2022/04/14
The Secret History of Western Sexual Mysticism: Sacred Practices and Spiritual Marriage eBook : Versluis, Arthur: Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store
American Gurus: From Transcendentalism to New Age Religion eBook : Versluis, Arthur
Magic and Mysticism: An Introduction to Western Esoteric Traditions eBook : Versluis, Arthur: Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store
![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Aw7Hiy1CL.jpg)
Follow the Author
Arthur Versluis
+ Follow
Magic and Mysticism: An Introduction to Western Esoteric Traditions Kindle Edition
by Arthur Versluis (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 7 ratings
See all formats and editions
Kindle
$44.23Read with Our Free App
Hardcover
$143.99
8 New from $143.98
Paperback
$54.94
14 New from $54.94
Magic and Mysticism: An Introduction to Western Esoteric Traditions is a concise overview, from antiquity to the present, of all the major Western religious esoteric movements. Topics covered include alchemy, Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism, Theosophy and many more. Magic and Mysticism is ideal for students of Mysticism and New Religious Movements, as well as for general readers of Metaphysics and Esoterica.
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Publication date
22 May 2007
Review
Arthur Versluis has written a wonderfully concise overview and analysis of Western esotericism. The scholarship is wide-ranging and up to date, yet the tone is quite readable and not overly academic.--Jay Kinney, former editor and publisher of Gnosis
Arthur Versluis' prolific writings on Western esoteric thought continue to shape and define the field. His current work, Magic and Mysticism, provides lucid insight into a scarcely known tradition that continues to exert a tremendous influence on the way we see our lives, and beyond. The breadth of his coverage alone is a reason to read the book.--David Appelbaum, SUNY New Paltz
A remarkably clear, erudite, and concise guide to a field that has been far too long neglected. Versluis manages to compress an enormous amount of research and insight into a short space. This will be an extremely useful tool for scholars and seekers alike.--Richard Smoley, coauthor of Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions
Magic and Mysticism: An Introduction to Western Esoteric Traditions is an ambitious recasting of the gnostic insight that has inspired and influenced countless writers through the ages. Arthur Versluis, one of the generation's more prolific scholars of esotericism, has produced a volume that is both comprehensive in scope and exacting in detail. Moving beyond previous studies that separate mysticism and magic, Versluis argues that these two products of human imagination, which are not entirely reducible to rational analysis, need to be juxtaposed, as they help us define the larger spectrum of the esoteric. I have little doubt that this work will be of great interest to specialist and non-specialist alike, to historians of mysticism and esotericism in particular, and to students of comparative religion more generally.--Elliot R. Wolfson, New York University
Persecuted throughout the ages by orthodox Christians and marginalized by scholars until recently, esotericism and esotericists have finally come into their own. In this succinct, deftly organized, and lucidly written account, Arthur Versluis presents a history of western esotericism from antiquity to the present. His book will appeal to anyone interested in the 'third' or 'gnostic' component of western thought, which provided and still provides a middle path between faith and reason for those striving for spiritual enlightenment.--Alison Coudert, University of California, Davis
This newest work by an outstanding American scholar of Western Esotericism offers an integrative interpretation of three critical themes: gnosis, magic, and mysticism. Surveying the intertwined histories of these themes, the author provides a multitude of insights on the creative interactions between various historical schools, individuals, and historic periods, all set against the social dynamics of anti-esoteric and heresiophobic rhetoric. This is a crucial, transdiciplinary review that brings new definition and nuance to the study of Western Esotericism. In addition, the section on Theosophy give new scope and depths to that topic and shows its formative influence on contemporary esoteric thought and practice. Highly recommended.--Lee Irwin, College of Charleston
Versluis brings a delightful balance between scholarly attention to detail and a warm understanding of the subject and the characters involved. Magic and Mysticism is joy to read and ideal for anyone who wants to understand the importance of esotericism on Western culture and why it is still important to us today.--Mark Stavish, Institute for Hermetic Studies, author of The Path of Alchemy --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Arthur Versluis is the founder and president of the Association for the Study of Esotericism and editor of the journal Esoterica. He is the author of many books and is a professor of writing, rhetoric, and American cultures at Michigan State University. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product details
Print length : 188 pages
Customer Reviews:
4.6 out of 5 stars 7 ratings
Arthur Versluis
Arthur Versluis, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies and Professor in the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University, holds a doctorate from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and has published numerous books and articles. Among his books are _Magic and Mysticism: An Introduction to Western Esotericism_ (Rowman Littlefield, 2007), _The New Inquisitions: Heretic-hunting and the Intellectual Origins of Modern Totalitarianism_ (Oxford UP, 2006), _Restoring Paradise: Esoteric Transmission through Literature and Art_ (SUNY: 2004); _The Esoteric Origins of the American Renaissance_ (Oxford UP: 2001); _Wisdom’s Book: The Sophia Anthology_, (Paragon House, 2000); _Wisdom’s Children: A Christian Esoteric Tradition_ (SUNY: 1999); and _American Transcendentalism and Asian Religions_ (Oxford UP, 1993). His family has owned a commercial farm in West Michigan for several generations, and so he also published _Island Farm_, a book about the family farm and about family farming in the modern era.
Top reviews from other countries
![](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/amazon-avatars-global/b5058596-e7ff-4b1a-9f42-74babed66c0c._CR0,0,375,375_SX48_.jpg)
gavin mercer
3.0 out of 5 stars Dated digestReviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 November 2018
Verified Purchase
Excellently scholarly but impossible task to cover this vast subject in under 200 pps. More of a digest than anything. Also, already seems dated after 10 years.
Report abuse
![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/amazon-avatars-global/default._CR0,0,1024,1024_SX48_.png)
Mr. Stephen A. Orzel
5.0 out of 5 stars A concise introduction to an emerging field of studyReviewed in the United States on 9 December 2008
Verified Purchase
A new field of acamdemic study has emerged in the past decade: The Western Esoteric Tradition. "Magic and Mysticism" is a true introduction to this field. By following a chronological path, it also tells the story of Western civilization from the perspective of magic and mysticism. The chapters clearly demarcate major movements and periods, beginning with the Egyptians and Greeks, on to the Gnostics, Kabbalists, and Hermeticists, then to medieval folk magic and renaissance Alchemy, followed by early-modern movements like Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, and Theosophy. Finally we learn how more recent movements such as the Golden Dawn, OTO, Anthroposophy, and Chaos Magick fit into this wisdom tradition.
Anyone interested in introducing themselves to this vast body of knowledge and wisdom would find no better place to begin than "Magic and Mysticism". To me an introduction means clear organization, lots of names, dates, and places, and most importantly motivates you to continue pursuing the subject. Since reading the book I have gone further in depth into Hermeticism, Qabalah, Alchemy, and the Golden Dawn. The book has has become a strong foundation and is my top recommendation as an introduction to this field of study.
Several important features make this book unique. In the introduction the author defines the word 'esoteric' and distinguishes it from 'exoteric'. Esoteric knowledge is that which is reserved for the few, while exoteric knowledge is available to all. He also defines the words 'magic' and 'mysticism', showing how the two differ and sometimes intersect. Mysticism has more to do with union with the divine, while magic has more to do with causing change in the world, although there is no clear dividing line, especially in Alchemy and Kabbalah.
A recurring theme in the book is how these schools of thought fit along this continuum-- were they more magical or more mystical? Another recurring theme is that of 'gnosis' or direct spiritual insight into the nature of the cosmos and oneself. One is left with the impression that the reason esoteric teachings were veiled in secrecy was because they implied gnosis, something that exoteric religions would rather keep locked-up within the preisthood.
Read less
39 people found this helpfulReport abuse
2022/04/12
Perennial Philosophy: Versluis, Arthur
2022/02/26
Aldous Huxley and Alternative Spirituality | Reading Religion
Aldous Huxley and Alternative Spirituality
Texts and Studies in Western Esotericism
- Boston, MA:Brill, August2019.366 pages.$203.00.E-Book.ISBN9789004406902.For other formats: Link to Publisher's Website.
Review
Aldous Huxley is among the most important thinkers of the 20th century. He was a key figure among a network of intellectuals and writers interested in transcendence and transformation, and he enormously influenced the Human Potential Movement, the 1960s psychedelic counterculture, the New Age Movement, and deep ecology.
In Aldous Huxley and Alternative Spirituality, Jake Poller reviews Huxley’s investigations and experiments in sociology and mysticism in comparison to the differing perspectives on similar themes in his fiction, including Brave New World (Chatto & Windus, 1932) and Island (Chatto & Windus,1962). Poller skillfully shows the modern literary influence of H.G. Wells and D.H. Lawrence on Huxley’s early aesthetic and also defines a cultic milieu for the Perennial Philosophy, which is contrasted to historical antecedents and similar variations. The author draws heavily from the literary criticism of David Bradshaw and cites Wouter J. Hanegraaff and Jeffrey J. Kripal in positing a Western esoteric tradition. Finally, Poller situates Huxley in a sequence of mind-altering drug champions that include P.D. Ouspensky and Aliester Crowley as predecessors, scientific researchers Humphrey Osmond and Albert Hoffman, and popularizers such as Timothy Leary and Terence McKenna.
Huxley critiqued the aims of Gerald Heard’s Open Conspiracy Club, which envisioned a collective eschatology in Western psychology when an elite group of scientists and industrialists displace nationalist states with a rational, technocratic planetary government. During the first phase, the vague beginnings of organization sought to define the aims with proposals and propaganda, intimate contact with educational reformers, and actual development of the Earth’s resources in a global economy and world banking system. Huxley, who was a member of Heard’s Peace Pledge Union, worried about the dangers of machines intended to elevate humanity instead enslaving people, and he also warned about the possibility of exploitation when humans are trained (and drugged) to be obedient workers and predictable consumers. Huxley believed that peace is not possible without a religious philosophy agreeable to all nations. He rejected behavioralism in favor of Immanuel Kant’s transcendental idealism and proposed a Minimum Working Hypothesis and FourFundamental Tenets of the Perennial Philosophy, which is not universal (found in all religions at all times) but recurs in several traditions. Huxley was intrigued by examples of socially and spiritually mandated forms of sexual promiscuity, and his ideal politics would make the world safe for mystical experience.
Poller traces the varieties of perennialism starting with definitions: “spiritual” is neither secular nor is it institutional religion; “alternative” is not mainstream culture. Mysticism (as defined by William James and Rudolf Otto) is not esotericism (a Renaissance synthesis and polemic Other to Enlightenment discourse) which is not occultism (like Theosophy and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn).
Moreover, Huxley’s Perennial Philosophy is historically distinct from both De Perennis Philosophia (the Vatican librarian’s response to Luther’s protest) and also Marsilia Ficino’s Prisca Theologia (a Platonic worldview derived from the wisdom mythologized in legends of Moses, Hermes Trismegistus, Zoroaster, Orpheus, etc). The late 19th-century and early 20th-century cultic milieu was strongly determined by three inspirations: The Secret Doctrine by Madame Helena P. Blavatsky (Theosophical Publishing Society, 1875), which proposed hidden masters attempting to reconcile all sects and nations under a common system of ethics (later interpretations by Annie Besant and Alice Bailey expanded this concept into administrative offices of a planetary government); Traditionalism (represented by Rene Guenon, Julius Evola, Ananda Coomaraswamy, and Frithjof Schuon) which claimed to transmit a superior but partially corrupted and incomplete ancient knowledge which is inaccessible except through initiation rites similar to the Sufis and Freemasons; and, Neo-Vedanta which emerged from the cross-pollination of Unitarian Christianity and American Transcendentalism and produced a “New Dispensation” that claimed right guidance and practice will enable correct perception of the truth which has been concealed or distorted.
Huxley drafted the prospectus for Heard’s Trabuco College of Prayer, an intentional community imitating the charity and compassion of religious orders. It was imagined as an undogmatic, nonhierarchical, nondenominational club for mystics and rest center for social workers. It was open to maladjusted youth seeking to regain control of themselves and return to an integrated life in the world. Heard was interested in the regeneration of the individual (168), but he also believed the only hope for our derelict civilization is in the emergence of Neo-Brahmins who have attained the next stage of evolution and assumed leadership of humanity (158). Heard practiced an idiosyncratic discipline seeking a telepathic connection to an impersonal psychic field which had no resemblance to Patanjali’s yoga or Swami Vivekananda’s program (151). Huxley visited six times, once with Jiddu Krishnamurti who was disturbed and declined to return. Heard judged his attempt to be a failure and donated the compound to Swami Prabhavananda. Huxley’s interest pivoted toward tantra, which Poller compares to descriptions by Heinrich Zimmer, John Woodroofe, and Hugh Urban.
Huxley believed human progress results not from an evolutionary leap or paranormal training, but through cultivating existing potential aided by pharmacology. Heard also promoted LSD as an educational tool to right-wing Libertarian groups and introduced the drug to the engineers at the Sequoia Seminars who were in pursuit of a man-machine symbiosis through computer-augmented and artificial intelligence. Huxley regarded LSD as “moksha-medicine” (liberation) and the cure-all for modern problems. He took psilocybin at MIT with Leary, who dosed members of the Vedanta Center in Boston using Ganges water in a chalice. Huxley advised Leary to “turn on the elites” and advocated appropriate set-and-setting, but Allen Ginsburg persuaded Leary to reach out to the public instead. The movement that emerged was chaotic and dangerous.
There was a time when perennialism flourished in the counterculture (through Alan Watts) and in the academy (through Mircea Eliade). However, this important branch of intellectual history and associated figures (including Carl J. Jung, Joseph Campbell, and Huston Smith as exemplars in their respective fields) was stigmatized and rejected in the postmodernist demolition project. Poller rescues Huxley from the disdain heaped on his “synthetic Yoga-Buddhic-Christian religion” and shows the connection between Huxley’s experiments in lived ideology as reflected in his creative literary achievements. Poller’s compelling book enhances appreciation and deepens respect for Huxley’s fiction and visionary mysticism.
Patrick Horn is a Public Scholar and the Membership Committee Chairman for the Religion Communicators Council Board of Governors.
Jake Poller, Ph.D. (2010), Queen Mary University of London, is the editor of Altered Consciousness in the Twentieth Century (Routledge, 2019).