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Libra Esoterica

Access to Western Esotericism

by Antoine Faivre

  • First published:
  • 20th century
  • Language: English

Description

Description from OpenAlex (opens in a new tab)

This is the first systematic treatment of esotericism to appear in English. Here is also a historical survey, beginning with the Alexandrean Period, of the various esoteric currents such as Christian Kabbalah, Theosophy, Alchemy, Rosicrucianism, and Hermeticism. Common characteristics of these currents are the notion of universal interdependency and the experience of spiritual transformation. The author establishes a rigorous methodology; provides clarifying definitions of such key terms as "gnosis," "theosophy," "occultism," and "Hermeticism;" and offers analysis of contemporary esotericism based on three distinct pathways. The second half of the book presents a series of studies on several important figures, works, and movements in Western esotericism-studies devoted to some of the most characteristic and illuminating aspects that this form of thought has taken, such as theosophical speculations on androgyny, rosicrucian literature, and Masonic symbolism. The book is completed by a rich and selective Bibliography conceived as a means of orientation and a tool for research.

Provenance

Why this book is in the catalog

Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Alchemy and Hermeticism, Initiatory orders and secret societies, Kabbalah and Jewish esotericism, Occultism and esotericism, and Theosophy, Anthroposophy, and New Thought.

  • Occultism and esotericism

    Controlled discovery queries from crossref and openalex matched “esotericism”. Retained metadata contains “Esotericism” in the title, “esoteric” in the description, “Esotericism” in the description, and 2 additional metadata match(es).

    • “esotericism”· via Crossref
    • “esotericism”· via OpenAlex
    • “Esotericism”· in title
    • “esoteric”· in description
    • “Esotericism”· in description
    • “Occultism”· in description
  • Alchemy and Hermeticism

    Controlled discovery queries from openalex matched “Hermeticism”. Retained metadata contains “Alchemy” in the description and “Hermeticism” in the description.

    • “Hermeticism”· via OpenAlex
    • “Alchemy”· in description
    • “Hermeticism”· in description
  • Kabbalah and Jewish esotericism

    Retained metadata contains “Kabbalah” in the description.

    • “Kabbalah”· in description
  • Theosophy, Anthroposophy, and New Thought

    Controlled discovery queries from openalex matched “Theosophy”. Retained metadata contains “theosophical” in the description and “Theosophy” in the description.

    • “Theosophy”· via OpenAlex
    • “theosophical”· in description
    • “Theosophy”· in description
  • Initiatory orders and secret societies

    Retained metadata contains “rosicrucian” in the description.

    • “rosicrucian”· in description

Membership records how this book met the catalog’s discovery criteria — relevance to a tradition, not a judgment of the book’s claims.

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Links to ISBN 1438402236; other editions may be cheaper. WorldCat shows libraries near you that hold a copy.

Editions

One edition cataloged here.

Crossref publisher-supplied book record

1994-12-31State University of New York Press; State University of New York Press eBooks; SUNY Press; SUNY Press eBooksEnglish
  • 9780791421789
  • 9781438402239
  • 1438402236
Unknown

Subjects

9 subject headings

Identifiers & provenance

How this record was assembled, and the authority identifiers it carries.

Catalog id
crossref:10.1515/9781438402239
Edition coverage
Multi source partial
Retrieved