DOCSLIB.ORG

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa: Occult Philosophy, Book III (Part 1)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa: Occult Philosophy, Book III (Part 1) Twilit Grotto -- Esoteric Contents Prev agrippa3 Next timeline Archives Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa: Of Occult Philosophy, Book III (part 1) This HTML edition by Joseph H. Peterson, Copyright © 2000. All rights reserved. The copyright to the Twilit Grotto Esoteric Archives is owned by Joseph H. Peterson and is protected by the copyright laws of the United States and the Universal Copyright Convention. The materials on the Twilit Grotto Esoteric Archives (including all texts, translations, images, descriptions, drawings etc.) are provided for the personal use of students, scholars, and the public. Any commercial use or publication of them without authorization is strictly prohibited. All materials are copyrighted and are not in the public domain. Copying of materials on the Twilit Grotto Esoteric Archives Web pages is not permitted. Individuals distributing illegal copies will be pursued legally along with their Internet Service Providers. You will need a Hebrew font installed to read some of this book. Three Books of OCCULT PHILOSOPHY OR MAGIC by Henry Cornelius Agrippa BOOK THREE - CEREMONIAL MAGIC [Contents:] Chapter i: Of the necessity, power, and profit of Religion. Chapter ii: Of concealing of those things which are secret in religion. Chapter iii: What dignification is required, that one may be a true magician and a worker of miracles. Chapter iv: Of the two helps of Ceremonial magic, religion and superstition. Chapter v: Of the three guides of Religion, which bring us to the path of truth. Chapter vi: How by these guides the soul of man ascendeth up into the Divine nature, and is made a worker of Miracles. Chapter vii: That the knowledge of the true God is necessary for a Magician, and what the old Magicians and Philosophers have thought concerning God. Chapter viii: What the Ancient Philosophers have thought concerning the Divine Trinity. Chapter ix: What the true and most Orthodox faith is concerning God and the most holy Trinity. Chapter x: Of Divine emanations, which the Hebrews call Numerations, others attributes; The gentiles gods and Deities; and of the ten Sephiroths and ten most sacred names of God which rule them, and the interpretation of them. Chapter xi: Of the Divine names, and their power and vertue. Chapter xii: Of the influence of the divine names through all the middle causes into these inferior things. Chapter xiii: Of the members of God, and of their influence on our members. Chapter xiv: Of the Gods of the gentiles, and souls of the Celestiall bodies, and what places were consecrated in times past, and to what Deities. Chapter xv: What our Theologians think concerning the Celestiall souls. Chapter xvi: Of Intelligences and spirits, and of the threefold kind of them, and of their diverse names, and of Infernall and subterraneall spirits. Chapter xvii: Of these according to the opinion of the Theologians. Chapter xviii: Of the orders of evil spirits, and of their fall, and divers natures. Chapter xix: Of the bodies of the Devils. Chapter xx: Of the annoyance of evil spirits, and the preservation we have by good spirits. Chapter xxi: Of obeying a proper Genius, and of the searching out the nature thereof. Chapter xxii: That there is a threefold keeper of man, and from whence each of them proceed. Chapter xxiii: Of the tongue of Angels, and of their speaking amongst themselves, and with us. Chapter xxiv: Of the names of Spirits, and their various imposition; and of the Spirits that are set over the Stars, Signs, Corners of the Heaven, and the Elements. Chapter xxv: How the Hebrew Mecubals draw forth the sacred names of Angels out of the sacred writ, and of the seventie two Angels, which bear the name of God, with the Tables of Ziruph, and the Commutations of letters, and numbers. Chapter xxvi: Of finding out of the names of spirits, and Genius's from the disposition of Celestiall bodies. Chapter xxvii: Of the calculating Art of such names by the tradition of Cabalists. Chapter xxviii: How sometimes names of Spirits are taken from those things over which they are set. Chapter xxix: Of the Characters and Seals of spirits. Chapter xxx: Another manner of making Characters, delivered by Cabalists. Chapter xxxi: There is yet another fashion of Characters, and concerning marks of spirits which are received by revelation. Chapter xxxii: How good spirits may be called up by us, and how evil spirits may be overcome by us. Chapter xxxiii: Of the bonds of spirits, and of their adjurations, and castings out. Chapter xxxiv: Of the Animasticall order, and the Heros. Chapter xxxv: Of the Mortall and Terrestrial Gods. Chapter xxxvi: Of Man, how he was created after the Image of God. Chapter xxxvii: Of mans soul and through what means it is joyned [joined] to the body. Chapter What Divine gifts man receiveth from above, from the severall Orders of the xxxviii: Intelligences and the heavens. Chapter xxxix: How the superior Influences, seing they are good by nature, are depraved in these inferior thing, and are made causes of evil. Chapter xl: That on every man a divine character is imprinted, by the vertue of which man can attain the working of miracles. Chapter xli: What concerning man after death, diverse Opinions. Chapter xlii: By what wayes the Magicians and Necromancers do think they can call forth the souls of the dead. Chapter xliii: Of the power of mans soul, in the mind, reason and imagination. Chapter xliv: Of the degrees of souls, and their destruction, or Immortality. Chapter xlv: Of Soothsaying, and Phrensie [phrensy]. Chapter xlvi: Of the first kind of phrensie [phrensy] from the Muses. Chapter xlvii: Of the second kinde from Dionysius [Dionysus]. Chapter xlviii: Of the third kind of phrensie [phrensy] from Apollo. Chapter xlix: Of the fourth kinde of Phrensie [phrensy], from Venus. Chapter l: Of rapture, and extasie [ecstasy], and soothsayings, which happen to them which are taken with the falling sickness, or with a swoune [swoon], or to them in an agonie [agony]. Chapter li: Of Prophetical Dreams. Chapter lii: Of Lots and marks possessing the sure power of Oracles. Chapter liii: How he that will receive Oracles must dispose himself. Chapter liv: Of cleanness, and how to be observed. Chapter lv: Of abstinence, fastings, chastity, solitariness, the tranquillity and ascent of the mind. Chapter lvi: Of Penitency, and Almes. Chapter lvii: Of those things which being outwardly administred conduce to Expiation. Chapter lviii: Of Adorations, and vowes. Chapter lix: Of sacrifices and oblations, and their kinds and manners. Chapter lx: What imprecations, and rites the ancients were wont to use in sacrifices, and oblations. Chapter lxi: How these things must be performed, as to God, so as to inferiour dieties [deities]. Chapter lxii: Of Consecrations, and their manner. Chapter lxiii: What things may be called holy, what consecrated, and how these become so betwixt us and the Dieties [deities]; and of sacred times. Chapter lxiv: Of certain Religious observations, ceremonies, and rites of perfumings, unctions, and such like. Chapter lxv: The Conclusion of the whole Work. To The Reverend Father, and Doctor of Divinity, ... Unto the Same Man. To a Certain Friend of the King's Court. The Censure, or Retraction... To the Most Renowned and Illustrious Prince, Hermannus of Wyda, Prince Elector, Duke of Westphalia, and Angaria, Lord Arch-Bishop of Colonia, and Paderborne, his most gracious Lord, Henry Cornelius Agrippa of Nettes- heim. It is a very excellent opinion of the Ancient Magicians (most Illustrious Prince) that we ought to labour in nothing more in this life, then that we degenerate not from the Excellency of the mind, by which we come neerest to God and put on the Divine nature: least at any time our mind waxing dull by vain idleness should decline to the frailty of our earthly body and vices of the flesh: so we should loose it, as it were cast down by the dark precipiced of perverse lusts. Wherefore we ought so to order our mind, that it by it self being mindfull of its own dignity and excellency, should alwayes both Think, do and operate something worthy of it self; But the knowledge of the Divine science, doth only and very powerfully perform this for us. When we by the remembrance of its majesty being alwaies busied in Divine studies do every moment contemplate Divine things, by a sage and diligent inquisition, and by all the degrees of the creatures ascending even to the Archetype himself, do draw from him the infallible vertue of all things, which those that neglect, trusting only to naturall and worlfly things, are wowt often to be confounded by divers errors & fallacies, and very oft to be deceived by evill spirits; But the understanding of Divine things, purgeth the mind from errors, and rendreth it Divine, giveth infallible power to our works, and driveth far the deceith and obstacles of all evil spirits, and together subjects them to our commands; Yea it compels even good Angels and all the powers of the world unto our service viz. the virtue of our works being drawn from the Archetype himself, To whom when we ascend all creatures necessarily obey us, and all the quire [choir] of heaven do follow us: For (as Homer saith) none of the gods durst remain in their seats, Jove being moved; and then presently he ruleth (as saith Aristophanes) by one of the gods, whose right it is to execute his commands, who then out of his duty doth manage our petitions according to our desire. Seeing therefore (most Illustrious Prince) you have a Divine and immortall soul given you, which seeing the goodness of the
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Heaven's Got Talent
    HEAVEN’S GOT TALENT by Brian Yapko Copyright Notice CAUTION: Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that this Work is subject to a royalty. This Work is fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America and all countries with which the United States has reciprocal copyright relations, whether through bilateral or multilateral treaties or otherwise, and including, but not limited to, all countries covered by the Pan-American Copyright Convention, the Universal Copyright Convention and the Berne Convention. RIGHTS RESERVED: All rights to this Work are strictly reserved, including professional and amateur stage performance rights. Also reserved are: motion picture, recitation, lecturing, public reading, radio broadcasting, television, video or sound recording, all forms of mechanical or electronic reproduction, such as CD-ROM, CD-I, DVD, information and storage retrieval systems and photocopying, and the rights of translation into non-English languages. PERFORMANCE RIGHTS AND ROYALTY PAYMENTS: All amateur and stock performance rights to this Work are controlled exclusively by Christian Publishers. No amateur or stock production groups or individuals may perform this play without securing license and royalty arrangements in advance from Christian Publishers. Questions concerning other rights should be addressed to Christian Publishers. Royalty fees are subject to change without notice. Professional and stock fees will be set upon application in accordance with your producing circumstances. Any licensing requests and inquiries relating to amateur and stock (professional) performance rights should be addressed to Christian Publishers. Royalty of the required amount must be paid, whether the play is presented for charity or profit and whether or not admission is charged.
    [Show full text]
  • Tensions Between Scientia and Ars in Medieval Natural Philosophy and Magic Isabelle Draelants
    The notion of ‘Properties’ : Tensions between Scientia and Ars in medieval natural philosophy and magic Isabelle Draelants To cite this version: Isabelle Draelants. The notion of ‘Properties’ : Tensions between Scientia and Ars in medieval natural philosophy and magic. Sophie PAGE – Catherine RIDER, eds., The Routledge History of Medieval Magic, p. 169-186, 2019. halshs-03092184 HAL Id: halshs-03092184 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-03092184 Submitted on 16 Jan 2021 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. This article was downloaded by: University College London On: 27 Nov 2019 Access details: subscription number 11237 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG, UK The Routledge History of Medieval Magic Sophie Page, Catherine Rider The notion of properties Publication details https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315613192-14 Isabelle Draelants Published online on: 20 Feb 2019 How to cite :- Isabelle Draelants. 20 Feb 2019, The notion of properties from: The Routledge History of Medieval Magic Routledge Accessed on: 27 Nov 2019 https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315613192-14 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR DOCUMENT Full terms and conditions of use: https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/legal-notices/terms This Document PDF may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes.
    [Show full text]
  • A Lexicon of Alchemy
    A Lexicon of Alchemy by Martin Rulandus the Elder Translated by Arthur E. Waite John M. Watkins London 1893 / 1964 (250 Copies) A Lexicon of Alchemy or Alchemical Dictionary Containing a full and plain explanation of all obscure words, Hermetic subjects, and arcane phrases of Paracelsus. by Martin Rulandus Philosopher, Doctor, and Private Physician to the August Person of the Emperor. [With the Privilege of His majesty the Emperor for the space of ten years] By the care and expense of Zachariah Palthenus, Bookseller, in the Free Republic of Frankfurt. 1612 PREFACE To the Most Reverend and Most Serene Prince and Lord, The Lord Henry JULIUS, Bishop of Halberstadt, Duke of Brunswick, and Burgrave of Luna; His Lordship’s mos devout and humble servant wishes Health and Peace. In the deep considerations of the Hermetic and Paracelsian writings, that has well-nigh come to pass which of old overtook the Sons of Shem at the building of the Tower of Babel. For these, carried away by vainglory, with audacious foolhardiness to rear up a vast pile into heaven, so to secure unto themselves an immortal name, but, disordered by a confusion and multiplicity of barbarous tongues, were ingloriously forced. In like manner, the searchers of Hermetic works, deterred by the obscurity of the terms which are met with in so many places, and by the difficulty of interpreting the hieroglyphs, hold the most noble art in contempt; while others, desiring to penetrate by main force into the mysteries of the terms and subjects, endeavour to tear away the concealed truth from the folds of its coverings, but bestow all their trouble in vain, and have only the reward of the children of Shem for their incredible pain and labour.
    [Show full text]
  • Ethan Allen Hitchcock Alchemy Collection in the St
    A Guide to the Ethan Allen Hitchcock Alchemy Collection in the St. Louis Mercantile Library The St. Louis Mercantile Library Association Major-General Ethan Allen Hitchcock (1798 - 1870) A GUIDE TO THE ETHAN ALLEN HITCHCOCK COLLECTION OF THE ST. LOUIS MERCANTILE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION A collective effort produced by the NEH Project Staff of the St. Louis Mercantile Library Copyright (c) 1989 St. Louis Mercantile Library Association St. Louis, Missouri TABLE OF CONTENTS Project Staff................................ i Foreword and Acknowledgments................. 1 A Guide to the Ethan Allen Hitchcock Collection. .. 6 Aoppendix. 109 NEH PROJECT STAFF Project Director: John Neal Hoover* Archivist: Ann Morris, 1987-1989 Archivist: Betsy B. Stoll, 1989 Consultant: Louisa Bowen Typist: ' Betsy B. Stoll This project was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities * Charles F. Bryan, Jr. Ph.D., Executive Director of the Mercantile Library 1986-1988; Jerrold L. Brooks, Ph.D. Executive Director of the Mercantile Library, 1989; John Neal Hoover, MA, MLS, Acting Librarian, 1988, 1989, during the period funded by NEH as Project Director -i- FOREWORD & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: For over one thousand years, the field of alchemy gathered to it strands of religion, the occult, chemistry, pure sciences, astrology and magic into a broad general philosophical world view which was, quite apart from the stereotypical view of the charlatan gold maker, concerned with the forming of a basis of knowledge on all aspects of life's mysteries. As late as the early nineteenth century, when many of the modern fields of the true sciences of mind and matter were young and undeveloped, alchemy was a beacon for many people looking for a philosophical basis to the better understanding of life--to the basic religious and philosophical truths.
    [Show full text]
  • Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies Cultural Exchange: from Medieval
    Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies Volume 1: Issue 1 Cultural Exchange: from Medieval to Modernity AHRC Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies JOURNAL OF IRISH AND SCOTTISH STUDIES Volume 1, Issue 1 Cultural Exchange: Medieval to Modern Published by the AHRC Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen in association with The universities of the The Irish-Scottish Academic Initiative and The Stout Research Centre Irish-Scottish Studies Programme Victoria University of Wellington ISSN 1753-2396 Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies Issue Editor: Cairns Craig Associate Editors: Stephen Dornan, Michael Gardiner, Rosalyn Trigger Editorial Advisory Board: Fran Brearton, Queen’s University, Belfast Eleanor Bell, University of Strathclyde Michael Brown, University of Aberdeen Ewen Cameron, University of Edinburgh Sean Connolly, Queen’s University, Belfast Patrick Crotty, University of Aberdeen David Dickson, Trinity College, Dublin T. M. Devine, University of Edinburgh David Dumville, University of Aberdeen Aaron Kelly, University of Edinburgh Edna Longley, Queen’s University, Belfast Peter Mackay, Queen’s University, Belfast Shane Alcobia-Murphy, University of Aberdeen Brad Patterson, Victoria University of Wellington Ian Campbell Ross, Trinity College, Dublin The Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies is a peer reviewed journal, published twice yearly in September and March, by the AHRC Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen. An electronic reviews section is available on the AHRC Centre’s website: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/riiss/ahrc- centre.shtml Editorial correspondence, including manuscripts for submission, should be addressed to The Editors,Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies, AHRC Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies, Humanity Manse, 19 College Bounds, University of Aberdeen, AB24 3UG or emailed to [email protected] Subscriptions and business correspondence should be address to The Administrator.
    [Show full text]
  • Archangel Kindle
    ARCHANGEL PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Sharon Shinn | 10 pages | 01 Dec 1997 | Penguin Putnam Inc | 9780441004324 | English | New York, United States Archangel PDF Book She has a great love of nature, people, and the planet, and she enjoys her connection in spirit, both here and in heaven. The energy of the mouse is quiet productivity of the multitudes, while the groundhog digs deeper for answers and represents the world of dreams, the opossum represents family nurturing, and the skunk and raccoon represent the cleanup crew. Any time you or someone you love is experiencing sadness due to loneliness, call on Archangel Uriel to help to see the wonders that exist within your soul or the soul for whom you are praying. Know that the reality, is there are far more Archangels serving behind the scenes. Michael the Archangel. Become a fundraiser to help us collect, clone, archive the genetics, and replant these important trees for future generations. These cookies do not store any personal information. In this book I provide many guided meditations audio and experiments that help you discover more ways to deeply connect with Michael. In human form, Raquel appears with wings in flowing white robes and a large book in hand. Additionally, this Archangel symbolically appears in the form of fish, representing the fluidity of divine communications, situations of divine emotional importance, and the surreal world of dreams. Moscow Official as Yakov Rafalson. External Reviews. Uriel presents three impossible riddles to show us how humans cannot fathom the ways of God. Archangel Jophiel provides assistance with refocusing on positive experiences of life, encouraging inner journeys which lead to the discovery of soul-specific solutions for your life's passions, and raising your energy levels and thoughts toward the light to inspire the giving and receiving of unconditional love.
    [Show full text]
  • Trans. Greek Thot Handout
    11/14/19 TRANSMISSION OF GREEK THOUGHT TO THE WEST PLATO & NEOPLATONISM Chalcidius (late 3rd-early 4th cent. Christian exegete): incomplete translation & commentary of Timeaus Henricus Aristippus in Sicily (12th c.): translated the Meno and Phaedo Leonardo Bruni (c. 1370-1444/Florence) translated a selection of Plato’s dialogues (from Greek to Latin). Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499/Florence): 1st complete translation into Latin of Plato’s works (publ. 1496), and translation of Plotinus’s Enneads into Latin (1492). Neoplatonic thought was transmitted in the following: (a) Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy (written 524, in prison) (b) Macrobius’ Commentary on Cicero’s Dream of Scipio (written c. 400 CE). (c) Pseudo-Dionysius. A collection of writings attributed to Dionysius the Aeropagite (see Acts 17:34), but 19th century scholarship determined to be written c. 500 by a disciple of Proclus, held considerable authority throughout the middle ages and was a Christian Neoplatonism. (d) Theologica Aristotelis: this summary of Books 4-6 of Plotinus’s Enneads had been wrongly attributed to Aristotle (until 13th century) (e) Liber de Causis: this work based on Proclus’s Elements of Theology was wrongly attributed to Aristotle (until 13th century). ARISTOTLE Victorinus (4th century): Latin translations of Aristotle’s Categories and De interpretatione, as well as of Porphyry’s Isagoge. Boethius (470-524/Padua?): translated the entire Organon and wrote commentaries on all but the Posterior Analytics), as well as a translation of Porphyry’s introduction (Isagoge) to the Categories, but only De Interp. and Categories were readily available until 12th century. James of Venice (c.1128): translated Posterior Analytics; with the rediscovery of other translations by Boethius, this completed the Organon.
    [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]
  • How Alchemists Meditated in the Middle Ages and Renaissance Dennis William Hauck, Ph.D
    Searching for the Cosmic Quintessence: How Alchemists Meditated in the Middle Ages and Renaissance Dennis William Hauck, Ph.D. Go directly to the text of the paper. Abstract The meditative techniques practiced by alchemists in the Middle Ages were different from what we think of as meditation today. Alchemical meditation was an active instead of a passive activity, and it focused on harnessing spiritual forces for positive transformation and specific manifestations. The alchemists sought to actually work with the transcendental powers during meditation to achieve union with the divine mind or somehow bring the transformative powers from Above directly into their practical work in the lab or their personal work in the inner laboratory of their souls. This paper reviews two actual meditations practiced by medieval and Renaissance alchemists. The first is a form of mystical contemplation popular with spiritual seekers of all kinds during this period. The other is a meditation created specifically for alchemists and kept secret from the public for over 200 years. The two meditations are intended to be practiced by those interested, and free audio recordings of the guided meditations are available.1 La recherche de la Quintessence Cosmique - Comment méditaient les alchimistes du Moyen-Âge et de la Renaissance Dennis William Hauck, Ph.D. Résumé Les techniques de méditation pratiquées par les alchimistes du Moyen-Âge étaient bien différentes de ce que nous considérons comme méditation aujourd'hui. La méditation alchimique était une activité active et non passive, elle se focalisait sur la maitrise des forces spirituelles en vue d’atteindre une transformation évolutive ainsi que des manifestations psychiques particulières.
    [Show full text]
  • Kabbalah, Magic & the Great Work of Self Transformation
    KABBALAH, MAGIC AHD THE GREAT WORK Of SELf-TRAHSfORMATIOH A COMPL€T€ COURS€ LYAM THOMAS CHRISTOPHER Llewellyn Publications Woodbury, Minnesota Contents Acknowledgments Vl1 one Though Only a Few Will Rise 1 two The First Steps 15 three The Secret Lineage 35 four Neophyte 57 five That Darkly Splendid World 89 SIX The Mind Born of Matter 129 seven The Liquid Intelligence 175 eight Fuel for the Fire 227 ntne The Portal 267 ten The Work of the Adept 315 Appendix A: The Consecration ofthe Adeptus Wand 331 Appendix B: Suggested Forms ofExercise 345 Endnotes 353 Works Cited 359 Index 363 Acknowledgments The first challenge to appear before the new student of magic is the overwhehning amount of published material from which he must prepare a road map of self-initiation. Without guidance, this is usually impossible. Therefore, lowe my biggest thanks to Peter and Laura Yorke of Ra Horakhty Temple, who provided my first exposure to self-initiation techniques in the Golden Dawn. Their years of expe­ rience with the Golden Dawn material yielded a structure of carefully selected ex­ ercises, which their students still use today to bring about a gradual transformation. WIthout such well-prescribed use of the Golden Dawn's techniques, it would have been difficult to make progress in its grade system. The basic structure of the course in this book is built on a foundation of the Golden Dawn's elemental grade system as my teachers passed it on. In particular, it develops further their choice to use the color correspondences of the Four Worlds, a piece of the original Golden Dawn system that very few occultists have recognized as an ini­ tiatory tool.
    [Show full text]
  • Wandering Mythical Stories Once Again on Enoch 6:1-6 and Michael the Great
    WANDERING MYTHICAL STORIES ONCE AGAIN ON ENOCH 6:1-6 AND MICHAEL THE GREAT JUAN PEDRO MONFERRER-SALA UNIVERSITY OF CÓRDOBA Abstract Our aim in the present paper is to study a brief fragment preserved in Michael the Great’s Cronography. The fragment, far from being a simple heading reference to the contents of the chapter, fulfils a proleptic narrative function, anticipating a synthetic summary of the whole text of the ‘Descent of the Watchers’ that the author includes on the next page. Key Words Enoch 6:1-6, Michael the Great, Watchers, Fallen Angels, Syriac, Arabic. A preliminary note Texts travel across the lands and languages throughout the centuries to enrich people and cultures. This is the case of a number of texts of Jewish origin,1 like an Enochic fragment on the ‘Descent of Watchers’ (6:1-7), belonging to the cycle of the ‘Fall of the Angels’, which was included by Michael the Great in his opus magnum, the Chronography.2 This Syriac fragment was later translated into This study is part of the Research Project FFI2014-53556-R: ‘Study and Edition of the Greek, Arabic and Latin Biblical and Patristic Mss’, granted by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. 1 See Ronny Vollandt, ‘Ancient Jewish Historiography in Arabic Garb: Sefer Josippon between Southern Italy and Coptic Cairo’, Zutot 11 (2014), pp. 70-80 (Arabic translation: ‘ ‘Ilm al-ta’rīkh al-yahūdī fī mā ba‘du al-zaman al-kitābī “Kitāb Yūsuf b. Kuryūn” bi-ṣīghatihi al-‘arabiyyah wa- ṣadāhu fī l-awsāt al-yahūdiyyah wa-l-masīḥīyyah’, Al-Mashreq 89 (2015), pp.
    [Show full text]
  • And What They Can Teach Us About Contemporary Financial Expertise
    Klaus Oschema Heaven Can Tell ...Late Medieval Astrologers as Experts – and what they can Teach us about Contemporary Financial Expertise Abstract: In taking action, or rather in making the decision to act, humans are inevi- tably confronted with a fundamental dilemma: actions taken in the present seek to bring about consequences in an immediate or distant future, but that future is, by definition, unknown and unknowable. That even the present is characterized by a high degree of complexity can lead to the establishment of a particular group: experts or expert advisers. Experts are individuals credited with specific knowledge and who are relied upon in order to make informed decisions or solve particular problems. While many authors consider the development of cultures of expertise to be a uniquely modern phenomenon that responds to the increasing complexity of social organisation, this chapter argues that late medieval astrologers can be described as ‘experts’, and that their activities can be analysed fruitfully as being part of an ‘expert culture’. In order to appreciate fully the characteristics and workings of this culture, medievalists have to rely upon insights and findings derived from the Social Sciences. While an interdisciplinary dialogue benefits research on medieval subjects, I argue that the analysis of premodern ‘expert culture’ can (and must) inform reflex- ions on the role of experts in modern societies. Based on drawing a comparison between modern financial experts and late medieval astrologers, I argue that analysis of the latter enables us to better understand our reliance on experts as an act of belief rather than as an outcome of supposedly rational calculation.
    [Show full text]