also an alchemist, a student of the Hermetic writings, and a skilled mathematician. He was the most prominent practitioner of Cabbala and alchemy in 16th century England.
    [Show full text]
  • The Magus Book II
    THE MAGUS; OR, CELESTIAL INTELLIGENCER. BOOK II.. PART I. CONTAINING MAGNETISM, AND CABALISTICAL MAGIC; DISCOVERING THE SECRET MYSTERIES OF CELESTIAL MAGIC. With the Art of calculating by the divine Names of God; shewing the Rule, Order, and Government of ANGELS, INTELLIGENCES, AND BLESSED SPIRITS, HOLY TABLES AND SEALS, TABLES OF THE CABALA, &c. Likewise treating of Ceremonial Magic, Invocation of Spirits, Consecrations, Circles, &c. Also of Dreams, Prophecy, Miracles, &c. By FRANCIS BARRETT, STUDENT OF CHEMISTRY, NATURAL AND OCCULT PHILOSOPHY, THE CABALA, &c. TO WHICH IS ADDED, A Translation of the Works of TRITEMIUS Of SPANHEIM, viz. His Book of Secret Things, and of Spirits. BOOK II. THE MAGUS, CONTAINING MAGNETISM, AND CABALISTICAL MAGIC. TO WHICH IS ADDED A TREATISE ON PROPHECY, PROPHETIC DREAMS AND INSPIRATION. BOOK II. PART I. MAGNETISM. IN our following Treatise of Magnetism we have collected and arranged in order some valuable and secret things out of the writings of that most learned chemist and philosopher Paracelsus, who was the ornament of Germany and the age he lived in. Likewise we have extracted the very marrow of the science of Magnetism out of the copious and elaborate works of that most celebrated philosopher (by fire) Van Helmont, who, together with Paracelsus, industriously promulgated all kinds of magnetic and sympathetic cures, which, through the drowsiness, ignorance, unbelief, and obstinacy of the present age, have been so much and so totally neglected and condemned; yet, however impudent in their assertions, and bigotted to their own false opinions, some of our modern philosophers may be, yet we have seen two or three individuals, who, by dint of perseverance, have proved the truth and possibility of Magnetism, by repeated and public experiments.
    [Show full text]
  • Rosicrucian Questions and Answers : with Complete History of The
    ROSICRUCIAN QUESTIONS and ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE HISTORY of the ROSICRUCIAN ORDER By H. Spencer Lewis, Ph. D., F. R. C. Imperator of the Rosicrucian Order for North America ROSICRUCIAN LIBRARY VOLUME NO. 1 SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA ROSICRUCIAN PRESS Printing and Publishing Department AMORC COLLEGE FIRST EDITION Copyright 1929 SECOND EDITION April, 1932 By AMORC Printed in the U. S.A. Rosicrucian Press, San Jose, Calif. Dedication V To the Memory of Brother Julius Sachse, F. R. C. Historian, last descendant of the First American Rosicrucian Colony, whose History of their achievements will remain as a monument to the Faith and Love of their great leader, Magister Kelpius, This Book Is Dedicated that I may place a flower among the many at the side of his grave. The Rosicmcian Library VVV VOLUME I. Rosicrucian Question and Answers with Com plete History of the Order. II. Rosicrucian Principles for the Home and Business. III. Mystical Life of Jesus. IV. The Secret Doctrines of Jesus. (In preparation.) V. "Unto Thee I Grant" (Secret Teachings of Tibet.) VI. A Thousand Years of Yesterdays. (A Revelation of Reincarnation.) VII. Self Mastery and Fate with the Cycles of Life. VIII. Rosicrucian Manual. IX. Mystics at Prayer. X. Rosicrucian Healing. XL Mansions of the Soul. (The Cosmic Conception.) XII. Lemuria, The Lost Continent of the Pacific. (Other volumes 'will be added from time to time. Write for complete Catalogue.) 2 3.7 3 C Contents V V V PART ONE Complete, Authentic History of the Rosicrucian Order page Preface 9 Introduction 15 Chapter I Traditional History of the Order 19 Chapter II Growth of the Order in the Orient 39 Chapter III The Work of the Disciples 53 Chapter IV The "108 Year Cycle" and C.R'C 77 Chapter V The Popular Revival in Ger' many 87 Chapter VI The Birth of Semi'Rosicru' cian Organizations .
    [Show full text]