THE 'KEY' OR
JACOB BOEHME

The Clavis or 'Key' of Jacob Boehme, 'The Teutonic Theosopher,' is a
condensed version of the principal points of his mystical philosophy
Boehme, an unschooled shoemaker, experienced while young an
intense vision of the spiritual world, this vision inspired his writings
and left him with a deep sense of the spiritual all his life. In trying to
find a language to communicate his mystical perceptions, he turned to
Paracelsian alchemical ideas and Hermetic imagery.

The main period of his writings, 1612-1624, coincided with the
Rosicrucian publications, and while no definitive historical link can be
established, Boehme certainly worked within the spirit of the Rosicrucian
movement.

The Clavis or 'Key'to his writings is taken from William Law's translation
of his complete works, and includes Law's "Illustration of the
Deep Principles of Jacob Behmen," which features 13 emblematic figures
designed by Dionysius Freher. These 13 engravings, based on Hermetic
cosmology and sacred geometry, provide a symbolic picture of Boehme's
teachings about Creation, while the 'Key' as a whole reveals Boehme's
profound spiritual philosophy.

The introduction by Adam McLean describes the life of Jacob Boehme
and the continuing influence of his mystical philosophy

Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks

The Magnum Opus Hermetic Sourceworks series is a long-term publishing
project which aims to make available, in a uniform series, some of the most
important texts of the Hermetic tradition which have previously been
unavailable except in special collections and libraries. The cream of Hermetic
material is included in this series, drawing from texts on occult and magical
symbolism, and important alchemical,
sicrucian, mystical and allegorical
material of the 16th and early 17th cen
turies. These are not merely reprints of
early books, but new translations of original
Latin or German texts with extensiv
commentary and historical notes