The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor: Initiatic and Historical Documents of an Order of Practical Occultism [Paperback]

Joscelyn Godwin (Author), Christian Chanel (Contributor), John P. Deveney (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1995

The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, active in the last decades of the 19th century, was the only order of its time that taught practical occultism in the Western Mystery Tradition. This is the first complete and undistorted account, tracing the origins, founders, and practices of this very secretive order, which counted among its members many of the well-known figures of late 19th-century occultism, spiritualism, and Theosophy, including Max Theon, Peter Davidson, Thomas Henry Burgoyne and Paschal Beverly Randolph. This scholarly work provides all the materials for revisioning the history, assigning the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor its rightful place as one of the most influential esoteric orders of its time.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Red Wheel / Weiser (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877288380
• ISBN-13: 978-0877288381
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #855,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Complete Work on the HBL Ever!, August 3, 2001

By 

Victor Thomas Cypert (Jacksonville, AL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor: Initiatic and Historical Documents of an Order of Practical Occultism (Hardcover)

The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor has become "en vogue" lately among certain circles of occultists and occult historians. This book, unlike others written by persons of questionable academic reputation, gives a complete and unbiased account of the HBL, its structure, system, and personalities.

Complete and concise, contains several useful documents including sources for high degree OTO materials, this book is a must-have in the library of any serious occultist.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Record of a 19th Century Fraternal Order, March 15, 2001

By 

Ava Lomax (Carrboro, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor: Initiatic and Historical Documents of an Order of Practical Occultism (Hardcover)

The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor was a fraternal order founded in the 19th century by the enigmatic Max Theon. People like Max Theon are usually described as 'enigmatic' or 'shadowy' and with good reason. But this book goes a long way toward shedding some light on Theon, Peter Davidson, Paschal Beverly Randolph, Emma Hardinge Britten, and others, all of whom had a great deal to do with the channeling of the American current of Magick. The research conducted by the authors' is truly impressive, although it simply left me hungry for more information. (Mr. Deveney has also written a marvelous biography of the mystic and seer, P.B. Randolph.) Read carefully, however, this book provides the background to the secret history of our times.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delight!, March 5, 2003

By 

Robert S. Lewis (Marietta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor: Initiatic and Historical Documents of an Order of Practical Occultism (Paperback)

This book really goes back to the beginnings of occultism. I would suggest reading
Paschal Beverly Randolph: A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician (Suny Series in Western Esoteric Traditions)
first, however; as you will get more out of it if you have a context to put it in.
Enjoy!