Customer Reviews

Western Esotericism: A Brief History of Secret Knowledge

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This is exactly the textbook that students of Western Esotericism has been waiting for. Condensed, readable introductions to the key terms and figures are accompanied by detailed notes. The writing is tidy and logical, free of the kinds of ideological baggage that have accompanied too much scholarship on the subject, doing justice to the complex and often unfairly-judged historical personalities involved. Anybody who has despaired of the difficulty in "finding good information about the occult" need look no further--they will likely be delightfully surprised to discover readable summaries of so much current research in the field.

Academic specialists in the field will find this book indispensable, but it may be of interest to spiritual seekers and practicing occultists as well as a source for the historical background to their own path. Even advanced occultists will likely find much scholarly information of value in this text, which is the most handy single reference source of its size in the field.

Kocku Von Stuckrad teaches at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and is respected as an expert in the field of Western Esotericism. I have just completed my MA in Western Esotericism at the University of Exeter in the UK and this book was an invaluable guide to the topic. The book is translated by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke who is the Course Director at the University of Exeter. It is easy to read and understand even for a newcomer to the field and provides a broad overview of the key subjects in Western Esotericism.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn more about esoteric philosophy and especially the idea of philosophia perennis or eternal philosophy that can be traced from ancient Greece through the Renaissance to the present day. It is a fascinating subject and well worth investigating further.