Product Description

2004 COVR AWARD-WINNER!

From "Aarab Zereq" to "Zos Kia Cultus," this is the most up-to-date, comprehensive guide to the history, philosophies, and personalities of Western occultism.

Written by an occult scholar and practitioner with the assistance of hundreds of experts in the field, this volume presents the latest in scholarly research and points out errors in previous writings-revealing truths much more interesting and dramatic than the fictional histories that obscured them.

The New Encyclopedia of the Occult is an invaluable reference guide to magic, alchemy, astrology, divination, Tarot, palmistry, and geomancy; magical orders such as the Golden Dawn and Rosicrucians; important occultists; and religions and spiritual traditions associated with occultism such as Wicca, Thelema, Theosophy, and the modern Pagan movement.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #70498 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 576 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781567183368
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From Booklist
In his introduction, Greer states that his book is the first written by an "occult practitioner" who has consulted the scholarly texts that have recently been written about the history of occult traditions. This combination has produced a reference work that is sympathetic to the arcane lore but avoids many of the common errors found in occult literature. The volume arranges its 1,500 entries in alphabetical order. Topics include magic, Tarot, astrology, and other forms of divination; magical orders such as the Golden Dawn; biographies of significant individuals; and spiritual movements such as Wicca, Theosophy, and the modern Pagans. Where appropriate, entries contain see references to other entries and to books found in the extensive bibliography. Illustrations include charts, diagrams, and photographs.

The essays are clearly written and are very informative. The book is useful for the practitioner as well as for the curious because the contents are factual and concise. The author promises that as new information becomes available on topics, he will publish a revised edition to maintain the integrity and accuracy of the volume. This is an important source for libraries to have in their collections to assist anyone seeking information about the many aspects of occult traditions. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
John Michael Greer (Seattle, WA) has been a student of monster lore and the occult since 1975. He is also the author of several books, including Natural Magic: Potions and Powers from the Magical Garden, Circles of Power: Ritual Magic in the Western Tradition, and Inside a Magical Lodge He has written articles for Renaissance Magazine, Golden Dawn Journal, Mezlim, New Moon Rising, Gnosis, and Alexandria.

A student and practitioner of geomancy and sacred geometry for more than twenty years, fluent in Latin and medieval French for the past five years, and a Certified Tarot Grand Master,  Greer has studied geomantic texts from the Middle ages and Renaissance, learning and testing out the techniques that were used when geomancy was at its height. Greer is an active member of five fraternal and two magical lodges. He lives in Seattle, where he studied the legends and monster lore of the Pacific Northwest and attends lodge meetings in a building with its own resident ghosts.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
A

A... A... SEE ARGENTEUM ASTRUM.

Aarab Tzereq. (Hebrew AaRB ZRQ,ravens of dispersion) In Cabalistic teaching, the Qlippoth or demonic powers corresponding to Netzach, the seventh Sephirah of the Tree of Life. Their traditional form is that of demon-headed ravens emerging from an erupting volcano, the latter itself a demonic power named Getzphiel. Their cortex or realm in the Kingdom of Shells is Theumiel, and their archdemon is Baal Chanan. SEE QLIPPOTH.

Aatik Yomin. (Hebrew AaThIK IVMIN) Ancient of Days, a title of Kether. SEE KETHER.

Ab. (Hebrew AaB,darkness, obscurity) In the Cabala, the secret name of the world of Atziluth. The numerical values of its letters add up to seventy-two, which is also the sum of IVD HIH VIV HIH, the spelling of the Tetragrammaton in Atziluth. SEE ATZILUTH; TETRAGRAMMATON.

Abaris. According to legends recounted in ancient Greek sources, a Scythian magician who possessed a magical arrow that he could ride through the air. He was said to have lived in the time of Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and mystic, and visited the latter at his school in Crotona, Italy. Writers from the eighteenth century onward converted Abaris into a Druid, as part of a claim that Pythagoras had studied with the Druids (or vice versa). SEE DRUIDS; PYTHAGORAS.

Abba. (Hebrew,father) In Cabalistic symbolism, a title of the Sephirah Chokmah, and also of the first letter of the Tetragrammaton. SEE CHOKMAH; TETRAGRAMMATON.

Abbadon. (Hebrew ABDVN,destruction) The name of a demon, whose attributes have been variously described, or of a part or level of hell, defined with equal variability. In Cabalistic lore, Abbadon is the name of the sixth hell, which corresponds to the Sephirah Chesed. SEE HELLS, SEVEN.

Abel. The second son of Adam, according to the Book of Genesis, slain by his brother Cain. In Gnostic thought, Abel became the original of the psychic class of humanity, those who had the potential to achieve gnosis but did not have gnosis innately. SEE GNOSTICISM.

Abracadabra. A traditional word of power, used by Western magicians from classical times to the present. Written in the following way, it was used in talismans to cure fevers and asthma: ABRACADABRA ABRACADABR ABRACADAB ABRACADA ABRACAD ABRACA ABRAC ABRA ABR AB A In recent times, Abracadabra has mostly been used by stage magicians. English mage Aleister Crowley (1875 1947) altered the spelling to make it fit his new magical religion of Thelema, and in this new form the word has been much used in the Thelemite community; SEE ABRAHADABRA. SEE ALSO BARBAROUS NAMES.

Abrahadabra. Aleister Crowleys reformulation of the older magical name Abracadabra, rewritten to place the name Hadthe shorter form of Hadith, the second person of the Thelemite trinityat its center. SEE CROWLEY, ALEISTER; THELEMA.

Abramelin the Mage,The Sacred Magic of. A grimoire preserved in a single eighteenth-century copy in the Bibliotheque de lArsenal in Paris. Written in French, it claims to be a translation of a Hebrew original dating from 1458, although scholars have cast doubt on this claim. According to the long preface, it represents the teachings of a Jewish magician named Abramelin, passed on by him to his student Abraham, and by the latter to his son Lamech. These teachings, which Abraham describes as the only valid magical system in the world, require the student to devote six months of prayer, repentance, and ritual to obtain the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. After this accomplishment, the student gains the power to command evil spirits through talismans composed of letter combinations. The Sacred Magic was rediscovered in the late 1890s by Golden Dawn founder Samuel Mathers (18541918), and Mathers English translation was published in 1898. It has had a major impact on magical thinking ever since, especially through its influence on Aleister Crowley (1875 1947), who used it as the template for much of his own understanding of magic.To this day the idea that magic is or should be directed toward the knowledge and contemplation of ones Holy Guardian Angela concept not found outside this work in older sourcesis commonplace in magical writings. The book itself, however, developed a sinister reputation among occultists in the early part of this century. Dire accidents and mental imbalance were held to have befallen many of those who owned a copy of the original printing, or who tried to use the talismans contained in it. SEE ALSO HOLY GUARDIAN ANGEL. FURTHER READING: MATHERS 1974.

Abrasax. SEE ABRAXAS.

Abraxas. A popular magical deity in the ancient world, Abraxas (also called Abrasax) was depicted on classical amulet gems as a humanlike figure with a roosters head and serpents for feet, wielding a...(Continues)

Customer Reviews

An Occult Book Worth Having
This is a huge undertaking and a very intense collection of Occult information placed into a very usable reference book. Mr. Greer has outdone himself here with a very timely and informative work on the subject of the Occult.

This encyclopedia covers most of the major topics on the occult, from organizations to practices to tools and so much more. The information is derived from classic works and material of well respected past practitioners. There are no biographies of current living practitioners, which adds to the strength of the collection in my opinion.

This book contains some better known material from a variety of sources that are carefully noted in the very large and well documented bibliography. There is also some very obscure material and some 'gee, I didn't know that' material included here which makes this book worth reading from cover to cover.

And to his credit the introduction asks if anyone finds fault with the material he has researched in this volume, to please let him know what and why. A very noble and practical move on his part, as there is always Occult material that will be debated and argued.

The book contains some small black and white illustrations for some of the material presented and the contents are listed alphabetically. However, the book lacks an index for reference, leaving you to hunt through the listings to see if the material you are looking for is there. However, this is not a bad thing, as there is a lot of material that reaches out to be read and sparks interest.

Mr. Greer will quote directly from the source material, but also explains well some of the more obscure references and provides pronunciations and translations when needed. His style is light considering the heavy topic he covers and is a pleasure to read. No boring or dull textbook material here.

This is a valuable resource for having all the information collected in one place; it can augment any library and be approached by anyone who may have an interest in the Occult as well as those who are well versed in the material. boudica

A must have for any serious occultist
This is a great occult reference encyclopedia about the occult and literally contains everything you ever wanted to know about the occult and magick.

I cannot imagine the amount of time that must have went into researching this book and Greer's writings seem incredibly accurate even about some of the less known items.

The book also has a huge bibliography section which could be very useful to enlarge your magical library.

I was so impressed by this book that I will be ordering another one of Greer's books next.

all in one place
If you have even a borderline interest in the mystic and the occult, and have been struggling with terms like Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism, Tree of Life, Merkabah.. not being able to figure out what they were about, and more importantly, what was their connection and inner logic? Well, this book will explain and organize it for you in the first reading (i had a number of AHAAAA! moments during the first read), and then it will be a permanent reference source. Real nice book to own.