Light In Extension (Llewellyn's Western Magick Historical Series) [Paperback]

Godwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1951 | Series: Llewellyn's Western Magick Historical Series

The grand sweep of Greek magic, philosophy and religion from the archaic period of Homer's Iliad up to the present. This book begins with the magic and mythology of classical Athens; gives detailed considerations of Gnosticism, early Christianity and Neoplatonism; explains the manifestations of Greek thought in the Renaissance; and explores the Greek elements of the magic of the Golden Dawn, Aleister Crowley and others.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (January 1, 1951)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875422853
• ISBN-13: 978-0875422855
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,474,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best introductions to Greek Magick ever written, April 16, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Light In Extension (Llewellyn's Western Magick Historical Series) (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone. Godwin shows how Greek philosophy and mysticism has influenced thought, religion, and metaphysics throughout history. This book is essential for anyone studying the Qabbalah, Gnosticism, the Golden Dawn, Wicca, or any other magickal religion or system. It helps show the foundations on which all of these systems are built and shows how the ideas of Plato and Plotinus have grown, developed, and shaped modern thought.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Theourgia= Divine Work, February 7, 2004

By 

OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Light In Extension (Llewellyn's Western Magick Historical Series) (Paperback)

As far as I am concerned this book is one of the most significant that Llewellyn ever published. It demonstrates the debt that western occult philosophy and practice owes to Greek thought. As the author points out you can hardly open any book on this subject without finding Plato and Plotinus on every page.

The history of Greek mystical and magical thought is traced progressively from Archaic and Classical Greece, to the growth of the Mysteries, to the wider Hellenistic period, to Gnosticism, to Middle Platonism, to the Greek New Testament, to Neoplatonism, to the Renaissance, to 19th and 20th century occult societies (Golden Dawn, Theosophical Society, Rosicrucian, Fraternitas Saturni, Aurum Solis, etc.) An especially good case is made for cabalistic thought being as much, or more, Greek as Hebrew in nature.

Yet, in spite of the main purpose of showing Greek influence, the author doesn't hesitate to point out the roots of Orphism and Pythagorianism may very well have been influenced by Siberian Shamanism.

I have only two comments about the content. First, the author does an excellent job of condensing all that is know about the nature of the various mysteries. He also makes some perceptive speculations of his own. However, he misses what has long been obvious to me- namely, that at least at Eleusis, the Greater mysteries involved an induced near death experience in the subterranean chambers. Also, while a comprehensive appendix concerning Isopsephos (numerical values of Greek words and names), I couldn't help but notice that there is no interpretation of 999....