Synopses & Reviews
Magic and witchcraft are as old as humanity itself. From the earliest animist concepts of a universe alive with potent spiritual forces to the emergence of Wicca and contemporary neopaganism, magic and its associated practices have provided a sense of power and purpose in an often mysterious world. Beginning with shamanism--widely acknowledged as the world's earliest spiritual tradition--this book explores myth and magic in the ancient world, the quest for gnosis, or sacred esoteric knowledge, and the emergence of the kabbalah, alchemy, and the Hermetic tradition. It then describes the rise of medieval witchcraft, the origins of the tarot, and the secret philosophy of the Freemasons and Rosicrucians. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, started in Britain in 1888, led to a twentieth-century revival that extends into the present millennium. The influence of controversial occultist Aleister Crowley, the rebirth of witchcraft and goddess worship, the emergence of contemporary satanism, the revival of interest in shamanism and indigenous spirituality, and the intriguing connection between digital magic and cyberspace are all explored here in detail. The book reminds us that magic is not so much about superstition as the quest to be at one with the spirits, gods, and goddesses of the magical realms. Magicians have always sought to tap the mysterious forces of the universe and to use them for their own specific purposes, good or evil.
Synopsis
The rise of Wicca or modern witchcraft and renewed interest in satanism and the occult, not to mention digitial magic in cyberspace, reflects the continuing importanc of magic in some people's lives. Magic is part of a very long tradition reaching back to our earliest ancestors and has remained a means by which people can communicate with sacred powers and supernatural beings. Nevill Drury, who has written extensively on western magic and the occult, looks at forms of magic where the practitioner uses sacred formulae, ritual invocations and personal willpower to... master the gods and spirits and even become like them, from prehistory to the present day'. Chapters are devoted to magic and myth in the ancient world, alchemy, medieval witches and witch hunts, the origins of Tarot and astrology, modern Satanism and Technopagans, with much of the book rooted in the post-medieval period.
Table of Contents
Shamanism: the oldest magical tradition -- Magic in the ancient world -- Gnosis and Kabbalah -- Medieval magic and the witch trials -- The hermetic tradition and alchemy -- Astrology and the tarot -- Freemasons and rosicrucians -- The hermetic order of the golden dawn -- Aleister crowley: the beast 666 -- Wicca and the goddess -- Contemporary satanism -- The archaic revival -- Technopagans and digital magic.