Comte de Gabalis

First published in 1670 to instant acclaim, 'The Comte de Gabalis' is held in great respect by the Rosicrucians and other occult groups. The work comprises a series of five lectures purportedly given to a French priest, the Abb? De Villars, by the eponymous Comte de Gabalis, an adept of the Order of Sages. The book describes a supersensory world populated by elemental beings. We learn that true adepts reject human sexual relations in favour of intercourse with these spirits of the air, water, earth and fire. Zoroaster, Apollonius and Merlin are among the offspring of such "divine marriages", as is Melchizedek, the teacher of Abraham. The Count also expounds such subjects as Meditation, Oracles, "Holy Medecine" and astral travel. Just as intriguing and informative is the extensive commentary to the work, which covers an even wider range of esoteric topics. It may even be that the book reveals too much forbidden knowledge. The Abb? De Villars was assassinated three years after its publication.