The Dictionary of the Esoteric: 3000 Entries on the Mystical and Occult Traditions

Includes succinct definitions in the fields of magic, alchemy, spiritualism, parapsychology, mysticism, mind and consciousness research, divination, and numerous less well known subjects. Features biographies of leading figures in the field, from astrologer Evangeline Adams to the prophet Zarathustra. It also offers a look at magical formulae; the nature of spiritual beings; the meanings of signs, symbols and secret rites; historical accounts of hauntings and psychic occurrences; religious and esoteric texts such as the Egyptian Book of the Dead and the Dead Sea Scrolls; characters both human and divine in the great legends and myths of the world; a variety of folklore from many lands, the nature of transpersonal psychology and the study of mystical states of consciousness; and more.--From publisher description.