Three Books of Occult Philosophy

I just purchase Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosphy and I must say so far it has been one of, if not the best, book I've read on occultism, magic, or western occulticism/religion/metaphysics. Here are a few of the things that really impressed me:For starters, Agrippa seems very modern in that, whether he was aware of it or not, he brings up two points that I've only heard from more contemporary occultists. First, much of his book, to me, seems to tie in with Joseph Cambell's The Power of Myth(which discusses world myths and comparative religion). Agrippa, often when discussing a single concept, simultaneously pulls from hebrew and the Qabalah, christianity and the Bible, Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology, and Greek philosophers such as Plato and Pythagoras. It seems that in his mind, all these beliefs and philosophies hold truths in them and he takes them all into consideration, like a scientist would take in all the facts he recieves from the natural world. I'm certain that if Agrippa was fimilair with far east philosophy, such as Taoism and the concept of Yin and Yang, he would have incorporated that too, since it easily ties into a lot of the concepts he already elobarates on through the ideas of multiple religious and spiritual schools of thought. And secondly, the idea that what a magician is really doing is using words, symbols, etc. to focus and strengthen the mind and will, and that it is really the human mind and will that creates all the magic, is also suggested by Agrippa. I've read this theory from Aliester Crowley and another modern occultist (Brennan, I think). Agrippa states that words, numbers, and symbols have power because of the way they interact with our souls and that it is our souls that are actually effecting the world, not the words, symbols, etc. themselves. Further more, while the book has no apparent actual magic rituals, spells, etc., it provides the philosophy and concept behind the magic, which I feel is ultimatly more important. The book is thoroughly annotated, to the point were the footnotes are often longer than the chapters, so that everything is understandable to a modern reader, and provides a great springboard for further and more indepth study into all of Agrippa's sources and influences, and into some of the most important spiritual and philosophical writings in western history. And, just to make me love it more, Agrippa is probably the first occult writer who doesn't write with that annoying pompous, or arrogant attitude, nor talks down or oversimplifies things as if he thinks his readers are to stupid to understand. So many occult writers come off this way, either oversimplifying or overdoing it to the point of sounding arogant or full of themselves. Agrippa talks like an educated scientist, talking to someone of equal intellegence on a subject that is serious, but accessable to all. in his words, occultism and magic don't seem to be some mysterious, shadowy, and dark subject, but rather a divine science and wisdom that can and should be used to elevate all mankind.So far I've been extremely inspired, pleased, and excited with this book. I strongly suggest this book to anyone and everyone interested in not only occultism, but also religion, spirituality, metaphysics, and even history.

Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy must rank as one of, if not the most important work ever written on the Western Occult tradition. Written in relative youth, it nevertheless has an immensely broad range of topics covering malefic and benefic magic while still remaining in the Christian tradition. Agrippa's work certainly provides numerous practical instructions, but always ties together a wide range of classical and traditional sources in a broad theoretical framework. As a traditional astrologer I found Agrippa's exposition of astrological magic to be among the best available in English, on a par with the Kaske and Clarke translation of Marsilio Ficino's Three Books on Life. This is not surprising as Agrippa draws directly from Picatrix, De Imaginibus of Thabit Ibn Qurra, Hermes on the 15 Fixed Stars and other key astrological magic texts. Donald Tyson, the editor of this modern edition of the original 17th century English translation of Three Books of Occult Philosophy, has done a good job of providing references and citations, though he occasionally makes technical mistakes. A perusal of the Brill Latin critical edition of Three Books of Occult Philosophy can be useful in this respect. In common with other traditional sources Agrippa does not lay out a recipe style method of magic (step 1, a, b, c, step 2, etc.) Instead as he states in the final chapter of book III, he deliberately scatters information throughout the three books. This points the way to the best method to learn from and absorb what Agrippa has written: deep and repeated study, practice and meditation. If I could have only one book on the Western occult tradition (perish the thought!) this would be it. Anyone with a serious interest in studying or practicing in this area should have this book.

Pour apprenti mageLa magie ne m’intéresse nullement, et de toute façon ça ne marche pas ; d’ailleurs Agrippa, sceptique, l’a reconnu lui-même: "Quand je n'étais encore qu'un adolescent, je rédigeai dans un assez gros volume trois livres consacrés aux choses magiques, que j'appelai le De occulta philosophia. Tout ce qui s'y trouve était erroné, du fait de ma curiosité juvénile."En revanche, le personnage est à la fois fascinant et sympathique. Puit de sciences, mage, alchimiste, médecin, historiographe, conseiller, astrologue, « il mourut fort pauvre et abandonné de tout le monde dans la ville de Lyon, et que, touché par la repentance, il donna congé à un grand chien noir qui l'avait suivi tout le temps de sa vie, lui ôtant un collier plein d'images et de figures magiques."Tout apprenti mage devrait donc consulter ce manuel qu’il a compilé et publié en 1531. S’appuyant sur le Picatrix Liber Atratus, sur l’Asclepius, et sur les écrits cabalistiques de Pic de la Mirandole et de Reuchlin, Agrippa a établi un guide des différentes catégories de magie à la Renaissance en les classant selon les trois mondes distingués par les cabalistes en autant de parties :1er Livre : Le monde inférieur est le royaume de la magie naturelle, de la manipulation des forces du monde élémentaire par le contrôle des sympathies occultes qui le traversent.2ème Livre : Le monde intermédiaire ou céleste, qui correspond à la magie mathématique, c’est-à-dire la philosophie naturelle et les mathémathiques, et les sciences intermédiaires qui en procèdent, l’arithmétique, la musique, la géométrie, l’optique, l’astronomie, la mécanique.3ème Livre : Le monde supérieur ou supra-céleste de lamagie religieuse, où il traite des rituels magiques et de l’évocation des anges.Parmi les nombreuses traductions en anglais et en français, la version Three Books of Occult Philosophy publiée par Donald Tyson chez l’éditeur Llewellyn sort du lot. Tyson s’est décarcassé pour corriger les nombreuses erreurs de la traduction originale, l’annoter afin de le rendre compréhensible.Il existe une traduction française chez Sesheta-Publications, qui comprend un 4° tome, Les cérémonies magiques, traitant de la magie démoniaque, réuni aux 3 autres en 1565, et rejeté par son disciple. Une grosse faute d’orthographe sur la couverture ne présage rien de bon sur la qualité de son contenu et je m’en suis abstenu.

Se ve bastante bien el libro. Muy extenso pues son tres en uno. El único inconveniente es que la letra está demasiado pequeña. Por lo que no es fácil su lectura.

Quite hard reading, but stick with it, it is so interesting, even if you're not into the occult, it makes for good reading.

Great edition of a great book! I’ve been looking for a while to buy this books but the cheap ones were not good at all and the nice ones were far beyond my budget. This one surprised me though! Good price and well published! I can only recommend it!

Livro muito bem organizado. As notas se encontram ao final de cada capítulo, incluindo excertos dos textos referidos e esclarecimentos quando pertinentes. Apêndices, bibliografia e índice tornam a obra ainda mais rica. // A well organized book. The endnotes follow each chapter directly, and they include excerpts from the mentioned texts and explanations whenever needed. The appendices, the bibliography and the index cause the book to be even richer...

Great reference book. A must for all serious readers.