Liber XII · High Magick
Liber XII
High & Ceremonial Magick
The Golden Dawn, Enochian magic, Lévi and the modern ritual tradition.
High or ceremonial magick is the learned, ritual tradition of Western magic, in which elaborate correspondences, divine names and symbolic tools are used in pursuit of spiritual attainment. Its modern form was shaped by Eliphas Lévi in nineteenth-century Paris and systematised by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, founded in London in 1888, which drew together Kabbalah, astrology, tarot, alchemy and the angelic magic of John Dee. This section explains its history, its key figures and the meaning of its rituals and symbols.
Chapters
- Introduction1 article
- I.Angelic Magic & Invocation6 articles
- Angel Magic: A Complete Guide to Angelic Invocation in History
- Ars Paulina and Ars Almadel: Angelic Books of the Lemegeton
- Planetary Angels in Agrippa and the Heptameron: A History
- The Holy Guardian Angel: Abramelin and the Sacred Magic
- The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram and the Archangels
- Trithemius and the Steganographia: Angels, Spirits and Ciphers
- II.Angels & Spirits4 articles
- III.Enochian Magic3 articles
- IV.Founders & Magi3 articles
- V.Golden Dawn4 articles
- VI.Magical Orders3 articles
- VII.Ritual & Symbolism3 articles
The primary texts
All 19- Lucidarium of Necromancy (attributed to Peter of Abano)Attributed to Peter of Abano; pseudepigraphic · Late medieval; principal manuscript c. 1533–1566
- SteganographiaJohannes Trithemius (1462–1516) · c. 1499–1500; first printed 1606
- Fourth Book of Occult PhilosophyPseudo-Agrippa (falsely attributed to Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa) · first printed 1559; English translation 1655
- Heptameron, or Magical ElementsAttributed to Peter of Abano (c. 1257–c. 1316); the attribution is spurious · Late medieval text; first printed 1559 (Marburg) with Agrippa's Fourth Book
- Arbatel: Of the Magic of the AncientsAnonymous; authorship debated (Jacques Gohory and Swiss Paracelsian circles have been proposed) · Basel, 1575; English translation 1655
- The Five Books of MysteryJohn Dee (1527–1608), recording sessions with the scryers Barnabas Saul and Edward Kelley · December 1581 – May 1583
- John Dee’s Holy Table and LamenDesigns revealed in John Dee’s angelic sessions; reference article by Joseph H. Peterson · designs received 1582–1583
- Liber Loagaeth (The Book of Speech from God)Received by John Dee and Edward Kelley through angelic communication; written out in Kelley’s hand · dictated March–May 1583
- Invocations of the Good Angels (Dee’s Book of Supplications)John Dee (1527–1608) · compiled from sessions of 1584–1587
- Heptarchia Mystica (The Mystical Heptarchy)John Dee (1527–1608) · compiled 1582–1588 from sessions of 1582–1583
On the shelf
All 42 books The Angelical LanguageAaron Leitch The Angelical LanguageAaron Leitch The Arbatel of MagickTarl Warwick The Arbatel of MagickTarl Warwick The Arch-Conjuror of EnglandGlyn Parry The Arch-Conjuror of EnglandGlyn Parry Arguing with AngelsEgil Asprem Arguing with AngelsEgil Asprem Buch Abramelin das ist Die egyptischen großen OffenbarungenGeorg Dehn (ed.) Buch Abramelin das ist Die egyptischen großen OffenbarungenGeorg Dehn (ed.) The Complete Enochian DictionaryDonald C. Laycock The Complete Enochian DictionaryDonald C. Laycock Dogme et rituel de la haute magieÉliphas Lévi Dogme et rituel de la haute magieÉliphas Lévi Dr John Dee's Spiritual Diaries (1583–1608)Stephen Skinner (ed.) Dr John Dee's Spiritual Diaries (1583–1608)Stephen Skinner (ed.) Eliphas Lévi and the French Occult RevivalChristopher McIntosh Eliphas Lévi and the French Occult RevivalChristopher McIntosh The Enochian Evocation of Dr. John DeeGeoffrey James The Enochian Evocation of Dr. John DeeGeoffrey James 
Enochian Magic for BeginnersDonald Tyson The Enochian Magick of Dr. John DeeGeoffrey James The Enochian Magick of Dr. John DeeGeoffrey James The Flying SorcererFrancis X. King The Flying SorcererFrancis X. King 
The Golden DawnIsrael Regardie The Heptarchia Mystica of John DeeRobert Turner (ed.) The Heptarchia Mystica of John DeeRobert Turner (ed.) 
The History of MagicEliphas Lévi John DeeStephen Clucas (ed.) John DeeStephen Clucas (ed.) John DeePeter J. French John DeePeter J. French John Dee's Actions with SpiritsChristopher Whitby John Dee's Actions with SpiritsChristopher Whitby 
John Dee's Conversations with AngelsDeborah E. Harkness 
John Dee's Five Books of MysteryJoseph H. Peterson John Dee's Library CatalogueJulian Roberts John Dee's Library CatalogueJulian Roberts & Andrew G. Watson (eds.) John Dee's Natural PhilosophyNicholas H. Clulee John Dee's Natural PhilosophyNicholas H. Clulee The Magical CalendarAdam McLean The Magical CalendarAdam McLean
Enochian Magic for BeginnersDonald Tyson The Enochian Magick of Dr. John DeeGeoffrey James The Enochian Magick of Dr. John DeeGeoffrey James The Flying SorcererFrancis X. King The Flying SorcererFrancis X. King The Golden DawnIsrael Regardie The Heptarchia Mystica of John DeeRobert Turner (ed.) The Heptarchia Mystica of John DeeRobert Turner (ed.) The History of MagicEliphas Lévi John DeeStephen Clucas (ed.) John DeeStephen Clucas (ed.) John DeePeter J. French John DeePeter J. French John Dee's Actions with SpiritsChristopher Whitby John Dee's Actions with SpiritsChristopher Whitby John Dee's Conversations with AngelsDeborah E. Harkness John Dee's Five Books of MysteryJoseph H. Peterson John Dee's Library CatalogueJulian Roberts John Dee's Library CatalogueJulian Roberts & Andrew G. Watson (eds.) John Dee's Natural PhilosophyNicholas H. Clulee John Dee's Natural PhilosophyNicholas H. Clulee The Magical CalendarAdam McLean The Magical CalendarAdam McLeanChronology
The full timeline- Iamblichus defends theurgyc. 300
- Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm (Picatrix) compiledc. mid-10th century
- Picatrix translated at Alfonso X's court1256
- Paris condemnations1277
- Ganellus's Summa sacre magice1346
- Agrippa drafts De occulta philosophia1509–10
- Agrippa's Three Books printed1531–33
- Death of Agrippa1535
- Pseudo-Agrippa's Fourth Book1559
- Arbatel of Magic published1575
- Dee and Kelley begin the angelic actions1582
- Death of Edward Kelleyc. 1597–98