Magia Divina: An 18th Century Rosicrucian Adaption of the Holy Abramelin Operation

For the first time, the Magia Divina (also known as the Abramelin Operation) is presented in the manner that our Scandinavian Rosicrucian brethren used it in the 18th century. The Swedish manuscript, from which all the emblems and exquisite illustrations in the present volume are reproduced, was handwritten by Duke Charles (later King Charles XIII of Sweden), one of the prominent esoteric leaders in Europe, in the early 1780s. From the perspective of esoteric masonry and the Hermetic, Rosicrucian and Golden Dawn traditions, the emblems unveil profound magical and alchemical aspects of the various chapters. These are, together with an overall alchemical analysis of the Magia Divina, explained in the introduction. The Book of Abramelin was written during the 14th and 15th centuries by Abraham von Worms and is considered to be one of the true genuine books of magic. Several manuscript copies exist in German, Latin, French, and Swedish. It gained popularity when S. L. MacGregor Mathers translated a French version into English, published in 1900, especially amongst the members of the Golden Dawn. This present version, however, shows that it was utilised a century before within initiatory Orders and adapted into a Rosicrucian format under the name of Magia Divina or The Divine Magic. There, it aimed to transform Initiates into Adepts so that they eventually could receive the Twig of Victory from the Lord. It displays a rite of self-purification and magico-alchemical initiation for achieving Knowledge and Conversation with one's Holy Guardian Angel, thereby being able to start reintegrating the fallen or Evil parts of Creation as a servant of the Highest. Duke Charles's version of The Seven Mystical Prayers from the Golden Book concludes the volume as a supplement to the Operation. May this work guide its reader towards a complete Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel!