Complete Introduction to Magic

All three volumes of the occult classic available together as a deluxe boxed set for the first time. In 1927 Julius Evola and other leading Italian esotericists formed the mysterious UR group. The purpose of this group was to study and practice ancient rituals from the mystery traditions of the world, both East and West, in order to attain a state of superhuman consciousness and power to allow them to act magically on the world. They produced a monthly journal containing techniques for spiritual realization, accounts of personal experiences, translations of ancient texts, and original essays on the occult. Many years later, in 1971, Evola gathered these essays into three volumes. Volume I collects rites, practices, and magical knowledge, including instructions for creating an etheric double, speaking words of power, using fragrances, interacting with entities, and creating a “magical chain.” It also includes translations of rare texts such as the Tibetan teachings of the Thunderbolt Diamond Path, the Mithraic mystery cult’s “Grand Papyrus of Paris,” and the Greco-Egyptian magical text De Mysteriis. Volume II shares authentic initiatic wisdom and a rigorous selection of initiatory exercises, including instructions for creating the diaphanous body of the Opus magicum, and establishing initiatic consciousness after death. It also offers studies of mystery traditions throughout history. Volume III, more than the others, bears the personal stamp of Julius Evola. It explores esoteric practices for individual development, handed down from a primordial tradition and discernable in alchemy, Hermetism, religious doctrines, Tantra, Taoism, Buddhism, Vedanta, and the pagan mysteries of the West. Available together as a deluxe boxed set for the first time in English, these volumes present the steps necessary to purify the soul with the light of knowledge and the fire of dedication, as well as allowing the reader to be liberated from conventional dogmas—religious, political, scientific, and psychological—and see with the clearer eye of realisation.

Julius Evola (1898–1974) is considered one of the foremost authorities on the world’s esoteric traditions. A controversial philosopher and critic of modern Western civilization, he wrote widely on Eastern religions, alchemy, sexuality, politics, and mythology and published many books, including Revolt Against the Modern World.