Changes

Although still continuing with his work (in December 1871 he completed the ''Grimoire franco-latomorum'' on rites of the French freemasons), his physical condition deteriorated increasingly. In 1873, ''L'Évangile de la science'' was written, followed by his last work ''Catéchisme de la paix'' in January 1875. On May 31, 1875 Éliphas Lévi died at the age of 65.

Although still continuing with his work (in December 1871 he completed the ''Grimoire franco-latomorum'' on rites of the French freemasons), his physical condition deteriorated increasingly. In 1873, ''L'Évangile de la science'' was written, followed by his last work ''Catéchisme de la paix'' in January 1875. On May 31, 1875 Éliphas Lévi died at the age of 65.

=== Review ===

== Reception ==

[[image:Eliphas_Levi_1872_Photo_Originale.jpg|Portrait from 1872|left|thumb]] How crooked, bumby, and tangled the way of Lévi's life may appear, yet it always followed one goal: social advancement, and the recognition in society that would hopefully come with it. Young Alphonse was a promising boy, that his way in school proved clearly right. In France during the age of restauration the direction towards a clerical vocation promised with certainty a future where he would be able to leave the petit-bourgeois milieu of his ancestors, and to live a life secured financially as well socially.  For how large his parents' hopes had been his mother's suicide is an eloquent mark. That at least they were not unjustified one may read from the Parisian archbishop's commitment on Alphonse's behalf.

[[image:Eliphas_Levi_1872_Photo_Originale.jpg|Portrait from 1872|left|thumb]]

 

In Second Empire Paris, Éliphas Lévi was a well known figure. His pursuit of esoteric matters, initially a rather casual interest, later provided him with a unique knowledge. By applying methods and forms of presentation of natural sciences to concepts of the supernatural, a connection between these two seemingly emerged, and the ''occult sciences'' took shape.

The effects his mother's suicide and the reproach connected to it had on Constant may merely be surmised. One cannot reject though the notion that both didn't help stabilize his connections with other people. The only friend he would ever have throughout his life, Flora Tristan, died too early. Both his marriage, and the relationship with the mother to his son ended in discord. He is a lonely chap, one can't help thinking. Lots of people cross his paths, but not from one of these encounters a stable, level relationship manages to emerge. It appears he deliberately kept himself distant, in the superior position of the teacher, the other-worldliness of a medium, the posture of knowingness about the unreachable, the occult. This may have been calculated as belonging to the chosen role. But it seems that only one of his relationships turned out stable and long lasting: the one with Baronet Spedalieri, with its twofold distance of geography and that between teacher and student.

 

These two aspects fall into place to form a picture: There is, rooted deeply into him during his childhood, the desire for social advancement, for recognition and importance, and there is that ultimate gesture of boundless condemnation for his betrayal of this goal, his mother's suicide. Her accusation derails him for a long time, he will suffer visibly, all his activities during the following years becoming a trifle too noisy, too conspicuous, too much begging for effect - as if of someone being plagued by a bad consciousness that nobody ever must notice. Only the next mighty blow to come, the death of his daughter in 1854, puts a limit to this compulsion - albeit for a high price: Under the impression of this latest loss he accepts his mother's old reproach. Loneliness becomes the chosen punishment for his guilt, and in the drive to overcome both guilt and punishment arises the momentum for the rest of his life. From now on he will write in order to free himself. He will not realize that relief lies exclusively in himself, because it was he who accepted that guilt in the first place. And the more he is going to write, the deeper this one and only realistic chance of exoneration will sink back into the occult, and the deeper he will dig into the arcane - without ever hitting what he is actually looking for.

 

One reason for Éliphas Lévi's success may be seen in the fact that he was the first to follow this path consequently. He was the first after Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim to study occultism more intensely than just fleetingly and thus was able to draw from substantial sources. Due to the wide range of subjects covered as well as because of their comparative originality, his works influenced all notable mystics in the afermath. His inclination for eccentric appearances, calculated for effect and regardless of possible negative outcome, contributed to further boosting his popularity. Seven years after his death,Paris newspaper ''Le Figaro'' published an editorial on him.<ref>[http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k278346v Un maitre sorcier. Le Figaro v. 6. Oktober 1882] (provides a detailed description of incidents connected to Lévi's near execution in 1848)</ref>

In the Paris of the Second Empire Éliphas Lévi was a well known person. In the beginning a rather casual interest, his pursuit of esoteric matters later earned him a singular knowledge, almost tailor-made for a society that could no longer believe in the solacements from the church, yet neither in those the ersatz religion science would offer<ref>What sounds polemical in fact is not. It took us over 100 years (until after Chernobyl) until eventually we managed to free science from the nimbus the 19th century had bestowed upon it.</ref>. Although the political revolutions which had been turning the French society literally upside down for six decades finally found a temporary slowdown under Napoléon III, neither his imperialistic foreign policy nor the pomp of his self-stagings could resolve the deeply rooted feeling of uncertainty. People sensed something had been lost, and albeit only a small minority actually wanted to turn back the clock there was a widespread, diffuse longing - for a modern past, for a "like back then, but today". Esotericism appeared to offer a solution of this dilemma. By applying methods and forms of representation of the natural sciences on conceptions of the supernatural a connection between these two seemingly emerged, and the ''occult sciences'' took shape.

One reason for Éliphas Lévi's success may of course be seen in the fact that he was the first who consequently followed this path. He was the first after [[Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim|Agrippa von Nettesheim]] who occupied himself with occultism more intensely than just en passant. That way he could draw from an extensive well - without being hampered by the lesser developed ability in him to working systematically. Almost every notable mystic of the following times would be influenced by his scriptures, for the wide range of subjects they cover as well as for their relative originality. His taste for excentric appearances, calculated for effect and regardless of possibly negative outcome, helped boost his popularity even further. Seven years after his death the Parisian newspaper ''Le Figaro'' would publish a leading article about him.<ref>[http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k278346v Un maitre sorcier. Le Figaro v. 6. Oktober 1882] (describes in detail the incidents around Lévi's near execution in 1848)</ref> [[image:Talisman_universel_selon_levi.png|According Papus the universal charm Lévi discovered, by which all evil spirits can be banned, provided you drew it with golden ink on a pristine parchment, and carry it in a bag of golden silk.|thumb]] Apart from the above-mentioned Fernand Rozier the mystics particularly influenced by him were:

[[image:Talisman_universel_selon_levi.png|According to Papus, the universal charm discovered by Lévi banning all evil spirits, provided it was drawn on pristine parchment in golden ink and carried in a golden silk bag.|thumb]]  

Apart from Fernand Rozier mentioned above, further mystics particularly influenced by Lévi were:

== Works ==

== Works ==

After having chosen Éliphas Lévi for his pseudonym he no longer published under his original name. With regards to contents a similarly clear distinction can be observed: works of theosophical/ occult contents are written exclusively "by" Éliphas Lévi; for the political pamphlets and the ''Dictionnaire de la littérature chrétienne'' Alphonse-Louis Constant signs as their author.

Having chosen Éliphas Lévi for his pseudonym, he no longer published under his common name. A similarly clear distinction may be observed regarding with regards to content: works of theosophical/occult contents are authored exclusively by Éliphas Lévi, while the political pamphlets and the ''Dictionnaire de la littérature chrétienne'' was authored by Alphonse-Louis Constant.

=== Alphonse-Louis Constant ===

=== Alphonse-Louis Constant ===

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|style="width:10%; vertical-align:top;"|1839

|style="width:10%; vertical-align:top;"|1839

=== Éliphas Lévi ===

=== Éliphas Lévi ===

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{|border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout:fixed; padding:0px; background:rgb(255,255,255); margin:0px; margin-left:15px; margin-right:15px; width:100%; text-align:left; vertical-align:top; empty-cells:show;"

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|style="width:10%; vertical-align:top;"|1854

|style="width:10%; vertical-align:top;"|1854

|''L'Annexe de Salomon''

|''L'Annexe de Salomon''

|}

|}

== References ==

== References ==