Alphonse Louis Constant, better know by his pen name Eliphas Levi, was a master of the traditional Rosicrucian interpretation of the Kabbalah. He was born in France in 1810, and through the offices of the parish priest, was educated for the church at SaintSulpice. He was later expelled from seminary for teaching doctrines contrary to those of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1824 Levi began studying the occult sciences, and wrote about magic and the Kabbalah for the next three decades. His other books include Transcendental Magic, Mysteries of the Qabalah, and The Book of Splendours.

CHAPTER 1

THE CANDIDATE

DISCIPLINA ENSOPH KETHER

When a philosopher adopted as the basis for a new apocalypse of human wisdom theaxiom: "I think, therefore I am", in a measure he altered unconsciously, fromthe stand point of Christian Revelation, the old conception of the SupremeBeing. I am that I am, said the Being of beings of Moses. I am he who thinks,says the man of Descartes, and to think being to speak inwardly, such a one mayaffirm, like the God of St John the Evangelist: I am he in whom and by whom theword manifests—In principio erat verbum. Now, what is this principle? It is agroundwork of speech, it is a reason for the existence of the word. The essenceof the word is in the principle; the principle is that which is; intelligence isa principle which speaks. What further is intellectual light? It is speech. Whatis revelation? It is speech also, being is the principle, speech is the means,and the plenitude or development and perfection of being is the end. To speak isto create. But to say: "I think, therefore I exist", is to argue fromconsequence to principle, and certain contradictions which have been adduced bya great writer, Lamennais, have proved abundantly the philosophical unsoundnessof this method. I am, therefore something exists—might seem to be a moreprimitive and simple foundation for experimental philo sophy. I am, thereforeBeing exists. Ego Sum qui sum—such is the first revelation of God in man and ofman in the world, while it is also the first axiom of occult philosophy. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. Beingis being. Hence this philosophy, having that which is for its principle, can bein no sense hypothesis or guesswork.

THE SIGN OF EXCOMMUNICATION

Mercurius Trismegistus begins his admirable symbol known under the name of the"Emerald Table," by this threefold affirmation: "It is true, it is certainwithout error, it is of all truth." Thus, in physics, the true confirmed byexperience; in philosophy, certitude purged from any alloy of error; in thedomain of religion or the infinite, absolute truth indicated by analogy: suchare the first necessities of true science, and Magic only can impart these toits adepts.

But you, before all things, who are you, thus taking this work in your hands andproposing to read it? On the pediment of a temple consecrated by antiquity tothe God of Light was an inscription of two words: "Know thyself." I impress thesame counsel on every man when he seeks to approach science. Magic, which themen of old denominated the Sanctum Regnum, the Holy Kingdom, or Kingdom of God,Regnum Dei, exists only for kings and for priests. Are you priests? Are youkings? The priesthood of Magic is not a vulgar priesthood, and its royaltyenters not into competition with the princes of this world. The monarchs ofscience are the priests of truth, and their sovereignty is hidden from themultitude, like their prayers and sacrifices. The kings of science are men whoknow the truth and them the truth has made free, according to the specificpromise given by the most mighty of all initiators.

The man who is enslaved by his passions or worldly prejudices can be initiatedin no wise; he must reform or he will never attain; meanwhile he cannot be anadept, for this word signifies a person who has achieved by will and by work.The man who loves his own opinions and fears to part with them, who suspects newtruths, who is unprepared to doubt everything rather than admit anything onchance, should close this book: for him it is useless and dangerous. He willfail to understand it, and it will trouble him, while if he should divine themeaning, there will be a still greater source of disquietude. If you hold byanything in the world more than by reason, truth and justice; if your will beuncertain and vacillating, either in good or evil; if logic alarm you, or thenaked truth make you blush; if you are hurt when accepted errors are assailed;condemn this work straight away. Do not read it; let it cease to exist for you;but at the same time do not cry it down as dangerous. The secrets which itrecords will be understood by an elect few and will be reserved by those whounderstand them. Show light to the birds of the night-time, and you hide theirlight; it is the light which blinds them and for them is darker than darkness.It follows that I shall speak clearly and make known everything, with the firmconviction that initiates alone, or those who deserve initiation, will read alland understand in part.

There is a true and a false science, a Divine and an Infernal Magic—in otherwords, one which is delusive and tenebrous. It is our task to reveal the oneand to unveil the other, to distinguish the magician from the sorcerer and theadept...