of the separation of Magick from the Mundane World,
as the Academy redefined the disciplines, casting out
all that they deemed “unscientific” and therefore
“false.” Astronomy was separated from astrology,
physics from metaphysics, and chemistry from al-
chemy. With this division, the left hemisphere of hu-
man experience was severed from the right, and West-
ern civilization became blind in one eye.
In the magickal world, the 17th and 18th centuries
witnessed a popularity of secret magical orders, such
as the Freemasons and Rosicrucians. Their rituals were
based on the Hermetica, Mystery schools, the tarot,
interpretations of the Qabalah, and astrology. Various
Grimoires, containing detailed instructions for magickal
rites, circulated widely. The most important of these,
still used today, is the Key of Solomon, in existence as
early as the 1st century CE. During the 17th and 18th
centuries, modern Ceremonial Magick had its begin-
nings. This is a complex art of dealing with spirits. It
requires a rigorous discipline and has an intellectual
appeal. Ceremonial magicians derived power from the
Judeo-Christian God through the control of spirits,
usually demons. They believed demons were easier to
control than angels. In its highest sense, Ceremonial
Magick is a transcendental experience that takes the
magician into mystical realms and communication with
the Higher Self.
High Magick enjoyed a great revival of interest at
the beginning of the 19th century with the publication
of Francis Barrett’s The Magus (1801). The revival was
greatly influenced by Eliphas Levi, whose explanation
of how magick works in Dogma and Ritual of High
Magic (1856) has had a lasting impact on the thinking
of magicians. Levi put forth three Laws of Magic: Will-
power, Astral Light, and “As above, so below.” Other
factors contributing to the rise of ceremonial magick
were Spiritualism and Theosophy, both involving com-munication with spirits and the dead. Folk-magick
Wizardry continued to be predominantly a rural phe-
nomenon. After 1825, the word Wizard became almost
synonymous with Witch, but its usage later declined
during the 20th century.Modern Times (after 1900)
Perhaps the greatest system of Western Ceremo-
nial Magick was devised by the Hermetic Order of the
Golden Dawn, founded in England by three
Rosicrucians in the late 19th century. The Golden Dawn
expanded upon Levi’s writings, adding a fourth Law,
Imagination, without which the Will was ineffective.
The Golden Dawn had a great influence on Aleister
Crowley, thought by some to be the greatest magician
of the 20th century. His major contribution to Magick
was the popularization of Rabelais’ Law of Thelema:
“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.”
Another magickal group which has influenced mod-
ern magick is the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.—the
“Order of the Temple of the Orient”), founded at the
beginning of the 20th century by a German, Karl
Kellner, and devoted to Tantric sex magic. The 1950s
saw the public emergence of Witchcraft, spearheaded
by Gerald Garner, an Englishman who published sev-
eral books, devised various rituals, and initiated nu-
merous Witches.
In the final third of the 20th century there oc-
curred a great Renaissance of Magick, Witchcraft,
and Paganism. From the 1960’s onward, many new
magickal groups were founded, and the numbers of
practitioners swelled from hundreds to millions. Vast
numbers of books on various aspects of magick were
produced, supporting an entire new industry of “oc-
cult” publishers and bookstores. And finally, at the
dawn of the 21st century, Wizardry once more came
into public recognition with the publication of the
Harry Potter books and films, and the brilliant Lord
of the Rings movies.From title page of Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragicall
Historie of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, 163130 Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard
Corrected pages 3rd printing.1.p65 16 6/10/2004, 2:59 PM