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The political philosopher and writer William Godwin (1756-1836), who was also the husband of writer Mary Wollstonecraft and father of Mary Shelley, was known for his philosophical works and novels. In this work, Godwin turns to the issue of the supernatural, and to some of the famous - and sometimes unexpected - people associated with it. He begins by defining some magic practices, such as divination, astrology, and necromancy, giving examples of the latter from the Bible. The rest of the work consists of brief sketches of people and places involved in the occult world, beginning in the Ancient Middle East and Greece, surveying the Christian era in Europe, and ending with the New England witch trials. In a remarkable work of synthesis, he discusses apparently supernatural episodes in the lives of many historical figures, from Socrates and Virgil to Joan of Arc and James I.

Occultists --- Magic --- Magick --- Necromancy --- Sorcery --- Spells --- Occultism

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Born Alphonse Louis Constant, French magician Éliphas Lévi (1810-75) wrote prolifically on the occult sciences. This highly popular two-volume treatise on practical magic attempts to initiate the reader into the mysteries of occult philosophy. Identifying magic as the 'nurse or godmother' of all intellectual forces, Lévi proclaims his firm belief in man as microcosm of the universe, the strength of human willpower and the effectiveness of sympathetic magic. Taking a more practical focus than the first part, this second volume, 'The Ritual of Transcendental Magic', focuses on the rituals and ceremonies of Western occult philosophy, offering explanations for magical equilibrium, the use and consecration of the pentagram, talismans, necromancy, transmutations, the Sabbath of the sorcerers, witchcraft, and the alchemical work of Nicholas Flamel and Raymond Lull.

Magic. --- Magick --- Necromancy --- Sorcery --- Spells --- Occultism

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Magic is ubiquitous across the world and throughout history. Yet if witchcraft is acknowledged as a persistent presence in the medieval and early modern eras, practical magic by contrast - performed to a useful end for payment, and actually more common than malign spellcasting - has been overlooked. Exploring many hundred instances of daily magical usage, and setting these alongside a range of imaginative and didactic literatures, Tabitha Stanmore demonstrates the entrenched nature of 'service' magic in premodern English society. This, she shows, was a type of spellcraft for needs that nothing else could address: one well established by the time of the infamous witch trials. The book explores perceptions of magical practitioners by clients and neighbours, and the way such magic was utilised by everyone: from lowliest labourer to highest lord. Stanmore reveals that - even if technically illicit - magic was for most people an accepted, even welcome, aspect of everyday life.

Magic --- History. --- Magick --- Necromancy --- Sorcery --- Spells --- Occultism

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This book is a survey summarising the approaches taken to religion and magic by the principal scholars in the preceding and present centuries. It is simple, straightforward and short, with a clear, easy-to-read style. It is the perfect reference tool for students, introducing them to the main theories and debates in a readable and informative manner.Key Features Prepares student for more complex texts on Religious Studies and the idea of religion Addresses contemporary as well as historical ideas and figures Includes contextual details on scholarsOver forty individuals covered including: Hegel, Marx, Engels, Weber, Frazer, Freud, Jung, Durkheim, Levy-Bruhl, Skorupski, Levi-Strauss, Lawson, McCauley

Religion --- Magic --- Magick --- Necromancy --- Sorcery --- Spells --- Occultism --- Study and teaching.

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The English historian and antiquary Thomas Wright (1810-70) co-founded and joined a number of antiquarian and literary societies. He was greatly interested in Old English, Middle English and Anglo-Norman texts, and in the 1840s and 1850s he published widely within these areas. Gradually his focus shifted to the archaeology of Roman Britain and to Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. Although much of Wright's research has been completely superseded, his work is still considered worth consulting, as he collected material not readily available elsewhere. This two-volume 1851 publication is testimony to Wright's interest in folklore, sorcery and legend. In Volume 2, he maintains a broad perspective while surveying instances of witchcraft in the seventeenth century. Wright writes about such famous cases as the Earl of Somerset, the Ursuline nuns of Loudun, and the Mohra witches in Sweden.

Witchcraft --- Magic --- History. --- Magick --- Necromancy --- Sorcery --- Spells --- Occultism