Audiobook13 hours
Transcendental Magic: Its Doctrine and Ritual
Written by Eliphas Lévi
Narrated by Henry Schrader
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Transcendental Magic: Its Doctrine and Ritual by Éliphas Lévi explores magic, the "esoteric science," and its place between science and religion.
Born Alphonse Louis Constant in 1810, this French occultist originally planned for a career in the Catholic Church. Constant was educated at Saint Sulpice's seminary, and planned to become a priest. Yet just before he was to receive his ordination at age 26, Constant renounced his ecclesiastical goals and returned to civilian life.
The following years tested Constant's conscience and resilience. He was disowned by his family, and worked as a tutor to earn an income. Without the structure from the seminary, he found himself adrift.
Constant dedicated much of his early life to promoting the ideals of a utopian socialist society that worked for the economic improvement of all people. He shared these ideas in an early work called The Bible of Liberty. Within an hour of its release, the copies were seized by French authorities, and Constant spent the next six months in prison.
After a failed marriage and the death of his young daughter, Constant discovered the world of the occult and mysticism. He became a ceremonial magician, and developed a social circle of many of the occultists and Kabbalists of the time. Writing on the subject under the Hebrew name Éliphas Lévi, he began to share his ideas on magic with the public in the 1850s.
This work explores the magician's foundations for his spiritual beliefs, as well as his idea that an elite class of priests would be necessary to lead the people into both social and magical order. He writes, "Occult philosophy seems to have been the nurse and godmother of all intellectual forces, the key of all divine obscurities, and the absolute mistress of society, in those ages when it was exclusively reserved for the education of priests and of kings ... Magic is the traditional science of the secrets of Nature which comes to us from the Magi."
Born Alphonse Louis Constant in 1810, this French occultist originally planned for a career in the Catholic Church. Constant was educated at Saint Sulpice's seminary, and planned to become a priest. Yet just before he was to receive his ordination at age 26, Constant renounced his ecclesiastical goals and returned to civilian life.
The following years tested Constant's conscience and resilience. He was disowned by his family, and worked as a tutor to earn an income. Without the structure from the seminary, he found himself adrift.
Constant dedicated much of his early life to promoting the ideals of a utopian socialist society that worked for the economic improvement of all people. He shared these ideas in an early work called The Bible of Liberty. Within an hour of its release, the copies were seized by French authorities, and Constant spent the next six months in prison.
After a failed marriage and the death of his young daughter, Constant discovered the world of the occult and mysticism. He became a ceremonial magician, and developed a social circle of many of the occultists and Kabbalists of the time. Writing on the subject under the Hebrew name Éliphas Lévi, he began to share his ideas on magic with the public in the 1850s.
This work explores the magician's foundations for his spiritual beliefs, as well as his idea that an elite class of priests would be necessary to lead the people into both social and magical order. He writes, "Occult philosophy seems to have been the nurse and godmother of all intellectual forces, the key of all divine obscurities, and the absolute mistress of society, in those ages when it was exclusively reserved for the education of priests and of kings ... Magic is the traditional science of the secrets of Nature which comes to us from the Magi."
More audiobooks from Eliphas Lévi
The Doctrine and Ritual High Magic: A New Translation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Doctrine of Transcendental Magic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to Transcendental Magic
Related audiobooks
The Magick of Aleister Crowley: A Handbook of the Rituals of Thelema Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sepher Yetzirah and the Qabalah Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Occult Book: A Chronological Journey from Alchemy to Wicca Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Heretic's Handbook Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Uncertain Places: Essays on Occult and Outsider Experiences Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Path of Freemasonry: The Craft as a Spiritual Practice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5American Indian Symbolism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rosicrucian America: How a Secret Society Influenced the Destiny of a Nation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hiramic Legend Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Occult Russia: Pagan, Esoteric, and Mystical Traditions Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Paradoxes of the Highest Science Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sane Occultism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Egregores: The Occult Entities That Watch Over Human Destiny Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Elements and Their Inhabitants Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ceremonial Magic and Sorcery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Psychic Self-Defense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Liber Null & Psychonaut: An Introduction to Chaos Magic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mystical Qabalah Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Path of the Magus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life and Teachings of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Liber AL vel Legis - The Book of the Law Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Manual of Occultism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Path of Alchemy: Energetic Healing & the World of Natural Magic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Occult Anatomy of Man Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Liber Kaos: The Psychonomicon Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Modern Occultism: History, Theory, and Practice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Occult & Paranormal For You
101 True Scary Stories to Read in Bed Tonight Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Between Death & Life: Conversations with a Spirit Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Kybalion: Hermetic Philosophy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Life and Beyond Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 12th Planet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dying to Wake Up: A Doctor's Voyage into the Afterlife and the Wisdom He Brought Back Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Life After Life: The Investigation of a Phenomenon---Survival of Bodily Death Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In Plain Sight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Enoch the Prophet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conversations with Nostradamus, Vol I: His Prophecies Explained Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Keepers of the Garden Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Psychic Workbook: A Beginner's Guide to Activities and Exercises to Unlock Your Psychic Skills Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Custodians: Beyond Abduction Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Secret Teachings of All Ages Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Imagine the God of Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God’s Revelation, and the Love You’ve Always Wanted Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fool's Journey through the Tarot Major Arcana Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Extraterrestrial Species Almanac: The Ultimate Guide to Greys, Reptilians, Hybrids, and Nordics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Destiny of Souls: New Case Studies of Life Between Lives Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Kybalion: A Study of Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chariots of the Gods Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Secret History of America: Classic Writings on Our Nation's Unknown Past and Inner Purpose Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tarot: No Questions Asked: Mastering the Art of Intuitive Reading Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Day After Roswell Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Afterlife of Billy Fingers: How My Bad-Boy Brother Proved to Me There's Life After Death Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Transcendental Magic
Rating: 3.688524603278688 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
61 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5The book is bent on being as cynical as possible. The narration is ok/good.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5a great insight from a master in this field .