The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal: Explore a Mysterious and Fascinating World

In this visual treasure trove of wonders

In the 4th century BC, a Greek citizen of Antioch commissioned a tablet invoking a god who “sends thunder and lightning” to strike and bind Papylas, a vegetable seller. Some 1,400 years later, a Saxon incantation was recited to protect a cursed land. In the 17th century, journalist Samuel Pepys was cured of a stomach ailment by purchasing a rabbit’s foot. Then, in the 19th century, Mary LaVeau of New Orleans became famous for her practices as a voodoo priestess, and at the end of that century, Aleister Crowley created a magical system called Thelema, which, along with Wicca, the “religion” of witches created by Gerald Gardner in the mid-20th century, continues to exert a significant influence on current occult practices.

These are just a few of the many examples featured in this book, which offers a comprehensive overview of Western occult practices—from divination, rituals, and the use of incantations and amulets to issues of magic, sorcery, Druidism, and demonology, as well as the origins of secret societies—and, together with excerpts from historical and magical texts, as well as a wide array of photographs, provides a fascinating introduction to understanding the “occult” in its proper context.