Introduction to Magic, Volume III

Authentic initiatic practices, rituals, and wisdom collected by the UR Group - Explores esoteric practices for individual development, handed down from a primordial tradition and discernable in alchemy, Hermetism, religious doctrines, Tantra, Taoism, Buddhism, Vedanta, and the pagan mysteries of the West - Reveals the ultimate magical goal of the "Absolute Individual," the immortal and divine potential that requires rare gifts and extraordinary efforts for its realization The "Gruppo di UR" was a group of Italian esotericists who collaborated for three brief years, from 1927 to 1929. The purpose of this group was to study and practice ancient rituals and procedures they gleaned from the mystery traditions of the world, both East and West, in order to attain a state of superhuman consciousness and power that would allow them to act magically on the world. They produced a monthly journal containing techniques for spiritual realization, accounts of personal experiences, translations and commentaries on ancient texts, and original essays on esoteric topics. The prime movers of the group were Arturo Reghini (1878-1946), a Pythagorean mathematician and reviver of a spiritual Freemasonry, and Julius Evola (1898-1974), then a young philosopher with a mastery of the esoteric doctrines of East and West. Many years later, Evola gathered the UR Group essays into three volumes, giving them their final form in 1971. This volume, the third in the series, complements the first two, yet they are not strictly sequential, and their contents can be read in any order. Volume III, more than the others, bears the personal stamp of Julius Evola. In its pages you'll discover that the "magic" of the UR Group has nothing to do with sorcery or superstition. It was their term for an active and affirmative attitude toward individual development handed down from a "primordial tradition" and discernable in alchemy, Hermetism, esoteric religious doctrines, indigenous practices, Tantra, Taoism, Buddhism, Vedanta, and the pagan mysteries of the West. Its goal was the "Absolute Individual," the immortal and divine potential that requires rare gifts and extraordinary efforts for its realization. However, there is incalculable value in this volume even for the less heroic. By studying the practices and realizations within, the reader will be liberated from conventional dogmas--religious, political, scientific, and psychological--and see with the clearer eye of realization.