While the
end of the 15th century marked the height
in trials for sorcery in Europe,
the intellectual elite of the Renaissance
appeared to be taking a keen interest
in a new form of magic.
This movement was initiated by Marsile
Ficin, to whom we owe the Latin translation
of
Hermes's texts, and these new magi
comprised major philosophers, such as
Pic de la Mirandole, Agrippa and even
Giordano Bruno,
whose works appeared to be real initiatory
guides.
The magic of the Renaissance was based on
the in-depth analysis of ancient texts,
such
as Hermes's Liber Sacer or the Arab Picatrix,
and intended to be purely astral in
nature and not confused with astrology, horoscopes
or even
black magic and demonology.
It was derived from nature and based on
the power of the stars, which are to
be brought
down onto man. The magi were in the same
vein as the hermetic tradition and
considered the cosmos to be a set of layers
interconnected by a
harmonious system of correspondences and
sympathies.
The parallel and complementary magic theses
that flourished during this pivotal period
represent real practical anthologies for
whoever knows how to decipher them.
