Éliphas Lévi

Born Alphonse Louis Constant in Paris in 1810, he later became known by the Hebrew form of his name, Éliphas Lévi. He studied for the priesthood when he was young, but eventually left that path and moved into writing, political activism, and religious speculation.

Lévi is best remembered as a French occult author whose major works, including Dogme et rituel de la haute magie, had a lasting impact on Western esotericism. His writing brought together ceremonial magic, Kabbalah, tarot symbolism, and Christian mysticism, and his famous image of Baphomet became especially influential long after his lifetime.

He died in 1875, but his ideas continued to spread through later occult movements in Europe and beyond. For listeners interested in the roots of modern magical thought, he remains one of the key figures to know.