Who Was Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa?

• Lifespan: 1486–1535

• Background: German polymath—scholar, physician, soldier, theologian, and esoteric philosopher. He lived during the Renaissance, a time when magic, science, religion, and philosophy often overlapped.

• Famous Work: De Occulta Philosophia Libri Tres (Three Books of Occult Philosophy), written in 1510 and published in 1533.

Agrippa was a devout Christian and humanist who believed the world was infused with hidden divine meanings. His goal was to reveal the secret links between all things—natural, celestial, and divine—and show how the magus (the wise practitioner) could align with them.

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The Renaissance Worldview: A Chain of Being

Agrippa’s magic operates within a three-tiered cosmos, based on Neoplatonic and Hermetic models:

1. Elemental World – The physical/material plane of the four elements: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire.

• Governed by natural laws and hidden virtues.

• Explored in Book I.

2. Celestial World – The stars, planets, and zodiac.

• Source of light, time, motion, and influence.

• Powers affect all lower things.

• Explored in Book II.

3. Divine (Intellectual) World – The highest realm of angels, intelligences, souls, and God.

• True causes, archetypes, and spiritual forces.

• Explored in Book III.

This model reflects the Great Chain of Being, where each lower level mirrors and depends on the higher one.

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