MAGIC & WITCHCRAFT CL

Magic is as old as humanity itself. From the earliest animist view of a universe alive with potent spiritual forces to the emergence of Wicca and Neopaganism, the magical arts have provided a path to power in a mysterious world. This book covers Western magical thought and practice from earliest times to the present. Beginning with shamanism, the world's earliest spiritual tradition, it goes on to look at myth and magic in the ancient world, the quest for gnosis or sacred knowledge, and the emergence of the Kabbalah, alchemy and the Hermetic tradition. It discusses medieval witchcraft and the European and American witch hunts, the origins of the Tarot, and the esoteric philosophy of the Freemasons and Rosicrucians.

Nevill Drury was born in Hastings, England, in 1947, but has lived most of his life in Australia. He has written widely on shamanism and the Western esoteric tradition, as well as on contemporary art. He holds a Masters degree in anthropology from Macquarie University in Sydney, and is the author of over forty books