Western Esotericism A Guide For The Perplexed

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Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed

Author : Wouter J. Hanegraaff
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 225 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2013-02-14
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781441188977

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Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed by Wouter J. Hanegraaff Pdf

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.

A Guide for the Perplexed

Author : Ernst Friedrich Schumacher
Publisher : Random House
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 1995
Category : Conduct of life
ISBN : 9780099480211

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A Guide for the Perplexed by Ernst Friedrich Schumacher Pdf

This book, by the author of 'Small is Beautiful' is about the different ways in which people may see and the blindness of only seeing in one particular way. The arguments Schumacher presents are invigorating, provoking and often dramatic.

Western Esotericism

Author : Antoine Faivre
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 139 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2010-10-06
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781438433790

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Western Esotericism by Antoine Faivre Pdf

A survey of Western esoteric currents since late antiquity, with an emphasis on the last six centuries. 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. Antoine Faivre is Professor Emeritus at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (Religious Studies), Sorbonne. He has published extensively, including Access to Western Esotericism and The Golden Fleece and Alchemy, both also published by SUNY Press. Christine Rhone has translated numerous books, including Faivre’s Theosophy, Imagination, Tradition: Studies in Western Esotericism, also published by SUNY Press.

Western Esotericism and the Science of Religion

Author : International Association for the History of Religions. Congress,International Association for the History of Religions
Publisher : Peeters Publishers
Page : 330 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 1998
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9042906308

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Western Esotericism and the Science of Religion by International Association for the History of Religions. Congress,International Association for the History of Religions Pdf

This volume is based upon papers read during the innovative section "Western Esotericism and the Science of Religion" organized at the 17th International Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR) in Mexico City, August 5-12, 1995. The section was created in order to fill a long-standing hiatus in the academic study of religions: whereas phenomena such as gnosticism and hermetism in antiquity, and even the occult sciences of that period, have long been recognized as subjects worthy of serious investigation, the history of similar and related phenomena in more recent periods has hardly received the same measure of scholarly attention and recognition. The present volume is devoted to the academic emancipation of these areas as constituting a legitimate domain of research, which may be referred to by the generic label "western esotericism". Preceded by an introductory essay on the birth of this new discipline in the study of religion, the volume provides a sample of current research in the field and devotes special attention to some central methodological questions.

Hermes in the Academy

Author : Wouter J. Hanegraaff,Joyce Pijnenburg
Publisher : Amsterdam University Press
Page : 165 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9789056295721

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Hermes in the Academy by Wouter J. Hanegraaff,Joyce Pijnenburg Pdf

"Hermes in the Academy" commemorates the tenth anniversary of the Center for History of Hermetic Philosophy and related Currents (GHF) at the University of Amsterdam. The center devotes itself to the study of Western esotericism, which includes topics such as Hermetic philosophy, Christian kabbalah and occultism. This volume shows how, over the past ten years, the GHF has developed into the leading international center for research and teaching in this domain.

Esotericism and the Academy

Author : Wouter J. Hanegraaff
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 479 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2012-01-19
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9780521196215

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Esotericism and the Academy by Wouter J. Hanegraaff Pdf

The neglected history of how intellectuals since the Renaissance have approached ideas of the occult which challenged biblical religion.

Hidden Intercourse

Author : Wouter J. Hanegraaff,Jeffrey Kripal
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 566 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2008-12-31
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9789047443582

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Hidden Intercourse by Wouter J. Hanegraaff,Jeffrey Kripal Pdf

The history of Western esotericism is rich in references to the domains of eros and sexuality, but this connection has never been explored in detail from a critical scholarly perspective. Bringing together an impressive array of top-level specialists, this volume reveals the outlines of a largely unknown history spanning more than twenty centuries.

Access to Western Esotericism

Author : Antoine Faivre
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 388 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 1994-12-05
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781438402239

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Access to Western Esotericism by Antoine Faivre Pdf

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

Author : Nicholas Goodricke-Clarke
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2017-07-05
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781351537162

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Western Esotericism by Nicholas Goodricke-Clarke Pdf

Esotericism is the search for an absolute but hidden knowledge accessed through mystical vision, the mediation of higher beings, or personal experience. In Western cultural history esoteric approaches to religion have often been in conflict with - and suffered at the hands of - more established forms of religious belief and practice. 'Western Esotericism' presents a very broad and engaging history of the people and ideas which have shaped occult history from antiquity to today. Throughout the history of esotericism the dynamic of concealment and revelation has characterized the search for secret knowledge. Pursued both publically and privately, esotericism has come to influence more mainstream religious practice and culture and has significantly shaped our understanding of modernity. Today, esotericism continues to be practised by a range of both established and new religious movements. 'Western Esotericism' presents the essential guide to one of the most fascinating, provocative, and sustained of religious traditions.

New Age Religion and Western Culture

Author : Wouter J. Hanegraaff
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 598 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2018-09-24
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9789004378933

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New Age Religion and Western Culture by Wouter J. Hanegraaff Pdf

Recent years have seen a spectacular rise of the New Age movement and an ever-increasing interest in its beliefs and manifestations. This fascinating work presents the first-ever comprehensive analysis of New Age Religion and its historical backgrounds, thus providing the reader with a means of orientation in the bewildering variety of the movement. Making extensive use of primary sources, the author thematically analyses New Age beliefs from the perspective of the study of religions. While looking at the historical backgrounds of the movement, he convincingly argues that its foundations were laid by so-called western esoteric traditions during the Renaissance. Hanegraaff finally shows how the modern New Age movement emerged from the increasing secularization of those esoteric traditions during the 19th century. This ground-breaking publication is compulsive reading for all those involved or interested in the New Age movement.

Magia Sexualis

Author : Hugh B. Urban
Publisher : Univ of California Press
Page : 349 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2006-10-04
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780520247765

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Magia Sexualis by Hugh B. Urban Pdf

"This book offers a fascinating account of the development of Western sexual magic through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Urban focuses on an extraordinary set of historical figures, and his rich analysis illuminates the sexual—and supernatural—undercurrents that have shaped modernity."—Randall Styers, author of Making Magic: Religion, Magic, and Science in the Modern World

The Western Esoteric Traditions

Author : Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2008-10-14
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0199717567

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The Western Esoteric Traditions by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke Pdf

Western esotericism has now emerged as an academic study in its own right, combining spirituality with an empirical observation of the natural world while also relating the humanity to the universe through a harmonious celestial order. This introduction to the Western esoteric traditions offers a concise overview of their historical development. Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke explores these traditions, from their roots in Hermeticism, Neo-Platonism, and Gnosticism in the early Christian era up to their reverberations in today's scientific paradigms. While the study of Western esotericism is usually confined to the history of ideas, Goodrick-Clarke examines the phenomenon much more broadly. He demonstrates that, far from being a strictly intellectual movement, the spread of esotericism owes a great deal to geopolitics and globalization. In Hellenistic culture, for example, the empire of Alexander the Great, which stretched across Egypt and Western Asia to provinces in India, facilitated a mixing of Eastern and Western cultures. As the Greeks absorbed ideas from Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, and Persia, they gave rise to the first esoteric movements. From the late sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, post-Reformation spirituality found expression in theosophy, Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry. Similarly, in the modern era, dissatisfaction with the hegemony of science in Western culture and a lack of faith in traditional Christianity led thinkers like Madame Blavatsky to look East for spiritual inspiration. Goodrick-Clarke further examines Modern esoteric thought in the light of new scientific and medical paradigms along with the analytical psychology of Carl Gustav Jung. This book traces the complete history of these movements and is the definitive account of Western esotericism.

Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism

Author : Henrik Bogdan,Martin P. Starr
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 421 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2012-09-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9780199863099

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Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism by Henrik Bogdan,Martin P. Starr Pdf

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.

Magic and Mysticism

Author : Arthur Versluis
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 0742558363

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Magic and Mysticism by Arthur Versluis Pdf

Provides overview, from antiquity onwards, on various Western religious esoteric movements. This book includes topics such as: alchemy, Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism, Theosophy and more.

Wisdom's Children

Author : Arthur Versluis
Publisher : SUNY Press
Page : 396 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 1999-09-30
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0791443302

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Wisdom's Children by Arthur Versluis Pdf

Provides an in-depth introduction to the Christian theosophic tradition that began with Jacob Bo¬hme, bringing us into a startling new world of Christian experiential spirituality that is the Christian equivalent of Sufism and Kabbalism.