"..the name of the hereditary caste of priests of ancient Persia and Medea. This Magian order, or esoteric cult of the Zoroastrian priesthood, represented the center of ancient occultism at that period of the world's history, and its influence was felt in all parts of the world, and continues down to this time. So highly were its members respected and considered, that the term Wise Men, and Magi were synonymous. The Three Wise Men mentioned as appearing at the birth of Christ (Matt. II) were known as the Magi, or wise men from the East. Chapter V - Mental Magic in Human Life
Translating a few fragments from the book by Robert Fludd:
“What is called Natural Magic is directed toward the mysteries of nature, both celestial and terrestrial, to be repaired and explored. Through this magic, the Magi—those most accurate explorers of nature—applied active principles to passive ones, producing for the world results that the masses are considered miraculous. These works are often inspired by awe and admiration and were sometimes committed to writing by trustworthy authors. Occasionally, guided by the stars toward a supernatural mystery, they revealed the incorruptible spirit of creation—or the very quintessence itself, full of divine radiance—by bringing true alchemical secrets from darkness into mortal view. Through this, the ancient Magi (not the Cacomagi, as the ignorant might think), who practiced true wisdom, brought forth many great discoveries into the light.
These true sages, who received the gift of wisdom from God, include those Magi—or wise men—who, upon the birth of Christ, followed His star: namely, the three kings who offered great gifts to Christ, the Savior of the world .
It must be understood that there were four renowned schools of Natural Magic in antiquity, spread throughout the world: the Indian, the Persian, the Chaldean, and the Ethiopian. In the Indian tradition, it was celebrated among the Brahmins; in the Persian, among the Magi; in the Chaldean, among the Gymnosophists and those dedicated to Buddha in Babylon; in the Roman tradition, under Numa Pompilius; among the Thracians, under Zamolxis; among the Hyperboreans, under Abaris; among the Egyptians, under Hermes; and among the Persians, under Zoroaster, son of Oromasdes. From this last tradition came the three kings who sought the newborn Christ to adore Him with gifts. These kings are interpreted in the Gospels as Chaldean philosophers.
And they are called kings because, as Plato tests in Alcibiades, the Persian kings themselves ruled their realms as administrators in the image of the worldly republic. They were also most fully instructed in the mysteries of natural knowledge. Cicero seems to support this Platonic opinion, stating in his On Divination that before the Persians, no one adorned with a royal diadem was not also called a Magus. This reasoning also explains why these Eastern kings were highly learned in true wisdom, or good magic, and sought the title of Magi and Sages, so that they were described in the Gospel by the Holy Spirit as Magi.”
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