The Magic Door - A Study on the Italic Hermetic Tradition: Myth, Magic, and Metamorphosis

The Magic Door: A Study on Myth, Magic, and Metamorphosis in the Italic (Italian) Branch of the Western Inner Traditions

This extensive work surveys a wide spectrum of esoteric traditions and explores the heroes, schools, and teachings that have provided the foundations for initiation in Italy, from Roman times to the present, within the broader context of an Occidental Tradition. The overarching themes that constitute this tradition include a perennial Western Empire (Hesperia), Atavistic Resurgences, Heroic Spirit, and internal practices specific to the Ars Italica: Magia, Amatoria, Memoria, Imaginatio, and Insomnium.

Initiation, in this context, refers to the individual inner journey to identify and integrate with the Principle (Self, Soul, Numen) and the corresponding Tradition (Olympia, Heroi, Aeneades). This process of self-discovery, identity, and tradition is exemplified by the archetypal hero Aeneas and his quest to reveal his future by finding the roots (principle).

The study explores the Heroic Initiation through the River Mnemosyne, Spiritual Kingship, and the Myths and Symbols of Ancient Rome, including the Vestal Virgins, the She-Wolf, the Golden Bough, and the Italic Tree of Life. It delves into the Return of the Nostoi (Olympians), the Pythagorean Brotherhoods and the Underground Basilica of Porta Maggiore, and the Magical Realism of Virgil, Ovid's Ars Amatoria, and Apuleius' Art of Metamorphoses.

The work also examines the contributions of Cicero, Symmachus, Macrobius, Dante, and the Fedeli d'Amore, as well as the revival of the Platonic Academy in Renaissance Florence, including the works of Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, and Julius Pomponius Laetus. It delves into the Renaissance origins of the Tarot, the magical insights of Giordano Bruno and Tommasso Campanella, and the Magical World of Heroes explored by Cesare Della Riviera.

The Magic Door of Rome is further unraveled through the figures of Chiron the Centaur, Cagliostro and the Arcana Arcanorum, Giambattista Vico and the Restoration of Ancient Italic Wisdom, and the Neapolitan Mysteriosophic School of Domenico Bocchini and Giustiniano Lebano. The study also examines the contributions of Giuliano Kremmerz and the Fraternity of Myriam, Julius Evola and the UR Group, Ekatlos and the Great ORMA, the Viennese Circle of Kronos, and the Rite of Andromeda by Marco Daffi and Giammaria.

In essence, The Magic Door provides a comprehensive exploration of the myth, magic, and metamorphosis that have shaped the Italic (Italian) branch of the Western Inner Traditions, offering insights into the profound and enduring legacy of this rich and multifaceted heritage.

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