Agrippa & Ceremonial Magic Codification

BY NICOLE

The Magician's Encyclopedia: Three Books of Occult Philosophy

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim (1486-1535) was the Renaissance's greatest systematizer of magic. His masterwork, De Occulta Philosophia Libri Tres ("Three Books of Occult Philosophy"), published in 1533, became the encyclopedia of Western magic—organizing centuries of scattered magical lore into a coherent, comprehensive system.

Agrippa synthesized:

• Ficino's natural magic (Part 20)
• Pico's Christian Kabbalah (Part 21)
• Medieval grimoires (Picatrix, Key of Solomon)
• Hermetic philosophy (Part 13)
• Neoplatonic cosmology (Part 11)
• Practical magical techniques from across Europe

The result: a complete magical worldview and practical manual that influenced every later Western occultist, from John Dee to the Golden Dawn to modern ceremonial magicians.

The Three Worlds: Agrippa's Cosmology

Agrippa organized magic according to three worlds, each with its own type of magic:

Book I: The Elemental World (Natural Magic)

The physical realm of matter, governed by the four elements:

The Four Elements:

• Fire: Hot and dry, active, masculine, upward-moving
• Air: Hot and moist, active, masculine, upward-moving
• Water: Cold and moist, passive, feminine, downward-moving
• Earth: Cold and dry, passive, feminine, downward-moving

Natural Magic works with:

• Herbs: Each plant ruled by a planet, element, and zodiac sign
• Stones: Gems and minerals with specific virtues
• Animals: Parts of animals (blood, bones, organs) used in magic
• Correspondences: Linking earthly things to celestial powers

This is Ficino's natural magic (Part 20) systematized—working with nature's hidden virtues.

Book II: The Celestial World (Celestial Magic)

The realm of stars and planets, governing earthly events through celestial influences:

The Seven Planets:

• Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon
• Each with specific qualities, metals, stones, herbs, colors, angels, demons

Celestial Magic works with:

• Astrology: Timing magic to favorable planetary positions
• Talismans: Creating images when planets are strong
• Magic squares (kameas): Numerical grids for each planet
• Planetary hours: Each hour ruled by a planet
• Invocations: Calling upon planetary spirits

This is medieval astrological magic (Part 17) codified and expanded.

Book III: The Intellectual World (Ceremonial Magic)

The realm of angels, demons, and divine names—the highest form of magic:

The Angelic Hierarchies:

• Nine orders of angels (Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, Angels)
• Each order governing different aspects of reality

Ceremonial Magic works with:

• Divine names: Hebrew names of God (YHVH, Elohim, Adonai, etc.)
• Angelic names: Invoking angels for specific purposes
• Kabbalistic techniques: Gematria, notarikon, letter permutations
• Ritual magic: Circles, pentagrams, consecrated tools
• Evocation: Summoning spirits (angels or demons) to visible appearance

This is Pico's Christian Kabbalah (Part 21) made operational.

The Doctrine of Correspondences

Central to Agrippa's system is the doctrine of correspondences—everything in the lower worlds corresponds to something in the higher worlds:

Example: The Sun

• Celestial: The Sun (star)
• Metal: Gold
• Stone: Diamond, citrine, sunstone
• Herb: Sunflower, St. John's wort, cinnamon
• Animal: Lion, eagle, rooster
• Color: Gold, yellow
• Number: 6 (the Sun's magic square is 6x6)
• Angel: Michael
• Intelligence: Nakhiel
• Spirit: Sorath
• Body part: Heart, right eye
• Quality: Vitality, authority, success

By using solar correspondences together (gold talisman, sunflower oil, on Sunday, in the hour of the Sun, invoking Michael), the magician concentrates solar power.

This is Hermetic "As above, so below" (Part 13) made into a complete magical technology.

Practical Magic: Agrippa's Techniques

1. Creating Talismans

Process:

1. Choose your goal (love, wealth, protection, etc.)
2. Select the appropriate planet
3. Calculate when the planet is strong (exalted, in its own sign, well-aspected)
4. Prepare the material (metal corresponding to the planet)
5. Inscribe the planetary seal, magic square, and appropriate symbols
6. Consecrate with incense, prayers, and invocations
7. Wear or carry the talisman

2. Magic Squares (Kameas)

Each planet has a magic square—a grid of numbers with special properties:

Saturn (3x3): Numbers 1-9 arranged so each row, column, and diagonal sums to 15

Jupiter (4x4): Numbers 1-16, sums to 34

Mars (5x5): Numbers 1-25, sums to 65

Sun (6x6): Numbers 1-36, sums to 111

Venus (7x7): Numbers 1-49, sums to 175

Mercury (8x8): Numbers 1-64, sums to 260

Moon (9x9): Numbers 1-81, sums to 369

These squares are engraved on talismans to capture planetary power.

3. The Magic Circle

For ceremonial magic, the magician works within a protective circle:

• Drawn on the ground (or floor) with chalk, paint, or carved
• Inscribed with divine names, angelic names, and protective symbols
• The magician stands inside—protected from spirits summoned outside
• The circle is the boundary between worlds

4. Invocation and Evocation

Invocation: Calling a spirit into yourself (becoming a vessel for divine/angelic power)

Evocation: Calling a spirit to visible appearance outside yourself (in a triangle, mirror, or crystal)

Agrippa provided detailed instructions for both, including:

• Proper timing (planetary hours, moon phases)
• Purification (fasting, bathing, prayer)
• Consecrated tools (wand, sword, pentacle, cup)
• Invocations and conjurations (specific words of power)
• Dismissal (sending the spirit away safely)

Agrippa's Life: Magician and Skeptic

Agrippa's life was contradictory:

• Wrote the greatest magical textbook—then wrote De Vanitate ("On the Vanity of Sciences"), questioning all knowledge including magic
• Practiced magic—but also criticized superstition and charlatans
• Served nobles and kings—but died in poverty
• Defended women accused of witchcraft—but was himself accused of sorcery

He was brilliant, arrogant, restless—a true Renaissance figure, embracing contradictions.

The Legacy

Influence on Later Magic

• John Dee (Part 23): Used Agrippa's system as foundation for Enochian magic
• Grimoires (17th-18th centuries): Lesser Key of Solomon, Grimoire of Armadel—all drew from Agrippa
• Golden Dawn (19th century): Agrippa's three worlds became the structure of their magical system
• Modern ceremonial magic: Agrippa's correspondences, talismans, and rituals still used today

Controversy

• Church authorities condemned the Three Books as heretical
• Some saw Agrippa as a dangerous sorcerer
• Others saw him as a philosopher exploring natural science
• The debate continues: Was Agrippa a magician or a scholar studying magic?

Agrippa in the Constant Unification Framework

From the Constant Unification perspective (Part 44), Agrippa discovered:

• The three-world structure as universal: Elemental-Celestial-Intellectual parallels Kabbalistic Four Worlds, Neoplatonic hypostases, Hermetic levels—evidence of a real hierarchical structure
• Correspondences as real patterns: Sun-gold-Sunday-heart appears independently across cultures—Agrippa was cataloging real energetic relationships, not arbitrary symbols
• Magic squares as mathematical constants: The kameas work mathematically—they're not just mystical but geometrically precise, suggesting number itself has power
• Timing as crucial variable: Planetary hours and astrological elections demonstrate that time has quality—the same action produces different results at different times

Agrippa's achievement was recognizing that scattered magical practices across cultures converge because they're working with the same underlying patterns—what we now call constants.

Practical Exercise: Simple Planetary Talisman

This is a simplified version of Agrippan talismanic magic.

Choose Your Planet and Goal:

• Sun: Success, vitality, leadership
• Moon: Intuition, dreams, emotions
• Mercury: Communication, learning, travel
• Venus: Love, beauty, harmony
• Mars: Courage, energy, protection
• Jupiter: Wealth, expansion, wisdom
• Saturn: Discipline, boundaries, banishing

Materials:

• Paper or parchment
• Pen or marker in the planet's color
• The planet's magic square (look up online or in Agrippa's book)
• Appropriate incense

Timing:

• Ideally: The planet's day and hour
• Or: Any time with strong intention

The Process:

1. Prepare: Light incense, create sacred space
2. Draw the magic square: Copy the planet's kamea carefully
3. Add the planetary seal: The traditional symbol for that planet
4. Write your intention: Around the edge, in a circle
5. Consecrate: Hold the talisman in smoke, say:

   "By the power of [Planet], by the virtue of this sacred square, by the authority of [Angel's name], I consecrate this talisman for [your goal]. May it draw the beneficial rays of [Planet] to me. So mote it be."

6. Activate: Carry it with you, or place it where appropriate

This connects you to Agrippa's Renaissance magic—using mathematical precision and celestial timing to manifest your will.

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This article is Part 22 of the History of Mysticism series. It explores Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (1486-1535) and his systematization of ceremonial magic in the Three Books of Occult Philosophy. Agrippa's concepts (the three worlds, correspondences, magic squares, talismans, ceremonial ritual) organized centuries of magical lore into a coherent system that became the foundation for all later Western ceremonial magic. Understanding Agrippa reveals how systematic organization of magical practices reveals underlying patterns—the constants that make magic work across cultures and centuries.