The Key to Great Mysteries

The book "The Key to Great Mysteries" has been translated into Russian for the first time. It is the third and perhaps the main book on High Magic by one of the most outstanding writers- occultists of the 19th century, Eliphas Levi, born Alphonse Louis Constant, who has left an indelible mark on the entire subsequent occult life of France and indeed all of Western Europe. According to the author, this book "completes and explains" his two previous works on High Magic, namely "Dogma and Ritual of High Magic" and "History of Magic". This is why it holds a premier place in the entire trilogy: being the final part, "The Key to Great Mysteries" deserves very high praise.

This is how Eliphas Levi himself formulated the tasks addressed in this book: "To harmonize knowledge with revelation and reason with faith in the realm of religion; to demonstrate the absolute principles that reconcile all contradictions in philosophy; finally, to reveal the universal balance of natural forces – such is the triple goal of this work, which will therefore be divided into three parts… Mysteries of other worlds, hidden powers, extraordinary revelations, mysterious illnesses, rare abilities, spirits, phantoms, magical paradoxes, hermetic arcana – we will tell everything and explain it all. But what granted us such power? – We shall not hesitate to reveal this to our readers… This edition is a ray of light or madness; a mystification or a monument. Read, think, judge."

Moreover, Eliphas Levi included in the book, as appendices, his articles on Kabbalah, fragments related to black magic, curious excerpts from the works of Paracelsus, a brief summary of Occult Pneumatology, and perhaps the most interesting – his translation with detailed explanation of one of the fundamental books on Alchemy, known as "Ash mezarref" – "The Purifying Fire". It is worth noting that Eliphas's commentary is of great value - his explanations will help readers better comprehend and understand the very essence of the ancient alchemical work. Thus, the most important third book by E. Levi, which is one of the vivid examples among the works of great initiates, is mandatory reading for anyone who wishes to gain a correct understanding of the truths and foundations of magic presented in the author's previous books.