The Olympic Spirits

The Olympic Spirits examines the ritual magic and spiritual frameworks of the renowned Swiss alchemist Paracelsus (1493–1541). Its approach to the subject is divided into three categories: biographical, historical and practical.

The biographical approach examines the often larger than life personality of Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim (Paracelsus), as the creator of the term ‘Olympic Spirits’, and the radical new magical concept behind it.

Historically, the book details the transformation that the Olympic Spirits have undergone as they have migrated into different books and manuscripts over the past five centuries, constantly transformed and evolving with each recension into new forms and magical operations.

The practical dimension 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.

In the approachable voice he is known for with other works such as Ingenium and Trutmezzer, Frater Acher brings the complex and original Renaissance magic of Paracelsus into the twentieth century, making it accessible for the modern practitioner. Acher provides ample access to the writings of Paracelsus by translating original sources into English for the first time. The book also includes four appendices with first-time English translations of important works by Robert Fludd and Adam Haslmayr.

In addition to several charts and diagrams, the book also contains original illustrations by the occult artist Joseph Uccello, known for his work in Occlith and Ingenium.