By: Colin Wilson Publisher: Watkins Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Watkins Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 800 Publication Date: July 28, 2006
Colin Wilson’s classic work is an essential guide to the mind-expanding experiences and discoveries of the occult in the 20th century. He produces a wonderfully skillful synthesis of the available material—one that sees the occult in the light of reason and reason in the light of the mystical and paranormal. The result is a wide-ranging survey of the subject that provides a comprehensive history of magic, an insightful exploration of our latent powers, and a journey of enlightenment.
“I am very impressed by this book, not only by its erudition but…above all for the good-natured, unaffected charm of the author whose reasoning is never too far-fetched, who is never carried away by preposterous theories.”—Sunday Times
A condensed look at the western esoteric tradition A fascinating read into the occult in the Western world throughout the centuries. Well structured allowing you to see the inter-relationship between the different movements and schools of thought.
Largely Erroneous I was drawn to this book after being impressed by Colin Wilson's ideas in "The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved." This book was written early in Colin Wilson's career after a publisher commissioned him to write it - he admits not having had much interest in the subject when he started. It was first published in 1971 but the copyright was renewed by Mr. Wilson in 2003 (apparently without bothering to update the text.)
The meat of this book is a "history" of occultism presented as condensed biographies of some of its most famous figures (John Dee, Paracelsus, Nostradamus, Cagliostro, Daniel Dunglas Home, Madame Blavatsky, Rasputin, Aliester Crowley, etc) The accounts are fascinating to read but I found myslef plagued by doubts as to the veracity of the "facts" as the author has presented them. I already regarded him as a potential hoaxer after his collaboration with L. Sprague de Camp on the Skoob _Necronomicon_ but I don't know enough about these historical figures to tell how much of the story is hogwash.
In the one field he discussed in which I HAVE done some prior research, Mr. Wilson showed himself to be without any knowledge whatsoever. His two chapters about the Evolution of Man and Primitive Magic are full of embarrassing mistakes and crude distortions. He also makes much of the notion that people during the Classical period of ancient Greece were colorblind, which is patently ridiculous since we know that painting was an art in Classical times. He also repeats a mistaken theory (which was accepted among academics at the time but has since been disproven) about the purpose of paleolithic cave art. Given the number of bald-faced errors in this section of the text, I remained skeptical of the entire rest of the book, although there are passages in which Wilson hits his stride and is quite fascinating.
He also expounds a vague theory about "Faculty X," a power supposedly latent in all humans, which we have forgotten how to use but can access by exertion of the will ... I think... It's unclear because Mr. Wilson's theories about Faculty X are not entirely well-thought-out. Every time it seemed he might be on to something, he would proceed to miss his own point and contradict himself a few pages later.
This book is immature and unformed, the author's first foray into the realm of the Occult. It's an interesting read, but if you want something of substance I'd recommend "The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved" or the sequel to this volume, "Mysteries" (which I'm currently 1/3 of the way through reading and finding it to be MUCH more substantial.)
Quite Good and Very Readable Colin Wilson brings an excellent conversational tone to "The Occult." Despite the fact that Wilson seems to have included virtually every pre-1970 seer, philosopher, adept, alchemist, prophet, soothsayer, necromancer and sorcerer, the book never seems poorly organized or disjointed. This is a testament to Wilson's writing style. Although by its very nature superficial, "The Occult" comes across as a conversation about the subject with a well-versed, highly-educated and rather witty enthusiast. As such, you will likely have as much fun reading it as I have. This is probably the most readable book on the topic, and a fine place to start if you're new to this.
Despite its' breadth, however, "The Occult" has one fatal flaw, and that is Wilson's inability to truly weigh competing points of view. For example, while Wilson provides rather lively portraits of Caligostro, Nostradamus, Mesmer, Pythagoras and the like, he uncritically reprints sensationalistic stories about them. Any historian of Greek philosophy can tell you that the stories Wilson shares regarding Pythagoras are most likely fiction, and any Freemason can correct Wilson's misconceptions about the Masons in his section on Caligostro. (Freemasonry is NOT a religion, despite Wilson's claims).
Still, this book deserves much praise. The Tarot is here, but so is the I Ching. Crowley is here, but so is Zen. The Kabbalah is here, but so are the Masons. And so on. While casting his net wide may open him up to charges of being a dillentant, it also saves this from being yet another collection of ghost stories and pseudo-myth. Don't buy this book because Halloween is coming. Buy it if you have ever cared about mystery, religion, philosophy, or spiritualism. You probably won't like everything about "The Occult" but I think you will be glad that you have read it and will probably want to read it again.
This is the book that KEPT me on the path. This isn't the book that set me on the path of magick, but it definitely is the one that kept me there! Great survey course on magick and mysticism, all rolled into one big fat book. For all you would-be magicians out there, see how the great ones did it, and learn from their errors. The chapter on Rasputin and Gurdjieff is worth the price of the book by itself! And his theory of Faculty X will haunt you. Once you've made it through this tome, check out Wilson's sequel, Beyond the Occult.
Review of The Occult, by Colin Wilson I found this to be an extremely interesting and challenging book, the kind of work that has to be re-read several times. It contains an amazing amount of information but reads very well notwithstanding. The information appears fairly complex, but it is given in a clear style and with respect for the reader. I am very pleased to recommend it to any thoughtful reader who wishes his/her intellectual horizons expanded and who concerns himself/herself with fundamental questions of human identity and nature.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
