What are the differences between deity work and theurgy? I get confused.

I'm interested in making the practice of theurgy part of my life, I come from reading Iamblichus and Uzdavynis, from investigating the magical papyri, from reading gnostic texts, etc. I tried experimenting with some symbols but had a scary experience with that, so I've stopped for the moment. I think a Master would be very helpful i'm this case, so I don't have to face things by lonesome. ¿Anyone know of a Master of theurgy?

 Hi there,

I am a folk singer/musician and PhD student (writing my dissertation on philosophy and esotericism) who has taken on the endeavor to transform philosophy into music, aestheticize knowledge. Enclosed is my musical exposition of the mystical aspects of Platonic philosophy, especially the aspects which the Neoplatonists would reinterpret in their understanding of the mystical ascent. The song primarily follows the trajectory of the Phaedrus and the Symposium, but also references the Republic, Meno, Phaedo, Critias, and the Timaeus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1_DeeQ3YLE

I created a lot of hand drawn animations for it, and included a lot of alchemical imagery, as many alchemists did indeed interpret Plato alchemically. I also created a number of animations of the images from the great Neo/Platonist Renaissance magi Robert Fludd, my own artwork, one of Athanasius Kircher’s illustrations, an image from the alchemical treatise the Rosarium Philosophorum, and images from ancient Greek art (the sirens and Eros) that I adapted. Yes, sirens in the ancient Greek context were envisioned as avian rather than aquatic humanoids! The chariot animation was created using the still frames of a film of a horse running (it took awhile to make!).

Some nuances: the line “drinking from the lake of memory” is an allusion to Orphism, as Plato’s theory of anamnesis derives from the Orphic cult. I am also dressed in Egyptian-style attire at one point, a subtle reference to Plato’s debt to the ancient Egyptian religion.

I have been studying and writing about Plato in an academic context for more than 12 years now, I’ve read and written about these texts a lot over the years, and I feel a very deep philosophical affinity with Plato’s philosophy. Though a rationalized mysticism, Plato preserves the knowledge of mythic traditions and mystery cults. In addition to my own knowledge and experience working with this philosophical material, I took inspiration from the books of the late Algis Uzdavinys, one of my favorite scholars, in the construction of the narrative, specifically his texts The Golden Chain and Orpheus and the Roots of Platonism. I also include citations at the end, citing the sources for these lyrics to give it a bit more scholarly weight. I just finished writing about eleven thousand words on Plato for my PhD thesis concomitantly as I constructed this creative artifact, so sharing this feels like a personal culmination. I hope you enjoy this experimental didactic production! As Socrates relates, philosophy is the best music (Phaedo 61a).

I realize Iamblichus left no techniques or specific rituals behind in his work for us today to replicate to actually perform Theurgy. I’ve been thinking of just trying my best with the techniques within the Wiccan / Witchcraft tradition (which obviously borrowed from Solomonic magic and the PGM etc). Is this possible? What do you all do to actually practice Theurgy in the ritualistic and ceremonial sense?

Hi guys,

I am an ex-Catholic turned Hellenist and I was wondering if the Catholic Mass fulfils the criteria for theurgy. Thanks for your replies.

From ChatGPT, I thought it was a pretty good explanation.

"Theurgy is like a special kind of magic that people use to connect with divine beings, like gods or powerful spirits, but it's not just from ancient times. Even today, some people practice theurgy to try to have a relationship with these divine beings.

Imagine you're a wizard, but instead of casting spells to fight monsters or find treasure, you use your magic to talk to and work with gods or powerful spirits. These modern theurgists believe that by doing special rituals, prayers, and meditations, they can connect with these divine beings and make their own souls better and more powerful.

So, in simple terms, theurgy is a way of using special practices to become friends with gods and improve yourself, and people still do this today."

From the author of "Divination and Theurgy in Neoplatonism: Oracles of the Gods". This seems like a good choice for this week's paper club post.

https://docslib.org/doc/834560/oracles-religious-practices-and-philosophy-in-late-neoplatonism

From Porphyry:

"For I myself call the gods to witness, that I have neither added anything, nor taken away from the meaning of the responses [i.e. oracles], except where I have corrected an erroneous phrase, or made a change for greater clearness, or completed the metre when defective, or struck out anything that did not conduce to the purpose; so that I preserved the sense of what was spoken untouched, guarding against the impiety of such changes…" [Philosophy from Oracles]

I have to say, this immediately reminded me of Aleister Crowley, on being questioned by the police in Paris as to his whereabouts. I'll paraphrase as I can't remember it very well:

Gendarme: "So, Mr Crowley, can you confirm that you have been present in Paris for the last six months?"

Crowley: "Absolutely, other than on occasions when I was elsewhere"

​

Again, another experimental thread that we could make regular - what are you reading at the moment? It doesn't have to explicitly be Theurgy, but could be tangentially related. Go for it!

Bit of an experiment this. I'll read this paper today and make some comments on it down below later. I encourage you all to do so too!

This paper is by Gregory Shaw, who wrote "Theurgy and the Soul, the Neoplatonism of Iamblichus":

https://www.academia.edu/38696056/Astrology_as_Divination_Iamblichean_Theory_and_its_Contemporary_Practice

​

Well, what it says above - hopefully this will help to give posts context. If you think the flairs are missing something, or incorrectly partitioned, please post here, I'm happy to make changes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=EIyBmDOGsFY

Posts on this sub from years ago identified this video, which is interesting for a number of reasons. First off, the author wrote a modern guide to Hypatia which has received some good reviews (although I've not read it). Secondly the interview is conducted by Jean-Louis de Biasi, who is the current head of the Aurum Solis, an initiatic group most commonly associated with Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips, which conducts ritual of a strongly Hellenic and Neoplatonic flavour.

To a small degree, Biasi seems to be a bit of a polarising figure because of the direction he has taken the order. He has also written some interesting-looking books (with the mass-market cover art characteristic of Llewellyn). An offshoot called the Astrum Sophia exists, which apparently split off with good wishes on both sides. Both orders seem to have some impressive people involved.

I'm sure a lot of you are very familiar with this one, but in case you're not, this podcast has been absolutely terrific, going into Western Esotericism in great detail, with many, many episodes on Neoplatonism, Theurgy, and allied subjects. Well worth a listen.

https://shwep.net/

Hi all - I thought I'd get things started with this - it'd be great to put together a reading list on Theurgy with a variety of subcategories, that we can add to a FAQ on the sidebar.

As a starter for ten, here are a few posted by u/masoninexile two years ago which I've categorised. This is obviously clearly not exhaustive; I'll let everyone else suggest some others.

Foundational Texts

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries (Writings from the Greco-Roman World, V. 4.) (English and Greek Edition) https://amazon.com/dp/158983058X/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_90M31MMGNM5W7Q40SQMY

Modern Theurgy Manuals

The Practical Art of Divine Magic: Contemporary & Ancient Techniques of Theurgy https://amazon.com/dp/0738745286/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_5AA7ZYPX8ANMQ5E0KQSV?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Living Theurgy: A Course in Iamblichus' Philosophy, Theology and Theurgy https://amazon.com/dp/1905297718/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_8S2FTWR2FVP1QDCSHTS7

Modern Neoplatonic Spirituality

The Wisdom of Hypatia: Ancient Spiritual Practices for a More Meaningful Life https://amazon.com/dp/073873599X/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_36SMSTANMPFR9SJKQECB?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Hi all, this sub hasn't had a lot of posts in the last few months, and has a fairly restricted membership. I'm keen to get things moving on here, so I'll be doing my best to increase activity.

The main focus of the sub will be on Iamblichean Theurgy, but this encompasses a lot of tangential subjects, including directly philosophical and religious discussions. I'll try to be liberal with the modding, but please try to keep the quality high! I'll add more rules as we go along if they're necessary.

Please see the sidebar for the current ruleset. Here's our current description:

"A place for discussion of the history, philosophy and practice of Theurgy, primarily of the sort associated with Iamblichean Neoplatonism. High quality posts of a tangential nature are welcome!"

P.S. r/Neoplatonism has recently had a shakeup and is focusing on the history of philosophy. Members from there are welcome here, we'll link them in the sidebar, as we will with r/NeoplatonicFaith and r/Hellenism.

I am hosting a slow group reading of Iamblichus's work on Neoplatonic theurgy, On the Egyptian Mysteries, on Discord. Join me at de_mysteriis. If you would like to participate, click that link. I have the background on the reading in the welcome channel. You can also reach out to me here on Reddit.

Im currently in the midst of writing a story which is a new creative medium ive undertaken. Im very experienced with theurgy but i at the moment am a little confused on which Greek god in particular would be best for creativity when it comes to writing. My immediate thought was Hermes but one could also argue for Apollo or Venus. Thought id throw this question out there and see if we can make a conversation of it.

Hey guys I’m coming from the r/goetia server and wanted to flip the spectrum and stop in here, does anyone have a good place to start for theurgy? Goetia has much more widely available info and I’m having some trouble,thanks.

Which is the most crucial element for a successful rite?

View Poll

I’ve found a few books, (ordered), and am reviewing iablichus, but I’m really interested in information on the act, the rites, the ritual, theurgic incubation, et al. (Maybe I’m trying to stir this group into activity). Has anyone compared rituals in the PGM with what we know of theurgistvpractice? I’m intrigued in the practice. Also, I’m curious if the ancient Hellenes had any recourse to mind altering methods- were they known to ingest substances, was music/dance the only recourse to ecstatic states, the cave incubation, were they accompanied by rites, ingesting sacred food or drink, etc. If I were to try to recreate this process what would I do, what modern resources have found new information? IDK. Throw some info at me if you have any.

This subreddit was created 9 years ago, there are 83 members, and only one post has ever been made? Seriously, I think this is likely because most people joined only out of curiosity over something they've never heard of, rather than any actual knowledge or interest in the subject. Disappointing, to say the least.

At least the one post that was made was responded to with a comment which offers some sound advice on some of the most accessible books on Neo Platonic theurgical traditions. Especially the title by Bruce J. MacLennan on the spiritual teachings of Hypatia, is fantastic. Just today, I was listening to a truly illuminating interview with MacLennan, by Jean-Louis de Biasi, current Grandmaster of the Ordo Aurum Solis, an occult order which preserves and instructs in classical, pre-Christian theurgy.

any sources to recover some of the Neoplatonist Theurgy ritual?