Black Abbot · White Magic
Johannes Trithemius & the Angelic Mind
by Frater Acher
(Volume II of the Holy Daimon cycle)
Black Abbot · White Magic: Johannes Trithemius and the Angelic Mind is the second volume of Frater Acher’s Holy Daimon cycle, and focusses on the magical legacy of Johannes Trithemius. The book includes the first full English translations of two angelic grimoires, reveals the construction of the talismanic Tablet of Truth, the compounding of a love philtre, the creation of the exorcistic powder of Pelagius and the purificatory counter-magic of the witch’s bath. Through Acher's careful analysis of these texts, the reader is guided towards a mystical and historically attested method of practicing angelic magic.
The black abbot should be considered as the central figure in the evolution of the Western esoteric tradition. Trithemius was the teacher of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, a magical role model to John Dee and Paracelsus, and the inspiration behind many of the legends now attributed to Dr Faust. New material sheds light on Trithemius’ own magical practice and his formulation of a theologia magica, which relies on cultivating a relationship with the personal angel.
The first part of the book provides translations and analyses of manuscripts attributed to Trithemius’ legendary teacher Pelagius the Hermit of Majorca, as well as his mysterious intermediary Libanius Gallus. Acher then examines two texts attributed to Trithemius, which evidence the blending of high and folk magic in practice, connecting the celestial intelligences leveraged in Pelagius’ writings with the chthonic virtues of plant and animal based concoctions.
The second part of the book opens with a biographical essay by the leading Trithemius scholar, Professor Klaus Arnold. Acher then goes on to investigate the vexing relationship between Trithemius, his master Pelagius and their intermediary Libanius Gallus. He concludes with some thoughts on the hermetic allegorical engraving in the third volume of Johann Scheible’s Das Kloster (1846) for the reader to pursue in their own visionary work.
In Black Abbot · White Magic, Frater Acher gives an understanding and appreciation of the intent, depth and pragmatism of 15th century mystico-magical practice and an insight into one of its most engimatic figures.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
MANUSCRIPTS & ANALYSIS
PELAGIUS EREMITA
Two Books · Of the Knowledge and Name of One’s Good Angel
Analysis of the Two Books
LIBANIUS GALLUS & PELAGIUS EREMITA
The Tablet of Truth
Analysis of The Tablet of Truth
JOHANNES TRITHEMIUS
The General Key
Analysis of The General Key
The Powder of Pelagius
ON TRITHEMIUS OF SPONHEIM
Trithemius’ Life and Work
Trithemius and his magical master Pelagius Eremita
A map to the mystery
Selected sources
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Illustrations of Trithemius, Pelagius and Ramon Llull by José Gabriel Alegría Sabogal.
Paperback Edition
230 pages. Sewn paperback printed on 120gsm paper.
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Press, reviews, endorsements
“Acher provides well-written, knowledgeable commentary and supplementary tables. His hybrid approach as part academic and part practitioner manages to avoid the excesses of both. The result is very readable, clear and smart… While Black Abbot, White Magic may not appeal to some readers because it is explicitly white (in the sense of beneficent), explicitly Christian magic, I found it to be an important and useful book precisely for these reasons. It also draws welcome attention to Trithemius, who was once considered to be one of the foremost German humanists of his time, but who later fell out of style. Perhaps it’s time for a revival.”
Scott Gosnell for Paralibrum - read the full review here
Book Review by Foolish Fish - watch on YouTube here
Book Review by the Magick Library - watch on YouTube here
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About the Author
Frater Acher is the author of theomagica.com as well as a friend and collaborator of Quareia Magical Training. He holds an MA in Communications Science, Intercultural Communications and Psychology as well as certifications in Systemic Coaching and Gestalt Therapy. He has studied Western Ritual Magic in theory and practice at I.M.B.O.L.C. (imbolc.com) and has been actively involved in magic as a lone practitioner for more than twenty years. Frater Acher is a German national, and after several years of living abroad, he is now resident in Munich, Germany. Previous publications include Cyprian of Antioch: A Mage of Many Faces (Quareia Press, 2017) and Speculum Terræ (Hadean Press, 2018).
The Holy Daimon online project is a resource dedicated to research into, and the translation of ritual manuscripts from the 15th to 18th century with a focus on texts of daimonic theurgy.
