{"product_id":"theurgy-theory-and-practice-the-mysteries-of-the-ascent-to-the-divine-9781644118368","title":"Theurgy: Theory and Practice: The Mysteries of the Ascent to the Divine","description":"\u003cb\u003eConnects the magical practice of theurgy to the time of Homer\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- Explores the many theurgic themes and events in the \u003ci\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eIliad\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- Analyzes the writings of Neoplatonists Porphyry and Proclus, showing how both describe the technical ritual praxis of theurgy in Homeric terms \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- Examines the methods of telestikē, a form of theurgic statue animation and technique to divinize the soul, and how theurgy is akin to shamanic soul flight \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFirst defined by the second century \u003ci\u003eChaldean Oracles\u003c\/i\u003e, theurgy is an ancient magic practice whereby practitioners divinized the soul and achieved mystical union with a deity, the Demiurge, or the One. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this detailed study, P. D. Newman pushes the roots of theurgy all the way back before the time of Homer. He shows how the \u003ci\u003eChaldean Oracles\u003c\/i\u003e were not only written in Homeric Greek but also in dactylic hexameter, the same meter as the epics of Homer. Linking the Greek shamanic practices of the late Archaic period with the theurgic rites of late antiquity, the author explains how both \u003ci\u003eanabasis\u003c\/i\u003e, soul ascent, and \u003ci\u003ekatabasis\u003c\/i\u003e, soul descent, can be considered varieties of shamanic soul flight and how these practices existed in ancient Greek culture prior to the influx of shamanic influence from Thrace and the Hyperborean North. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe author explores the many theurgic themes and symbolic events in the \u003ci\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eIliad\u003c\/i\u003e, including the famous journey of Odysseus to Hades and the incident of the funeral pyre of Patroclus. He presents a close analysis of \u003ci\u003eOn the Cave of the Nymphs\u003c\/i\u003e, Porphyry's commentary on Homer's Odyssey, as well as a detailed look at Proclus's symbolic reading of Homer's \u003ci\u003eIliad\u003c\/i\u003e, showing how both of these Neoplatonists describe the philosophical theory and the technical ritual praxis of theurgy. Using the \u003ci\u003eChaldean Oracles\u003c\/i\u003e as a case study, Newman examines in detail the methods of \u003ci\u003etelestikē\u003c\/i\u003e, a form of theurgic statue animation, linking this practice to ancient Egyptian and Greek traditions as well as theurgic techniques to divinize the soul. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRevealing how the theurgic arts are far older than the second century, Newman's study not only examines the philosophical theory of theurgy but also the actual ritual practices of the theurgists, as described in their own words.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eP. D. Newman has been immersed in the study and practice of alchemy, hermetism, and theurgy for more than two decades. A member of both the Masonic Fraternity and the Society of Rosicrucians, he lectures internationally and has published articles in many esoteric journals, including \u003ci\u003eThe Scottish Rite Journal, Knights Templar Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eAd Lucem\u003c\/i\u003e. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eAngels in Vermilion: The Philosophers' Stone from Dee to DMT\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eAlchemically Stoned: The Psychedelic Secret of Freemasonry\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Tupelo, Mississippi, with his son, Bacchus, and his wife, Rebecca.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Inner Traditions International","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50719868158226,"sku":"9781644118368","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_a31094a8-42e0-482e-b60b-50deecdcecc6.jpg?v=1734670437","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/theurgy-theory-and-practice-the-mysteries-of-the-ascent-to-the-divine-9781644118368","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}