Wednesday 27 August 2014

Theurgy

The following paper was read at a conference on
The Future of Western Spirituality in the New Millennium
that took place at Dartington Hall Conference Centre
Friday 15 – Sun 17 October 1999.

Some of you gathered here today will know a great deal about Theurgy and some of you will know little, and, as I must address you all, I therefore ask for the indulgence of the more knowledgeable among you, as I engage with this most profound and important subject. It is profound because it deals with the deepest expression of the human spirit, and it is important, because it is a formal expression of humanity’s spiritual aspiration, and as such it is a vehicle that enables both the individual and group soul to participate in its own evolution under the protective mantle of divine providence.
It has a further significance, because, from a spiritual perspective, we children of the Enlightenment seem to have lost our way. Our ‘progress’ and ‘reason’ driven civilisation has, sadly, degraded the spiritual life of the soul to that of an optional extra, a ‘leisure-time’ activity for life-enhancement. Many of us see it but choose to ignore it - burying our heads in metaphysical sand. For example, how many people today know what the word ‘simony’ means?  Well, it means “trading in spiritual things - making material profit out of spiritual gifts”. It is the norm today to pay for spiritual things, but for millennia it was considered to be a crime against all that is sacred, because through material greed we debase everything we touch, and that includes traditional spiritual teachings and disciplines. 
What is the result of this social disease? Ask yourselves, why is it we allow the air we breathe the water we drink and the food we eat to be poisoned by corporate enterprises – to be poisoned to the degree that within the next decade or two it is expected that along with other serious health problems, one out of two people in the western world are going to suffer from cancer?[1] Is this caused by spiritual idealism? No, it isn't. Are we protecting those companies who are plundering the resources of this world out of desperation and necessity? I don’t think so! The reality is we let these things happen out of spiritual apathy; which is an affliction of the will - a condition that allows material greed, disguised as progress, to thrive. In short we are rapidly becoming spiritual cowards dominated by the media. The demands of the shareholder and the iniquitous ‘market forces’, which we know is out of control, take precedence over actions we know in our heart to be right. Personal comfort and social status comes first, everything else goes to the wall, particularly the spiritual values that inhibit our insatiable appetites. We are in trouble because we have separated those spiritual values from our mundane life, and, we are afraid to openly admit it in case we are judged to be weird or difficult and thereby socially unacceptable.
This is why today theurgy is more important than ever before. It is a very real and powerful means of renewing our connection, both individually and collectively, with the divine, and thereby re-establishing wholesome values that have nothing to do with materialism. It is a subject that more than ever demands an awakening soul’s attention.  

I am going to assume the following of you all: First, that you recognise that every human being is first and foremost a spiritual entity; second that you acknowledge the immortality of that human spirit; finally, that you recognise that the journey we call Life is fundamentally a path of spiritual evolution/regeneration. This is extremely important, for without the acceptance of these points any real understanding of the essence of theurgy is impossible.
What then is ‘Theurgy’? Unfortunately I cannot tell you, nobody can – although I can inform you about it, but regrettably words will never convey what it is, and that has been a problem for a very long time. Many intellectuals, scholars and academics have tried to define theurgy, but the reasoning powers of the human intellect just aren’t up to it. It is rather like trying to climb Everest with a step-ladder. At best, all one can do is explore historical, philosophical and perhaps psychological aspects of something that can only be experienced, not defined. 
If we focus upon recognised historical viewpoints we will end up discussing a few theories favoured by those learned in booklore, but we will have wasted a rare opportunity to touch something that we all share in common, something that is exquisitely beautiful, and furthermore, something that lies at the very core of our being. On the other hand we do need some reference points to get us going, the question is how far do we go? And the answer is I am not sure, but let us begin and find out.
The word ‘theurgy’ is based upon the Greek words Theos (God) and Ergos (work), from which is derived the word theourgia – which means ‘works of God’ or ‘divine workings’[2]. Lewis & Scott’s Latin Dictionary informs us that the word ‘theurgia’ is Late Latin, derived from the Greek Theourgia and means ‘sacramental rite or mystery’. The Oxford English Dictionary informs us that theurgy is “A system of magic, originally practised by the Egyptian Platonists, to procure communication with beneficent spirits, and by their aid produce miraculous effects...” The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy states that theurgy... is really just magic with philosophical underpinnings. Francois Lenormant in his book Chaldean Magic and Sorcery states that Theurgy is: “the superstitious contortion of a philosophical religion...” [3] In an article entitled ‘Theurgy and its Relation to Neoplatonism’ reprinted as an appendix[4] in his book The Greeks and the Irrational, in 1951, E.R. Dodds, states that:

“The last half-century has seen a remarkable advance in our knowledge of the magical beliefs and practices of later antiquity. But in comparison with this general progress the special branch of magic known as theurgy has been relatively neglected and is still imperfectly understood”.

 Dodds’ article is very important, because it admits to a poorly formed yet common opinion, that theurgy was the creation of Late Neoplatonism, particularly under the influence of Porphyry and Iamblichus. And that it was a corruption of the disciplined philosophical system of spiritual development of Plotinus, and by implication, a corruption of the philosophy of Plato and all that his philosophy represented. Nowhere does he more clearly declare his beliefs than where he states:

“As vulgar magic is commonly the last resort of the personally desperate, of those whom man and God have alike failed, so theurgy became the refuge of a despairing intelligentsia...”[5]

 Dodds then proceeds with grim intent to demonstrate that theurgy was never more than vulgar magic with religious pretensions, and that its main function was merely the conjuring of spirits and other suchlike entities through ceremonial magic for the purpose of wonder-working and prognostication. Subsequently, in mainstream academic publications little has been printed about the subject of theurgy outside of this negative context. Interestingly, this is no bad thing, for we, who understand it differently, should be grateful for such criticism, because a) some of it is true, and b) without it we would be less able to recognise true theurgy from the false. In this field of endeavour it is not criticism that is to be feared but self-delusion! 


Accepting Dodd’s premise that the subject of theurgy is relatively new to academics, but without accepting the Neoplatonic parameters implicit in his argument, I hope to demonstrate to you that the basic principles of theurgy have been understood and applied by countless generations of people, including our own. Bear this in mind as we continue, because the theurgy we have just been describing is a discipline many academics, scholars and theologians would have us believe emerged in the latter part of the third century under the influence of Porphyry and Iamblichus, under the pretention that it is possible to control cosmic powers and divine entities, and, acquire transcendental insight or experience through ceremonial magic, within the framework of Neoplatonic and Neopythagorean philosophy. Their main objective being either prognostication through the use of magical instruments or, the acquisition of oracles through the agency of a medium - what passes today under the heading of channelling. Its career, so it is thought, was short-lived, lasting not much longer than the Emperor Julian (361-363).
However, there is another theurgy, a theurgy concerned with the work of spiritual evolution, that in every sense of the word is an ancient discipline, revered and nurtured throughout history by those few who know it, yet, barely acknowledged or understood by the many who do not. It is with this theurgic discipline that this address is primarily concerned. Before we engage with it I shall briefly outline the philosophical environment of Neoplatonism in which theurgy is currently thought to have developed, and give a short biography of the key figures involved.
The Oxford Classical Dictionary defines Neoplatonism as, and I quote; “A new synthesis of Platonic, Pythagorean, Aristotelian, and Stoic elements – which was the dominant philosophy of the non-Christian world from the middle of the third century to the closing of the pagan schools by Justinian in 529.” This synthesis is believed[6] to have developed over several centuries, with the first, preparatory phase commencing in the first century BC under the reforming influence of such people as the great Stoic Posidonius; and lasting up until the middle of the third century. The second, and more significant phase, begins in the middle of the third century with Plotinus[7] whose teachings, contained in the Enneads, gave Neoplatonism its most recognisable philosophical form. 
The third phase commences with Plotinus’ student and successor Porphyry. It is thought by some that through him Neoplatonism moved away from the pure philosophical disciplines of Plotinus towards the theurgic art of ceremonial magic such as is described in Iamblichus’ book De Mysteriis, a book central to the majority of debates about theurgy. The fourth phase involved the Syrian and Pergamene schools, which derived their teachings from Iamblichus and his student Aedesius respectively. The final phase took place in the fifth and sixth century schools of Athens and Alexandria, wherein Neoplatonism culminated. The school in Athens was closed by Justinian in 529, and the school in Alexandria was absorbed by Islam from the mid seventh century onwards. 
Now the most singular and important influence upon Neoplatonism was Plotinus, who was born in Egypt at the beginning of the third century. For more than ten years he studied philosophy at Alexandria under the guidance of his master Ammonius Saccas. He moved to Rome where he quickly became the centre of an influential circle of spiritually-minded people. He remained there for the duration of his life. He published nothing and, as far as we know, wrote only the various essays and lecture notes that constitute the substance of the Enneads. These were edited and published posthumously by his student Porphyry. 
The essence of Plotinus’ teaching proposes three principle modes of being to which he applies the term Hypostases. The first Hypostasis he defines as The ONE, which is the prime source and principle of all being, the very ground of existence. The second is the DIVINE NOUS or Mind, in which exist the archetypal Ideas and prototypes of all Creation. The third, proceeding from the Divine Nous, is the WORLD SOUL, below which lies the realm of Nature, which constitutes the outer life of the World Soul, and last of all there is undifferentiated Matter - the last consequence of the outpouring of the ONE; it forms the lowest stage of the universe, and is thus understood to be the antithesis of the ONE. 

 Plotinus taught that the World Soul consisted of two parts, first; a higher celestial part through which it contemplates the Divine Nous and second; a lower terrestrial part, through which it generates the material cosmos according to the archetypal model contained within the Divine Nous. 
Individual human souls proceed from the World Soul, and like the World Soul may also be subdivided into two or more parts, for a human being, he taught, is a microcosm wherein the principles of the Hypostases are reflected as Spirit, Soul and body.
 Grace Turnbull, puts it rather well in her book The Essence of Plotinus where she writes: “We may discern three phases of the World-Soul in us: 1, The Intuitive Soul 2, The Reasoning Soul 3, The Unreasoning Soul, the principle of animal-life....”[1]
The latter being that which is created through the soul’s conjunction with matter. Below the sphere of the soul lies the material world, in which the soul’s conjunction with matter and a material body takes place, and which Plotinus taught was a fall or descent from a higher state of being, in the sense that the soul chooses to attach itself to an inferior sphere of existence: thereby suffering as a consequence all that mortality implies. It is from this fall or descent that the soul seeks redemption, and, concerning which Plotinus devotes much of his attention; and concerning which, many of the basic ideas underpinning theurgy are believed to arise.
Porphyry (232-305 CE) is the best known disciple of Plotinus. It was he who undertook the difficult task of editing the lecture notes and essays of Plotinus, and publishing them under the title of the Enneads, and for which we shall ever be in his debt, particularly for Plotinus’ biographical details that he thoughtfully included in the Introduction. 
Porphyry was himself the author of seventy plus books[2], many of which were burnt during the latter part of the Fourth Century during the reign of Theodosius I. The majority of these books are now lost, and of those still extant, the most well-known are probably his remarkable book on vegetarianism entitled On abstinence from Animal Food, and his treatise On the Homeric Cave of the Nymphs. He also composed some fifteen books against the Christian religion that were considered highly dangerous in their day, earning him the reputation of being the greatest enemy of the Christian religion. Thus it comes as no surprise that few of his books survived the tempestuous fifth and sixth centuries. Many of his books, particularly his polemical writings against Christianity were publicly burnt[3] in the middle of the fifth century, of which only fragments now remain. 
Iamblichus was born in Syria in the middle of the third century. He was a pupil of Porphyry and the author of several books, most of which are now lost. Fortunately his book, De Mysteriis survived. It is an account of a lengthy explanation of aspects of theurgy that is claimed to have been composed by the ‘Preceptor Abammon’, an Egyptian High Priest, in reply to a letter from Porphyry to a junior priest called Anebo. 
Written at a time when the ancient world was in a state of political, social and religious turbulence, but before Christianity had acquired political dominance, it is perhaps the most significant work concerning pre-Christian theurgic principles and dynamics still in existence. It has, over the course of time, been the focal point of a great deal of critical debate, both for and against. Iamblichus was later to found his own school in Syria, and his main disciple, Aedesius, was to found a further school in Pergamum. Iamblichus died circa 325; not long after Constantine became master of the Roman Empire.
To recap, I have briefly described the philosophical environment, and the principle influences, which many scholars today believe, gave rise to a theurgy generally defined as a quasi-religious philosophy with associated magical rites, that arose in the Greco-Roman world during the ember days of the classical era. Attaining its perfection, so Lenormant believed, in the Late Neoplatonic Schools of Alexandria, and, to all intents and purposes beginning its decline with the death, in the year 363, of the Emperor Julian and subsequent ascendancy of Christianity. This I believe is a prejudiced viewpoint that is more the result of post-Darwinian attitudes than historical accuracy. It is the opinion of individuals steeped in a way of thinking alien to that of our ancestors, and whose philosophy presupposes that our ancestors’ beliefs were rooted in ignorance and superstition; which is simply not true!
Now, on the other hand our second ‘theurgy’ requires a different viewpoint. It requires a viewpoint that;

a) spans a far greater period of time that is commonly accepted today;
b) dispenses with Post-Darwinian attitudes concerning evolution;
c) acknowledges that our ancestors were every bit as intelligent as we like to think we are now;
d) Recognises that theurgy, rather than being a quasi-religious philosophy with associated magical rites, is a sacred science of spiritual regeneration/evolution that has been passed down through succeeding generations.
Consider for instance, the people of Ancient Egypt, they may have been pragmatic but they were not mechanistic humanists. To them life on this earth meant far more than mere survival, they recognised that the end of a human life was but a beginning of another different life. This much is obvious, even from a casual examination of the records they left for us to find carved upon the walls of Pyramids. These records or ‘Pyramid texts’, dating from the 3rd millennium BC constitute the oldest corpus of religious literature available to us. They contain a vast amount of information concerning the Egyptian understanding of the spiritual life that, among other things, demonstrates an intimate understanding of the ‘principle’ of spiritual regeneration. And what is more, outlines how this regeneration was accomplished through what may legitimately be described as ‘rites of transformation’. Consider the following quotations selected from these texts:
 “Gather together your bones, make ready your members, throw off your dust, loosen your bonds. The tomb is opened for you, the doors of the coffin are drawn back for you, the doors of the sky are thrown open for you; ‘Greeting’ says Isis; ‘In peace’, says Nephthys..”[1]
“...this king goes to his double, to the sky. A ladder is set up for him that he may ascend on it in its name of ‘Ascent to the sky’; its ferryboat is ferried across for him by the staffs of the imperishable stars. The Bull of the sky has bent down his horns that he may pass over thereby to the lakes of the netherworld.”[2]
 “O. King, you are this great star, the companion of Orion, who traverses the sky with Orion, who navigates the Netherworld with Osiris; you ascend from the east of the sky, being renewed at your due season and rejuvenated at your due time. The sky has borne you with Orion, the year has put a fillet on you with Osiris, hands have been given to you, the dance has gone down to you, a food-offering is given to you...etc.”[3]
The processes, to which these quotations allude, are essentially theurgic, being concerned with the creation of a spiritual body, a body of light drawn out of the physical, or perhaps I should say psychical body. The rites and the teachings involved in this metamorphic process were treated with the greatest reverence, and successfully maintained in absolute secrecy for several thousand years. Few people were privy to these mysteries, although it is on record that several non-Egyptians were given access to them, Moses being one. St. Paul informs us[4] that Moses was taught of all the secrets of Egypt and thereby did the mysteries of ancient Egypt come into Israel. The same may be said of ancient Greece. The Eleusinian Mysteries, already ancient some thousand years BC, were, so it seems, reformed by the legendary Orpheus. And, although there is no hard evidence to support the notion that he received instruction in the Egyptian Mysteries, his teachings concerning the birth of the divine Eros echo much that was essential to the ancient Egyptians, particularly as expressed in the Pyramid texts. Consider the following Hymn, known as the Rhapsodic Theogony and attributed to Orpheus by pre-Christian Greeks:
"Chaos[5]was and Night[6]and black Erebos[7]at first and broad Tartaros[8], but there was no earth nor yet air nor sky. Then in the infinite bosom of Erebos first of all black-winged Night bore a wind-sown egg, from which in the circling seasons came Eros[9] the much desired, his back gleaming with twin golden wings, swift as the whirling winds. He mingled in broad Tartaros with winged and gloomy Chaos hatched out our race, and brought us first to see the light. Before that there was no race of the Immortals, until Eros mingled all things together. Then from their mingling with each other was born Heaven and Ocean and Earth and the deathless race of the blessed gods. Thus are we far the oldest of the gods. . ."[10]
In substance this hymn is very close to that of the Hermopolitan cosmogony, of Ancient Egypt, which taught that the world originated in a cosmic egg that had been laid by an Ibis - the bird sacred to the god Thoth. This cosmic egg that contained Ra, the bird of light, who was to be the creator of the world; the connections are very suggestive. 
The followers of Orpheus understood that humanity consisted of two distinct natures – a physical mortal nature, derived from the Titans and a spiritual immortal nature derived from Dionysus. From this principle they taught that the soul, if it is to evolve, must free itself by sublimating the passionate titanic nature and regenerate the divine Dionysian nature that lies within. In short, the body is the tomb or prison of the soul and salvation may only be attained by overcoming the demands of the mundane world and the restrictions of matter. A concept not so far removed from the Egyptian rites of creating a spiritual body of light, and which has ever been central to the theurgic work.
Pythagoras furthered the spiritually edifying work of Orpheus throughout Greek civilisation, as did Plato at the Academy, and his successors after him. Each in their own way contributing immensely to the theurgic work and spiritual life of the Mystery schools, particularly that of Eleusis, which was not a secret society as we might understand it. It may have started out as such, but had become over the course of centuries a civic institution that was venerated all over the known world. Numerous Athenian citizens were initiated into the Mysteries there, and inevitably many of those initiates were also students of the Academy, which functioned, deliberately or not, as both a preparatory and finishing school for initiates into the Eleusinian Mysteries, and, subsequently, for a public life serving the State.
Now, although we know little of what took place in the Mysteries of Eleusis, the same concern with the philosophical death and subsequent regeneration as a spiritual or divine being is suggested in the works of many contemporary writers, including those of Plato. This is nowhere summed up more eloquently than in the words of an inscription reported as being found at Eleusis, which reads as follows: ‘beautiful indeed is the Mystery given us by the blessed gods: death is for mortals no longer an evil, but a blessing’[11]
If we can accept that from a religious point of view our ancestors recognized that life here has one fundamental imperative; to become! to evolve, to regenerate an original state of perfection, that was in the beginning made in God’s image, then we are in with a chance of understanding the essence of theurgy, and in doing so rediscover the tradition of spiritual development that our ancestors knew and maintained. This tradition consists of a teaching and method of spiritual transformation achieved through a system of initiatic rites and ceremonies. Giving a formal ceremonial expression to the axiom; “by names and by images are all things awakened and re-awakened in the sphere of sensation.” This dramatic expression of certain key principles in ceremonial workings varies according to the era and the culture involved. However, to those who have the eyes to see, the principle has always remained the same - whatever the form. 
The sacred rites of spiritual transformation of the pre-Christian world were invariably based upon a hierarchical model similar to Plotinus’ Hypostases. Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that Plotinus’ model is based upon a hierarchical structure widely recognized in the pre-Christian world. This model has been described by different cultures in various ways. Regrettably, today we don’t have the time to explore them all; however, the model of the cosmic hierarchy given to us by Cicero in his Dream of Scipio will serve us well. Written in the middle of the First century BC by Marcus Tullius Cicero, a celebrated orator, philosopher and Roman Statesman, it gives us an insight to the pre-Christian thought of the Graeco-Roman, and by extension, the Egyptian, and Babylonian world. 
Composed at the end of a millennium that was also the twilight of another world , the Dream of Scipio unspoiled by modern conceits, is a rare and important bridge connecting us to that ancient world. The following passage is taken from the Collectanea Hermetica edited by Wynn Westcott.
“...Africanus continuing said, “How long wilt thy mind remain riveted to the Earth?  Dost thou not behold into how glorious a Temple thou art come?  Now know that the Universe consists of nine circles or rather Spheres, all connected together, one of which is celestial and the furthest off[12], embracing all the rest, the supreme Deity preserving and governing the others.  In this sphere are traced the eternal revolutions of the Stars and to it are subject the seven spheres which revolve backwards with a contrary motion to that of the Celestial Sphere.  The first (of these Seven) Spheres is occupied[13] by the Star which on Earth is called Saturn.  Next comes the sphere of that splendid Star, salutary and fortunate to the human race, called Jupiter.  Then comes the Red Sphere, terrible to the Earth, which you call Mars.  Following beneath these spheres, and in almost the middle region, is placed the Sun, the Leader, Chief and Governor of the other Lights, the mind[14] of the World and the organising principle, - of such wondrous magnitude that it illuminates and impregnates every part of the Universe with its Light.  The Spheres of Venus and Mercury in their respective courses follow the Sun as companions.  In the lowest Sphere the Moon revolves illumined by the rays of the Sun.  Below this in truth nothing exists which is not subject to death and decay, save indeed the Souls, which by the gift of the Gods are bestowed upon the human race.  Above the Moon all things are eternal, but the sphere of the Earth, which occupies a middle place and comes ninth does not move: it is the lowest and to it all ponderable bodies are born by their own gravity.”
This is the ladder, the same ladder referred to by the Egyptians, by which souls were understood to come down to earth, and, by which they ascend in the process of regeneration. The incarnating soul descends to earth through the planetary spheres, gradually taking on the component parts of mortal existence from the different natures of the planets as it progressed downward. Concerning which Franz Cumont writes;
“First receiving an ethereal garment of almost immaterial purity; then imagination being added to reason, a solar fluid surrounded it. Then a lunar integument made it subject to the passions and finally a carnal body was the cause of its ignorance of Divine Truths and of its blind foolishness. It successfully lost with these wrappings the inclinations or faculties which were bound with them, when after death it went back again to the place of its origin[1].”
 
Mr. Cumont, however, omits to point out that finding one’s way back again is not so easy. There are many obstacles that the soul must overcome before it may return to its place of origin, and all of them lie within its own nature. Those proficient in these mysteries, such as the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks were well aware of this. Thus Porphyry writes: 
“It is impossible that those who desire to be mindful of their return should accomplish their journey home from this terrestrial exile pleasantly and easily, as through some smooth plain. For no two things can be more entirely opposed to one another than a life of pleasure and ease, and the ascent to the gods.”[2]
For most souls this is an almost impossible task without the assistance of a guide, or psychopomp - which is an archaic title traditionally given to one who conducts the soul to its posthumous destination. Such guides were the Egyptian Thoth and the Greek Hermes, who were also acknowledged as the originators of the core teachings of the mysteries of spiritual regeneration. 
Often the true nature of the psychopomp is disguised in mythological forms, for instance Tiresias the blind Theban prophet who assisted Odysseus on his journey home, is an interesting symbol.  In the Paradisio, both Virgil and Beatrice, the guides of Dante on his spiritual journey, are both revealing aspects of the psychopomp. In the Book of Wisdom you will find another wonderful example of the psychopomp, it is an example that merits close inspection. Many early Christians believed that the Archangel Michael was the guide who led the souls of the faithful into the kingdom of heaven. Indeed, angels have often fulfilled the role of dependable guides in the invisible world, one for example being the angel Antiel who led Enoch in his ascent to heaven. Looked at in another way the role of the psychopomp is more akin to that of a midwife assisting the soul in its process of spiritual regeneration. However, we must be careful about bestowing such a sacred office to every ‘friend’ we meet on the path, and that includes the interior as well as the exterior path.
However, returning to our purpose! All things come to an end, even civilisations. From the time of Alexander in the fourth century BC the days of the Old World were numbered. Greek civilisation was absorbed into the Roman Empire, as was the Egyptian and the Judaic. Rome became a melting pot of ideas, both new and old. Cultural reformations and developments were inevitable as different belief systems met under the Roman Eagle. The philosophical reformation of Platonism, which began in earnest during the first century BC, and which culminated in the philosophy of Plotinus under the heading of Neoplatonism was the inevitable consequence of the Greek schools adapting to the New Order. 
It is my understanding that Plotinus sought to purge and reform the Mysteries from decadent forms of both philosophy and ritual practice. His teachings, evident in the Enneads, draw the student deeper and deeper into the interior life of the soul, to a dependency upon the indwelling godhead and the indwelling guide, rather than upon external affectations. This is consistent with core theurgic practices. Philosophy, from Plotinus’ point of view was never simply the philosophy taught in our universities today, where the distinction and separation of the intellect from spiritual development would, I feel, have been anathema to him. 
Plotinus was a deeply religious man, he was not a materialist, nor was he a humanist, and the assertion that he was not a lover of ritual, and that he found little use for magic in the training of a philosopher, I am sure would also have been disagreeable to him. Such ideas are based upon the fact that his writings The Enneads contain almost no material dealing with these subjects. But, we should be more cautious in our assumptions about Plotinus. We should note that his writings were only his notes for his lectures on the subject of Philosophy, which was never the full curriculum of his teaching. The lack of material dealing with magical practices in a philosophy class is to be expected, whilst the abundance of material dealing with the spiritual life supports the premise that he was indeed a theurgist, that is, if you accept theurgy as sacred rites of spiritual transformation’. When considered in this light, the evolution of theurgic forms that we attribute to Iamblichus and Porphyry start to make sense. It serves us badly, if indeed we seek the truth, to measure the quality of their thought by our own misconceptions. 
Finally, When Constantine empowered the Christian Hierarchy in the early years of the fourth century; he effectively ended one era, and, started another. Whatever had gone before counted for little, evidently, because within a short period of time most of it would be gone. Indeed, with the closing of the Academy and the Mystery Schools, the fate of the old ways was sealed as traditional religious observances were proscribed and temples converted to Christian use. Yet, whilst the Mystery Schools slipped into obscurity to reform or die, the teachings of Spiritual Regeneration did not fade away, in fact quite the opposite occurred. The sacred rites were quietly and slowly integrated over the course of time into the observances of the New Order. Despite modern prejudices to the contrary it is still there to be seen and discovered by those with an open mind.
Looking back, one can see this integration beginning long before Plotinus or Iamblichus. If one looks carefully one might just see in the mists of the first century the subtle influence of St. Paul and his students Hellenising the new Christian Faith, preparing the way for what was to come. Nor were they alone; Origen was another who prepared the way, as was Clement of Alexandria and St. Augustine, through whom much of the religion of the ancients flowed into the New Faith. Another great channel of the wisdom of the ancient world was the Pseudo-Dionysius, a title given to the unknown author of the Mystical Theology. For centuries this great work was attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite, and influenced Christian mystical thought for a thousand years or more. It is now currently accepted to be the work of some unknown cleric who lived in the 5th – 6th century, hence the title Pseudo-Dionysius.
What is remarkable about this body of work is that despite having a distinctly Neoplatonic flavour, it has not only survived 1500 or more turbulent years, but has also been a significant influence on the formation of the character of Mystical Christianity. I think this is extraordinary, and what is even more extraordinary is that whilst scholars and theologians continue to look at the works of Dionysius with critical eyes, they fail to recognise the obvious truth about nature of the Mystical Theology. For those who have the eyes to see recognise it to be the core material of the Mystery School of Eleusis cast in a Christian mould. In this form the ancient tradition of spiritual regeneration, far from being lost, is still with us, hidden from the gaze of those who would trivialize or misappropriate its teachings.
I think it is now appropriate for us to look at theurgy as a spiritual discipline of regeneration. This process leads the soul out of the mundane world – out of the land of Egypt, out of the labyrinth, out of the tomb or cave of the body – on a path of return to the heavens, an ascent through the different planetary kingdoms back to its spiritual home – or unity with God. One of the ladders of ascent and descent that our ancestors worked with we have already briefly examined, which is that outlined by Cicero in his Dream of Scipio. Another variation of the Ladder, derived from the Pseudo-Dionysius Corpus is as follows. (see below) Many variations of these 'spiritual hierarchies' were employed in the medieval world by influential figures such as Ambrose, Pope Gregory, John of Damascus, Alan of Lille, Thomas Aquinas, to name but a few.  


The beginning of our journey takes place at the foot of the ladder (above) whose feet are firmly established here in the mundane world, and whose top is firmly placed in heaven. Another, more diagrammatic form of this ladder, is the Tree of Life more commonly associated with the Kabbalah. There are several ways of conceptualising the Tree of Life as a ladder. Here are a few of them;


The first, top left, is an illustration of the cosmos as our pre-Christian ancestors would have understood it. The oval representing the cosmos as an egg with the spirit in the centre, and the concentric ovals represents the rungs of the cosmic ladder by which the soul accesses that centre. This may be compared with the circle to the right, where the outer circle corresponds with the realm or world of Ain Soph Aur (Infinite Light) and the centre with Malkuth. (The distinction requires some reflection)

The pillar of circles (bottom right) corresponds with the same concept but portrays a vertical scale descending from Kether at the top into the world of Malkuth at the bottom. Each arrangement demonstrates a variation of a theme, a theme that has, in one form or another been the subject of human interest since time immemorial. Last of all is a diagram of the Tree of Life (below) as it is commonly represented today.
As you may have already realised, all of the preceding images illustrate the same concept: that there is a direct connection between the Creator and the created; between the visible and the invisible between heaven and earth; between the form and the formless; and what is more, indicating the means of spiritual regeneration and return. They constitute a veritable Ariadne’s Thread, which you may recall was the means by which Theseus was able to find his way out of the labyrinth. The labyrinth represents of course the confusing darkness of our own ignorance whilst the Minator embodies the brutish nature of our unregenerate ego. In Christian terms, this is achieved through adhering to the teachings of Christ, the Divine Logos, who leads the soul through the process of purification, elevation, sacrifice and consecration as exemplified by His Life and Passion on earth some two-thousand years ago.

In contemplating this diagram (above) it is clear that the theurgist begins to work, as must all, in the realm of Nature. Alas, although we are undoubtedly spiritual beings, we are nonetheless subject to the forces that rule the material world. By this I do not necessarily mean spiritual forces, although they clearly play their part. In this instance I am referring to the laws of Nature that, in obedience to divine law, govern this world of the senses: which includes our physical bodies. We may not like it but the fact is that ninety-five per cent, if not more, of our physical, emotional and mental experience is defined by the chemistry of our body and the environment we live in. Biology determines almost everything we do. And, if we don’t recognise this fact we will struggle to make any progress in the Work.

Many of us are convinced that we have the freedom to do whatever we choose, but that is a fallacy; just about everything we do in this world is conditioned and influenced by our environment. Yes, we do make choices, but they are conditioned choices. We are conditioned from the very beginning of our lives by our families, by our environment, by local and international politics, by climate, by social etiquette, by our need to secure a living and raise a family, to establish our place in the community, and so on…. Such conditioning is continually being reinforced moment by moment, nanosecond by nanosecond, and only when we are able to accept this fact will we be in a position to begin the work of spiritual regeneration.

The work of spiritual regeneration begins with a process of self-enquiry known by most people as Meditation. There are many facets to this process but when all is said and done it is a method that allows the theurgist to distinguish the essential ‘self’ from not-self. On this subject alone we could spend days exploring the nuances of the human constitution, however, our time is short and I will describe in the following terms. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians informs us that:

 “All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another of animals, another of fish and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterwards the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man.”
[1 Corinthians 15:39-49]

Distinguishing between the ‘terrestrial’ and the ‘celestial’ is a fundamental part of the work of the theurgist, for without that insight there can be no understanding of the spiritual life that lies at the heart of the work of the theurgist. The Tree of Life, in whatever form it takes, is a means of enabling the soul to advance its understanding of the spiritual realities of life beyond the rational mind and the material world of the senses. 

I was asked to consider the soul as a tree with its roots deep in the diversified earth of coarse sensation, its trunk rising through the spheres of human experience and its canopy high in the sublime atmosphere of the presence of the Divine. With that metaphor in mind I ask you the question I was asked. Where would you place your sense of self right now; in the roots or somewhere on the trunk? By which I mean to say, somewhere on the field of human experience in the mundane world. The truth is, I discovered, our awareness oscillates up and down the trunk of the tree. Sometimes we are lost in a sea of pure sensation and occasionally our awareness is high up the trunk in the realm of pure thought, but most of the time our awareness is engaged with the things of the senses and the demands of the mundane world. 

However, in the method of prayer we are discussing, the context of a prayer, that is to say its meaning, its significance, draws the soul upwards, beyond the things of the mundane world towards the canopy, as it were. The important point to understand is that to regain that which we have lost we must rise above the mundane world, and prayer and meditation are tried and tested methods of achieving just that. 

Indeed, at the heart of the soul’s relationship with the Divine is the ability to engage in prayer. Many people think of prayer as it applies to our earthly life: seeking assistance from the Divine with our earthly problems. However, when viewed from a theurgic perspective, prayer is both an art and a science. As an art it is the secret language of the soul - a language which synthesizes thought, image and emotion in a manner that is best described as an alchemical process, enabling the soul to transcend the limitations of mundane existence. As a science it defines the formulae and techniques of transcending that mundane world, which is the world of the senses and all that such implies. This secret language of the soul constitutes the essential work of Theurgy.

Unfortunately, as interesting as this subject is, we must leave it here, for time requires that this paper must now close. That which must necessarily follow is properly the domain of Ritual and Ceremonial, which is in itself a life’s work and must be the subject of another discussion. Thank you
#brothermarcusodp


[1] F. Cumont, After Life in Roman Paganism p106.
[2] To Marcella, (tr. Alice Zimmerman)



[1] Utterance 676, p289. The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts R.O. Faulkner
[2] Utterance 568, p221. The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts R.O. Faulkner
[3] Utterance 466, p155. The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts R.O. Faulkner
[4] (Acts 7:22) also The Works of Philo trans. C.D. Yonge Pub. Hendrickson, USA 1993, p461-2
[5] Originally this word meant the ‘yawning’ or Abyss.
[6] Nyx.
[7] Darkness.
[8] The darkest part of Hades, which eventually came to be the place of torment and punishment for sinners.
[9] God of Love.
[10] The Birds, Aristophanes.
[11] The Mystery religions & Christianity. Angus, p140.
[12]   Eight similar spheres enveloped in a ninth vast and glorious envelope. 
[13]   Note the distinction between the Sphere and the Planet pertaining to it.
[14]   Mens;  in ancient occult  works, this word is of far higher import than our word, mind.  Compare the Chaldaic philosophy in Stanley’s History of Philosophy. 


[1] page 15.
[2] Oxford Classical Dictionary.
[3] A History of Philosophy.Vol I. Copplestone



[1] Lecture by Prof. Hilary Thomas, at an all-party group conference entitled BRITAIN AGAINST CANCER. Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, 1999.
[2] ? Liddel & Scott’s Greek – English Lexicon
[3] Francois Lenormant Chaldean Magic and Sorcery.  p74.
[4] U.C.P. 1951. Appendix II, entitled ‘Theurgy’.
[5] The greeks and the Irrational. E.Dodds, p228
[6][6] Oxford Classical Dictionary
[7] (c 205–270);