The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic: A New Translation

First I would like to state that this is not a review of the job that the translator did nor is it a critique of the audio book quality or canter of speech. All of these seem to have been done in an exceptional way and as I do not have a great understanding of French linguistics, I am not able to validate the accuracy of the translation as a few other reviewers have commented on.First I would like to address what was well done and what I feel is relevant and useful to “magical practice” within our current society. If one reads the book in its entirety as an analogy, one will do much better in reconciling it to a modern worldview. Much of the imagery in the introductions to both sections are absolutely beautiful and offer a very enlightening perspective on the roles the different energies play within our universe and how they can interact with us. The structure that he poses as a whole would be most likely very useful to a deconstructed post enlightenment Christian with an interest in Kabbalah, as I would assign Lévi. He very clearly has seen the “secret” but he very often conflates his understanding of it with his own biases and the traditional patriarchal and heteronormativity of 1850s France. While this does not negate all senses of validity from the text, it increases the necessity of reading through the text very critically to sift through what is relevant and what must die with him. One may say that this is necessary for any text, especially concerning the occult, but I would add that there is more of a need for this here as Lévi constantly prescribes a lack of bias while constantly exerting his own.My recommendation is to read the book critically while outlining in a notebook the parts that appear most free of bias and view them allegorically, as the structure that is posed is the most valid part of the text (in this reviewers opinion).I would also add a warning to all my non-gender conforming friends. As a transgender woman, there are many parts of this text that if read literally and observed within a 19th century French mindset you may feel less than valid. I want to affirm you here that you are certainly valid, your identity is valid and it is not you that must change but the way we read and understand this text. I hope you have a lovely and blessed day!

I love this new translation. The book becomes instantly readable. A.E. Waite is infamous for his long winded meandering and almost unreadable victorian verbal masturbation. The message comes through much more clearly, and Greer's introduction is definitely worth reading. I still prefer the original translation of the Conjuration of the Four, including the prayers of the elementals, which I still use in ritual, but as a readable and re-readable version of Levi's Opus, this is a desert island book for me.

Classic instructions for the Initiate. If you are looking at this? The book found you.

In 1854, Elaphis Levi tried Necromancy for the first time, successfully raising Apollonius of Tyana, a famous magician of ancient times. During three weeks of preparation including dieting and fasting, Levi meditated on Apollonius and imagined conversations with him. The Ritual of Conjuration was performed in a specially prepared ‘Temple’ in which only he took part and consisted of 12 hours of incantations, after which the floor began to shake and a ghostly apparition appeared. Levi admitted to feeling extremely cold and frightened and when the apparition touched his ritual sword, his arm went suddenly numb. He dropped the sword and fainted. He claimed later that his sword arm was sore and numb for days after the incident. Levi was inclined to treat his experience as a subjective experiment, but observed that it had been sufficient to demonstrate the effectiveness of magical ceremonies. He also condemned their use as dangerous on moral and health grounds outside the hands of an experienced adept.”Ceremonial Magic” according to the rules mockingly laid down by Eliphas Levi, is another imagined alter-ego of the philosophy of the Arhats of old. In short, the prisms through which Occultism appears, to those innocent of the philosophy, are as multi-colored and varied as human fancy can make them.” – H.P. Blavatsky, “Occultism versus the Occult Arts” (article). While Blavatsky had a strong opinion of Levi's attempt to resurrect what he could of Magic, she still had high respect for him regardless. In a response letter to (BARON) J. SPÉDALIERI, a pupil of Levi's, Blavatsky said this as sentimental posthumous respect:" The late Éliphas Lévi was the most learned Kabalist and Occultist of our age in Europe, and everything from his pen is precious to us..."-BlavatskyMy conclusion: Read at your own risk. Do not feel guilty if you don't read it. Levi recommends the latter.

And it still has so much to teach those who read and re-read it! The author very modestly imparts a reimagining of the Hermetic tradition that has made all that follows him possible. That "failed" seminary education really paid off! This is a sensitively done English-language translation that manages not to betray the many subtleties of the original. However, if you hoped to read it as if you were reading a novel or a normal book of essays, imagining as you went along that you had caught or understood the better part of what's on the page, think again. Seemingly stilted or florid in language, this one is designed by its French 19th century author (who wrote in the high style of the erudite of his era) so that it repays close, careful and slow reading and re-reading coupled with study of parallel topics.

This book goes well beyond the expectations of the product description & i highly recommend this seller as well as this book. If you study any mysticism through religious beliefs such as kabbalah, Egyptian book of life, free masonry or just want to learn a more practical approach in mysticism, I feel this is one of the best books to own. It quickly became one of my favorites.

Superb, but risible in parts. If you have ever played Diablo III, i'm sure you'd notice that the figure of Zoltan Kule is loosely based on Mr Levi. A quote from each: "Unbalanced forces perish in the void", or "Angels are no better than demons..." difficult to tell the difference at times.

A magical book. Nothing to complain

The man responsible for the Re emergence of the magical arts out of the grips of Christianity. I have read this book cover to cover and can tell this Alphonse Louise Constant wielded true knowledge an expressed himself with great colorful prose.

I bought this for school as I do independant research as part of my fine arts practice in painting. I can't say much for the book yet but the only other review on this was so funny I had to get it.

Comically dated gender roles. Some useful traces of information to use as starting points. Not a place to find a definitive guide. Heavy on opinion.