The Magus: A Complete System of Occult Philosophy

by Francis Barrett

The Magus, or Celestial Intelligencer; being a Complete System of Occult Philosophy is a handbook of the occult and ceremonial magic compiled by Francis Barrett and published in 1801. This book facilitated the modern revival of magic by making information from otherwise rare books readily available. It may have influenced novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton and occultist Eliphas Levi. More controversially, it has been identified as an influence on Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, in Reed C. Durham, Jr's speech "Is There No Help for the Widow's Son?" Reproduction of 1801 Edition.

Genres: Occult, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Magick, Magic, Witchcraft, Religion

434 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1801

About the author

Francis Barrett was an occultist often credited as the first founder of an academic school of magic.

Reviews

[Chris Feldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically a rip-off of Agrippa, but interesting nonetheless.

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not too comprehensible but then again, this is an old as hell copywriter Agrippa-ish mix of all things, archaic and occult and symbolic and goethic and ...

The 3d vol is the best, since it's basically oldie bios of occult celebrities.

[Bob Schweiger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hard to read and definately not for everyone. It contains valuable information for those seeking out old world knowledge.

[Erik Akre · Rating 2 out of 5]

This might be the most bizarre and random book I have ever read. I read it without any context for its turn-of-the-eighteenth century information, and it blew me away with its strange correspondences, wild numerology, archaic astrology, and twisted suggestions for ritual and spellcraft.

As a student of Wicca, I looked for links between Barrett's writings and current Wiccan practice, and I do feel there are plenty. I am left with wonder at how his own experience in the occult eventually fed into what we now know as "witchcraft." He strikes me as a very strange man who lived underground in his times with a big sack-full of strange information gathered through studies of obscure past knowledge. Did he make any of it up? What on Earth did he study in order to glean all of this bizarre knowledge? What happened to all of this stuff as the nineteenth century progressed?

For quaint interest or a kind of morbid fascination, this book will deliver. For historical material, this book will keep the occultist engaged. For readability, the unadulterated archaic and confusing writing style of this book will be a pure bust.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I have only skimmed this book. I feel I must write a superficial review here as two of the three present say nothing about the book itself.

This is a 19th century text drawing from various sources (including, and perhaps primarily, but not only Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy). It is part manual, part overview for the Victorian occultist and covers various topics such as "Natural Magic," "Alchymy," "Cabalistic Magic," and "Magnetism."

[Andria Potter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read a brief sample on Wayback Machine and was unimpressed. 2.5 ⭐.

[Constantin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good read for someone who is a complete beginner, but not good at all for someone who has already a lot of occult related knowledge.

It contains many chapters on many different subjects, but it explains nothing in depth. 99% of the information in it is simply things that are mentioned theoretically, and serve only as ideas for stuff that you can put sticky notes on and then go ahead and research them once you have finished the book.

Personally, I did not enjoy reading it much. It is very theistic and one could say that it is basically "Christian Folk Magick", i.e. theories and ideas of correspondences but nothing actually practical.

[Aaron Meyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is a hodgepodge of material. For the time it came out though it was huge because access to some of the volumes which it took from were extremely difficult to come by. Of course now that has completely changed and its sources are readily available. Unfortunately that leaves this volume in the dust heap so to speak, worthless other than it being a curiosity of the times.

[Elli Toney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only got about 10% in before I gave up and threw in the DNF bin. This was just ridiculously heavy with Christian ideas. If I wanted to read a 5 page prayer, I wouldn't look into a book on the occult.

[Nevethanaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

fantastic

[Heka · Rating 3 out of 5]

From an academic perspective, this was a fascinating read.

[SreevarPat · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Magus by Francis Barrett was the most random and bizarre book I have ever read. If you told your friend to read it, I think they would think you were crazy. The book is deeply influenced by Eliphas Levi's Transcendental Magic, and was written to popularize the occult, occult related texts, and beliefs. Some of the more interesting beliefs in the book include

- Herbalism and Plants
- Astrology
- Gemstones and Tarots

These beliefs are still popular today, last week a tarot card reader went onto FOX News to predict the year for presidential candidate Donald Trump. The Magus influenced spirituality in the 19th century and even spiritual and superstitious beliefs of today. I recommend this book for anyone interested in the occult or spirituality or just like looking at weird symbols. One of the quotes from this book you may have heard of is ...

"The greatest magic is the magic of love, for it can conquer all things."

[The Vampire Javinus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very 1801. So deeply christian that it is nearly useless. If the author didn't spend so much time venerating and proclaiming his love for Abrahamic religion, he might've had some space for decent occult information.

These old grimoires are often full of christian undertones, so it's best to take what you read with a grain of salt- like you would any other bible story.

While I understand that it was a big deal in its time, it definitely doesn't hold up the same as other grimoires in our current age. Because of the Christian heavy content and it's lack of relevance these days, I can't recommend it. Although, it's worth taking a look at if you have an interest in the occult- just for the sake of viewing some source material.

[Dominika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this more as a historical fascination rather than as a practical guide for magick. While you see a lot of these fundamentals in many different schools and teachings, the Christian undertones don't really do it for me. I did think the breakdown was pretty simple to understand if you're desperate, but witches are everywhere and part of being a witch is finding your own path.

That all being said, this is pretty comprehensive, with several types of magick being covered, and you could probably do a lot with this if you're looking for a reference in magic systems (for writing fantasy novels).

[Anne Lydolf · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see how this book can have been an amazing source of information in a time where a lot of the books were hard to get. However, it is poorly written, organized in a confusing manner and repeats itself endlessly while also breezing over subjects that could have benefitted from a deeper exploration.

[Matt Kelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read this in decades, but I needed some details about ceremonial magic for a novel, and this was the perfect place to find it.

Not sure how to rate this: it's great source material if you're looking for something very specific, but it's mostly just a rehash of other works.

[Bob Sacco]

Re-Packaging of Henry Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy.

[Blaine Wajdowicz]

I didnt understand half of this. But it's always cool to review some source material

[Paulo Vasconcellos · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and almost mandatory book to every student of occultism.

[Moga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dacă e buna merita

[Bruno Tomasini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muito bom, muito complexo 😂

[Aaron Golding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but quite a heavy read. A little too much Christian influence for my liking.

[Wyatt whittier · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is strong evidence that this book was read by Joseph Smith the prophet, so I wanted to read it. Lots of interesting parallels to LDS theology, specifically regarding oil healings and the nature of spirits. Interesting read, but lots of superstitious fluff as well in my opinion.

[John Wight]

A great compendium of occult philosophy, going over topics such as natural magic, talismanic magic, alchemy, evokation, etc.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is absolutely wonderful, but keep in mind, it isn't modern. I don't recommend The Magus for beginners, simply because of the time period in which the material was originally wrote. Some of it can be a bit complex, and even confusing for someone just starting out. However, most of the material is accurate, and complete. A great addition to any occult library for certain, as The Magus makes a wonderful reference book, as well as study tool. Keep in mind, this is not the type of book you can just sit back and read front to back easily. It took me a little over a month to get through the entire book. To truly understand it, you need to take your time, and actually but thought into it.