Francis Barrett (born probably in London around 1770–1780, died ''after'' 1802) was an English

occultist The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism ...

Background

Barrett, an Englishman, claimed himself to be a student of chemistry,

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

and natural occult philosophy. He was known to be an extreme eccentric who gave lessons in the magical arts in his apartment and fastidiously translated

Kabbalistic Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "receiver"). The defin ...

and other ancient texts into English, such as von Welling's work, ''Philosophy of The Universe'' circa 1735, from German (1801). According to his biographer Francis X. King, Barrett's parents were humble folk married in the parish of St. Martin's in the Fields on 29 September 1772.

''The Magus''

Barrett was enthusiastic about reviving interest in the occult arts, and published a magical textbook called ''The Magus''. It was a compilation, almost entirely consisting of selections from Cornelius Agrippa's ''Three Books of Occult Philosophy'', the ''Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy'' attributed to Agrippa, and Robert Turner's 1655 translation of the ''Heptameron of Peter of Abano''. Barrett made modifications and modernized spelling and syntax. ''The Magus'' dealt with the natural magic of herbs and

stones In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...

magnetism Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that are mediated by a magnetic field, which refers to the capacity to induce attractive and repulsive phenomena in other entities. Electric currents and the magnetic moments of elementary particle ...

, talismanic magic,

alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world ...

numerology Numerology (also known as arithmancy) is the belief in an occult, divine or mystical relationship between a number and one or more coinciding events. It is also the study of the numerical value, via an alphanumeric system, of the letters in ...

, the

elements Element or elements may refer to: Science * Chemical element, a pure substance of one type of atom * Heating element, a device that generates heat by electrical resistance * Orbital elements, parameters required to identify a specific orbit of ...

, and biographies of famous

adept An adept is an individual identified as having attained a specific level of knowledge, skill, or aptitude in doctrines relevant to a particular author or organization. He or she stands out from others with their great abilities. All human quali ...

s from history. ''The Magus'' also served as an advertising tool. In it Barrett sought interested people wanting to help form his magic circle. An advertisement in ''The Magus'' (Vol. 2, p. 140) refers to an otherwise unknown school founded by Barrett. According to the advertisement:

Views

When writing about

witches Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

Barrett stated that he did not believe that their power to torment or kill by enchantment, touch or by using a wax

effigy An effigy is an often life-size sculptural representation of a specific person, or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certai ...

came from

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...

. He claimed if

the Devil Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood ...

wanted to kill a man guilty of

deadly sin The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are parallels with the seven things ...

, he did not need a witch as an intermediary. Barrett's belief in magical power might be summed up this way:

References

Sources

* Francis King, ''The Flying Sorcerer'' (Oxford: Mandrake, 1992) * Jason Semmens, “The Magus in Cornwall: An Unknown Chapter in the Life of Francis Barrett, F.R.C.” Old Cornwall 13, No. 1 (2003) pp. 18–21. * Timothy D’Arch Smith, ''The Books of the Beast'' (London, 1987) pp. 89–97.

External links

''The Magus or Celestial Intelligencer''
at Sacred Texts

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Francis (occultist) English occult writers 18th-century English educators 18th-century births Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain English male non-fiction writers 19th-century male writers 19th-century occultists Ceremonial magicians