The Names of Spirits

About this book

In Agrippa's world a name is not a mere sound — it carries the essence of a thing. To know the name of a spirit is therefore to gain a bond with it. This is notebook 5 of 11 of Book III, "Of Ceremonial Magic", in a series that divides Agrippa's work by theme. It contains chapters 24–28 of Book III: the names of spirits and how they are given to the spirits that rule the stars, signs, quarters of heaven and elements; the seventy-two angels the Kabbalists derive from three verses of Exodus, with the tables of the original edition; finding the names of spirits from the positions of the heavenly bodies; the Kabbalists' art of calculation; and names taken from the very things the spirits rule.

What is inside

• Book III, chapters 24–28 — Agrippa's complete text; of the seven pages of letter tables that follow chapter 25, two are reproduced and the others are listed by title
• every chapter in four parts: In Agrippa's words · In plain words · Terms (with the Latin) · Historical note — where the idea comes from and what modern science says
• 5 original illustrations in an antique archival style
• 2 printable charts: "A Map of Spirit Names" and "How Spirits Receive Their Names"
• foreword, closing words and a 32-term glossary

Who it is for

Readers of Renaissance philosophy, the history of religion, angelology, Kabbalah and the Western esoteric tradition who want the original text made readable — and honestly explained.

About the series

1 The Path of the Magus · 2 God and the Holy Names · 3 Gods, Spirits and Demons · 4 The Guardian Angel and the Language of Angels · 5 The Names of Spirits · 6 Seals of the Spirits · 7 Man, the Image of God · 8 The Soul after Death · 9 Ecstasy, Prophecy and Dreams · 10 Purity and Preparation · 11 Sacrifices, Consecrations and Holy Days. Each notebook sold separately.

A historical text, not a manual.