Picatrix: Ghayat Al-Hakim- The Goal of the Wise. Volume II

Volume II; (containing the Book III and Book IV of the Ghayat al-Hakim), here translated into English for the first time.

The Picatrix, or Ghayat Al-Hakim as it is titled in Arabic ... has long been regarded as source material in the Hermetic tradition. The text of this Medieval work consists of four books covering the art and practice of Astrological, Talismanic, and Astral Magic. ... Picatrix Volume Two contains the 3rd and 4th books of Ghayat Al-Hakim and will complete the English translation. It is a larger book than volume one and contains much in the way of the practical working of astral and talismanic magic. Planetary and Zodiacal magic and full instructions for invoking the related spirits are provided along with all the requisite materials needed; stones, plants, inks, colors, incenses, talismans and the invocations. In addition to this are many anecdotes relating to Arabic and pre-Islamic magical lore, including the writings of Ibn Wahshija, the Nabataeans, Sabians, Chaldeans and Assyrians. Of particular note is the magical plant and mineral lore from the Nabataean Agriculture, which portray ancient practices of pagan Iraq. Brought out of the obscurity of the Middle East it passed through the hands of many prominent figues throughout the history of Hermetic thought..Marsilio Ficinoo, Pico della Mirandola, Peter of Abano, and Henry Cornelius Agrippa were among them.