Customer Reviews

Philosophy of Natural Magic

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In 1898, Willis F. Whitehead published a partial edition of Agrippa's great classic of Western occultism, Of Occult Philosophy or Magic. Whitehead based his edition on John French's English translation (Moule: London, 1651), and his main contribution was to partially modernize French's spelling and punctuation. Unfortunately his edition is disappointing for several reasons. First, he stopped after editing only the first of Agrippa's three books. Secondly, in his attempt to break up some of the enormous sentences, he occasionally lost some of the meaning. Thirdly, Whitehead obsessively mutilated the text by substituting euphemisms for sexual references or deleting them entirely. As an example, in chapter 15 of French's translation we read "take those members, or parts, in which the Venerall [venereal, i.e. sexual] appetite is most vigorous, such as the heart, testicles, matrix [womb], yard [penis], sperme, and menstrues." Whitehead changed this to read "...parts in which the vital vertue is most vigorous, such as the heart, breast, and also like parts." Apparently using Victorian standards, he likewise edits out terms like "dung," "gut," "abortion," and others. Another defect in this edition is that it is actually a reprint of the edition of L.W. DeLaurence, an infamous literary pirate who shamelessly took credit for Whitehead's efforts. In my opinion, much better editions of Agrippa are available, and worth the extra cost.

This is an affordable copy of an occult classic which I am happy to have in my library. Agrippa was an astonishing occultist and I find the information contained both helpful and interesting.

This is an excellent book from a well respected and scholarly alchemist of the middle ages. It must be read from the context of an occult point of view to be truly appreciated and understood. A remarkable work.