The New Encyclopedia of the Occult [Paperback]

John Michael Greer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 2003

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.

 

"This is an important source for libraries to have in their collections to assist anyone seeking information about the many aspects of occult traditions." —Booklist

"Greer delivers a well researched, informative, and unbiased encyclopedia... Highly recommended for all public libraries and where interest merits." —Library Journal 

 

COVR Award Winner

Editorial Reviews

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 (Western Maryland) has been a student of occult traditions and the unexplained for more than thirty years. A Freemason, a student of geomancy and sacred geometry, and a widely read blogger, he is also the author of numerous books, including Monsters, The New Encyclopedia of the Occult and Secrets of the Lost Symbol, and currently serves as the Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA), a contemporary school of Druid nature spirituality. Greer has contributed articles to Renaissance Magazine, Golden Dawn Journal, Mezlim, New Moon Rising, Gnosis, and Alexandria.

 

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Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (October 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567183360
• ISBN-13: 978-1567183368
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > History
  • #23 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Mythology & Folklore
  • #37 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Reference

More About the Author

Born in the gritty Navy town of Bremerton, Washington and raised in the south Seattle suburbs, I began writing about as soon as I could hold a pencil. SF editor George Scithers' dictum that all would-be writers have a million words of so of bad prose in them, and have to write it out, pretty much sums up the couple of decades between my first serious attempt to write a book and my first published book, "Paths of Wisdom", which appeared in 1996. These days I live in Cumberland, Maryland with my spouse Sara; serve as presiding officer -- Grand Archdruid is the official title -- of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA), a Druid order founded in 1912; and write in half a dozen nonfiction fields, nearly all of them focused on the revival of forgotten ideas, insights, and traditions of practice from the rubbish heap of history.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Occult Book Worth Having, January 14, 2004

By 

Boudica (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Encyclopedia of the Occult (Paperback)

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

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars all in one place, February 19, 2005

By 

J. Malnar (Zagreb Croatia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New Encyclopedia of the Occult (Paperback)

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.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for any serious occultist, June 19, 2005

By 

R. Todish (Marquette, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Encyclopedia of the Occult (Paperback)

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.