[.ca] The New Encyclopedia of the Occult (ISBN 1567183360)

The best of the best - most thorough and accurate:
One of the most extensive publications on the occult, "The New Encyclopedia of the Occult" does an excellent job of explaining various words, philosophies, historical events, individuals, and practices of the occult traditions without pushing a personal agenda. This is what a reference work should be - a neutral exposition of the facts. Everything imaginable is covered in this exhaustive tome. For most entries there is also at least one reference at the end to point the reader to additional material on that entry. To give you an idea of the breadth of the information, some of the areas covered include magic, alchemy, astrology, tarot cards, palmistry, geomancy, the Golden Dawn, Rosicrucians, Freemasons, and religions like Wicca, Thelema, Thosophy, and paganism. "The New Enclyclopedia of the Occult" is a highly recommended read for anyone interested in a scholarly reference work on the occult.

Good list of titles. But articles v. biased, cover title is arrogant, & certain articles can incite hate between occult groups:
I would love to give this book five stars. But my conscience can only allow me to give it one, because the book is claiming to be (it is presented as being) something that it is not. It is very useful to have a comprehensive list of occult subjects in one place, as in this encyclopedia. But it should be called A New Encyclopedia of the Occult, not The New Encyclopaedia of the Occult. Different occult groups have different ideas about the subjects discussed. So it is extremely biased to present one perspective on a subject as the perspective. For example, in the article entitled Initiation on p. 242, it says that spiritual, as opposed to physical ritualistic initiation, has very little to do with the reality of initiation as actually practiced by magical lodge organizations. But this is biased because in certain significant magical lodge organizations, initiation is actually considered to be a spiritual transformation, not a physical ritual. An example is explained in Chapter II of A Compendium of Occult Laws by the Rosicrucian Grand Master, Dr. R. S. Clymer, entitled The Philosophy of Occult Initiation (1966). I would also like to pick up on the article Randolph, Paschal Beverly, beginning on p. 389. This is an extremely offensive article, which can incite hate between occult groups. For example, it says on p. 390, Unfortunately Randolphs considerable creativity and intelligence were more than overbalanced by his arrogance, egotism, and uncontrolled temper. This is bad history. It is bad because it does not corroborate different primary sources before concluding what Randolphs character was actually like. Arthur Marwick, a professor of History at the Open University, explained that even the most accurate history is only about 80% true. History is a representation of the past. It cannot be considered identical with the past. Randolph is highly respected by Modern Rosicrucian orders, and his teachings are used by them as the foundation. For example, referring to the preface of Compendium of Occult Laws, by the Rosicrucian Grand Master Dr. R. S. Clymer, he says, The second section, "The Philosophy of Occult Initiation", is based almost exclusively upon the secret writings of those versed in Hermetic Science and Alchemical Processes, notably Dr. P.B. Randolph & The New Encyclopedia of the Occult even contradicts itself concerning the character of Paschal Beverly Randolph. For example, on p. 390 it says, \oRandolph\c & travelled on the anti-Spiritualist lecture circuit, attacking Spiritualism as earnestly as he had praised it a few years earlier. But as is explained in the article New Age Movement in the same Encyclopaedia, page 330, paragraph 2, & occultists of the Victorian period shook their heads at the excesses and follies of the mesmerist and spiritualist movements & So Randolphs actions were in harmony with the Victorian occultism zeitgeist. Randolph also explained that his intention was not to attack spiritualism. Randolph states, for example, in his book, Soul, The Soul World, Chapter 8, Paragraph 21, in which he outlines Rosicrucian philosophy, The sole business of this book is not to controvert any current system of philosophy . . . but to give forth what I know to be the truth. This of course means that Randolphs intention was not to attack spiritualism, but simply to express his Rosicrucian philosophy. When defining one thought system, it is necessary to contrast it against others that are different. This is the way that academic argumentation works. Such argumentation and contrasting does not constitute attacking e.g. explaining how chemistry is not biology is not an attack upon biology by chemistry. Randolph also explains: much herein given necessarily antagonizes a few of the popular Spiritual theories (Soul, The Soul World, Chapter 8, Paragraph 21). Explaining that the Rosicrucian view of the Soul World is hierarchical, necessarily antagonises spiritualism, because it is impossible to describe the soul hierarchy without saying that certain souls are lower in the hierarchy than others. There would be no Masters if there were no apprentices. Further regarding Randolphs abandonment of the spiritualist worldview. Bryan Magee says in his text The Great Philosophers (1987), Oxford, Oxford University Press, p. 66, that the abandonment of ones beliefs that are shown to be flawed in the light of new knowledge is part of what constitutes intellectual advance. Even if Randolph did have an uncontrolled temper, it does not necessarily indicate that he was a bad person. It can be a symptom of central nervous system disease. See for example this health article on intermittent explosive disorder (IED): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5049610.stm There is no justice in the worlds censorious eyes. They will not wait to learn a mans true character. Though no wrong has been done them, one look and they hate. From Medea by Euripides, Lines 18-21 (431 BCE) So, if you want to know about occultism, The New Encyclopedia of the Occult is a handy starting point. But the information it presents is not trustworthy. The articles require corroboration with other sources, preferably direct (e.g. what occult orders actually say about themselves), primary, and several secondary sources about a particular subject.

Five Stars and Two Thumbs Up!:
I'll join my fellow reviewers and say this book is excellent! It has the right philosophical standards every encyclopedia should have: Neutrality and a very slight skeptical nodd at the more controversial subjects (like the life of LaVey, things like womenbreast-divination and the more racistical occult philosopies). Unlike most other occult refference books it has a very wide time range, covering topics dating from the ancient past to postmodern suburbian Americanism. I won't bother to highlight interesting topics for they are too great in number but I can say that I like the special attention for geomancy (because you have to admit, this subject was getting a little bit dusty). I know Greer is an expert on geomancy, I think that's the reason. This is one of those rare encyclopedias that you will read in bed before going to sleep.

Ex tenebris lux:
Once again John has written a very resourceful book that is sure to solve those late night ponderings in search of the obscure. See you in lodge Frater!

An Occult Book Worth Having:
This is a huge undertaking and a very intense collection of Occult information placed into a very usable reference book. Mr. Greer has outdone himself here with a very timely and informative work on the subject of the Occult. This encyclopedia covers most of the major topics on the occult, from organizations to practices to tools and so much more. The information is derived from classic works and material of well respected past practitioners. There are no biographies of current living practitioners, which adds to the strength of the collection in my opinion. This book contains some better known material from a variety of sources that are carefully noted in the very large and well documented bibliography. There is also some very obscure material and some 'gee, I didn't know that' material included here which makes this book worth reading from cover to cover. And to his credit the introduction asks if anyone finds fault with the material he has researched in this volume, to please let him know what and why. A very noble and practical move on his part, as there is always Occult material that will be debated and argued. The book contains some small black and white illustrations for some of the material presented and the contents are listed alphabetically. However, the book lacks an index for reference, leaving you to hunt through the listings to see if the material you are looking for is there. However, this is not a bad thing, as there is a lot of material that reaches out to be read and sparks interest. Mr. Greer will quote directly from the source material, but also explains well some of the more obscure references and provides pronunciations and translations when needed. His style is light considering the heavy topic he covers and is a pleasure to read. No boring or dull textbook material here. This is a valuable resource for having all the information collected in one place; it can augment any library and be approached by anyone who may have an interest in the Occult as well as those who are well versed in the material.