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Agrippa's Three Books - Dima Gur (Paper)
Agrippa's Three Books - Dima Gur (Paper)
Dima Gur
1
1. Antoine Faivre, a prominent French scholar, laid out in 19941 six principles which tried
to define the subject of his research, Western Esotericism2. Out of the six principles four
are considered intrinsic or fundamental and two are considered secondary or non-
obligatory3. It’s also important to point out that Favire’s definition of western
paradigmatic4.
The first category or principle which must be present in order to define a western
traditions as the principle ‘as above, so below’ or as unity between the macrocosmos and
the microcosmos5. In astrology for example, some planets will correspond to certain
mineral stones. In bible studies, certain parts of scripture will correspond with elements
The second category is called “living nature” and it refers to the idea that nature and the
universe are imbued with meaning, purpose, a sense of history, layers, hierarchies and
essentially magic. Nothing is “dead” inside this universe and it has to be revealed and
interacted with in order for us to understand its secrets. One may add that human beings
The third category is titled “imagination and mediations” and it refers to the different
means people adopt and ways people use in order to connect with divine beings, reach
higher knowledge, or manipulate nature and other individuals. Examples are plentiful and
1
In his book, Access to Western Esotericism.
2
The six principles were originally presented in French in his 1992 work, L’ésotérisme.
3
Faivre 2010, 11.
4
Hanegraaff 2013, 179.
5
The large and the small.
2
one may cite rituals, symbolic images, mandalas, spirits and angels. This explains the
mediations part, the imagination part is explained by the divine intelligence embedded
within us. This divine intelligence allows us to see and to understand magical ways of
The fourth category, dubbed “the experience of transmutation” by Faivre, refers to the
are the notion of experiencing a second birth through an esoteric religion or the
Here end the four fundamental characteristics and begin the two secondary or non-
obligatory characteristics.
The fifth category is called “the practice of concordance” and it’s somewhat similar to
the view of Esoteric Universalism. That many different and various esoteric traditions
bear similar or identical goals and purposes. Besides this fact, spiritual practices and
theoretical underpinnings may be similar as well. It’s also interesting to point out that
The sixth category and the final one, deals with the “idea of transmission”. This can be
looked at as a special form of mediation between master and student, guru and disciple,
or a teacher and pupil within a lineage or a tradition. In the eyes of the receiver and
magical lore and occultism dating to the time of the renaissance. This magnum opus of
esoteric knowledge was written during the many journeys and temporary residences of
its author in central Europe during the early 16th century. To be more precise, the first
version of The Occult Philosophy was finished in 1510 somewhere in Germany6. It was
only published two decades later, with many revisions, first in 1530 and then in the final
The Occult Philosophy is vast and comprehensive, it’s divided into three books devoted
knowledge and lifelong interest in the esoteric arts8. As it is apparent in other works by
Agrippa9, the desire to purge and remove spurious knowledge is noticeable in the text.
We also know that in tense reformation-time Germany works about magic could easily
fall prey to suspicions of Heresy, which was exactly the case with Agrippa’s Occult
Philosophy. After it was denounced by the Dominicans Agrippa had to turn to a friend
and patron, who happened to be an Archbishop, only then could the printing commence
as scheduled10.
Various chapters in Book I and II deal with astrological theory and astrological practice.
Among the topics which are covered are: significations of the planets, the fixed stars,
zodiac signs, mansions of the moon and a plethora of minor astrological technique. In
the next section I will concentrate on all the chapters from Agrippa’s work which deal
with astrology, those are chapters 22-32 from Book I, and chapters 30-47 from Book II.
6
Nauert 1965, 32.
7
Lehrich 2003, 29.
8
Nauert 1965, 201.
9
Most notably in De Vanitate.
10
Nauert 1965, 112-113.
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3. In the astrological chapters of Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy one can find
most of Faivre’s principles of Wester Esotericism, taken both from the four fundamental
characteristics and from the two secondary characteristics. In fact, the only major
principle which is missing is the fourth category which deals with “the experience of
the knowledge astrology bestows upon the user is a “dry knowledge”. It educates
regarding the celestial world and is intended to allow the user to understand the “music
of the spheres”. All the while, the gift of prediction is granted upon the person who
The most easily noticeable characteristic, which appears in the astrological chapters of
earthly correspondences between the nature of planets, signs and other celestial
properties to different objects and beings in the sublunary world. In the chapter on
choler that is moist as well natural as adventitious, adust choler excepted. Amongst
tastes sour, tart and dead. Amongst metals lead and gold, by reason of its weight and
the golden marcasite. Amongst stones the onyx, the ziazaa, the camonius , the sapphire,
the brown jasper, the chalcedon the loadstone and all dark, weighty, earthy things.11
enhance the astral influence of a planet, in order to maximize the effect upon earthly
matters. For example, he notes that the moon shouldn’t be “in the eclipse…in the
southern latitude…opposite the sun”12 and so on and so forth. The living nature principle
is exemplified via the idea that everything works like a big clock, earthly events are
In Agrippa’s Book II, chapter 31, on the fixed stars, the principle of “imagination and
mediations” can be observed. Agrippa writes that “Although many effects proceed from
the fixed stars, yet they are attributed to the planets, as because being more near to us,
and more distinct and known, so because they execute whatsoever the superior stars
communicate to them”13. This comes to show that a celestial hierarchy is in place and
that just like in politics or the church one needs to apply first to lower positions in order
to gain admission to higher positions and places. This is what Faivre meant when he
Faivre’s secondary principles also come into light in Agrippa’s text. Faivre’s “practice
of concordance” refers to the many similarities and affinities which exist between
different esoteric traditions. In Book II, chapter 32, we can find a serious discussion of
the different significations and symbolism of the sun and the moon in different cultures
Unlike the latter principle, the sixth characteristic called “the idea of transmission”, asks
12
Tyson 1995, 359.
13
Tyson 1995, 363.
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wherein knowledge concerning the twenty eight Mansion of the Moon was passed down
from Hindu astrologers and preserved up to Agrippa’s time in 16th century reformation
Europe.
4. If we consider Faivre’s six categories as the bread and butter of what an esoteric
tradition is about then it’s plain to see that we’ve scored five out of six in Agrippa’s
astrological chapters. One could even argue that the “experience of transmutation” can
within those pages. If what Agrippa says about astrology is true then the reader can
witness for him or herself that the correspondence principle is a general outline for the
astrological content. Nowhere in Faivre’s six principles does he refer to the importance
that nature.
So great is the extent, power and efficacy of the celestial bodies, that not
only natural things, but also artificial when they are rightly espoused to
those above, do presently suffer by that most potent agent, and obtain a wonderful
14
Tyson 1995, 373.
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Other than that, it’s difficult to find elements which aren’t covered by Faivre’s definition.
esoteric text for a couple of reasons. First, Agrippa’s ambitious endeavor is to sum up
The sum total of 199 chapters are divided into three books and presented in the form of
Additionally, Agrippa’s work was written at the center point of Faivre’s scholarship, at
the beginning of the 16th century, and it contains many of the subjects which interest
Faivre15. This makes me quite certain that Faivre himself would approve of the Three
Concerning the typology and the category of Western Esotericism, I do prefer it over
Mysticism is limited to the religious aspects of a tradition, while The Occult brings up
knowledge aspiring esoteric traditions and ceremony and ritual which strives towards
I think that Faivre’s six categories are broad enough to do the topic justice but I won’t
15
Hermeticism, Kabbalah and Theosophy among others.
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Bibliography
Agrippa H. C., Three Books of Occult Philosophy. Translated by James Freake, edited by Donald Tyson.
Llewellyn Publications: St. Paul - Minnesota, 1995.
Faivre, A., Access to Western Esotericism. Suny Press: Albany – New York, 1994.
Faivre, A., Western Esotericism: A Concise History. SUNY Press: Albany – New York, 2010.
Lehrich, C., The Language of Demons and Angels: Cornelius Agrippa's Occult Philosophia. Brill: Leiden,
2003.
Nauert, C. G., "Magic and Skepticism in Agrippa's Thought". Journal of the History of Ideas, 18(2), (1957):
161-182.
Nauert, C. G., Agrippa and the Crisis of Renaissance Thought. University of Illinois Press: Urbana, 1965.