Symbols of the Occult

by Eric Chaline

Overview

Covering astronomy, demonology, witchcraft, ancient magic, and much more, this book serves as a directory to decoding over 500 signs, symbols, and icons of the occult.

This expansive illustrated directory showcases the key signs and symbols of the occult. Each entry has been carefully selected for its powerful symbolism, and the stylish illustrations span from the myths and legends of the ancient world to the icons used in modern science.

Award-winning author Eric Chaline introduces each topic with a short overview before featuring the key signs and symbols and exploring similar and related entries. Including signs from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, as well as Aztec, Celtic, Slavic, Native American, and Hindu societies, Symbols of the Occult examines more than 500 symbols from history, art, and culture by decoding their iconography and exploring their historical significance. Arranged by topic, this volume collects the key areas of astrology and cosmology; witchcraft and mysticism; satanism and demonology; science and alchemy; math and sacred geometry; the natural world; and symbols of ancient and secret societies.

This guide is the ultimate resource for the modern occultist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780500024034
Publisher:	Thames & Hudson
Publication date:	09/21/2021
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	138,040
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Eric Chaline is an author and editor based in London. He has a special interest in religion and philosophy and has written books on a range of subjects, such as history, travel, and health and fitness. His published works include The Book of Zen, The Book of Gods and Goddesses, 101 Dilemmas for the Armchair Philosopher, Lost Treasures, Ancient Greece, and Strokes of Genius, which won the Lord Aberdare Literary Prize for the best book on the history of sport in 2018.

Table of Contents

Foreword Mark Stavish 6

Introduction 7

Astrology 8

Introduction 10

The Planets 12

The Zodiac 14

Zodiacal Man 18

Casting a Natal Horoscope 20

Egyptian Astrology 22

Hindu Astrology 24

The Chinese Zodiac 26

The Maya Calendar 30

The Natural World 32

Introduction 34

The Classical Elements 36

Chinese Cosmology 38

Trigrams 40

East Asian Natural Symbolism 42

Sacred Trees 46

The Wheel of the Seasons 48

Ogham Tree Alphabet 50

Native American Medicine Wheel 52

Four Winds & Twelve Totems 54

Australian Aboriginal Dreaming 56

Divination Stones 58

Polynesian Symbols 62

Indian Subtle Anatomy 66

Vodou Vèvè 70

Mexica Gods 72

Sacred Writings 76

Introduction 78

Cuneiform 80

The Cuneiform Script 82

Mesopotamian Civilization 84

Egyptian Hieroglyphs 86

Minoan Pictograms (Phaistos Disc) 90

Ancient Greek Alphabet & Numerals 94

Celtic Symbols & Knots 98

Anglo-Saxon Runes 100

Icelandic Staves 102

Adinkra 104

Chinese Oracle Bone Script 108

Rongorongo 112

Maya Glyphs 116

Occult Sciences 120

Introduction 122

Alchemy 124

Chinese Alchemy 126

Indian Alchemy 127

Islamic Alchemy 128

Medieval & Renaissance Alchemy 130

The Four Classical Elements 132

Tria Prima 133

The Planetary Metals 134

The Mundane Elements 136

Alchemical Compounds & Units 138

Magnum Opus & the Philosopher's Stone 140

Other Alchemical Symbols 142

Numerology 144

Isopsephy & Gematria 146

Lucky & Unlucky Numbers 148

Sacred Geometry 152

Tetractys 154

Platonic Solids 155

Mandalas & Yantras 156

Feng Shui Luopan 160

Tiantan 161

White Magic & Cartomancy 162

Introduction 164

The Theban Alphabet 166

Scripts from De Occulta Philosophia 170

Malachim 172

Passing of the River 176

Celestial 178

Enochian 180

Sator Square 184

Amulets 185

Sigils 186

Planetary Seals 188

Sigils of the Archangels 190

Sigillum Dei 192

Seal of Solomon 193

Cartomancy 194

Tarot Major Arcana 196

French Playing Cards 199

Black Magic & Demonology 202

Introduction 204

Ahriman & Set 206

Personifications of Evil 208

Baphomet & the Templars 210

Grimoires 212

Les Douze Anneaux 214

Le Grand Grimoire 216

Ars Goetia Demonic Sigils 220

Western Esoteric Tradition 226

Introduction 228

Kabbalah, Cabala, Qabalah 230

Sefirot 232

Secret Societies 234

Occult Orders 240

The New Age 248

Index 254

About the Author & Image Credits 256

Editorial Reviews

08/09/2021

Editor Chaline (The Book of Gods and Goddesses) packs this lushly illustrated guide to the occult with a miscellany of intriguing if haphazardly organized facts. Bringing together ancient magical traditions, astronomy, demonology, and witchcraft symbols into one volume, Chaline bites off more than he can chew in attempting to catalog all iconography related to occult practices. He categorizes his material into broad topics such as “The Natural World,” “Occult Sciences,” and “White Magic and Cartomancy,” but placement decisions can sometimes feel random, such as putting the Greek classical elements in the section on astrology. Some illustrations, like that of the Sigillum Dei or the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, are reproduced too small to be readable. Other symbols, however, get plenty of page space but lack guidance on how to use them: the section on Egyptian hieroglyphics, for instance, omits information on how to read them phonetically. Neopagan readers will be disappointed to have their traditions mostly mashed into a symbolically confusing graphic of the Wheel of the Year and a short final section titled “The New Age” that combines Wiccan signs with Slavic god-glyphs and Satanic iconography. This may work as a flip-through coffee-table book, but readers will need to look elsewhere for a comprehensive occult resource. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly