Class VI: Modern Wizards
From the Middle Ages through the Renaissance,
Western Wizardry was dominated by alchemy and the
search for the Philosopher’s Stone. In the 17th and 18th
centuries, the Scientific Revolution brought a shift in
focus for many Wizards to a greater emphasis on
science, Hermetics, Qabalah, and secret societies such
as the Freemasons and Rosicrucians. With the
Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, prominent
Wizards were often involved in the proliferation of
occult orders, practicing ceremonial magick. The mid-
20 th century saw the revival of Witchcraft and Paganism
as the Old Religion, and many Wizards since then have
been involved in the work of restoration and teaching.
These include the members of the Grey Council.- Wizards of the 19th-20th Centuries
James Murrell (1780-1860)
Francis Barrett (19th century)
Eliphas Levi (1810-1875)
George Pickingill (1816-1909)
Charles Godfrey Leland (1824-1903)
S.L. MacGregor Mathers
(1854-1918)Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1947)
Charles Walton (1871-1945)
Aleister Crowley (1875-1947)
Gerald Gardner (1884-1964)
Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956)
Francis Israel Regardie (1907-1983)
Arnold Crowther (1909-1974)Cecil Hugh Williamson (1909-1999)
Stewart Farrar (1916-2000)
Victor Anderson (1917-2001)
Alex Sanders (1926-1988)
Leo Louis Martello (1931-2000)
Gwydion Pendderwen (1946-1982)
Scott Cunningham (1956-1993)- Introduction: Wizard’s Work
HE EARLIEST RECORDED WIZARDS,
such as Imhotep, were advisors
to kings. The word Wizard is
related to the Arabic word vizier,
meaning “advisor.” For example,
you are certainly familiar with
Merlin, the archetypal Wizard and
advisor to King Arthur. In Celtic
times, every king or queen had a Druid/Wizard at their
side, in order to give them advice and assistance. The
kings were warriors and were not learned in the ways
of magick, nor were they wise in the ways of the law.
The presence of a wise Wizard ensured that the ruler
would be just with his or her subjects.Francis Barrett (19th Century)
Little is known about Francis
Barrett beyond his authorship of
The Magus, a landmark compendium
of occultism and magick published
in London in 1801. Barrett, an En-
glishman, claimed to be a student of
chemistry, metaphysics, and occult
philosophy. He was an eccentric man, giving lessons in
the magick arts from his apartment and spending long
hours meticulously translating Qabalistic and ancient
texts into English. The Magus dealt with the natural magic
of herbs and stones, magnetism, talismanic magic, al-
chemy and other means of creating the Philosopher’s
Stone, numerology, the elements, and biographies of
famous adepts from history. But the book gained little
notice until it influenced Eliphas Levi.
Barrett was passionately interested in reviving
interest in the occult. Using The Magus as an adver-
tising tool, he formed a magick circle, and turned Cam-
bridge into a center for magick.Eliphas Levi (1810-1875)
Eliphas Levi was the pseud-
onym for Alphonse Louis Con-
stant, a French occultist credited
for reviving interest in magick in
the 19th century. He was consid-ered more of a commentator on the subject than an
adept, even though he professed to have practiced
necromancy—conjuring up the spirit of Apol-lonius
of Tyana. Constant became a follower of an eccentric
old man named Ganneau, who claimed to be a prophet
and the reincarnation of Louis XVII. He also learned
arcane mysteries from the Polish mystic Hoëne-
Wronski. He took the name of Magus Eliphas Levi,
the Hebrew equivalents of his first and middle names.
Levi’s first and most important work was The
Dogma and Ritual of High Magic. It was followed by
A History of Magic, Transcendental Magic, The Key
of Great Mysteries, and other occult books. Levi was
inspired by Francis Barrett, and in turn, he influenced
occult author Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton. They formed
a London occult group which studied scrying, magick,
astrology, and mesmerism. The Hermetic Order of the
Golden Dawn, founded in London in 1888, adopted
much of Levi’s magick.George Pickingill (1816-1909)
“Old George” Pickingill was
a legendary English cunning man.
Claiming descent through a line of
hereditary Witches dating back to
the 11th century, he was the oldest
of nine children, born in the “Witch
country” of Essex. Pickingill was vehemently anti-Corrected pages 3rd printing.2.p65 67 6/10/2004, 4:04 PM