Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed write by Wouter J. Hanegraaff. This book was released on 2013-02-14. Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Western esotericism has been a pervasive presence in Western culture from late antiquity to the present day, but until recently it was largely ignored by scholars and surrounded by misconceptions and prejudice. This accessible guide provides readers with the basic knowledge and tools that will allow them to find their way in this bewildering but fascinating field. What is it that unites phenomena as diverse as ancient gnosticism and hermetism, the "occult sciences" of astrology, alchemy, and magic, rosicrucianism, as well as Christian theosophy, occultism, spiritualism, and the contemporary New Age spiritualities? What can the study of them teach us about our common cultural and intellectual heritage, and what is it that makes them relevant to contemporary concerns? How do we distinguish reliable historical knowledge from legends and fictions about esoteric traditions? These and many other questions are answered clearly and succinctly, so that the reader can find his way into the labyrinth of Western esotericism and out of it again.
Western Esotericism
Western Esotericism - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Western Esotericism write by Antoine Faivre. This book was released on 2010-10-06. Western Esotericism available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Widely received in France, this brief, comprehensive introduction to Western esotericism by the founder of the field is at last available in English. A historical and pedagogical guide, the book is written primarily for students and novices. In clear, precise language, author Antoine Faivre provides an overview of Western esoteric currents since late antiquity. The bulk of the book is laid out chronologically, from ancient and medieval sources (Alexandrian hermetism, gnosticism, neoplatonism), through the Renaissance up to the present time. Its coverage includes spiritual alchemy, Jewish and Christian Kabbalah, Christian theosophy, Rosicrucianism, Illuminism, 'mystical' Free-Masonry, the Occultist current, Theosophical and Anthroposophical Societies, the Traditionalist School, and 'esotericism' in contemporary initiatic societies and in New Religious Movements. Faivre explores how these currents are connected, and refers to where they appear in art and literature. The book concludes with an annotated bibliography, which makes it an essential resource for beginners and scholars alike.
Access to Western Esotericism
Access to Western Esotericism - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Access to Western Esotericism write by Antoine Faivre. This book was released on 1994-12-05. Access to Western Esotericism available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. This is the first systematic treatment of esotericism to appear in English. Here is also a historical survey, beginning with the Alexandrean Period, of the various esoteric currents such as Christian Kabbalah, Theosophy, Alchemy, Rosicrucianism, and Hermeticism. Common characteristics of these currents are the notion of universal interdependency and the experience of spiritual transformation. The author establishes a rigorous methodology; provides clarifying definitions of such key terms as "gnosis," "theosophy," "occultism," and "Hermeticism;" and offers analysis of contemporary esotericism based on three distinct pathways. The second half of the book presents a series of studies on several important figures, works, and movements in Western esotericism—studies devoted to some of the most characteristic and illuminating aspects that this form of thought has taken, such as theosophical speculations on androgyny, rosicrucian literature, and Masonic symbolism. The book is completed by a rich and selective Bibliography conceived as a means of orientation and a tool for research.
Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation
Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation write by Henrik Bogdan. This book was released on 2008-01-03. Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Historical exploration of Masonic rituals of initiation.
Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism
Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism write by Henrik Bogdan. This book was released on 2012-09-20. Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Henrik Bogdan and Martin P. Starr offer the first comprehensive examination of one of the twentieth century's most distinctive occult iconoclasts, Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), one of the most influential thinkers in contemporary western esotericism.
