Dogma y Ritual de la Alta Magia

by Éliphas Lévi, Abraxas Editor (Editor), D.C. Bernardo (Translator)

Facsímil de la segunda edición de la obra más importante de Éliphas Lévi, publicada en 1903 en Madrid por la editorial “La Irradiación”. Esta edición es considerada la mejor de todas cuantas se hayan hecho de este libro. 316 páginas, 24 x 16 cm.

Genres: Occult, Magick, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Magic, Philosophy, Religion

460 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1854

About the author

Éliphas Lévi is the pen-name of Abbé Alphonse Louis Constant, a Roman Catholic priest and magician. His later writings on the Tarot and occult topics were a great influence on the Spiritualist and Hermetic movements of fin de siècle England and France, especially on such members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn as Arthur Edward Waite and Aleister Crowley.

---

Éliphas Lévi es el nombre adoptado por el mago y escritor ocultista francés Alphonse Louis Constant.

Reviews

[Steve Cran · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the core of all esoteric arts is science. Those occult groups who acted in secret oft time mixing faith and science have been the discoverers of scientific invention advancing society forward yet hidden from public view. In order to perpetuate faith the Church has always sought to stamp out these groups and their sciences. The Church has in many an instance been resistant to scientific discovery and change.

What follows is one of the key books on Ceremonial Magick. The book is very hard to comprehend at times and yet at others it makes the point crystal clear. It is author’s such as Eliphas Levi who formed the foundation of today’s Ceremonial Magick, Wicca, Chaos Magick and to an extent neo-paganism. Eliphas Levi believed very much in the Judeo conception of God and had a Christian world view, yet he realized that the truths revealed in the Bible were not meant to be taken literally but rather as a metaphor. His outlook is also very scientific.

Through out the ages secret groups have kept the study of Kabballah alive, all the way from Egypt through the Hebrews up until now. Teachers like Hermes Trimagistus, in his “Emerald Tablet “ passed on the teachings as did the Magians from Persia.. High Magic that brought about positive change is what this is about. The work is very kabbalistic.

Interspersed with discussion of the Kabbalah comes the concept of Monad, Dyad and Triad. Monad is the one creator God, Dyad is him and someone else this is the essence of creation. You must have someone to talk to in order for creation to occur. The triad is the creator, created and the object of listening. Some what complicated and I do not hve a full grasp of this myself.

None the less the power of speech is the power to create. In the bible God created the world through speech. Hence the magician creates their reality with the power of speech.
In the Universe there is something called Astral Light. It is what the universe is made up of. It takes forms based on our imagination and what we are expecting or want to see. In a ritual if someone summons and angel, spirit or deity and you se thm it amy or may not be what you think you see but rather a form created by the Astral Light. Our astral bodies are composed of astral light. When the righteous die they go to the stars or evolve to the next level. Those still addicted to the pleasures of life are trapped in their Astral body.

The astral body can leave our physical bodies during sleep and will oft times take on different animal forms. Like werewolves or were tigers. Affecting the astral body can have an impact on the physical body. Sympathetic magic is worked in a fashion like this. Our imagination can affect the thinking and minds of other people especially if our thought are properly directed.. Pentagrams control the elements.

Writers like Eliphas Levi are the wellsprings of inspiration for many magical authors who learned from him and rewrote his concepts in sometimes watered down fashion. No problems reading them first before you get to the main course which is this book. There is no dogma but the purest of science that I have seen in an occult book.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find it difficult to review this book.

Clearly, for anyone involved in the Western Mystery Traditions, especially magick, hermeticism, modern tarot, or Thelema, this is foundational material. Yet Lévi comes off as conflicted between his occult interests and his ambivalent relationship to the Church of Rome. Moreover, Waite's footnotes are as often disparaging as illuminating, and his apparent disdain for the author leads me to wonder why he bothered completing the translation at all. It is high time for a new translation in a modern context less riddled with personal opinions.

Still, there is much to value here, as can be seen from the quotes listed here, at least one of which has greatly aided my own understanding of the practice of the Qabalistic Cross. The book overall improved my knowledge of the roots of ceremonial magick in the modern era.

Nevertheless, it is difficult for me to recommend it outright. So much of it is contradictory, or amounts to little more than a confusing attempt at a faux-medieval grimoire, or misquotes the luminary alchemists and practitioners of prior ages, that it seems to me like one would have to be quite well established on one's own path before this tome could do anything other than muddy the waters.

On a more practical note, the typeset of the 1972 Weiser edition (published under the same ISBN as the later edition pictured) frankly sucks, and the index is just this side of worthless. I suspect that those are the sort of problems that such a well-respected publisher may have rectified in the more recent reprint, but I have not seen it so I cannot say.

So my bottom line is: useful for the intermediate student of the mysteries, possibly essential to the advanced practitioner, and little more than a historical curiosity to anyone else.

[Paula Crash · Rating 5 out of 5]

i'm continuously "currently reading" this book, no matter how many times i finish it. cryptic stuff, and you should trust me, i've been reading it for years.

[Taliesin Mcknight · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★ This is one of the most important books on Western magick extant. This book does require a background in occult symbolism, tarot, and Qabalah to understand, as it's not for the beginner. Ideally, this book should be studied along with either the Tarot of Marseille or the Oswald Wirth tarot deck since the book is based on French occult tarot. The book is based on the Marseille tarot deck with corrections, which were later incorporated into the Oswald Wirth deck after the writing of this book.

This book is often criticized as being filled with inaccuracies because of the criticisms of the English translator Arthur Edward Waite. I feel such criticisms are unfairly exaggerated, as most of the so-called "inaccuracies" are simply due to a poetic and allegorical writing style. Although there are a few issues, such as the popular claim--originating with Court de Gebelin--that tarot is a survival of ancient Egyptian wisdom (although there is no evidence for it prior to the 14th century). It's sad that these misconceptions are still wide-spread. Nonetheless, even with the exaggerated claims, this book is a MUST READ by any serious occultist. Eliphas Levi is one of the greatest of 19th century occult geniuses in my opinion. He originated the idea of the major arcana being connected with the 22 Hebrew letters, etc. His concept of the Astral Light is VERY important. Also, this book is important for the occult symbolism connected with numbers. This is also the foundation of French occult tarot--along with "Tarot of the Bohemians" by Papus and "Tarot of the Magicians" by Oswald Wirth."

I cannot recommend this book enough! Just beware that some things in there should be taken with a grain of salt. Advanced occult students should know what the take from this book and to discard, as well as have a deep enough understanding of occult symbolism to interpret it. Hence, this is a good book for someone already with a fairly sound occult education. I give this book 5 stars. It remains one of my favorites.

[Signor Mambrino · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's be honest; this is a load of bollicks.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this text about 4 or 5 times. This is the first time translated into reasonable English.
From this translation, you can see Levi's influence through out the last two centuries, from Albert Pike to Blavasky, to Artaud to Crowley, to the tarot and beyond.

[Tim Capps · Rating 3 out of 5]

As one can see, I took copious notes which may help some. This is a long, rambling and repetitious read that will bewilder the beginner but entertain them with Adventures Sorcerous. The experienced—and especially the trained—occultist will find much of value among the leg-pulls, errors, blinds, political and religious views and insight into feminine psychology for would-be seducers. (I think seduction was probably a lot easier in the first half of the 19th Century.)

It is, however, the immediate historical roots of 20th Century Victorian occultism. It is good to get a new perspective on old lessons. The archaic language is evocative and has the virtue of rekindling the flame of the Romance of the Occult quenched among the jaded readers of modern technicians. One finds the Tarot depicted very much like the Rider Waite Smith deck. Occasionally the author will let slip the real occult fact such as personal hygiene, uncluttered surroundings and regular habits go to the WILL, and the true adept would not need ritual at all.

I read it first almost half a century ago as a teenager, and could still feel excitement about “The Trident of Paracelsus” and a shiver at “larvae.” Now, I got a lot out of it, but not the more exciting part. Real magic really is about clean clothes and regular bedtimes, sorry to say, or at least you won’t get far without things like that.

This is not going to be very helpful to serious beginners, but is a treasure trove for the more experienced. And there are surprises like the “phantasmagorias” where charlatans duped a paying (and possibly high) clientele literally with smoke and mirrors: a well-executed magic lantern show. Who knew?

One star for beginners (there’s far better available now) and five stars for those trained well enough to appreciate it. The translation is good enough, except the same thing called the “diaphane” one place and the “translucence” or some such in another could benefit from a note. But that’s typical. It is meant to be a head-scratcher and the vagaries of time and translation don’t help.

[Colin Hoad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eliphas Levi was one of the "founding fathers" of the occult revival that took place in the late nineteenth century, and his "Transcendental Magic" is a marvellous work. The translation into English by A. E. Waite is smooth and often poetic, whilst the ideas propounded by Levi are at times very intriguing.

Evidently this isn't some kind of spell book that you can use to summon up the spirits of the dead (though Levi makes bold claims to have done so himself) but it does provide the occult philosophy behind his beliefs. A curious blend of Kaballah, Christian mysticism and various aspects of folklore and ancient myth, "Transcendental Magic" lays out the foundations upon which the infamous Aleister Crowley (who claimed to be Levi's reincarnation) would later build his own occult system.

Definitely of interest to those who wish to understand more about the occult revival and seek to comprehend the philosophy underpinning Levi's particular brand of occultism.

[Clay Fouts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I wish I had read ten years ago but the importance of which I gather only now. Levi's Dogma provides a clear and readable engagement with the tradition of Western occultism. It's here that we find the initial (if skewed) tie-ins between the Hebrew alphabet and the Tarot trumps, marrying the ancient Egyptian tradition with Jewish Kabbalah. I found most rewarding his description of the evolution of the series of numbers as they unfold into further degrees of manifestation as well as his flowing exhortations of the fountain source of life itself, the Great Magical Agent.

This work is foundational, and it provides a new frame of reference for reading Crowley. It also admirably sets the stage for the emergence of Thelema.

[Edric Unsane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well done translation of French Occultist Eliphas Levi's The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic. I was both surprised and elated of just how much of the contents of the book is still relevant to modern Occultism today. I was also a fan of the notations found throughout the pages as they clarified a great deal of obscure references. John Michael Greer and Mark Anthony Mikituk did a wonderful job with the new translation and I highly encourage people interested in the Occult to give this a read.

[Ana Loera · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es demasiado cristiano para mi gusto.

[0:50 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh look, an annoying book with an esoteric twist: I found the trick entertaining in Plato a year ago, but it's becoming stale. A trolljob from an era where obscure grimoires in goatskin manuscript format occupied the place of the internet as the transmission zone of "secrets", in addition to the private and public dimensions of life. By "esoteric" I don't mean the marketed sense of the term that is synonymous with occult, or "esoterica", but rather that the work is clearly written esoterically, with many intentional contradictions and attempts at misleading. It would be tedious to list all of them, but just look at this for example
To protect oneself from negative influences, the first condition is to not allow one’s imagination to become enthused. All fanatics are more or less mad, and one dominates a madman by taking him by his folly.
then
The more that one’s interest is excited, the greater the desire to see, the more complete the confidence in one’s intuition, the clearer the vision will be. Casting geomantic points haphazardly or drawing cards thoughtlessly is to play at the lottery like children. Random draws are oracular only when they are magnetized by intelligence and directed by faith.

In the latter, it seems that the author is recommending enthusiasm instead of castigating it as folly of madmen. But in point of fact, if not in attitude, he is consistent: the clarity of a vision might have nothing to with whether it is true or folly. I suppose it could also turn around the question of the definition of clarity: which is clearer, an photo taken with a Nokia 7650 of an actual situation or an exact computer-created digital replica in high-definition? It's just that this discrepancy means that he is misleading the reader in his instructions, playing the role of a magician dominating the foolish reader looking for the great big mystery key. And this is by no means the only instance. He is actually warning against "complete confidence in one's intuition" and an enthused will, but he is masking it so that people he considers ignorant or worthless get stuck in it. But therein lies the rub: people understand this and want to become like him with his own methods, so it is "vulgar" to speak like I do. At this point we're talking about a serious psychological swamp of defence mechanisms that may be impossible to cure.

It could be true, given the evidence and logical necessity for esoteric writing, that the most of the important information about the world is communicated through supposed "mistakes", slips of the tongue, contradictions, apparent stupidities. It is too mentally comfortable to go by Hanlon's razor: an easy sensation of superiority and protective laughter is always better than the gnawing feeling of doubt. To see the folly of the first option, just go and look at the top rated reviews for Plato's Republic on this site.

All that is not to say that the book is without interest. Considering the problem-child status of psychology in the mechanistic science of the 19th century, this kind of book hits exactly in the area between mechanistic objects and inner life. This was also the role of mesmerism and animal magnetism, which provides the intellectual framework underlying this book. It is also the background of philosophies of life like Schopenhauer and Schelling, the former of whom also made Will and important part of his philosophy. At times, this almost feels like an application of Schopenhauer's dualism between Will and the realm of mechanistic causality described by the physical sciences. Will must be directed to forms to create effects: it can be bound up in things like pentagrams, pentacles etc. In addition to will and the forms, there are also the words which fix the will to a certain pattern when it is repeated along with it. As for the forms in question, the book seems to veer from aforementioned simple geometrical meditations to chaotic, self-consciously schizotypal methods of suggestion.

I've outlined some problems I have with this underlying philosophy of world soul or astral light or Azoth in my review of the book Holographic Universe. But if I managed to distil the wheat from the chaff in the above paragraph, it's at least an interesting twist on it: at surface a recipe for pattern creation, but on another a higher insight in how causal entities are formed. The problem with these philosophies of the Will, for me, is that they started to undervalue the side of intuition in Kant's philosophy. Schopenhauer reconstructed all of Kant's philosophy only to the side of understanding, after which there is immediately the thing-in-itself of force or will. I have no doubt that a dog chasing its tail like the Great Ouroboros executes its will flawlessly, but we can see there is something very limited about its intuition. This is all the more the case with a fly, who will never fathom the black monolith it is now circumnavigating, that is, my television. In light of these impressions, the uneasy sensation strikes that you might in the exact same position as these dogs and flies to some other objects and even to "your" own body as extended in higher spaces. That is to say, I doubt this resuscitation of the miraculous through mere willing and ultimately, through psychologizing as Lévi does towards the end of the book. If this is what counts for high magic, I don't think I have much time for magic.

Many paradoxes like "as above, so below", the unity of opposites and the denial of the law of contradiction find themselves explained quite naturally if we suppose that these statements were in fact references to a new spatial axis, an expansion of the power of the intuitive faculty to the detriment of the conceptual, rather than some transcendent objects. Opposites are united in the concept of the axis, as it transcends any single direction(you can't "move" the axis itself to any of its directions). As above, so below: 3 dimensions above us our space is a point. With this book, I sense a very resigned attitude that regards the world as a collection of manipulable superstitions: and these then are the only entities that are somehow incredibly "real". It is a kind of view which sounds very incredible at first but really is kind of a let-down. It's real as in influential though: ideas, illusions, suspiciously capitalized words and superstitions rule the world history.

This book seems to be very much about manipulation and it is also written in a very manipulative manner: constant references to the respectable halls of the antiquity, conspicuous elitism, appealing to the reader's need to not feel "vulgar" in some way. Yet there might be actual insight hidden amidst the book, but really, is this the best place to look? Relatedly: if someone wants to manipulate people, surely there is a method of doing that without actually believing it yourself. This stuff might "work" but there's probably a technique that isolates the parts without self-suggested beliefs in hyperstitional deities. Salesmen do it all the time, and it's only at that point that this book would live up to its technological pretensions: it would need to isolate only the necessary, if not the most efficient, means of achieving a goal. It is stupid to justify unnecessary movements by the argument "everything's related to everything". As it stands, the book's methods seem to waver somewhere between possession by self-suggested hyperstitions and manipulation of those who believe in them. I think the author falls under the latter rubric, but unhelpfully conceals his hand: for what purpose, it is unclear.

All the cynicism aside, if the reader manages to read this esoterically, in which case parts of the book become more comedic than serious, then this is indeed a revelation. Just like Plato's Republic was for me. It's important to know that there are actually people doing this stuff to influence history. But the horrible truth is that there are multitudes of people that take Plato's teaching at face value, that take this at face value. What did Lévi actually want with this book? It remains a bit mysterious to me. For one, his ideology is an odd mixture of conservatism and what seems like illumined progressivism. In one place he extols Liberty and he rails against the medieval times with all the Enlightenment talking points, but then he also seems to oppose Rousseau and the French Revolution. Perhaps there's an assumption that the readers of this book already regard normal politics as "low magic". Or else, he is just a Catholic born in the wrong generation, as they say. It was of course Protestants but also Enlightenment polemicists also who branded anything "magical" or "occult" satanic or unreasonable. Lévi conflates Satan, whom only his enemies believe in, with unreason, suggesting that he is in opposition to this campaign against traditional wisdom and trying to find a new channel for it to continue in a newly secularized and mechanized climate. I think this might go some way of explaining his choice of terminology, the psychologization and also the later developments in the newfangled category of Western Esotericism. For Lévi, the protestants and the Enlightenment intellectuals are actually themselves satanists by virtue of giving unthinking worship to this entity they themselves invented. It is true that in the Hebrew text Satan is not an entity but a role that can be occupied by many different persons: so the satanist-hunters quite literally play the part of the accuser or adversary. To wrap this up in harmony with all the other observations, perhaps Lévi intended to use his model of magic to warn the political elites of the inner dynamics of secularization and simply to point out that it is not so simple to become a secular as to oppose the the great power of Unreason.

[no.stache.nietzsche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really not sure what to make of this! Very interesting stuff, but we lack a lot of context here, so its difficult to comment much. A persistent theme though, is that this text purports to be more of a warning away from magical practices, rather than an enticement to them, although it does include some safety instructions. Magic is not condemned persay, but the reader is frequently cautioned against getting involved.

We just purchased a physical copy of this book to go over it in more detail, as its a little tricky to take this sort of thing in via audiobook format, but we definitely got some valuable information out of it, especially regarding magical equilibrium, hermeticism, necromancy and sigils.

[Oakley C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The key to enjoying this book is the edition. Find the one translated by John Michael Greer and Mark Anthony Mikituk. A.E. White was frankly an asshole with something to prove (as far as I can tell).

[Guilherme Passos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que viagem

[Ken Nunyerbeez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: I rate it 5/5 because of its prolific status in the world of the Western Hermetic Tradition, not because it's the most easy-to-read or inherently useful text as-is. Its contents can be surmised in Crowley, Mathers and Waite - in the latter case, in and outside of his traslations of the manuscript - in lieu of its religiously-slanted aphorisms and esoterically castrated approach to what should be respectfully understood as (at least to a degree) universal in some of its premises. But this is coming from a guy studying the A.'.A.'. system and who knows better than to altogether dismiss any spiritual system of any origin or approach in favor of a more utilitarian view of these things.

Sometimes we pay for a brand name - regardless of the quality of the things that our merchandise provide. In other cases, we know that we'll get what we pay for in the end. Being one who feels that he was born in the wrong generation - or in too many of the wrong generations to experience the wonders of all of them) - I can appreciate the archaic, Victorian musings of authors like Waite, H.P. Lovecraft, Regardie, Mathers, Crowley, Blavatsky and so on... whether I take what they present as-is and put it to good use, re-imagine it and appropriate it more to my own likings, completely discard it or shelf it for later.

Albeit tough especially for a short-attentioned millenial like myself, it is worth a read *at least once* or maybe twice in one's lifetime... more if you can stomach and compute it beyond that many readings.

[AL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historically, this book is a major influence upon the Western occult movement that spread through Europe from the late 19th century, so I have been compelled to acquaint myself with its knowledge. I’ve started and stopped this book a few times over the last few years, mainly due to the AE Waite translation, which often lulled me into sleepy ennui with its verbose phraseology. But after I found the more modern translation by Greer and Mikituk, I was able to push through the dense prose of Levi, a former Catholic acolyte studying the priesthood. His writing is either intoxicating with beauty and insight, or it is meandering and dull like a cliched sermon. But overall, this a valuable treatise for an aspiring occultist or scholar of religious thought. I will revisit its pages often, and I may even finish the Waite version (if I can!)

[Kadesh G. Vega · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would not say that I have exactly "read" so much as read through this book, as it is largely a fundamental of the ancient sciences that one should continuously revisit. I found A.E. Waite's commentary elucidating yet mercurial in that in some commentary he praises Waite and adds his own angle of perspective, in other commentaries he condemns Levi for blatantly making up facts to fill in gaps of his explanations. The critique on Levi's use of the Tarot to allude to the different chapters is of high importance , I must however admit that some commentary is blatantly hilarious.
Overall I stand by my sentiment that this is an essential text for the library of all students of esotericism. The in depths explanations of Kabbalah are astonishing.

[Carla S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hace tres años leí este libro
Hace tres años no me gustó y le puse una estrella

Había escuchado, en más de una vez, que este título es uno de los libros más incomprendidos en el mundo, y puedo ver el por qué

Después de llevar a cabo un proceso interno, un desarrollo y comprensión de información mística, oculta y espiritual y después de llevar a la experiencia temas relacionados a estas artes... por fin comprendí este libro y, no solo eso, me gustó muchísimo

Esta clase de libros que están para re leerse y seguir conociéndose y aprendiendo de este mundo, en el proceso

[Christopher Angulo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting parallels to some of JS's views, but they were few. Still, an interesting read and fun to see how views have evolved.

[Roger Buck · Rating 1 out of 5]

Contains deeply disturbing things which the older, penitent Eliphas Levi renounced.

No book I think helps to understand the remarkable journey of Eliphas Levi than the astonishing masterpiece Meditations on the Tarot which also considers Papus as well. My review of that here:

http://corjesusacratissimum.org/2009/...

[Anne Lydolf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Truly a load of rambling nonsense. However, the footnotes by Arthur Edward Waite were at times genuinely entertaining, due to his obvious distain for the author. At least half the footnotes are simple there to point out misinformation or to just plainly insult the author. After reading Lévis self proclaimed "science" for hundreds of pages, it became a refreshing break whenever a footnote appeared.

[Mitchell Stern · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is definitely worth reading, I want to make that clear. It’s a key primer to occult philosophy and especially good at capturing the thought of 19th century occultists. That said it is very clearly a product of its era and is a lot more explicitly Christian than many other occult texts. Not bad but definitely dated.

[Seeking · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extremely difficult to comprehend, it comes across as convulated ravings. If he was trying to make his knowledge an unsolvable puzzle to the "vulgar," as he likes to call the supposed uninitiated, then he succeeded. As with many of these old school occultists, Levi comes off as narcissistic and misogynistic.

[Drew]

Why is this book so difficult for me to focus on? I am used to reading 19th c literature, so it isn't just the stylistic element. I even want to read this because of Levi's important position in the history of magic. I just can't get through it. Oh well.

[Ions · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctrine was interesting...ritual was ridiculous...

[Kimara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfecto, cada vez que se lee se descubre algo nuevo.

[Jan Jaap]

https://archive.org/download/transcen... downloadable formats

[Xolok Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

In terms of style, it's hard to beat this classic of esoteric writing. It's over the top, strange, familiar, and obscure in just the right ways. It is a great example of the genre and the time in which it was written. That said, it is definitely very silly at points. The degree to which Paracelsus is pitched as a genius is pretty grand even by 19th century standards. While it is amusing here, the rhetoric mirrors that of fake curatives today. Basically, the treatment methodology Paracelsus is presented as SO awesome and beyond everyone else, that establishment physicians have to keep the newcomer down. While it is definitely true that new treatments and thoughts on disease had to fight to prove themselves - sometimes against a stubbornly foolish establishment - the ideas that make it through have these crazy things called proof and repeatable results on their side. We cannot determine that about Paracelsus because the details of his more outlandish claims aren't written down. News of Paracelsus' success largely comes from Paracelsus himself.

Eliphas Levi is also a huge fan of Napoleon Bonaparte. This extends to the point of seeing Napoleon as a kind of temporal Jesus Christ. Eliphas Levi clearly subscribes to the view that some people are meant to rule over other people, and that the problems and abuses that constantly come up with dictatorships are due to the wrong dictators being in charge. In the 19th century this wasn't seen as such a backwards idea, but it's worth noting. It's disturbing that some people still believe this in the 21st century.

I should also bring up the following warnings. This book has some odd and antiquated ideas about gender and sexuality that might make some people uncomfortable. Some ignorant statements are made with a lot of overconfidence. Western esotericism's relationship with gender is interesting. The reader is always presumed to be a man in this era. The concepts of the divine feminine and the divine masculine show a deeper awareness of gender than one might expect for this time, but it's obviously coming from someone who solidly identifies as a man. The book also utilizes some language we would consider slurs or just odd these days.

Despite these oversteps, the book is interesting. I'm sorry that I have spent so much time describing the problematic parts rather the parts that are engaging. This is largely because the more fun bits do not lend themselves to quick summary.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eliphas Levi produces this book in an effort to educate his readers in the "lost" practices of the mage. Lost in a sense that these practices have had been used but interpreted in ways that were beyond what they originally had been.

Footnotes are given throughout the book, which I enjoyed because they contested Levi's statements, allowing the reader to be critical while reading. Arthur Edward Waite was the translator and footnote provider. Sometimes, the footnotes made me think that Arthur didn't really like Levi at all. For instance, one footnote reads, "It is impossible to understand Levi's equivalents for Hebrew numbers." lol.

I believe, take the contents of this book with a pinch of salt. You're reading a thesis by a clear devout Christian in the mid 1800s on the subject of magic and sorcery throughout the ages. There are times reading that it seems Levi himself goes on a rant trying to convince himself that he doesn't believe the applications of these practices, where one would think he had.

There are plenty of references to other texts and thought-provoking statements. I enjoyed reading it, took lots of notes. Big focus and main theme of the book is the Tarot.