Publisher's Synopsis
Sacred Sites... Bizarre Riruals... Deities, Demons, and Man as a God... Little has caused so much controversy in the history of humanity as magic and mysticism. Capable of stirring wonder and revulsion in equal measure, they are timeless and omnipresent aspects of who and what we are - and, it seems, capable of revealing our loftiest ideals and most squalid perversions. This book charts the history of magic, mysticism and occultism from their earliest tribal roots, through Mesopotamia, the Mystery schools of Egypt and Greece, the spread of Christianity, the occult philosophers of the Renaissance, the exotic new faiths of the Enlightenment and increased secularisation, to today. Shamans, priests, alchemists, witches, Rosicrucians, Satanists and magicians ancient and modern - all are studied, and amongst them some of the most famous - and infamous - of figures, in a realm where history and legend are often intertwined. This is a story of revelation, obsession, divinity and deviance, always fuelled by the inherent human need to understand its self, its place and purpose, speaking to the innermost part of us no matter our own faith or philosophy.
