The Cambridge handbook of Western mysticism and esotericism

Paperback; xl + 474 pp., including suggestions for further reading and index. From the back cover: "Mysticism and esotericism are two intimately related strands of the Western tradition. Despite their close connections, however, scholars tend to treat them separately. Whereas the study of Western mysticism enjoys a long and established history, Western esotericism is a young field. The Cambridge Handbook of Western Mysticism and Esotericism examines both of these traditions together. The volume demonstrates that the roots of esotericism almost always lead back to mystical traditions, while the work of mystics was bound up with esoteric or occult preoccupations. It also shows why mysticism and esotericism must be examined together if either is to be understood fully. Including contributions by leading scholars, this volume features essays on such topics as alchemy, astrology, magic, Neoplatonism, Kabbalism, Renaissance Hermetism, Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, numerology, Christian theosophy, spiritualism, and much more. This Handbook serves as both a capstone of contemporary scholarship and a cornerstone of future research." Contents: I Antiquity 1. Ancient Mysteries by Charles Stein 2. Pythagoras and Pythagoreanism by Joscelyn Godwin 3. Parmenides and Empedocles by Jessica Elbert Decker and Matthew Mayock 4. Plato, Plotinus, and Neoplatonism by Gwenaëlle Aubry 5. Hermetism and Gnosticism by Roelof van den Broek 6. Early Jewish Mysticism by Daphna Arbel 7. Early Christian Mysticism by April D. DeConick II The Middle Ages 8. Sufism by William C. Chittick 9. Kabbalah by Brian Ogren 10. Medieval Christian Mysticism by Bruce Milem 11. Hildegard of Bingen and Women’s Mysticism by Anne L. Clark III The Renaissance and Early modernity 12. Renaissance Hermetism by Antoine Faivre 13. Christian Kabbalah by Peter J. Forshaw 14. Paracelsianism by Bruce T. Moran 15. Rosicrucianism by Hereward Tilton 16. Jacob Boehme and Christian Theosophy by Glenn Alexander Magee 17. Freemasonry by Jan A. M. Snoek 18. Swedenborg and Swedenborgianism by Jane Williams-Hogan 19. Mesmer and Animal Magnetism by Adam Crabtree IV The Nineteenth Century and Beyond 20. Spiritualism by Cathy Gutierrez 21. H. P. Blavatsky and Theosophy by Michael Gomes 22. Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy by Robert McDermott 23. The Golden Dawn and the O.T.O. by Egil Asprem 24. G. I. Gurdjieff and the Fourth Way by Glenn Alexander Magee 25. C. G. Jung and Jungianism by Gerhard Wehr 26. René Guénon and Traditionalism by Mark Sedgwick 27. Via Negativa in the Twentieth Century by Arthur Versluis 28. Contemporary Paganism by Chas S. Clifton 29. The New Age by Olav Hammer V Common Threads 30. Alchemy by Lawrence M. Principe 31. Astrology by Kocku von Stuckrad 32. Gnosis by Wouter J. Hanegraaff 33. Magic by Wouter J. Hanegraaff 34. Mathematical Esotericism by Jean-Pierre Brach 35. Panpsychism by Lee Irwin 36. Sexuality by Hugh B. Urban