Books › De Occulta Philosophia
De Occulta Philosophia
938 pages
A fragmented, atmospheric descent into Renaissance magic and esoteric philosophy, pieced together from centuries-old manuscripts and cryptic symbols.
What it feels like
Reading this text feels like unearthing a dusty, forbidden archive hidden deep within a Renaissance library. The pace is meandering, demanding patience as you navigate through archaic prose, spurious additions, and cryptic insertions like 'The conjuration of Wednesday.' The mood is deeply arcane and shadowy, steeped in the esoteric traditions of early modern magic, geomancy, and occult philosophy. It is not a straightforward narrative, but rather a fragmented, scholarly puzzle of repeated pages and mysterious symbols. The tone remains authoritative yet elusive, capturing the historical weight of a text pieced together long after its author's death. This is a deeply atmospheric experience tailored for historians of the occult and those captivated by the raw, unpolished artifacts of Renaissance mysticism.
- Mood
- arcane
- dusty
- cryptic
- shadowy
- Tone
- scholarly
- esoteric
- archaic
- mysterious
- Pace
- meandering
- Themes
- pursuit of hidden knowledge · Renaissance philosophy · esoteric traditions · magical practices
- The writing
- Archaic and deeply esoteric, characterized by historical idiosyncrasies, complex symbolic language, and fragmented manuscript insertions.
- The arc
- A journey from scholarly curiosity into the deep, fragmented mysteries of early modern occultism.
- Who it's for
- Scholars of Renaissance philosophy and readers fascinated by the raw artifacts of early modern magic and esoteric manuscripts.
Content notes
- occult practices
- religious themes
About the book
"The 'IV. livre de la philosophie occulte' was first published without name of printer or place, under date 1565, and was not introduced into the collected works of Agrippa von Nettesheim until after his death."--cf IU in NUC pre-1956 imprints.
The "Heptameron, or magical elements of Peter de Abano" is a spurious work attributed to Petrus de Abano--cf IU in NUC pre-1956 imprints.
Pages marked with * or ** are inserted between p. 20-21, 40-41, 122-123, 130-131; p. 122, and next two p. marked * are repeated in numbering and partly in content.
Ms. leaf "The conjuration of Wednesday" inserted between p. 122 and 123.
Reproduction of original in the Harvard University Library.
Available electronically as part of Early English books online.
Microfilm. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms International, 1986 1 microfilm reel; 35 mm. (Early English books, 1641-1700; 1680:3)
Description from Open Library.
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