Product Description

The author's most important and final treatise on the occult sciences and the summation of his esoteric philosophy. It contains two works, The Royal Mysteryor Art of Subduing the Powers,in which he discusses such topics as Evil, The Outer Darkness, The Great Secret, The Arcana of Solomon's Ring, and The Sacerdotal Mystery or the Art of Being Served by Spiritswhere he expounds on the subjects of Aberrant Forces, Divination, Dark Intelligence, and the Great Arcanum.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1128979 in Books
• Published on: 2000-11-01
• Released on: 2000-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages

Customer Reviews

A misleading title, but an interesting read.
Anyone coming to this book expecting a systematic presentation of occult doctrine will come away disappointed. What we have, instead, is Levi's simultaneous defense and critique of Roman Catholicism, with which Levi - a one-time seminarian - had a lifelong love-hate relationship.

In some ways, Levi is profoundly conservative, and his views will seem reactionary in the extreme. Catholicism, he says, is the only true religion, and its existence nullifies any prior legitimacy that other religions may have once had. To be sure, Levi advocates nothing like an Inquisition or forced conversions - he explicity and repeatedly condemns all such actions - but he states that at a doctrinal level, Catholicism is the only true religion.

But as an occultist, Levi has his own "take" on doctrine, and his interpretation of doctrine will not necessarily correspond to official church teaching. Moreover, Levi is profoundly anti-clerical, viewing the typical priest as ignorant, impotent, and superstitious. Like all occultists, Levi believes that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and that true religion must be capable of changing people for the better, in ways that are tangible and lasting.

Levi believes that the Catholic Church is the repository of true occultism and true magic, and that this renders suspect any occultism that is not in some way oriented to the truths of the Catholic Church. But - in my view - he never makes it clear whether there is any legitimate occultism apart from the sacraments of the Catholic Church. He SEEMS to criticize divination, evocation, and magic, yet tosses out hints that - under some vague circumstances - these may be legitimate activities if done with the proper intention and understanding. As another writer has pointed out, spellcraft is simply "prayer with props," and the Catholic Church - as its fundamentalist critics are well-aware - is replete with props: rosaries, candles, incense, scapulars, medals, holy water, and the Eucharist itself.

In summary, a pagan occultist will be disappointed or even offended by this book. Levi is often bombastic and pompous, alternately prone to broad generalizations and maddening ambiguity. On the other hand, Christians of an esoteric bent will find much to ponder here, even if Levi is often obtuse and indirect. One thing is certain - Levi is an accomplished stylist, and this book is sprinkled with aphorisms and observations that are truly moving, even when one wonders whether they are true.

Well named!
Pay attention when he says that the dark path is a mirror image of the light and then he tells you a horror story. Flip it and you will see what others miss. This also works for all the rest of Levi, he seems to feel that the "unworthy" will respond emotionally and miss the "secret." Perhaps he is right. But the unworthy now-a-days will never read something as superstitious as this book.

Transcends occultism to be one of the great books of human civilization.
There are a lot of books in the occult scene that aren't worth the paper they're printed on (and in some cases, the electrons), but this book is not only a priceless addition to an occultist's library, but it is also destined to be recognized as one of the great books of human civilization... if it's read, that is. It is unfortunate that many of the world's greatest books get lost in obscurity. This book was written over a hundred years ago, but was only relatively recently translated to English from the original French.

This book is in fact parts two and three from the trilogy, part one having been published as "The Book of Splendours". The whole trilogy stands as Eliphas Levi's last testament to his closest disciples, though in my opinion, parts two and three stand on their own as the greater part of the work.

It seems that the version published by Kessinger Publishing is in fact a different book. Their web site lists it as a chapter out of "Paradoxes of the Highest Science". This review is for the one from Weiser Books.