Chris
sorry if i'm being obstruse -
i'm asking about the symbolism of the number four -
whether that applies at this particular period of occult publishing as it
perhaps does elsewhere -
ie: a thesis is naturally broken down into three parts -
this might conform to the so-called 'rule of three' in publishing and
intellectual discourse -
ultimately derived from say classical notions of symmetry, parsimony, etc -
It may well apply outside of the classical tradition - hence in Hinduism -
four is an inauspicious number - but also for related reasons - the number
of ganesha - god of intellectual pursuits. There is also a fourth Veda -
which is much more unorthodox/magical than the other three -
Would I be right in saying that the first three books of Agrippa are more
theoretical and that the fourth book is more magical (and indeed more
interesting to the practitioner) than the first three books are.
In a nutshell - would Agrippa, being a classical scholar,
have written three books??
Just a thought -
mogg
-----Original Message-----
From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Christopher I.
Lehrich
Sent: 30 August 2006 04:35
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Agrippa's 4th book
I'm unsure what you're asking. The text explicitly presents itself as a
key, culmination, and at the same time easy summary of the whole Occult
Philosophy. Is that your question?
Chris Lehrich
Mandrake of Oxford wrote:
> Dear Friend
>
> very informative -
> was my impression too although i've only a passing acquantance with this
> kind of material. I thought the fact that it was a 'fourth' book also
marks
> it out as more heterodox or written by others as a completion of a
project?
> Do you think there's anything in that - so like a putative fourth chapter
of
> the Book of the Law, fourth of the Hindu Veda's etc.
>
> bb/93
>
> mogg
>
>
--
Christopher I. Lehrich
Boston University
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