Born Alphonse Louis Constant, French magician Eliphas Levi (1810-75) wrote prolifically on the occult sciences. This highly popular two-volume treatise on practical magic attempts to initiate the reader into the mysteries of occult philosophy. Identifying magic as the ‘nurse or godmother’ of all intellectual forces, Levi proclaims his firm belief in man as microcosm of the universe, the strength of human willpower and the effectiveness of sympathetic magic. This first volume, ‘The Doctrine of Transcendental Magic’, establishes Levi’s own philosophical approach to the theory of magic, detailing the various methods of accessing esoteric knowledge of the universe through supernatural methods. Beginning with the ancient origins of occult philosophy and influence, Levi chronicles the history of magic, including transmutations, black magic, bewitchments, astrology, divination and alchemy.