The Imperialistic Council of the Magi

About this book

A secret council promises its members a path through ritual magic, Qabalah, the old grimoires and the highest degrees of initiation. Its recruits must take formal obligations and study books kept away from outsiders.

R. Swinburne Clymer's 1914 booklet describes the Imperialistic Council of the Magi, listing five private manuals and discussing the degree of Priest of Melchizedek. Alongside its sweeping claims of ancient descent are surprisingly concrete rules about membership, training and advancement. The order's fantastic history is presented as its own belief; the printed requirements reveal the machinery of an actual twentieth-century esoteric organisation.