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Colin Wilson
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The Occult Hardcover – January 1, 1971

by Colin Wilson (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 96 ratings
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This book deals with the author's life long search for what he calls Faculty X, a state of being in which the intellect and emotions and instinct mix to give a person insight into the greatness of life and the world around us - in a sense of a higher state of being from that of our normal daily state of dullness. He defines Faculty X as follows, "that latent power that human beings possess to reach beyond the present," saying also that it is "the key to all poetic and mystical experience; when it awakens, life suddenly takes on a new, poignant quality." He expands by writing that "Faculty X is a sense of reality of other places and other times, and it is the possession of it—fragmentary and uncertain though it is—that distinguishes man from all other animals. Without realizing it man possesses immense powers. Most men sit dully, like sheep in a field, imagining that 'there is nothing to be done,' that everyday reality is a kind of prison from which there is no escape except through drugs, drink or suicide. In fact the doors are open. Man's chief trouble is his curious passivity, which is like hypnosis. The beginning of his 'salvation' is in the glimpses of freedom that come in times of crises or in moments of sudden ecstasy." His basic argument is that humans possess abilities beyond our normal understandings of consciousness that are undeveloped because we need to be hyper-focused in the contemporary age. The plethora of interesting and well-told stories that comprise the bulk of the volume are meant to support this thesis, all the way from the ancient Egyptians to Aleister Crowley, from Pythagoras to UFOs. In his Introduction he writes, "The publication of this book had the effect of changing my life." He states that it was an awakening to the paranormal, "which is as real as quantum physics (and, in fact, has a great deal in common with it), and anyone who refuses to take it into account is simply shutting his eyes to half the universe."
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  1. Language
    English
  2. Publisher
    RANDOM HOUSE
  3. Publication date
    January 1, 1971
  4. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0027U1XN4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ RANDOM HOUSE; Book Club (BCE/BOMC) edition (January 1, 1971)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.6 pounds
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 96 ratings

About the author

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Colin Wilson

Colin Wilson

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Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was an English writer, philosopher and novelist. He also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism and the paranormal. Wilson called his philosophy "new existentialism" or "phenomenological existentialism", and maintained his life work was "that of a philosopher, and (his) purpose to create a new and optimistic existentialism".

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Tom Ordelman Thor NL (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
96 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars I would like a Discount on my next purchase..
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2018
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I would like a Discount on my next purchase..
2 people found this helpful
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Dr. Tom
5.0 out of 5 stars prolific and insightful author
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2017
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Colin Wilson was one of the most prolific and insightful authors.
2 people found this helpful
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Oxonian
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but unfocused
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2016
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Interesting but unfocused and self-indulgent
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jakub
5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2015
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5 stars
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Danno
4.0 out of 5 stars Quite Good and Very Readable
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2007
Colin Wilson brings an excellent conversational tone to "The Occult." Despite the fact that Wilson seems to have included virtually every pre-1970 seer, philosopher, adept, alchemist, prophet, soothsayer, necromancer and sorcerer, the book never seems poorly organized or disjointed. This is a testament to Wilson's writing style. Although by its very nature superficial, "The Occult" comes across as a conversation about the subject with a well-versed, highly-educated and rather witty enthusiast. As such, you will likely have as much fun reading it as I have. This is probably the most readable book on the topic, and a fine place to start if you're new to this.

Despite its' breadth, however, "The Occult" has one fatal flaw, and that is Wilson's inability to truly weigh competing points of view. For example, while Wilson provides rather lively portraits of Caligostro, Nostradamus, Mesmer, Pythagoras and the like, he uncritically reprints sensationalistic stories about them. Any historian of Greek philosophy can tell you that the stories Wilson shares regarding Pythagoras are most likely fiction, and any Freemason can correct Wilson's misconceptions about the Masons in his section on Caligostro. (Freemasonry is NOT a religion, despite Wilson's claims).

Still, this book deserves much praise. The Tarot is here, but so is the I Ching. Crowley is here, but so is Zen. The Kabbalah is here, but so are the Masons. And so on. While casting his net wide may open him up to charges of being a dillentant, it also saves this from being yet another collection of ghost stories and pseudo-myth. Don't buy this book because Halloween is coming. Buy it if you have ever cared about mystery, religion, philosophy, or spiritualism. You probably won't like everything about "The Occult" but I think you will be glad that you have read it and will probably want to read it again.
36 people found this helpful
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David
5.0 out of 5 stars In Response to Reviewer Danno
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2014
In your review, you criticized Wilson for misinterpreting Freemasonry as a religion:
"Freemasonry is NOT a religion, despite Wilson's claims)."
With all due respect, Danno, you have misinterpreted Wilson. He nowhere claims that Freemasonry is a religion. On the contrary, he says what Masons themselves say: "The Freemasons are a 'secret society' of a religious nature, whose basic tenet is the brotherhood of man" (p.385 of the white paperback, Watkins Publishing edition, 2003). We can agree that the "religious nature" of Freemasonry has to do with theism and moral principles relating thereto. One of the requirements of being a Mason is belief in "a supreme being", for which reason it is possible for a Lodge to have a Christian, Muslim, or Jewish member. Nonetheless, it is not a religion. You are right in saying that Freemasonry is not a religion, and it has never claimed to be. When Wilson says (p.387) that "the Freemasons were virtually setting up an alternative church", I think you took this as meaning that for Wilson the Masons were, in fact, rivaling Catholicism on religious grounds and trying to be a religion. But this is not Wilson's meaning. He meant that the popularity of the Lodge, as well as it's distinctness, made it SEEM like a church unto itself, and that is why Wilson is careful to use the word "virtually". For hundreds of years people went to church. When freemasonry came on the scene, it felt like a fresh, distinctly different approach to spirituality. In other words, they looked like 'the next big thing," serious competition.
Is Wilson also implying that the Masons WANTED to be direct competition, to the point of recruiting Catholics, away from Catholicism? I don't believe so. If he is (and I believe he isn't), I doubt that that was the case, since Freemasonry makes a point of saying that 'Masonry doesn't seek men. Men seek Masonry". They also say, according to a website I saw, that if any Masonic members happen to be church members, such members should make church an even higher priority than the lodge. I don't know if this is true or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is true, because present-day freemasonry doesn't interfere with organized religion. And perhaps the freemasonry of old didn't either.
In any case, your review was a good one in all other respects, but I believe you misinterpreted Wilson on the Masons.
6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Robert
5.0 out of 5 stars The Occult by Colin Wilson
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2024
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Collin Wilson’s best ever book! A real insight into the dynamics of the metaphysical world.
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wayne
4.0 out of 5 stars The Goat and the Unicorn
Reviewed in Canada on November 2, 2012
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I enjoyed the book, learned a lot of things I didn't know about this and that. Found it interesting and revealing how western man used mysticism to enhance his sexual pleasure, however deviant. Very relevant today. Interesting to compare it to Paramahansa Yogananda's books. There may be no good and evil in the occult world but there certainly is taste!
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customer
5.0 out of 5 stars This is really a review of the seller
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 26, 2023
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Unbelievable good service from World of Books!
and the book is as it was described.
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Frank Jennings
5.0 out of 5 stars very absorbing read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2017
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One very absorbing book on the background history and intelligent thoughts on the occult.
Very easy to read and I found it hard to put down. Read like a good conversation with an old friend. Very thought prevoking and inspiring. Recommended reading for anyone with an interest in life, the universe and everything.
2 people found this helpful
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Ms X
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2019
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The book was in fair order.
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