Opus Mago-Cabbalisticum et Theosophicum
Is a celebrated occult and magical book by German Alchemist, Georg von Welling.
First published in 1719, the book was popular in its own time, and was still being published in a third edition at the same time masterworks of Enlightenment Philosophy by Immauel Kant were appearing. The museum’s copy is dated 1760 and is written in old German. The book is leather-bound, 582 pages long with numerous occult charts and diagrams.
After 300 Years this magical book of forbidden knowledge was translated into English by Joseph McVeigh, Professor and Chair of German studies at Smith College.
This first-ever translation was met with glowing reviews and a renewed interest by historians in Alchemy. Professor McVeigh’s translation is prefaced with an Introduction written by internationally renowned occult author and lecturer, Lon Milo DuQuette, (www.lonmilo.com). DuQuette refers to this edition as an “Alchemical masterpiece.” DuQuette states, “This, in all likelihood, was the actual book of forbidden knowledge that fired the imagination of the magician Faust in Goethe’s immortal play. Von Welling’s work can also be traced through the doctrines and teachings of many European esoteric institutions including those of the Freemasons, Rosicrucians and the Golden Dawn.”
Professor McVeigh has brilliantly transformed von Welling’s magical writings and dozens of alchemical illustrations into a clear text for contemporary readers. “Reading von Welling’s work, one can imagine Faust’s dark study where he struggles with the futility of earthly knowledge and the temptation this book offered him with its claim of secret insights into nature and the cosmos,” says McVeigh.
The English translation of Opus Mago-Cabbalisticum et Theosophicum, is 551 pages long, published by Red Wheel/Weiser and available in hardcover from AzureGreen, www.azuregreen.com.
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