Occultism - secrets of the hidden worls

299 Pages·1964·16.383 MB·English

by  Tondriau, Julien

WORLD WITHIN A WORLD
Beyond the world of reason lies another;
mysterious, intriguing, filled with unimaginable
powers. It is that world which is investigated in
this extraordinary book that traces the patterns
and purpose of occultism across centuries.
The legendary sorcerers . . . the orgies of a
Witches’ Sabbath . . . the rites of the Knights
Templars . . . the disciplines of Yoga . . . the
investigations of precognition in modern
universities . . . the uses of the Tarot . . . here the
great body of occult knowledge is presented, as
well as an encyclopedia of initiates from Gilles
de Rais to Swedenborg. Objective, brilliantly
researched, illustrated with a wealth of
photographs, paintings and woodcuts,
The Occult: Secrets of the Hidden World, is as
unforgettable as the dark realm it illuminates.

Julien Tondriau
Occultism
Secrets of a Hidden World
Bay Books
© 1964 Editions Gerard & Co., Verviers, Belgium
© 1972 English Language edition: Bay Books Pty. Ltd.
157-167 Bayswater Road, Rushcutters Bay, N.S.W. 2011
National Library Card No. and ISBN 0 85835 025 4
Typeset by Press Linotype, Sydney
Printed by Toppan, Hong Kong
PREFACE
To write a systematic work on such a subject as occultism is
admittedly something of an undertaking. For one thing, the term
‘occultism’—or, more pretentiously, ‘occult sciences’—is usually
fairly loosely applied, to mean anything from the conjuror’s
hat-trick to the dark ceremonies of the witches’ sabbat. So that
one must at the outset cull through a confusion of quite diverse
studies and practices all associated in popular tradition with
occultism.
Occult belief comprises traditions both of immense antiquity
and great complexity in which it is nearly impossible to find
any degree of uniformity and consistency, and the followers of
occultism are themselves notoriously given to mystification so
that their own accounts of any subject are full of strange pseudo-
scientific jargon and merely add to the confusion.
What, then, is occultism?
In spite of all the difficulties the authors have here tried to
bring some order out of the prevailing chaos.
Their study begins with a history of occultism, dealing firstly
with its more traditional forms; secondly, with rituals and beliefs
derived from these. The third section treats paranormal powers
like telepathy and telekinesis. But as an invaluable reference
the student of occultism will undoubtedly find the two alpha-
betical sections most useful: the first (Great Figures of Occult-
ism) providing biographies of people prominent in the history
of occultism, and the Dictionary itself giving detailed definitions
of a multitude of terms, and forming a comprehensive and
fascinating guide to all aspects of this strange and secret world.
The Editor
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE................................................................................ 5
INTRODUCTION.................................................................... 7
TRADITIONAL FORMS OF
OCCULTISM
Magic past and present............................................................... 8
From shamanism to sorcery...................................................... 17
Numerology, astrology, geomancy........................................... 23
Divinations, prophecies and great oracles................................ 35
From Hermetism to alchemy.................................................... 42
The Cabala and the Golem....................................................... 52
The reign of the devil................................................................ 58
Yoga, ‘science of integral man’................................................ 65
DERIVED FORMS OF OCCULTISM
From the healing dreams of Antiquity to the modern
‘key of dreams’..................................................................... 70
The powers of the hand; chiromancy, radiesthesia and
fluids .................................................................................... 74
Cartomancy and the Bohemian Tarot ...................................... 80
Magnetism and hypnotism........................................................ 88
Spiritualism .............................................................................. 92
The great mediums and metapsychics...................................... 97
Fakirism.................................................................................. 102
REPUTED PARANORMAL POWERS,
THE PSI FACULTIES
Telekinesis and paraphysics .................................................. 105
Psychokinesis or P.K.............................................................. 106
Extra-sensory perception and telepathy.................................. 108
The future of parapsychology................................................. 109
CONCLUSION..................................................................... 109
THE GREAT FIGURES OF OCCULTISM ..................... 112
DICTIONARY...................................................................... 126
INTRODUCTION
Whatever is mysterious, strange or apparently inexplicable has
fascinated man since the beginning of time.
Primitive Man, observing with awe the movement of the sun
and moon, the changing seasons, and the cycle of human life,
wondered what hidden power governed the universe and his
own destiny. So the study of all that is dark and mysterious,
occultism was born thousands of years ago. Not only is it
interesting because of the mystery that surrounds it. As well,
much can be learned from its history, beliefs and rites of the
obscure regions of the human mind and personality. Yet, when
we examine occultism in the light of contemporary reason, there
is much that remains obscure, inexplicable, and inaccessible to
science.
Some of the more aberrant fields of occultism, of course, have
scarcely more than a clinical interest. In Satanism, for example,
it seems that the desire for identification with elemental forces
is such that the individual ultimately degrades his own human
worth.
But behind all occultism there lies an ardent thirst for know-
ledge. It is revealed in the Cabala and in alchemy. The alchemist
seeks to convert base metals into gold. The student of witchcraft
searches for the secret of flight or metamorphosis. The sorcerer
wishes to learn how he may recruit the powers of invisible
supernatural beings.
The purpose of this book is to examine and explain these
practices and beliefs, to lay bare the occult, the hidden. It is
not only a scholarly and comprehensive guide, but also a com-
pletely impartial one. The author makes intelligible the unintel-
ligible through his wide knowledge and open-minded approach;
he neither affirms nor rejects anything without adequate and
satisfying proof.
TRADITIONAL FORMS OF OCCULTISM
MAGIC PAST AND PRESENT
It is the dawn of time: a shaggy man, covered in the skins
of wild beasts, puts the finishing touches to his representation
of a bison on a wall of rock. There is a strange light in the
man’s eyes; he finishes his work by drawing an arrow penetrating
the beast. For, obscurely, he feels that this arrow must secure
the success of the hunt on which the subsistence of his tribe
depends. In his act, Magic is born.
And a scene from the present day: A large fair in an important
town. Before a caravan, oddly decorated with cabalistic signs,
sits a surly woman. Does her gloom spring from the fact that
she knows what the future holds? For she does know, as a
flamboyant sign proclaims. A professional fortune-teller who
lives by exploiting human anxiety and credulity, she is ready
to disclose the future to anybody for a price. And if this seems
a trivial example of magic—that most ancient and mysterious
of arts—it serves to remind us of the universal and timeless
fascination of the occult in all its forms.
The Mind of the Magician
When does mere superstition end and magic begin? What
attitudes of mind does occultism foster? Do its devotees see life
differently from ordinary people? Why do such people turn to
occult practices?
The answer to these questions will help us come to grips with
the spirit of magic, and to understand its history.
Broadly, the search for the occult is the search for power;
it is a rejection of the normally accepted limitations of human
life, of the laws of man and of nature. The magician is confident
that he can circumvent the natural order and impose his will
upon it; he believes in the infallibility of his magic formulae
and his complex rites; he thinks he can mysteriously influence
events, bringing good to his friends and harm to his enemies.