The more sublime spirits, and Intelligencies.

The Celestiall souls send forth their vertues to the Celestial bodies, which then transmit them to this sensible

world. For the vertues of the terrene orb proceed from no other cause then Celestiall. Hence the Magician

that will worke by them, useth a cunning invocation of the superiors, with mysterious words, and a certain

kind of ingenious speech, drawing the one to the other, yet by a naturall force through a certain mutuall

agreement betwixt them, whereby things follow of their own accord, or sometimes are drawn unwillingly.

Hence saith Aristotle in the sixth book of his Mysticall Philosophy, that when any one by binding or

bewitching doth call upon the Sun or other stars, praying them to be helpfull to the work desired, the Sun and

other Stars do not heare his words, but are moved after a certain manner by a certain conjunction, and

mutuall series, whereby the parts of the world are mutually subordinate the one to the other, and have a

mutuall consent, by reason of their great union: As in mans body one member is moved by perceiving the

motion of another, and in a harp one string is moved at the motion of another. So when any one moves any

part of the world; other parts are moved by the perceiving the motion of that. The knowledge therefore of the

dependency of things following one the other, is the foundation of all wonderfull operation, which is

necessarily required to the exercising the power of attracting superior vertues. Now the words of men are

certain naturall things, and because the parts of the world mutually draw one the other, therefore a Magician

invocating by words, works by powers fitted to nature, by leading some by the love of one to the other, or

drawing others by reason of the following of one after the other, or by repelling by reason of the enmity of

one to the other, from the contrariety, and difference of things, and multitude of vertues; which although they

are contrary, and different, yet perfect one part; sometimes also he compels things by way of authority, by

the Celestiall vertue, because he is not a stranger to the heaven. A man therefore, if he receives the

impression of any ligation, or fascination, doth not receive it according to the rationall soul, but sensuall, and

if he suffers in any part, suffers according to the Animall part. For they cannot draw a knowing and

intelligent man by reason, but by receiving that impression and force by sense, in as much as the Animal

spirit of man is by the influence of the Celestials, and cooperation of the things of the world, affected beyond

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa: Occult Philosophy. Book II. (Part 4, excerpts)

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his former and naturall disposition. As the son moves the father to labor, although unwilling, for to keep and

maintain him, although he be wearied; and the desire to rule is moved to anger and other labors, for to get the

dominion. And the indigency of nature, and fear of poverty, moves a man to desire riches. And the

ornaments, and beauty of women is an incitement to concupiscence. And the harmony of a wise Musitian

[musician] moves his hearers with various passions, whereof some do voluntary follow the consonancy of

art, others conform themselves by gesture, although unwillingly, because their sense is captivated, their

reason not being intent to these things. But these kinds of fascinations & ligations the vulgar doth neither

admire, nor detest, by reason of their usualness: but they admire other naturall things, becaue they are

ignorant of them, and are not accustomed to them. Hence they fall into errors, thinking those things to be

above nature, or contrary to nature, which indeed are by nature, and according to nature. We must know

therefore that every superior moves its next inferior, in its degree, and order, not only in bodies, but also in

spirits. So the universall soul moves the particular soul; and the rational acts upon the sensual, and that upon

the vegetable; and every part of the world acts upon another, and every part is apt to be moved by another;

and every part of this inferior world suffers from the heavens according to their nature, and aptitude, as one

part of the Animall body suffers from another. And the superior intellectuall world moves all things below it

self, and after a manner contains all the same beings from the first to the last, which are in the inferior world.

Celestiall bodyes therefore move the body of the elementary world, compounded, generable, sensible, from

the circumference to the center, by superior, perpetual, and spirituall essences, depending on the primary

intellect, which is the acting intellect; but upon the vertue put in by the word of God, which word the wise

Chaldeans of Babylon call the cause of causes, because from it are produced all beings, the acting intellect

which is the second from it depends; and that by reason of the union of this word with the first author, from

whom all things being are truely produced; The word therefore is the Image of God, the acting intellect the

image of the word, the soul is the image of this intellect; and our word is the image of the soul, by which it

acts upon naturall things naturally, because nature is the work thereof. And every one of those perfects his

subsequent, as a father his son, and none of the latter exists without the former. For they are depending

amongst themselves, by a kind of ordinate dependency, so that when the latter is corrupted, it is returned into

that which was next before it, untill it come to the heavens, then unto the universall soul, and lastly unto the

acting intellect, by which all other creatures exist, and which it self exists in the principall author, which is

the creating word of God, to which at length all things are returned. Our soul therefore, if it will work any

wonderfull thing in these inferiors, must have respect to their beginning, that it may be strengthened, and

illustrated by that, and receive power of acting through each degree from the very first author. Therefore we

must be more diligent in contemplating the souls of the Stars then their bodies, and the supercelestiall, and

intellectuall world, then the Celestial corporeall, because that is more noble, although this be excellent, and

the way to that; and without which medium the influence of the superiour cannot be attained to. As for

example, the Sun is the King of Stars, most full of light, but receives it from the intelligible world above all

other Stars, because the soul thereof is more capable of intelligible splendor. Wherefore he that desires to

attract the influence of the Sun, must contemplate upon the Sun, not only by the speculation of the exterior

light, but also of the interior. And this no man can do unless he return to the soul of the Sun, and become like

to it, and comprehend the intelligible light thereof with an intellectuall sight, as the sensible light with a

corporeal eye. For this man shalbe filled with the light thereof; and the light thereof which is an under type

impressed by the supernal Orb it receives into it self, with the illustration whereof his intellect being

endowed, & truely like to it, & being assisted by it shall at length attain to that supreme brightness, and to all

forms that partake thereof. And when he hath received the light of the supreme degree, then his soul shall

come to perfection, and be made like to the spirits of the Sun, and shhall attain to the vertues, and

illustrations of the supernaturall vertue, and shall enjoy the power of them, if he hath obtained faith in the

first author. In the first place therefore we must implore assistance from the first author, and praying not only

with mouth but a Religious gesture and supplicant soul, also abundantly, uncessantly, and sincerely, that he

would enlighten our mind, and remove darkness growing upon our souls by reason of our bodies.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 884