The Western Esoteric Traditions: A Historical Introduction

by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke

Western esotericism has now emerged as an academic study in its own right, combining spirituality with an empirical observation of the natural world while also relating the humanity to the universe through a harmonious celestial order. This introduction to the Western esoteric traditions offers a concise overview of their historical development.

Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke explores these traditions, from their roots in Hermeticism, Neo-Platonism, and Gnosticism in the early Christian era up to their reverberations in today's scientific paradigms. While the study of Western esotericism is usually confined to the history of ideas, Goodrick-Clarke examines the phenomenon much more broadly. He demonstrates that, far from being a strictly intellectual movement, the spread of esotericism owes a great deal to geopolitics and globalization. In Hellenistic culture, for example, the empire of Alexander the Great, which stretched across Egypt and Western Asia to provinces in India, facilitated a mixing of Eastern and Western cultures. As the Greeks absorbed ideas from Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, and Persia, they gave rise to the first esoteric movements.

From the late sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, post-Reformation spirituality found expression in theosophy, Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry. Similarly, in the modern era, dissatisfaction with the hegemony of science in Western culture and a lack of faith in traditional Christianity led thinkers like Madame Blavatsky to look East for spiritual inspiration. Goodrick-Clarke further examines Modern esoteric thought in the light of new scientific and medical paradigms along with the analytical psychology of Carl Gustav Jung. This book traces the complete history of these movements and is the definitive account of Western esotericism.

Genres: History, Occult, Religion, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Esoterica, Spirituality

298 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 2008

About the author

Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, D.Phil. (St. Edmund Hall, Oxford; B.A., Bristol University) was Chair of Western Esotericism at University of Exeter and author of several books on esoteric traditions.

He is the author of several books on modern occultism and esotericism, and the history of its intersection with Nazi politics. His book, The Occult Roots of Nazism, has remained in print since its publication in 1985 and has been translated into 12 languages. He has also written on the occultist aspects of neo-Nazism in Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism and the Politics of Identity.

He was Professor of Western Esotericism and Director of the Centre for the Study of Esotericism (EXESESO) within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. He lived in Southern England with his wife and sometime collaborator Clare.

Reviews

[Katharine Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good, if somewhat dry in spots, historical overview of the Western "esoteric" tradition, that is, of magic systems, magical studies, and their background in historical philosophy and mysticism. The most important portion of the book is its introduction, where Goodrick-Clarke, a respected academic, admits that the subject is worth studying. He points out that the downgrading of magical studies to "nonsense and superstition" is a very recent stance in Western thought, part of the Enlightenment that privileges Reason and Science above all else.

What follows is indeed an overview, a brisk trot through several thousand years of intellectual history. The book reads like a textbook meant as a guide to further reading, and as such, it's admirably done. Anyone wanting colorful anecdotes, scandals, gossip about famous magicians, and the like had best look elsewhere.

[Bohdan Pechenyak · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great roughly chronological overview of the main currents of thought in the Western esoteric tradition - Hermetism, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Alchemy, Magic, Kabbalah, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, Spiritualism, Theosophy and New Age. An excellent introduction with a great bibliography.

[Christopher Plaisance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book serves as a perfect example of how to introduce Western Esotericism by means of charting its origins in the ancient Hellenic world and various manifestations throughout European history, relying principally on the ideas presented in primary texts of seminal figures in the field. Goodrick-Clarke's work shines in the completeness and concision with which the whole history of Western Esotericism is presented. In the span of roughly 250 pages, he manages to distill the key figures and doctrines in such a manner that it is easily digestible by the novice scholar. My only real criticism of the book is that it places, perhaps, too much emphasis on 17th and 18th century manifestations and too little on the Greek origins. For, while the system of Emmanual Swedenborg (1688-1772) is given its own chapter, Hellenistic Orphism, Neoplatonism, Gnosticism and Hermetism are crammed into a single, similarly sized chapter. This detriment aside, I can hardly think of a better scholarly introduction to the subject.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview, well sourced, rigorous. Dense, sometimes dry. A bit dated, and sometimes weak in its historiography.

The book is a bit lacking in the pre-Renaissance eras and the mid to late 20th century. It also fails to discuss the history Jewish mysticism and its continuing relationship with the rest of western esotericism throughout history (except to briefly acknowledge that Kabbalah exists and was an influence on Cabbalah and some later non-Jewish esoteric tendencies). Similarly there is essentially no discussion of the influence of Islamic mysticism or Eastern Orthodox mysticism, and too little mention of contacts with other cultures such as Persia, India, and Tibet.

One might attribute some of these omissions to a limitation of the scope of the book, but overlooking Jewish mysticism and its ongoing interactions with the rest of Western thought is unjustifiable given the obvious foundational significance of Kabbalah and dialogue with Jewish perspectives in all of western esotericism, from the earliest eras of gnosticism and hermeticism to contemporary thought and practice.

[Truls Ljungström · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ibland är man inte rätt publik. Boken tjänade till viss del sitt syfte - den första tredjedelen är en bra genomgång av pythagoreanism, hermeticism och ficinos föregångare. Det var till stora delar vad jag behövde, även om framförallt anknytningen mellan renässansfilosoferna och medeltidens d:o saknas. Jag vet att det finns en standardförklaring om att de flyende från Byzans tog med manuskript som startade delar av renässansfilosfin, och det stämmer ju vad gäller italienarna, men min hjärna kan inte hjälpa att leta efter sambandet mellan Bingen och Erasmus; eller mellan hur Spaniorernas thomism eventuellt påverkat Italien västerifrån. Och hur förklarar vi att just Venedig var så rikt på skeptiker, medan de inte verkar vara lika framträdande i Podalen/Toscana? Dessa frågor fick jag alltså inte svar på, vilket kanske inte är så konstigt. Mitt resonemang handlade trots allt om en ganska ytlig jämförelse - Bruno är extatisk och nyplatonisterna talar om skogen; många av de medeltida mystikerna verkar använda samma teknik.
Den nästa tredjedelen var halvintressant genomgång av Reuchlin (som jag kommer att läsa på mer om), Rosenkorsarna, Swedenborgarna (och deras anknytning till olika kvietistiska grupper) etc. Utanför ett direkt användningsområde, men allmänbildade. Stycket om Cagliostro var spännande, och annorlunda än standardavfärdandet av honom som charlatan.
Den sista tredjedelen var ointressant - OTO, Jungs tankar, modern esoterika...

Som sagt, ibland är man helt enkelt inte rätt läsare.

[Zack2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great bibliography for hermetic and theurgic writers ranging from ancient Greek mystery religions up to modern New Age.
I'm probably not of the same temperament as most of the subjects of this book, but the absolute flood of names, references, and suggested readings throughout is a heartily welcome resource, a great addition to the bookshelf.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find the whole idea of the Western Esoteric Traditions fascinating and I'm amazed that it was once so prevalent only to fade away into oblivion. I'm deeply interested in learning more about it, both for my own understanding and because I'm sure it will dovetail nicely with my own writing. I've read other material on the topic, but was hoping to find more detail in this one. Alas, I apparently didn't pay enough attention to the word "Introduction" in the sub-title. People and their beliefs and work are mentioned and quickly passed on by. If you're new to this subject and looking for a fascinating introduction to the topic, Goodrick-Clarke does his usual yeoman's job here. For depth you will likely have to go to the source material mentioned, ever so briefly, in the book.

[Douglas Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may seem like an odd choice at first to read for the purposes of studying the Nazis and western politics, but Western esotericism, particularly its revival in the 1850s after the failed European communist revolutions of 1848 has had a significant influence on European political thought, while also serving as a basis for much of the separation from traditional Christian views during the Enlightenment.

While today, much of western esotericism seems more about new agey western Buddhism or harmless horoscope and tarot card readings, for much of European history after the Renaissance, magic and deeper meaning behind spirituality beyond Christianity was a much more prevalent trend, that not only shaped metaphysical thought, but influenced European politics throughout the dawn of capitalism, even up to the present day.

Goodrick-Clarke has also wrote extensively about the Occult roots of the Nazi regime, and so this book is a great source as to learning the deeper meaning behind many of these ideas, particularly when examining Japanese anime, which HEAVILY uses references to German esotericism in much of its political content and overall content. Anyone who's watched a decent amount of anime and/or played Japanese RPGs will instantly recognize much of these symbols, for example, the Tree of Life symbol from the Jewish kabbalah called the Sefiroth, who is a major character in Final Fantasy 7, possibly the most famous Japanese video game of all time.

[Philippe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this traversal of the Western hermetic tradition from antiquity to the present day in chunks. Altogether an illuminating tome for someone who is seeking a bird's eye view of 2000 years of intellectual history. I found something of value in almost all chapters, but thought the introduction to Paracelsus and German Naturphilosophie, to Swedenborg and to late 19th century theosophy most insightful.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative work, but can be a bit dry at times. The title of the book really says it all. If you’re looking for a good read on the history of the western esoteric — i.e., the occult and alchemical — then this is a great place to start. It’s foot noted to the high heavens and points in the directions of where to go next if you’re really interested.

[Phil Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite among soup-to-nuts histories of the the western esoteric tradition. Especially strong on German Protestant currents of esotericism. Relatively little on the 20th century, but that subject is amply covered elsewhere.

[Brian Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating deep dive overview of knowledge of all facets. Well written mostly a historical chronology of Esoteric ideas that a explanation of the ideas of each school. I would treat each topic as a starter, with the main course of explanation only available to actual students of each mystic.

[Brian Diehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad to have finally found a good book on the subject that isn't "the Freemasons build the pyramids" or "John the baptist was a reference to the Andromeda nebula." Those may or may not be based on the last book I tried to read on the subject.

[Chim]

有啲枯燥，照历史时间线讲神秘学嘅发展，介绍、科普性质嘅书
有一啲好嘅系，每章后面都列出进阶阅读清单

[Lukas Stock · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging introduction. Good bibliography for each chapter.

[Kevin Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughout the Christian experience, Christianity has been a religion of the heart, perhaps best represented by the exoteric outer symbol and ritual of the Tradition. However, the Spirit will not go lacking, and there have been those individualistic and Protestant minded folks who have injected the Christian experience with Pagan influence in order to better satisfy the mind. Sources have included the towering Plato and Plotinus, while the Egyptian influence has been the quiter yet rangier philosophy of Hermes Trismegistus. Whereever the Christian Revelation has intersected with this Greek and Egyptian Rationalism, the product has resulted in Western Esotericism. The Tradition has quietly lived through millenia of possible persecution, martyrdom and certainly marginalization, yet has survived all the same. This book puts a glass to this Tradition and puts it in perspective, and expertly in my view. Major players are highlighted and minor counterparts are covered as well. Each participant, whether it by Mirandola compiling the Christian Kabbalah, or Paracelsus pushing past Galen to bring medicine to the door step of empiricism, all have added their own unique vision to the bigger picture of Western Esotericism.

Though the Tradition has it's roots in Egyptian and Greek Mystery Schools, it has been preserved, since the fall of the Roman Empire by Secret Societies such as Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry and even Theosophy and proves to be a viable option yet today for those who seek a deeper more inner sacred experience than what perhaps their outer religious profession provides.

[Kingsley L. Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, clear, coherent introduction and explication on the western esoteric traditions. It does exactly what it claims to do - and that's a welcome relief. A knowledgeable overview in 200 pages!