Most Noted For:

• "Eliphas Lévi," the name under which he published his books, was his attempt to translate or transliterate his given names "Alphonse Louis" into Hebrew.
• For a time Constant lived from his writings and giving lessons in the occult. It was during this time he took the name of Magus Eliphas Lévi, the Hebrew equivalents of his first and middle names.
• Lévi's version of magic became a great success, especially after his death.
• His magical teachings were free from fanaticisms, although rather "murky." Lévi had nothing to sell, and did not pretend to be the inititate of some ancient or fictitious secret society.
• Although Lévi studied magic, he was considered to be more of a commentator on the subject than an adept even though he professed to have practiced Necromancy several times.
• Lévi incorporated the Tarot cards into his magical system. As a result, the Tarot has been an important part of the paraphernalia of Western magicians.
• In The Dogma, Lévi devoted 22 chapters to the 22 trump cards, or Major Arcana, of the Tarot. He linked each to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and to aspects of God. Some experts called this a significant endeavor while others claimed it to be insignificant.

• Lévi never produced a complete treatise on Tarot cards, but his references to the cards throughout his writings, continued to fascinate, influence and inspire many generations of occultists after his death.
• Initially Lévi’s writings and beliefs were thought to be highly imaginative for he believed in the existence of a universal “secret doctrine of magic” that had prevailed throughout history and was evident everywhere in the world. He also expanded on the theory of “Astral Light” based on his belief in animal magnetism.
• It was largely through the occultists, inspired by him, that Lévi is remembered as one of the key founders of the twentieth century revival of magic.
• Lévi identified three fundamental principles of magic:
• • That the material universe is only a small part of total reality, which includes many other planes and modes of consciousness. (Full knowledge and full power in the universe are only attainable through awareness of these other aspects of reality).
  • One of the most important of these levels or aspects of reality is the "astral light," a cosmic fluid which may be molded by will into physical forms. (That human will-power is a real force, capable of achieving absolutely anything, from the mundane to the miraculous).
  • That the human being is a microcosm, a miniature of the macrocosmic universe, and the two are fundamentally linked. (Causes set in motion on one level may equally have effects on another).
• Lévi is perhaps best known for his work regarding the alleged deity of the Knights Templar, the Baphomet.
• Lévi considered the Baphomet to be a depiction of the absolute in symbolic form. It is said that he based his illustration on a Gargoyle that appears on a building owned by the Templars. (The Commandry of Saint Bris le Vineux).
• Lévi had a deep impact on the magic of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and later on the ex-Golden Dawn member Aleister Crowley.

• Aleister Crowley was born the same year Lévi died and later claimed to be his reincarnation.
• Eliphas Lévi today is remembered as one of the key founders of the twentieth century revival of magic and contemporary occultism.
• Some of Eliphas Lévi's volumes include:
• • Des Moeurs et des Doctrines du Rationalisme en France ("Of the Moral Customs and Doctrines of Rationalism in France")
  • La Mère de Dieu ("The Mother of God")
  • L'Evangile du Peuple ("The Gospel of the People,")
  • Le Testament de la Liberté ("The Testament of Liberty")
  • La Clef des Grands Mystères (The Key to the Great Mysteries)
  • Fables et Symboles (Stories and Images)
  • La Science des Esprits (The Science of Spirits)
  • Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie
  • Le Grand Arcane, ou l'Occultisme Dévoilé (The Great Secret, or Occultism Unveiled published posthumously in 1898).
• Through a growing interest in Spiritualism and the popular rise of esoteric groups such as the S.R.I.A. (Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia), the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Madame Blavatsky’s Theosophical Society, Lévi’s writings soon gained a respectable following.
• Lévi’s magic greatly influenced such people as:
• • S.L. MacGregor Mathers who wrote most of the Golden Dawn's rituals
  • Arthur Edward Waite who adopted the Baphomet sigil as the death card in his Rider Waite Tarot Deck
  • Aleister Crowley with his associations with ‘The Beast’
• Until his death on the 31st May 1875, Lévi continued to earn a comfortable living from his writings and giving occult lessons.

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