Jean-Marie Ragon de Bettignies (1781-1862) was a French Freemason, author and publisher. He is one of the most important Masonic writers of the 19th century. On Occult Masonry and Hermetic Initiation covers a wide range of topics, including the numbers, the teachings of Agrippa and Paracelsus, Mesmer's experiments, magic, hermeticism, alchemy and animal symbolism.