On Secret Sciences, Initiations, and Modern Societies

Decorative horizontal divider featuring symmetrical scrollwork and floral motifs.

Introduction.

Magic was regarded by the ancients as the highest and holiest of all sciences, and among all peoples it was introduced and taught under the veil of the mysteries The "Ancient Mysteries" were secret religious rites of the Greco-Roman world, such as those at Eleusis, which were open only to initiated individuals.. According to the concepts of that time, it consisted of the knowledge of all visible and invisible forces of the universe, and their secret or manifest effects; it contained the explanation of all nature, the knowledge of the relationship of all things, as well as their mutual antipathies and sympathies original: "Ab- und Zuneigung." In early modern science and magic, "sympathy" and "antipathy" were the natural forces of attraction and repulsion that explained how things interacted (e.g., a magnet and iron). and the consequences arising therefrom.

It extended, therefore, over both the spiritual and the sensory domains. It was divided into the physical or natural, the mathematical or celestial In this context, "mathematical" magic often refers to astrology, astronomy, and the study of planetary influences based on numerical ratios., and the theological or ceremonial branches. The physical part contained the teachings regarding the nature of everything that exists in the world—its causes, effects, timings, local circumstances, changes, and events, both in their entirety and in detail. The mathematical part explained the