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.

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.

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.

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.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1910 Edition.

2013 Reprint of 1959 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Eliphas Levi (1810-1875), born Alphonse Louis Constant, was a sage, poet and author of over twenty esoteric books. He began writing at 22 years of age and was imprisoned twice for the critical nature of his work. 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.

THIS 20 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Paradoxes of the Highest Science, by Eliphas Levi. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 1564590208.

THIS 34 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Mysteries of Magic: A Digest of the Writings of Eliphas Levi, by Arthur Edward Waite. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 1564593746.

2011 Reprint of 1958 London Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. This is Levi's first treatise on magic and was translated into English by Arthur Edward Waite as "Transcendental Magic, its Doctrine and Ritual." Its famous opening lines present the single essential theme of Occultism and gives some of the flavor of its atmosphere: "Behind the veil of all the hieratic and mystical allegories of ancient doctrines, behind the darkness and strange ordeals of all initiations, under the seal of all sacred writings, in the ruins of Nineveh or Thebes, on the crumbling stones of old temples and on the blackened visage of the Assyrian or Egyptian sphinx, in the monstrous or marvelous paintings which interpret to the faithful of India the inspired pages of the Vedas, in the cryptic emblems of our old books on alchemy, in the ceremonies practised at reception by all secret societies, there are found indications of a doctrine which is everywhere the same and everywhere carefully concealed. ( From the Introduction)." Levi's version of magic became a great success, especially after his death. That Spiritualism was popular on both sides of the Atlantic from the 1850s contributed to this success. His magical teachings were free from obvious fanaticisms; he had nothing to sell, and did not pretend to be the initiate of some ancient or fictitious secret society. He incorporated the Tarot cards into his magical system, and as a result the Tarot has been an important part of the paraphernalia of Western magicians. He had a deep impact on the magic of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and later on the ex-Golden Dawn member Aleister Crowley. He was also the first to declare that a pentagram or five-pointed star with one point down and two points up represents evil, while a pentagram with one point up and two points down represents good. It was largely through the occultists inspired by him that Levi is remembered as one of the key founders of the twentieth century revival of magic.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

THIS 18 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Transcendental Magic: Its Doctrine and Ritual, by Eliphas Levi. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766102971.

THIS 28 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Transcendental Magic: Its Doctrine and Ritual, by Eliphas Levi. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766102971.