Introduction to Magic
Rituals and Practical Techniques for the Magus
- Pages: 416
- Book Size: 6 x 9
- ISBN-13: 9780892816248
- Imprint: Inner Traditions
- On Sale Date: June 1, 2001
- Format: Paperback Book
• Rare Hermetic texts published in English for the first time.
• Includes instructions for developing psychic and magical powers.
In 1927 Julius Evola and other leading Italian intellectuals formed the mysterious UR group. Their goal: to bring their individual egos into a state of superhuman power and awareness in which they could act "magically" on the world. Their methods: the practice of ancient Tantric and Buddhist rituals and the study of rare Hermetic texts. So successful were they that rumors spread throughout Italy of the group's power, and Mussolini himself became quite fearful of them. Now for the first time in English Introduction to Magic collects the rites, practices, and knowledge of the UR group for the use of aspiring mages.
Included in Introduction to Magic are instructions for creating an etheric double, speaking words of power, using fragrances, interacting with entities, and creating a "magical chain." Among the arcane texts translated are the Tibetan teachings of the Thunderbolt Diamond Path, the Mithraic mystery cult's "Grand Papyrus of Paris," and the Greco-Egyptian magical text De Mysteriis. Anyone who has exhausted the possibilities of the mundane world and is ready to take the steps necessary to purify the soul in the light of knowledge and the fire of dedication will find a number of expert mentors here.
Introduction to Magic
Rituals and Practical Techniques for the Magus
Editor's Note
Preface
Introduction
Part I
Pietro Negri * Sub Specie Interioritatis
Leo * Barriers
Abraxas * Knowledge of the Waters
Luce * Opus Magicum: Concentration and Silence
Ea * The Nature of Initiatic Knowledge
Part II
The Path of Awakening According to Gustav Meyrink
Luce * Opus Magicum: Fire
Abraxas * Three Ways
Leo * Attitudes
Commentaries on the Opus Magicum
Part III
Leo * First Steps Toward the Experience of the "Subtle Body"
Knowledge as Liberation
Abraxas * The Hermetic Caduceus and the Mirror
Luce * Opus Magicum: The "Words of Power" and the Characters of Beings
Pietro Negri * Knowledge of the Symbol
Part IV
Apathanatismos: Mithraic Ritual of the Great Magical Papyrus of Paris
Part V
Summary
Abraxas * Instructions for the "Awareness of Breath"
Oso * Notes on the Logos
Arom * First Experiences
Ea * The Problem of Immortality
Part VI
Leo * Beyond the Threshold of Sleep
Ea * On the Magical View of Life
Abraxas * The Second Preparation of the Hermetic Caduceus
Iagla * Experiences: the Law of Beings
The Path of Realization According to Buddha
Various Commentaries
Part VII
Luce * Instructions for Ceremonial Magic
Ea * The Doctrine of the "Immortal Body"
De Pharmaco Catholico
Part VIII
Abraxas * Magical Operations with "Two Vessels"--Reduplication
Tibetan Initiatic Teachings: The "Void" and the "Diamond-Thunderbolt"
Arvo * On the Counter-Initiation
Luce * Opus Magicum: Perfumes
Part IX
Arvo * Conscious Thought--Relaxation--Silence
Ea * Considerations on Magic and Its Powers
Abraxas * Magic of the Image
Pietro Negri * An Italian Alchemical Text on Lead Tablets
Part X
Luce * Opus Magicum: Chains
Leo * The Attitude Toward Initiatic Teaching
Ea * Freedom, Precognition, and the Relativity of Time
Commentary on the Opus Magicum
Part XI
Iagla * Serpentine Wisdom
Luce * Invocations
Excerpts from De Mysteriis
The Message of the Polar Star
Sirius * Mist and Symbols
Ea * On the General Doctrine of Mantras
Part XII
Alba * De Naturae Sensu
Leo * Aphorisms
Pietro Negri * Adventures and Misadventures in Magic
Various Commentaries
Gnosis
"The essays of the UR Group constitute the most complete and the highest magical teaching ever set before the public. . . . The ultimate goal is the identification of the individual with the Absolute. This is a powerful and disturbing book, and a classic. One can be quite certain that it will still have readers centuries from now."
Joscelyn Godwin, author of Harmonies of Heaven and Earth
"This collection of essays . . . cover the practical, the theoretical and the unclassifiable, such as the Mithraic Ritual of the Great Magical Papyrus of Paris, the only ritual from the Ancient Mysteries to have survived intact."
The Watkins Review, Winter 2001/02
"Introduction to Magic is a collection of intelligent and erudite essays (many of them admirably concise)."
Hagal, May 2001
". . . should be standard reading for any serious academic or practical student of occultism. . . . Experienced occultists will welcome it as a breath of fresh air and a journey into little discussed territories."
Mark Stavish, The Institute for Hermetic Studies, Mar 2006
". . . an important book for those who study esoteric thought."
Brigit's Feast, December 2001
" . . . this book is highly recommended without reserve."
Jason Jeffrey, New Dawn, January-February 2002
"A landmark publication for the new age, delineating clearly between mysticism and magic, written in a Germanic style that allows for unhurried, penetrating insights. . . . You don't read this book, you experience it. . . . A mighty book, like a torrent, that sweeps paltry modern ideas away."
The Book Reader, Spring/Summer 2002
"This new work in hand is unlike any other book on magic previously published."
New Dawn, September-October 2001
