Henry Cornelius Agrippa: His Three Books of Occult Philosophy and their relevance today.

Some Occultists know Henry Cornelius Agrippa extremely well, while some simply vaguely understand who he is; Some don't even know his name. Due largely in part to the gap between the first scholarly summation of Occult study and knowledge in Agrippa's era and the Occult Renaissance which occurred much later (of which all current Occultists are intellectual descendants), many of the earlier works knowledge were simply assimilated into new volumes such as Francis Barrett's "The Magus" (Which draws very deeply from Agrippa and can at times be almost plagiariztic). Indeed, shockingly few modern (last two centuries) Occultists were aware of the vital role Agrippa played in preserving and reviving magic, and more often than it should be Agrippa's "Three Books of Occult Philosophy" is seen almost as nothing more than a 'quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore.' This is due to the amount of criticism which was somewhat rightfully thrown at the book upon the dawning of modern science in the last two centuries; many of Agrippa's theories have been cast away as superstitious and others have been pointed out to be based mainly on outdated scientific conceptions such as spontaneous generation and misguided conceptions about geocentricity versus heliocentricity. On top of this, Agrippa was a very faithful Catholic who spends as much time in the book praising Christiandom as he does pointing out correspondences for Pagan gods to Kabbalah (a very common state of affairs for a Renaissance Magician). When these inconsistencies have been stripped away, what remains appears to be nothing more than a husk relative to the potency of the original work.
Why then not simply forget Agrippa? Consider momentarily Mary Shelley's book "Frankenstein." In the story, young Victor Frankenstein is mesmerized by the splendor of Agrippa and accepts it as truth during his formative years. He takes great time reading and comprehending every word, and sees the world from such a dated perspective. When Victor goes off to college he reveals to a professor his knowledge of Agrippa and the teacher scoffs, telling him to put down Agrippa and devote himself entirely to the study of empirical science. The path young Victor Frankenstein takes from there is history. While the abandonment of Agrippa led to Frankenstein's downfall, so surely would have wholly believing every word uttered by the archaic magician. Consider the third option: what if Victor had expanded his horizons and stayed with the studies laid down by Agrippa? In combining modern knowledge with archaic magic, Frankenstein would have eventually created the system now known as modern magic. In essence the proverbial 'trimming of the fat' of the older magical system perpetrated by Agrippa and the other magicians of his time is necessary and is in some cases still not complete (superstition dies hard). The marriage between modern thought and ancient wisdom is a long road which is full of pitfalls and dangers. So why study Agrippa? Because taking the word of the scholarly magicians who were the original fat-trimmers can lead to pitfalls. These people were not and are not infallible, and their interpretations on this book are not always perfect. "Three Book of Occult Philosophy" constitutes one of the first examples of the 'Occult Textbook' complete with how-to's, tables, and basic theory. It gives a deep look into the very stem of work from which flows the modern Occult revival we know. Agrippa was a very modern man for his time. He even defended (successfully!) a woman accused of being a witch. Indeed, many will find some of his ideas implausible, dated, or even absurd, while others will even be repulsed by the surprisingly pious tone. Nevertheless, it is of utmost importance that any and every practitioner and seeker of the secrets of magic read this book so that they may at the very least come to 'know their roots!' Agrippa was the Crowley of his time; the Eliphas Levi, the Regardie! Respect for a man who at that time was a revolutionary thinker and who blazed the trail we now walk so boldly, can only truly be paid by the reading of his formative and influential work. On top of this, the grounding 101 which this book will even now give in the basic principles of magic is more than important and will be extremely beneficial to a practitioner of any level! Indeed, the student should consult this manuscript before beginning any practical work.
So what will the purpose of this blog be? I hold a special place in my heart for this monumental work. Now, at the age of sixteen, I see it as the book that turned me serious about magic and the Occult. It is what transmuted "average dilettante Wiccan" into "expanding and practicing ceremonial magician." I do NOT claim my commentary to be authoritative or altruistic. There are as many takes on this material as there are readers of it. This commentary is my personal feeling on the work from the perspective of my experience and knowledge. What is dismissible as absurd superstition or by way of scientific grounds shall be, while points for which there is still viable or sane argument will be left simply with my opinion (though the other viewpoint will be expressed in respectful terms). Barring any unforeseen events, this blog will be updated at the minimum once a week, but on good weeks much more frequently. If something does arise which will prevent me from posting for the week, an announcement will be posted.
I encourage those who wish to begin reading "Three Books of Occult Philosophy" to purchase a copy of Llewellynn's sourcebook series edition with modern annotation by Donald Tyson (who does an amazingly professional and dauntingly thorough job to say the least). All in all, please feel free to take from this blog as you wish, and please feel free to comment if you feel I have blundered!
Best Regards,
-Jed