The Olympic Spirits

The reputation of the Swiss physician Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, also known as Paracelsus (1493–1541), looms large in European esotericism, particularly with regard to his groundbreaking work in the disciplines of pharmacy, chemistry and medicine. As a practicing alchemist, his works on the Royal Art are also the subject of modern inquiry; serious studies on his occult works, particularly those of operative magic, are however lacking.

Nevertheless, in the corpus of Paracelsian writings, many were magical in nature; perhaps the most enigmatic among these concerned the Olympic Spirits, a group of seven powerful spirituous intelligences with whom the practitioner of magic could make ritual contact. Frater Acher's The Olympic Spirits explores this hierarchy of spirits and their powers with a detailed and holistic approach for the modern practitioner.

The book is divided into three categories: biographical, historical and practical. The biographical approach examines the often larger-than-life personality of Paracelsus, as the creator of the term Olympic Spirits; and the radical new magical concept behind it.

In the historical approach, the author examines the transformation that the Olympic Spirits have undergone as they have migrated into different books and manuscripts over the past five centuries, constantly evolving with each recension into new forms and magical operations. The practical dimension of this study examines the lived experience of the Olympic Spirits within the magical practitioner, and offers guidance for the student's own magical work with the Paracelsian retinue.

With his well-known clarity and practical approach, Frater Acher brings the complex and original Renaissance magic of Paracelsus into the twenty-first century, making it accessible for the modern student. The book also provides ample access to the writings of Paracelsus by translating original sources into English for the first time. Additionally, work also includes four critical appendices with first-time English translations of important works by Robert Fludd and Adam Haslmayr, important inheritors and propagators of the mystical legacy of Paracelsus, as well as an English translation of the late 17th century grimoire-text Cod.Mag.55 - The Conjuration of the Olympic Spirits according to Solomon, Son of David.

The Olympic Spirits also contains original illustrations by the visionary occult artist Joseph Uccello, known for his work in Occlith 0 Omniform and Occlith 1: Codex Homunculi, both of which include translated works of Paracelsus.

The book is now being offered for pre-order in the following editions:

Softcover edition with colour cover (pictured), $40.00

Standard hardcover edition: 1500 hand-numbered copies in gilt red cloth with colour dust jacket, $92.50.

Deluxe hardcover edition: Gilt red goatskin with special endpapers and slipcase, limited to 49 hand-numbered copies: $425.00 ea.

Special edition: Gilt white goatskin with marbled endpapers and slipcase, limited to 28 hand-numbered copies: $575.00 ea.

Update, 21 January: Softcover editions of this work will begin shipping January 28th. Hardcover editions will begin shipping on February 24th, with leather editions to follow in late March.