The occult sciences : a compendium of transcendental doctrine and experiment : embracing an account of magical practices; of secret sciences in connection with magic; of the professors of magical arts; and of modern spiritualism, mesmerism and theosophy

1891·12.7 MB·English

by  Waite, Arthur Edward, 1857-1942

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Boston
Medical Library
The Fenway
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THE OCCULT SCIENCES.
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2010 with funding from
Open Knowledge Commons and Harvard Medical School
http://www.archive.org/details/occultsciencescoOOwait
THE
OCCULT SCIENCES
A COMPENDIUM OF TRANSCENDENTAL DOCTRINE
AND EXPERIMENT
EMIUIACING
AN ACCOUNT OF MAGICAL PRACTICES OF SECRET SCIENCES
;
IN CONNECTION WITH MAGIC OF THE PROFESSORS OF
;
MAGICAL ARTS AND OF MODERN SPIRITUALISM,
;
MESMERISM AND THEOSOPHY
15Y
AIJ.THUE EDWARD WAITE
LONDON
KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER & CO., Ltd.
[SUCCESSORS TO GE(:)RGE ElDWAy]
1891
APR2 ^
9 1927
idJit.Aiii
PEEFACE.
^T^HE subject of occultism, by which we mean those
sciences, called transcendental and magical, a
knowledge of which has been transmitted and accumu-
lated in secret, or is contained in books that have an
inner or secret meaning, has been very fully dealt with
during recent years by various students of eminence.
But the works of these well-equipped investigators are,
in most instances, unsuited to an elementary reader, and
they are all somewhat expensive. It has remained for
the results of their studies to be condensed into a port-
able volume, which shall conduct the inquirer into the
vestibule of each branch of " the occult sciences," and
place within his reach the proper means of prosecuting
his researches further in any desired direction. It is
such an unpretending but useful task which we have set
ourselves to perform in the present volume, which em-
braces, as we would claim, in a compressed and digested
form, the whole scope of occult knowledge, expressed in
the language of a learner.
We
have sought as far as possible to distinguish
between theory and practice, between facts which it is
possible to ascertain and explanations over which views
may diverge. AVe have checked our individual judg-
VI PREFACE.
ments and modified our individual opinions not only
by the best authorities in the literature of the several
subjects treated, but by the collaboration of many living
writerswho are specialists in distinct branches of esoteric
science. In this respect the book may be accepted as
the result of a collective endeavour rather than of an
unaided effort, and it will be received with an increased
confidence on this ground.