Alles over magie: geïllustreerd overzicht van prehistorisch geloofsvormen tot hedendaags satanisme en technoheidendom

by Nevill Drury

Magie is zo oud als de mensheid zelf. Dit boek beschrijft op even heldere als informatieve wijze de geschiedenis van het magische cultuurgoed, van sjamanisme tot wicca en hedendaagse varianten van paganisme. Alle hebben zij één ding gemeen: het geloof in onzichtbare krachten, die de mens kunnen bijstaan of tegenwerken.
Alles over magie is een prachtig geïllustreerd standaardwerk over alles wat met heksen, magie en tovenarij te maken heeft.

NBD|Biblion recensie:
Magie wordt beoefend zo lang als er mensen zijn. Het bouwt een brug tussen de alledaagse realiteit en de ongeziene wereld van goden, geesten en ongeziene natuurkrachten. Dit boek begint met de behandeling van de oudste magische traditie, die van de sjamanen en eindigt met het hedendaagse technoheidendom en digitale magie. Verder komt o.a. aan de orde de magie van de Oudheid (de Grieken en Romeinen) en de Middeleeuwen (met name heksenvervolgingen), maar ook wordt ingegaan op de Kabbala, de tarot en wicca. Het boek is zeer grondig en gedetailleerd. Het is rijk geillustreerd met foto's en afbeeldingen (in kleur en in zwart-wit) en heeft iets weg van een encyclopedie. Gedrukt op dik papier in een kleine letter; de noten, bibliografie en register zijn in een superkleine letter gezet.

(Biblion recensie, drs. O. Bachnoe)

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Paganism

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Nevill Drury PhD is an independent historical researcher whose specialist interests include modern Western magic, shamanism, transpersonal psychology and visionary art. His most recent publications include The Varieties of Magical Experience (co-authored with Lynne Hume; Praeger, January 2013), Dark Spirits: The Magical Art of Rosaleen Norton and Austin Osman Spare (Salamander, 2012); Stealing Fire from Heaven: the Rise of Modern Western Magic (Oxford University Press 2011); Homage to Pan (Creation Oneiros 2009), The Dictionary of Magic (Watkins 2005) and The New Age: the History of a Movement (Thames & Hudson 2004). He received his Ph.D from the University of Newcastle in 2008 for a dissertation on the visionary art and magical beliefs of Rosaleen Norton (awarded 'Best Humanities Ph.D'. in that year).

Born in England in 1947 but resident in Australia since 1963, Nevill has worked as an international art-book publisher, lecturer and magazine editor and is now a full-time writer. He is the author/co-author/editor of seventy books covering a range of subjects like contemporary art (Images in Contemporary Australian Painting, New Sculpture, Australian Painting Now, Fire and Shadow: Spirituality in Contemporary Australian Art), Aboriginal culture (Wisdom from the Earth), holistic health (The Healing Power, Inner Health) and the magical traditions (Dark Spirits; Stealing Fire from Heaven: Sacred Encounters; Homage to Pan, Inner Visions). He is also the author of a work of mythic fiction, The Shaman's Quest, which was described by Publisher's Weekly as a 'poetic' book that 'could become a classic'. His work has been published in 26 countries and 19 languages.

Reviews

[Lars]

An excellent overview of pagan and neo-pagan traditions, from Gardner onwards. Highly recommended for those of the persuasion and those looking for more information.

[Artemis Stardust]

I loved and devoured this book. It's definitely not for everyone, as it's an introductory encyclopedia to the history of magic and witchcraft, but I found it to be extremely informative about everything from the early tribal shamans to the emergence of magical dynasties, followed by the more recent developments of Crowley, LaVey, Jung, and Campbell. Drury writes from exhaustive research succinctly, and with a depth of comprehension that hints at his own personal practice of magick without too much of a personal bias. I was able to answer a lot of the questions I had, and take clear notes on what to delve into next to strengthen my understanding of certain subjects. I'd recommend this book for people who are on the path of enlightenment and want to know more about how modern perceptions of magic evolved, and for clarity on where to look for specific topics of interest, whether it be witchcraft, Satanism, magick, New Age spirituality, shamanism, psychedelic experiences, the personal shadow self, or something else along those lines. I was impressed by how it proved to be prophetic about the Internet and its uses for technopaganism - having been published in 2003, it uses several outdated phrases about the then-recent emergence of the Internet, but in the 14 years since then, so much of what Drury claims has already proven true of hacker communities and technotranshumanism. If you liked this book, and you want to read more about Egyptian magic and enlightenment, check out "Imagining the World into Existence" by Normandi Ellis. People who liked this book and want an in-depth look at feminist spirituality should try "Living in the Lap of the Goddess" by Cynthia Eller.

[Cy-V]

Funny how in the Dutch translation of the title it says 'satanism' instead of the original 'witchcraft'. That's just splendid guys!