Living Theurgy A Course in Iamblichus' Philosophy Theology and Theurgy edition by Jeffrey Kupperman Politics Social Sciences eBooks
Download As PDF : Living Theurgy A Course in Iamblichus' Philosophy Theology and Theurgy edition by Jeffrey Kupperman Politics Social Sciences eBooks 
Living Theurgy is a masterpiece combining scholarly excellence with lucid practicality. Theurgy (‘god-working’) is a combination of ritual mystical practices interwoven with philosophy and theology. It was developed by Iamblichus and other Neoplatonists inspired by the works of philosophers including Plato, Aristotle and Pythagoras, and Julian the Chaldean.
Author and scholar Jeffrey Kupperman elucidates and makes accessible the core ideologies and practices of Theurgy, which evolved through more than 1000 years of Platonic philosophy and cultural transformations. Kupperman guides the reader through the contemplative and theurgical practices used by the Neoplatonists to create effective spiritual transformation in the practitioner.
Philosophia (Philosophy) as the foundation of Theurgy is explored through techniques such as lectio divina (‘divine reading’) contemplation and visualisation. It focuses on discussion of key concepts including virtue, wisdom, bravery, temperance, justice, evil, political philosophy, beauty and love.
Theologia (Theology) considers the One, also known as the Good, which is the source of all, through the spectrum of monotheism, polytheism and panentheism. It also explores different views regarding the nature and functions of the Demiurge, angels and daimons, and the human soul, and the practices of Theurgy, including the use of hymns and prayers.
Theourgia (Theurgy) focuses on the practices, from purification and the use of signs, symbols and tokens to talismancy and the ensouling of eikons (divine images). The work concludes with a complete guide to the Invocation of the Personal Daimon, an essential step in the theurgic process of purification and illumination in seeking the Divine.
Living Theurgy is a literary psychopomp for practitioners seeking effective methods of developing their knowledge and relationship with the divine through Neoplatonic praxis. It is essential reading for all those interested in traditional forms of magical, philosophical, and religious practice, and the history of the western mysteries.
Living Theurgy A Course in Iamblichus' Philosophy Theology and Theurgy edition by Jeffrey Kupperman Politics Social Sciences eBooks
I honestly wanted to love this book. I had pre-ordered it and waited for it quite a while. I was looking forward to an expert in the system of Iamblichus to flesh out an explanation of that great, ancient philosophy that has been hanging out on the edge of the tree of life for many years. Unfortunately, this book did not provide the insight I was seeking. It is obvious Mr. Kupperman is thoroughly steeped in the knowledge and study of Neoplatonism. He is scholastically adept and definitely writes from a place of his strength. However, I came out of reading the text not much clearer than when I started it. It appears to me that he was writing for those who have already achieved a mid-level grasp of the terminology of the subject, and that is my main complaint. Allow me to quote a typical passage:"Things that participate an ontologically prior reality preserve within themselves something of what they participate, an image or imprint of the higher essence. Time is also the first image, as Aion cannot be said to be an image of the one, because the One has no image. Given this, the nature of the Time and its relationship to the psychic realm, we might conclude that the psychic realm is itself an image of noetic, just a Psyche participates Nous. Likewise, the cosmos is an image of the noetic, just as Psyche participates Nous. Likewise, the cosmos is an image of the Essential Living Being, or the Whole Soul, Nous is the psychic realm. The human soul, then, exists as an image within an image of an image of Aion."
I chose this passage because the author writes in this style throughout the entire book. It is as if he is channeling an ancient Greek Neoplatonist who is commenting upon his own now-fragmented writings. If one is teaching people unfamiliar with the topic of Iamblichean theurgy and the Neoplatonic cosmology the practice is embedded within, it would seem useful to descend into modern English now and then in order to bridge the span of Aionic Time and actually teach contemporary dwellers in generative bodies.
I just read "Philosophy and Theurgy in Late Antiquity" by Algis Uzdavinys which has a very different program than Kupperman. However I found it more readable, less abstract and more generous in educating my modern brain than the current text. I think it was because Uzdavinys utilized frequent comparison with the imagistic Egyptian and Mesopotamian traditions to illustrate points of similarity or places of possible derivation for Platonism. Kupperman seems to do his best to de-mythologize Iamblichus and the Neoplatonists which feels completely unnatural to what would have been their actual practices. They were fully steeped in myth and symbolism and utilized these in every facet of the holy work.
Perhaps if I were better versed in the details of Proclus, Plotinus, Iamblichus et all reading Kupperman would not have been so painful. But should it have been anyway?
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Living Theurgy A Course in Iamblichus' Philosophy Theology and Theurgy edition by Jeffrey Kupperman Politics Social Sciences eBooks Reviews
I think the are good but I just really start trying to study the art Ms. Thelma and Mr Rahael these are my stand by been through 2 fires I'm enjoying the new books.
As far as esoteric reconstruction books go, this is one that should be used as a model! Really well researched, with fantastic synthesis, it's scholarly but also useful.
Iamblichus' system is complex -- and the ancient world can be an alien place -- Kupperman does a great job giving context to ideas, filling in other ideas that are lost, and combining a whole history or current of related material though through the Christian Era into a cohesive whole. The book though is a good starting place (it has a tremendous bibliography) to fleshing out a uniquely western system of magic.
The rituals outlined in it are beautiful, but leave me wanting another more specifically practical-based book, or a series of them.
(As a side note, I do wish the printing was higher quality, but it's *not* expensive for what it is.)
Iamblichus was one of only three spiritual giants the ancient Greeks honored with the title "divine." (The other two were Pythagoras and Plato.) His extraordinary insights were rooted in the spirituality of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and other sacred traditions still thriving in the third century C.E. His books galvanized the Greek world--the brilliant Roman emperor Julian was one of this most fervent devotees.
Advanced students of ritual work will relish this book on late Neoplatonic spiritual practice. If however, you're new to this important tradition of working with spirit, you may find the book challenging reading. My advice is buy it anyway; you'll be well rewarded by the glimpse if offers of the depth and magnificence of the lost tradition at the root of Western culture. I personally think many New Agers drawn to channeling and magic can learn a lot from Iamblichus' deeply informed understanding of these topics.
A word to the wise In some respects Iamblichus' methods of spiritual development are surprisingly close to ancient techniques still practiced in India today. For example, if the idea of enlivening a statue for the purpose of spiritual growth makes no sense to you, you might do well to visit a Hindu temple in your area and see how "prana pratishta" (breathing life into an image of a deity) is still done now, and what an amazingly powerful spiritual practice this can be.
I honestly wanted to love this book. I had pre-ordered it and waited for it quite a while. I was looking forward to an expert in the system of Iamblichus to flesh out an explanation of that great, ancient philosophy that has been hanging out on the edge of the tree of life for many years. Unfortunately, this book did not provide the insight I was seeking. It is obvious Mr. Kupperman is thoroughly steeped in the knowledge and study of Neoplatonism. He is scholastically adept and definitely writes from a place of his strength. However, I came out of reading the text not much clearer than when I started it. It appears to me that he was writing for those who have already achieved a mid-level grasp of the terminology of the subject, and that is my main complaint. Allow me to quote a typical passage
"Things that participate an ontologically prior reality preserve within themselves something of what they participate, an image or imprint of the higher essence. Time is also the first image, as Aion cannot be said to be an image of the one, because the One has no image. Given this, the nature of the Time and its relationship to the psychic realm, we might conclude that the psychic realm is itself an image of noetic, just a Psyche participates Nous. Likewise, the cosmos is an image of the noetic, just as Psyche participates Nous. Likewise, the cosmos is an image of the Essential Living Being, or the Whole Soul, Nous is the psychic realm. The human soul, then, exists as an image within an image of an image of Aion."
I chose this passage because the author writes in this style throughout the entire book. It is as if he is channeling an ancient Greek Neoplatonist who is commenting upon his own now-fragmented writings. If one is teaching people unfamiliar with the topic of Iamblichean theurgy and the Neoplatonic cosmology the practice is embedded within, it would seem useful to descend into modern English now and then in order to bridge the span of Aionic Time and actually teach contemporary dwellers in generative bodies.
I just read "Philosophy and Theurgy in Late Antiquity" by Algis Uzdavinys which has a very different program than Kupperman. However I found it more readable, less abstract and more generous in educating my modern brain than the current text. I think it was because Uzdavinys utilized frequent comparison with the imagistic Egyptian and Mesopotamian traditions to illustrate points of similarity or places of possible derivation for Platonism. Kupperman seems to do his best to de-mythologize Iamblichus and the Neoplatonists which feels completely unnatural to what would have been their actual practices. They were fully steeped in myth and symbolism and utilized these in every facet of the holy work.
Perhaps if I were better versed in the details of Proclus, Plotinus, Iamblichus et all reading Kupperman would not have been so painful. But should it have been anyway?
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