The Mirror of Magic
Inner Traditions Bear and Company (Verlag)
978-1-62055-790-7 (ISBN)
A collector’s edition of the classic, illustrated, and comprehensive history of magic and the occult
In the occult classic The Mirror of Magic, renowned Surrealist Kurt Seligmann (1900-1962) draws from his encyclopedic practitioner’s knowledge and extensive antiquarian collection to offer a comprehensive, illustrated history of magic and the occult from Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt through the 18th century. He explores the gods and divinatory arts of the legendary Sumerians and the star-wise Babylonians, including the birth of astrology. He examines the afterlife beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and the dream interpretation practices and oracles of ancient Greece, including the mysteries of Eleusis and the magical philosophy of Plato, Socrates, and other Greeks. He uncovers the origins of Gnosticism and the suppression and banishment of magic by the post-pagan, Christian emperors of Rome.
Seligmann reviews the principles of alchemy, sharing famous transmutations and allegorical illustrations of the alchemical process and explores the Hermetica and its remarkable adepts. Investigating the Middle Ages, the author discusses the work of European magicians of the time, including Albertus Magnus, Roger Bacon, Agrippa, Nostradamus, and Pico Della Mirandola.
First published in 1948, this history of magic and the occult seeks to “mirror” the magical worldview throughout the ages. Beautifully illustrated with images from the author’s rare library, this collector’s edition features all of the artwork--more than 250 images--from the original 1948 edition.
Kurt Seligmann (1900-1962) was a Swiss-American Surrealist painter and expert on magic, known for his extensive collection of rare books and his monumental role in the popularization of Surrealism in the United States. After the outbreak of World War II in 1939, he was the first European Surrealist to arrive in New York. After the war his work was exhibited widely and acquired by museums throughout the United States and Europe. He taught for many years at various colleges in New York City.
Note from the Publisher
FOREWORD
The Artist behind the Mirror of Magic
BY CELIA RABINOVITCH
PREFACE
The Emancipatory Power of Magic
BY GRAŽINA SUBELYTE
THE ORIGINAL TEXT
THE MIRROR OF MAGIC
A History of Magic in the Western World
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
MESOPOTAMIA
THE FORGETFUL GODS
DIVINATORY ARTS THE
MYSTERY OF STARS AND NUMBERS
THE TOWER OF BABEL
PERSIA
ZOROASTER
MAGIC ABOUT HAIR AND NAILS
CASTING OUT THE FLY DEMON
THE HEBREWS
JEHOVAH’S WARRIORS
MAGIC IN HOLY WRIT
EGYPT
THE SPHINX
MORTUARY MAGIC
JOURNEY TO THE UNDERWORLD
THE WORD
ISIS
GREECE
MAGIC IN PHILOSOPHICAL GARB
DREAMS, GHOSTS AND HEROES
OMENS, ORACLES AND ASTROLOGY
THE MYSTERIES OF ELEUSIS
GNOSTICISM
THE WAY TO BLESSEDNESS
THE GNOSTIC SECTS
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
MAGIC UNDER THE ROMAN EMPERORS
NEO-PLATONISM
JULIAN THE APOSTATE
THE RUIN OF PAGAN MAGIC
ALCHEMY
ORIGINS OF ALCHEMY
HERMES TRISMEGISTUS
HERMETICA
THE PRINCIPLES OF ALCHEMY AND THE PHILOSOPHERS’ STONE
VAS INSIGNE ELECTIONIS
HERMETIC ENIGMAS
THE ALKAHEST
EARLY ATTACKS ON ALCHEMY
FAMOUS TRANSMUTATIONS
THE INHERITANCE OF THE ACCURSED
THE MIDDLE AGES
MAGICAL MISCELLANY IN PRE-ARABIC TIMES
THE ARABS
MAGICIANS OF THE MIDDLE AGES
ALBERTUS MAGNUS
ROGER BACON
THE DEVIL
THE PRINCIPLE OF EVIL
INFERNAL HELPERS
UNHOLY IMAGES
WITCHCRAFT
POSSESSIONS
THE SABBATH
THE DEVIL’S SHARE
THE WITCH
THE PURSUIT OF AN IDEAL
THE WITCH CONTROVERSY IN ENGLISH LITERATURE
DIABOLIC RITES
BLACK MAGIC
PORTAITS
THE MAGUS
PICO DELLA MIRANDOLA
TRITHEMIUS
AGRIPPA VON NETTESHEIM
PARACELSUS
NOSTRADAMUS
GUILLAUME POSTEL
GIAMBATTISTA DELLA PORTA
CABALA
CHRISTIAN CABALISTS AND THE JEWS
SECRETS OF THE BIBLE
MAGIC OF LETTERS
THE BOOK OF YETZIRAH
MAGICAL ARTS
THE WONDER CAVE
ASTROLOGY
DIVINATION BY MOLES
METOPOSCOPY
PHYSIOGNOMY
CHIROMANCY
THE TAROT
TAROT PIPS AND TRUMPS
THE JUGGLER
REFORMERS
THE ROSICRUCIANS
VALENTINE ANDREAE
SECRET SOCIETIES
THE CLASSICAL IDEAL
THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
REVOLT AGAINST REASON
VAMPIRES
MAGIC UNVEILED
MASONIC LODGES
THE COUNT OF SAINT-GERMAIN
EPILOGUE
CONCLUSION
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHIC RÉSUMÉ
INDEX
| Erscheinungsdatum | 05.10.2018 |
|---|---|
| Zusatzinfo | 255 b&w illustrations |
| Verlagsort | Rochester |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 178 x 254 mm |
| Gewicht | 1213 g |
| Themenwelt | Kunst / Musik / Theater ► Theater / Ballett |
| Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Gesundheit / Leben / Psychologie ► Östliche Weisheit / Alte Kulturen | |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie ► Weitere Religionen | |
| ISBN-10 | 1-62055-790-8 / 1620557908 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-62055-790-7 / 9781620557907 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
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