Occult a history
The occult
Colin Wilson
- [Book club ed.]
- New York Random House c1971.
- 603 p., 8 p. of plates. ill., ports. ; 22 cm.
Includes index.
Contents: Part 1. A Survey of the Subject : Magic, the science of the future The dark side of the moon The poet as occultist Part 2. A History of Magic : The evolution of man The magic of primitive man Adepts and Initiates The world of the Kabbalists Adepts and impostors The nineteenth century; magic and romanticism The beast himself Two Russian mages Part 3. Man's Latent Powers : Witchcraft and Lycanthropy The realm of spirits Glimpses
The Occult is in three parts. In the first, Wilson argues the connection between creativity and psychic sensitivity, the tapping of the subconscious mind for the forces that are normally inaccessible to consciousness. The second part is a history of mages and adepts--among them Nostradamus, Dr. John Dee, Cagliostro, Anton Mesmer, Aleister Crowley, Gurdjieff--set in their historical background. The third part concerns witchcraft, werewolves and vampirism, the history of spiritualism, the problem of ghosts and poltergeists. The last chapter, "Glimpses," takes up the metaphysical questions that arise out of occultism, as well as the problem of time, and gives concluding statements on the nature of man's latent powers.--From publisher description