Symbols Of The Occult

Covering astronomy, demonology, witchcraft, ancient magic, and much more, this book serves as a directory to decoding over 500 signs, symbols, and icons of the occult. This expansive illustrated directory showcases the key signs and symbols of the occult. Each entry has been carefully selected for its powerful symbolism, and the stylish illustrations span from the myths and legends of the ancient world to the icons used in modern science. Award-winning author Eric Chaline introduces each topic with a short overview before featuring the key signs and symbols and exploring similar and related entries. Including signs from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, as well as Aztec, Celtic, Slavic, Native American, and Hindu societies, Symbols of the Occult examines more than 500 symbols from history, art, and culture by decoding their iconography and exploring their historical significance. Arranged by topic, this volume collects the key areas of astrology and cosmology; witchcraft and mysticism; satanism and demonology; science and alchemy; math and sacred geometry; the natural world; and symbols of ancient and secret societies. This guide is the ultimate resource for the modern occultist.

Discover the most fascinating and in-depth meanings behind the symbols used by the Masons, occultists, witches, New Agers, Satanists, and others. This book uncovers the hidden meanings behind the symbols that we see around us every day. In this well-documented book you will see hundreds of illustrations along with their explanations. You will find many organizational logos, hand signals, tarot cards, zodiac signs, talismans, amulets, and humanist symbols, as well as the meaning of the peace symbol, hexagram, pentagram, yin/yang, circle, all-seeing eye, caduceus, oroborus, ankh, triskele, and the triangle. Also revealed in this book are numerous Masonic and Eastern Star symbols such as the clasped hands, point within a circle, broken column, gavel, obelisk, pomegranate, and the cornucopia. Jeremiah 10:2-3 warns: "Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven;...for the customs of the people are vain."

This remarkable classic by a world expert on the evolution and migration of symbols explains in detail what a symbol is, how it served a culture, developed or fell into disuse. Considerable attention is paid to how various symbols have changed in meaning and form during their migrations. Among the configurations discussed: the triskelion, swastika, caduceus, double-headed eagle, "tree of life," lotus, and assorted crosses. 161 black-and-white illustrations plus 6 plates.

Renowned esoteric author Manly P. Hall examines worldwide and age-old myths and symbolism of various creatures across the globe. The creatures inhabiting the water, air, and earth were held in veneration by all races of antiquity. Realizing that visible bodies are only symbols of invisible forces, the ancients worshiped the Divine Power through the lower kingdoms of Nature. Fishes, insects, animals, reptiles, and birds appear in the religious symbolism of nearly all nations, because the forms and habits of these creatures and the media in which they exist, closely relate them to the various generative and germinative powers of Nature, which were considered as prima-facie evidence of divine omnipresence.

In this pioneering scholarly work on occult symbols in literature, the reader is offered a vivid look into how W.B. Yeats, T.S. Eliot, and Franz Kafka--three masters of symbolic expression--utilized Tarot cards in their poetry and prose. Focusing on the Tarot's ancient associations with divine knowledge, its pictorial representation of both the Jewish and Christian Cabala, and the Tarot's more recent pedestrian affiliation with the occult, June Leavitt skillfully demonstrates how Yeats, Eliot, and Kafka align themselves in their uniquely individual ways with the Tarot symbols' mapping of reality. Paying close attention to the mystical nuances of the Tarot, Ms. Leavitt shows how Tarot symbols allow for radically new readings of the texts in which they are situated, and play a transformative role in the three writers' search for God. This search remained indecisive for Kafka, resulted in Eliot's conversion to Anglo-Catholicism, and went hand in hand with Yeats' passion for pagan gods and angels. Visit the author's website at http: //www.spiritualityteaching.com.

"This book delves into the life and work of architect William Richard Lethaby (1857 - 1931) and his relationship with the occult and alchemy, in particular. Using detailed analysis of Lethaby's drawings and architecture, the research uncovers Lethaby's familiarity with occult concepts and ideology during the spiritual revolution of the 19th century. Throughout this time, countless individuals, particularly members of the avant-garde, rejected more traditional religious pathways and sought answers through experimental and mystical alternatives. William Lethaby, Symbolism and the Occult reveals how the architect was profoundly influenced by the Zeitgeist, which was saturated with references to spiritualism, mysticism and the occult, and explores the impact of occultism on his contemporaries and the wider Arts and Crafts Movement. This book is written for upper-level students, researchers and academics interested in architectural history, William Lethaby and 19th century culture and society"--