Product Description

Traces the development of modern magical consciousness from its roots in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn through to the revival of Celtic religious traditions and the re-emergence of Goddess worship as a vital expression of feminine spirituality.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1010039 in Books
• Published on: 2000-07-27
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
For some people the very idea of magic is troubling, and associated words like "esoteric", "arcane" and especially "occult" have frightening connotations. But as Nevill Drury emphasises right at the beginning of this excellent study, "magic is basically about personal transformation--more specifically, about the transformation of one's perception or state of awareness". And most "occult" knowledge is no longer hidden.

Drury starts his history 2000 years ago with the Gnostics, those who sought a personal gnosis or knowledge of God--not just an intellectual knowledge but a unifying of the inner divine spark with the One Source. He examines Kabbalism, initially a Jewish mystical system, which is at the heart of much present-day esoteric practice; then steps to the Hermetic Philosophers of the 15th and 16th centuries, and a brief look at alchemy, before moving on to the Rosicrucians and Freemasons.

From these, just over a century ago, came the most influential magical movement of all, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn--and from that, probably the most infamous individual, Aleister Crowley. And then came Gerald Gardner, who drew together all of these strands, and others, to create modern witchcraft, or Wicca. Drury also explores Goddess worship, other areas of Neo-Paganism, shamanism (his own chosen path), and the darker side of magic.

There's inevitably overlap between this book and, for instance, Richard Cavendish's The Black Arts, Michael Howard's The Occult Conspiracy, Caitlín & John Matthews' The Western Way, and other more recent studies of esoteric religion and secret societies. Nevill Drury's personal perspective, however, makes this not only a highly informative but a warm and intuitive exploration of the subject: a must-buy for anyone who wants to know more of the background to today's magic. --David V Barrett

Customer Reviews

Concise, in-depth history of Magick and Occultism
This book is written for those seeking to to know the history of magick and it succeeds in giving a detailed history of the major branches as well as the key figures. It is a very in-depth book and is not for those seeking a simplistic overview or fluffy-bunny accounts of this subject. It is more of an academic tome than a guide book and should be read as such.

A indepth review on the history of magic
I am 18 and maybe you should hold this in mind as you read my review. I borrowed this book from my local library as I am interested in witchcraft. The book was very interesting and did not give and personal views of the author which could influence the thinking of the reader. I did find that some parts of the book were hard to understand and I would advise that this book must be read more than once. It helped me a great deal in further understanding the origins of magic and whetted my appetite for more.