Al-Kindi

Al-Kindi (801–873), the "Philosopher of the Arabs," was crucial in transmitting Hellenistic magical theory to the Islamic world and, subsequently, the Latin West.

De Radiis Stellarum

His treatise De Radiis Stellarum (On the Rays of the Stars) provided the ultimate physical rationale for astral magic. Al-Kindi theorized that every object in the universe emits rays of force (analogous to light) that interact with the rays of everything else. The stars emit the most powerful rays, guiding the sublunar world. The magus, using words, talismans, and intent, can emit their own rays to alter this cosmic web. This text became the scientific backbone for Renaissance magic from Ficino to John Dee.