An extensive examination of the history of gnosticism and how its philosophy has influenced the Western esoteric tradition

- Explains how the Gnostic understanding of self-realization is embodied in the esoteric traditions of the Rosicrucians and Freemasons

- Explores how gnosticism continues to influence contemporary spirituality

- Shows gnosticism to be a philosophical key that helps spiritual seekers "remember" their higher selves

Gnosticism was a contemporary of early Christianity, and its demise can be traced to Christianity's efforts to silence its teachings. The Gnostic...

A biographical history of Aleister Crowley's activities in Berlin from 1930 to 1932 as Hitler was rising to power

- Examines Crowley's focus on his art, his work as a spy for British Intelligence, his colorful love life and sex magick exploits, and his contacts with magical orders

- Explores Crowley's relationships with Berlin's artists, filmmakers, writers, and performers such as Christopher Isherwood, Jean Ross, and Aldous Huxley

- Recounts the fates of Crowley's friends and colleagues under the Nazis as well as what happened to Crowley's lost art exhibition

Gnostic poet,...

How fin-de-siecle Paris became the locus for the most intense revival of magical practices and doctrines since the Renaissance

- Examines the remarkable lives of occult practitioners Josephin Peladan, Papus, Stanislas de Guaita, Saint-Yves d'Alveydre, Jules Doinel, and others

- Reveals how occult activity deeply influenced many well-known cultural movements, such as Symbolism, the Decadents, modern music, and the "psychedelic 60s"

During Paris's Belle Epoque (1871-1914), many cultural movements and artistic styles flourished--Symbolism, Impressionism, Art Nouveau, the...