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^Introduction^
This is not as much an introduction to the Picatrix as it
is a recognition of the transmission of its knowledge
to English speakers of the West. The Ghayat Al-
Hakim has been well known in the history of western
esotericism, yet it had evaded being translated into English
for many centuries. The four books of the Picatrix, of which
volume two embodies books III and IV, was a large
compilation of magical, cultural and hermetic knowledge
boasting of over 200 sources. A variety of practices are
evident in the author's descriptions of various cultures
such as the Sabians, Kurds and Nabataeans. Many of these
references are quoted from older sources, some recognized
bv scholars, others obscure and unconfirmed as yet Thus
one can read the words of Ibn Wahshija as he describes the
regional practices derived from the Nabataean Agriculture
as well as the esoteric doctrines of the Ikhwan al-Snfa
among others.
There is a decidedly practical aspect to the anonymous
author's presentation of the material. Whereas
admonitions to the reader warn against the practice of
magic as unorthodox we yet find the most detailed
descriptions of magical rites and alchemical operations.
One of the significant aspects of the text can be seen in that
it emplovs the doctrine of correspondences, which were to
become the trademark of a steady stream of esoteric works
by the likes of Agrippa, Ficino, Mirandola and Bruno.
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