A History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult

Description

CONTENTS ANCIENT ROOTS Prehistory to 400 ce INTRODUCTION THE BIRTH OF RITUAL prehistoric magic MAGIC ALL AROUND Mesopotamian magic A UNIVERSAL FORCE Egyptian magic SPELLS FOR THE AFTERLIFE MIRACLES AND FORBIDDEN MAGIC ancient Hebrew magic POWER OF THE MAGI ancient Persian magic ENLISTING THE GODS ancient Greek magic INTERPRETING DIVINE WILL divination in ancient Greece GREEK MAGIC AND MYTH STATE POWER, SCIENCE, AND SUPERSTITION Roman magic SHROUDED IN SECRECY mystery cults HEALING PLANTS ELIXIRS OF LIFE AND DEATH ancient Chinese magic ENSURING COSMIC HARMONY Chinese divination MINISTRY OF MAGIC ancient Japanese magic LORE OF THE PANTHEON ancient Hindu magic THE COSMIC CYCLE Mayan magic CURSE OR CURE 400–1500 INTRODUCTION THE WAND-CARRIERS Norse magic THE RUNES DRUMMING AND TRANCE Finnish shamanism TALES OF THE DRUIDS Celtic myth and magic CHRISTIANITY AND THE OCCULT medieval Byzantine magic THE DIVINE AND THE WONDROUS magic and early Islam POWER OF THE PLANETS Arabic astrology and astral magic PROTECTIVE OBJECTS I CREATE AS I SPEAK Jewish magic and mysticism ANGELIC ALPHABETS the spread of charaktêres EUROPEAN FOLK MAGIC the common magical tradition SYMPATHY, SAINTS, HERBS, AND HUMORS magic and medicine THE MANDRAKE LEGEND DIVINE POWER AND EVIL SPIRITS magic and medieval Christianity CRYSTALS AND GEMS WORDS OF POWER magical handbooks WIZARDS, KINGS, AND DRAGONS SUMMONING DEMONS AND THE DEAD medieval necromancy A PACT WITH THE DEVIL witchcraft under scrutiny THE FALL OF THE TEMPLARS SCHOLARS AND SABBATS 1500–1700 INTRODUCTION CUNNING FOLK popular practices MAGIC OR ILLUSION? THE SMOKING MIRROR Aztec sorcery PHILOSOPHICAL MAGIC Hermeticism, divinity, and the universe SECRETS OF THE DIVINE the Kabbalah tradition THE HIGH ARTS OF RITUAL ceremonial magic MAGIC AND EARLY SCIENCE natural and occult philosophy FANTASY OR SCIENCE? The golden age of alchemy ALCHEMY IN ART SECRETS OF THE ROSE AND CROSS Rosicrucianism LOOKING TO THE STARS Western astrology DIVINATION TOOLS THE POWER OF PREDICTION almanacs and calendars THE KEY TO ALL KNOWLEDGE MISUNDERSTANDING THE LOCAL SIGNS colonial encounters SORCERY ON THE STAGE magic in Renaissance theater SHAKESPEARE’S FAIRY MISCHIEF DEMONS AND THE BIRTH OF THE MODERN WITCH demonology in Renaissance Europe GRUESOME PENALTIES witch trials POPPETS AND FETISHES DELUSIONS AND TRICKERY debunking witchcraft SUPERNATURAL HELPERS witches’ familiars THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS SECRECY AND CEREMONY 1700–1900 INTRODUCTION THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON Freemasonry and mysticism SCIENCE OR SPELLS? folk magic in Europe FAIRY TALES BURIED CHARMS AND BORROWED SIGNS folk magic in North America EVERYTHING IS SPIRIT Voodoo and Hoodoo HARMFUL PLANTS HARNESSING THE LIFE FORCE mesmerism and hypnosis READING THE CARDS the tarot THE MAJOR ARCANA ARTISTIC EXPRESSION Romantics and renegades GOTHIC MAGIC SPEAKING WITH THE DEAD spiritualism CHANNELING THE SPIRITS mediums and séances OUIJA BOARDS READING THE LINES palmistry CODIFYING REINCARNATION the birth of spiritism HOCUS POCUS early stage magic DIVINE WISDOM theosophy THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS THE HERMETIC ORDER OF THE GOLDEN DAWN occult science, mystery, and ritual magic SYMBOLISM AND MYSTICISM magic in turn-of-the-century France MODERN MAGIC 1900 onward INTRODUCTION MAGICK OF THE BEAST Crowley and the Thelemic religion MAN IS ONE WITH GOD the German occult revival RUNES FOR DIVINATION SPIRITUAL OCCULTISTS early 20th-century magical societies CONJURING TRICKS magic takes center stage BEYOND SUPERSTITION the colonial anthropologist MAGIC AND THE FANTASY NOVEL WICCA AND WITCHCRAFT witches in the modern era WICCAN TOOLS THE ‘‘OLD RELIGION’’ Stregheria DRAWN FROM THE PAST Neopaganism MAGIC AND MUSIC HEALING POWERS the many faces of spirituality and shamanism VISIONS IN THE JUNGLE MIND, BODY, SPIRIT New Age practices WORSHIP OF THE SELF Satanism MODERN TALISMANS DANCING WITH THE DEAD THE TASTE FOR SPECTACLE magic as modern entertainment MAGIC WITH NO RULES chaos magic FROM HAG TO HERO witches in film and television THE ENERGY OF OTHERS witchcraft in the Internet age GLOSSARY INDEX ACKNOWLEDGMENTS