The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic
A New Translation
by Éliphas Lévi
translated by John Michael Greer and Mark Anthony Miktuk
A comprehensive and elegant translation of the 1854 French masterwork of occult philosophy.
The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic reignited the esoteric spiritual search in the West and led to the emergence of Madame H.P. Blavatsky, Manly P. Hall, and the revolution in alternative spirituality.
Éliphas Lévi's study of magic is an absolute must for every seeker in occult, esoteric, and druidic realms; but this need has been frustrated by dated and inaccurate translations – until now.
John Michael Greer, a respected occult scholar, and Mark Anthony Mikituk, a masterful translator, collaborate to restore this landmark work—complete with its original illustrations and symbols—to the centre of the Western occult canon. Their new translation of The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic is one of the most important events in the reemergence of occult texts in this generation.
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Table of Contents
General Introduction by John Michael Greer
Translator’s Note by Mark Anthony Mikituk
PART ONE – THE DOCTRINE OF HIGH MAGIC
Introduction to the Doctrine of High Magic
Chapter I: The Initiate
Chapter II: The Columns of the Temple
Chapter III: The Triangle of Solomon
Chapter IV: The Tetragrammaton
Chapter V: The Pentagram
Chapter VI: Magical Equilibrium
Chapter VII: The Flaming Sword
Chapter VIII: Realization
Chapter IX: Initiation
Chapter X: The Cabala
Chapter XI: The Magical Chain
Chapter XII: The Great Work
Chapter XIII: Necromancy
Chapter XIV: Transmutations
Chapter XV: Black Magic
Chapter XVI: Enchantments
Chapter XVII: Astrology
Chapter XVIII: Potions and Spells
Chapter XIX: The Stone of the Philosophers, Elagabalus
Chapter XX: The Universal Medicine
Chapter XXI: Divination
Chapter XXII: Summary and General Key to the Four Occult Sciences
PART TWO – THE RITUAL OF HIGH MAGIC
Introduction to the Ritual of High Magic
Chapter I: Preparations
Chapter II: Magical Equilibrium
Chapter III: The Triangle of the Pentacles
Chapter IV: The Conjuration of the Four
Chapter V: The Flaming Pentagram
Chapter VI: The Medium and the Mediator
Chapter VII: The Septenary of Talismans
Chapter VIII: A Warning to the Imprudent
Chapter IX: The Ceremony of the Initiates
Chapter X: The Key of Occultism
Chapter XI: The Triple Chain
Chapter XII: The Great Work
Chapter XIII: Necromancy
Chapter XIV: Transmutations
Chapter XV: The Sabbath of the Sorcerers
Chapter XVI: Enchantments and Spells
Chapter XVII: The Writing of the Stars
Chapter XVIII: Potions and Magnetism
Chapter XIX: The Magistery of the Sun
Chapter XX: Thaumaturgy
Chapter XXI: The Science of the Prophets
Chapter XXII: The Book of Hermes
SUPPLEMENT TO THE RITUAL
The Nuctemeron of Apollonius of Tyana
The Nuctemeron: According to the Hebrews
Of Country Magic and the Sorcery of Shepherds
Responses to Some Questions and Criticisms
The Religious, Philosophical, and
Moral Tendencies of Our Books on Magic
Index
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Paperback Edition
512 pages. Printed card cover.
ISBN: 9780143111030
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Press, reviews, endorsements
"Greer and Mikituk have succeeded in reestablishing Lévi's grand transcultural synthesis in a form more relevant to and understandable for the modern occultist."
Fortean Times
"Lévi's contribution was a powerful one, and his ideas deserve to be grasped by those who are exploring the Ancient Wisdom as it has manifested in the modern west. To this end, this new translation is admirably suited.”
Richard Smoley, Quest magazine
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About the Author
Éliphas Lévi Zahed was the nom de plume of the late Alphonse Louis Constant (1810 – 1875), a French occultist, poet, and writer. Initially pursuing an ecclesiastical career in the Catholic Church, he abandoned the priesthood in his mid-twenties and became a ceremonial magician. Lévi gained renown as an original thinker and writer, his works attracting attention in Paris and London among esotericists and artists of romantic or symbolist inspiration. He wrote over 20 books on magic, Kabbalah, alchemical studies, and occultism.
About the Translators
John Michael Greer is an acclaimed author, translator, and commentator in the occult field, whose work focuses on the overlaps between ecology, spirituality, and the future of industrial society. He served twelve years as Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America, and remains active in Druid nature spirituality as well as several other initiatory traditions. He currently lives in East Providence, Rhode Island.
Mark Anthony Mikituk, currently a resident of France, has extensive experience as a translator and as an English teacher to Francophone students.
