A comprehensive illustrated reference guide with more than 400 entries on the subjects of magic and alchemy.

The word 'magic' evokes many ideas, from a stage magician performing illusions to the pyrotechnics of witches and wizards depicted in movies and on television. This book covers the history, practices, and philosophies of magic and alchemy in Western history. It also looks at the tools used by magicians and alchemists.

Prints, drawings, documents, and text illuminate the development of the occult sciences to the nineteenth century

This volume offers an examination of the history and traditions of magic and witchcraft, from very early times to the present. The book gives an examination of magic and its relationship with religion, from prehistory to the modern eras.

Jewish esotericism is the oldest and most influential continuous occult tradition in the West. Presenting lore that can spiritually enrich your life, this one-of-a-kind encyclopedia is devoted to the esoteric in Judaism—the miraculous and the mysterious. In this second edition, Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis has added over thirty new entries and significantly expanded over one hundred other entries, incorporating more knowledge and passages from primary sources. This comprehensive treasury of Jewish teachings, drawn from sources spanning Jewish scripture, the Talmud, the Midrash, the Kabbalah, and other esoteric branches of Judaism, is exhaustively researched yet easy to use. It includes over one thousand alphabetical entries, from Aaron to Zohar Chadesh, with extensive cross-references to related topics and new illustrations throughout. Drawn from the well of a great spiritual tradition, the secret wisdom within these pages will enlighten and empower you. Praise: "An erudite and lively compendium of Jewish magical beliefs, practices, texts, and individuals...This superb, comprehensive encyclopedia belongs in every serious library."—Richard M. Golden, Director of the Jewish Studies Program, University of North Texas, and editor of The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Western Tradition "Rabbi Dennis has performed a tremendously important service for both the scholar and the novice in composing a work of concise information about aspects of Judaism unbeknownst to most, and intriguing to all."—Rabbi Gershon Winkler, author of Magic of the Ordinary: Recovering the Shamanic in Judaism

Unlock the lost and hidden meanings of the world's ancient and modern signs and symbols with the latest in the hugely popular series of 'Element Encyclopedias'. This is the biggest A-Z reference book on symbolic objects you'll ever find.

"Written by a practitioner of various Western occult traditions -- the author has a background in druidism, freemasonry, cabala, Louisiana hoodoo, and is a certified tarot grandmaster -- this is an authoritative and engaging reference on the occult. Cross-references lead to relevant entries, and sources for further reading are often suggested (a bibliography of these sources is included at the end of the volume). Extensively researched yet concise, this encyclopedia will provide a wide range of users with information on both occult history and current practice."--"Reference that rocks," American Libraries, May 2005.