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Originally published in 1860 as Histoire de la Magie, this English
edition was translated by A. E. Waite in 1913. Long established as
the most valuable source on the tradition of magic and occultism,
History of Magic is now available as a Weiser classic in a new,
enlarged edition. Described by Waite as "the most arresting,
entertaining and brilliant of all studies on the subject, " the
text provides a complete survey of the occult sciences, from
Biblical references, and Zoroaster to Hermetic Magic, and the
Kabbalah. The author also explores magical rites and dogmas from
various civilizations and discusses some famous sorcerers and
magicians. Other topics explored include Magic of the Magi, Magic
in India, Mysticism, Magic and Christianity, and the sources of
Freemasonry.
Eliphas Levi was steeped in the Western occult tradition and a
master of the Rosicrucian interpretation of the Qabalah, which
forms the basis of magic as practiced in the West today. The Key of
the Mysteries represents the culmination of Levi's thoughts and is
written with subtle and delicate irony. It reveals the mysteries of
religion and the secrets of the Qabalah, providing a sketch of the
prophetic theology of numbers. The mysteries of nature, such as
spiritualism and fluidic phantoms, are explored. Magical mysteries,
the Theory of the Will with its 22 axioms are divulged. And finally
it offers "the great practical secrets." The true greatness of this
work, however, lies in its ability to place occult thought firmly
in Western religious traditions. For Levi, the study of the occult
was the study of a divine science, the mathematics of God.
The Great Secret completes a trilogy of books by Eliphas Levi
published in his "Studies in Hermetic Tradition" series, the two
previous volumes being The Book of Splendours and The Mysteries of
the Qabalah. Taken together these writings represent a fitting
memorial to one who "has been both the keeper of the hermetic
tradition and the absolute renovator of esoteric thinking in Europe
in the 19th century".
"You will be as gods, knowing good and evil".
So concludes what Eliphas Levi considered to be his last
testament, his most important and final treatise, and a summation
of his esoteric philosophy. This volume is the conclusion of the
work he started with Book One, The Hieratic Mystery or the
Traditional Documents of High Initiation, published as The Book of
Splendours (Weiser, 1984). The Great Secret contains his final two
works: Book Two, The Royal Mystery or Art of Subduing the Powers,
in which Levi discusses such topics as Evil, the Outer Darkness,
the Great Secret, Magical Sacrifice, Evocations, the Arcana of
Solomon's Ring, and the Terrible Secret. Book Three, The Sacerdotal
Mystery or the Art of Being Served by Spirits, covers Aberrant
Forces, the Chaining of the Devil, Sacred and Accursed Rites,
Divination, Dark Intelligence, and the Great Arcanum.
Born Alphonse Louis Constant, French magician Eliphas Levi
(1810-75) wrote prolifically on the occult sciences. His Histoire
de la magie was first published in 1860. In it, Levi recounts the
history of the occult in Western thought, encompassing its
biblical, Zoroastrian and ancient Greek origins, various magical
practices of the medieval and early modern periods - including
hermeticism, alchemy and necromancy - and the role of magic in the
French Revolution. The last section of the book describes
nineteenth-century magical practices and includes details of Levi's
own occult experiences. Prepared by Arthur Edward Waite
(1857-1942), this English translation was first published in 1913.
An editor and translator of numerous magical texts, Waite includes
here a preface comprising an eloquent defense of Levi and
intellectual magic. The original French edition is also reissued in
the Cambridge Library Collection.
Born Alphonse Louis Constant, French magician Eliphas Levi
(1810-75) wrote prolifically on the occult sciences. His hugely
popular Dogme et rituel de la haute magie, published in French in
1854, was translated into English by Arthur Edward Waite
(1857-1942) in 1896. In the present work, Waite condenses Levi's
two volumes into one. The first part outlines Levi's theory of the
doctrine of transcendent magic and discusses a wide range of
magical phenomena, including bewitchment, Kabbalah and alchemy. The
second part focuses on the practical aspects of ritual and ceremony
in Western occult philosophy. Waite, a mystic and occult historian,
edited several alchemical and magical texts for publication in the
wake of the mid-nineteenth century occult revival. His translation
is accompanied by a preface outlining Levi's colourful career. The
original two-volume French edition is also reissued in the
Cambridge Library Collection.
Eliphas Levi, born Alphonse Louis Constant, (1810-75) was
instrumental in the revival of Western occultism in the nineteenth
century, and published several influential books on magic that are
also reissued in this series. This posthumous publication (1896) is
a translation by William Wynn Westcott, co-founder of the 'Hermetic
Order of the Golden Dawn', of an unpublished French manuscript by
Levi, then owned by the spiritualist Edward Maitland. It includes
eight of the author's drawings. Each short chapter outlines the
meaning of one of the twenty-two tarot trumps and is followed by a
brief editor's note describing the card's iconography and
summarising interpretations (sometimes deliberately misleading)
given in Levi's earlier publications. The book ends with
Kabbalistic prayers and rituals, praise of Jesus Christ as the
great initiate, and a surprising assertion that Christianity has
superseded ancient magic, revealing the life-long tension between
Catholicism and magic in Levi's personality and thought.
A major contribution!" --Rachel Pollack, bestselling author of
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom The definitive collection of rare,
secret, and arcane tarot knowledge The Tarot: A Collection of
Secret Wisdom from Tarot's Mystical Origins is the ultimate guide
to the mysteries and lost knowledge of the tarot. This single
volume includes more than ten selections from foundational tarot
books, all from the 19th and 20th century. Many of these critical
texts have been forgotten, fallen out of print, or are impossible
to acquire. The Tarot reintroduces these books to the modern-day
reader, unlocking the invisible power of the tarot for a new
generation of card readers. The Tarot includes the following
complete books: The Tarot by S. L. MacGregor Mathers The Magical
Ritual of the Sanctum Regnum by Eliphaz Levi Fortune Telling by
Cards by P. R. S. Foli The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by Arthur
Edward Waite The Symbolism of the Tarot by P.D. Ouspensky The Tarot
of the Bohemians by Papus The Key to the Universe by Harriette
Augusta Curtiss & F. Homer The Key of Destiny by Harriette
Augusta Curtiss & F. Homer The General Book of the Tarot by
A.E. Thierens The Tarot also includes additional selections from
Manly P. Hall and others. Featuring over 400 original
black-and-white illustrations throughout the book, The Tarot is a
gorgeous gift and an irresistible invitation to both seasoned
readers and beginners to explore the esoteric wisdom of the cards.
First published in 1860, Eliphas Levi's history of magic follows in
the wake of his enormously successful Dogme et Ritual de la Haute
Magie, which first appeared in 1854. In this book, the French
occultist and alleged magician offers a thoroughly comprehensive
survey of the idea of 'magic' in Western history, from its origins
in Indian, Greek, cabalistic and hermetic traditions to the latest
developments in nineteenth-century occult philosophy, as well as
his own private recollections of his experience with magic. Levi is
adamant in his treatment of magic as a serious science and one
compatible with Christianity, encouraging his readers to see magic
as the reconciliation point between faith and reason, science and
belief, authority and liberty. Extending to almost six hundred
pages and with numerous illustrations, this book should appeal to
those interested in the nineteenth-century obsession with mysticism
and the occult.
Born Alphonse Louis Constant, French magician Eliphas Levi
(1810-75) wrote prolifically on the occult sciences. This highly
popular two-volume treatise on practical magic attempts to initiate
the reader into the mysteries of occult philosophy. Identifying
magic as the 'nurse or godmother' of all intellectual forces, Levi
proclaims his firm belief in man as microcosm of the universe, the
strength of human willpower and the effectiveness of sympathetic
magic. This first volume, 'The Doctrine of Transcendental Magic',
establishes Levi's own philosophical approach to the theory of
magic, detailing the various methods of accessing esoteric
knowledge of the universe through supernatural methods. Beginning
with the ancient origins of occult philosophy and influence, Levi
chronicles the history of magic, including transmutations, black
magic, bewitchments, astrology, divination and alchemy.
Born Alphonse Louis Constant, French magician Eliphas Levi
(1810-75) wrote prolifically on the occult sciences. This highly
popular two-volume treatise on practical magic attempts to initiate
the reader into the mysteries of occult philosophy. Identifying
magic as the 'nurse or godmother' of all intellectual forces, Levi
proclaims his firm belief in man as microcosm of the universe, the
strength of human willpower and the effectiveness of sympathetic
magic. Taking a more practical focus than the first part, this
second volume, 'The Ritual of Transcendental Magic', focuses on the
rituals and ceremonies of Western occult philosophy, offering
explanations for magical equilibrium, the use and consecration of
the pentagram, talismans, necromancy, transmutations, the Sabbath
of the sorcerers, witchcraft, and the alchemical work of Nicholas
Flamel and Raymond Lull.
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