[What is the occult?] From ancient Egypt to the present day, all the mysteries born from humanity are gathered in one book! “Visual Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Occult” goes on sale September 29th.
Kawade Shobo Shinsha Press release: September 29, 2025 To Members of the Press [What is the “occult”?] From ancient Egypt to the present day, all the mysteries born from humanity are gathered in one book! “Visual Encyclopedia of the Occult,” on sale September 29th. Magic, grimoires, astrology, occult rituals, demonology, talismans, alchemy, curses, secret societies, power spots… The full picture is revealed.
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comprehensive content written by researchers and boasts an impressive level of reference material. Suitable for beginners and experts alike. 2. Packed with historically valuable materials such as symbols, maps, photographs, and ancient documents. 3. Explains difficult definitions and ideas in an easy-to-understand manner. 4. Contains numerous references to popular black magic practices such as the Black Mass, devil worship, and curses. 5. Recommended as a creative resource for drawing videos, manga, illustrations, etc. ■About this book(P.12-13) The Encyclopedia of the Occult begins its exploration of Western occultism in Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and follows a chronological path defined in relation to the ancient world by the Sumerian, Assyrian, Akkadian, and Babylonian empires. From there, it moves on to Ancient Egypt and then Classical Greece and Rome. These Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures profoundly influenced each other’s magical beliefs and practices, as well as their religions. This book explores how these influences influenced each other. The book then moves on to Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse magical practices. The book examines alchemy as well as other occult belief systems and practices from medieval Europe, including astrology and Hermeticism, two of the main driving forces behind modern occultism. Chapters follow on divination, rituals and liturgy, charms and talismans, curses, secret societies, and sacred sites. These chapters examine grimoires, books of spells and spirit summoning that form one of the foundations of historical occult practice. They explore mystical orders such as the Knights Templar (12th century), the Hellfire Club (18th century), and the Golden Dawn (19th century). They visit sites such as Stonehenge, the seat of modern Druidism, and Salem, Massachusetts, one of the seats of modern Wicca. Examples of individual practices or groups from various geographic locations are presented and cross-referenced. This book is intended to provide an overview of historical and contemporary occult practices and form a starting point for more in-depth study. Gallery This book includes photographs and illustrations that provide visual references to some of the practices and beliefs discussed in the text. The images are informative and compelling, and include portraits of prominent figures in the occult world, galleries of art and artifacts, symbols, emblems, and books. Artifacts This book features fascinating images of related artifacts, including ancient Egyptian and Greek amulets, voodoo dolls, curse tablets, and magical artifacts. Quotations from ritual texts, passages from historical decrees, ancient curses, poetry, etc., provide contemporary context for the times, places, people, and practices being discussed. Timeline Each article includes a timeline that illustrates the events discussed in the main text and provides a chronological reference. The overall timescale, shown on the right side of the page, spans from 5000 BC to 2000 AD (present day). Year 0 is indicated by a dark dot on the timeline, which also indicates when the timescale changes. Each dot in the BC era is a 250-year interval, and each dot in the AD era is a 50-year interval. Gold dots highlight the time period covered in the article. Circle icons are directly connected to artifacts or paintings that depict events discussed in the text. ■About the Occult(From the “Prologue”) What does the word “occult” mean? The word “occult” comes from the Latin occultus, meaning “secret” or “hidden.” It is used to refer to phenomena outside the realm of science as we currently understand them, such as magic and the paranormal. In 16th-century Europe, the word was used quite broadly to describe astrology, alchemy, natural magic, and thaumaturgy. However, by the 19th century, Enlightenment principles had replaced many magical practices with science, and the term “occultism” began to be used more narrowly to refer specifically to the activities of mystical groups and individual magical practitioners. The term “occultist” has come to be applied to people who seek to alter reality through supernatural means, such as casting spells or summoning spirits to do their bidding, and often has taken on sinister connotations, such as the practice of black magic or Satanism. The occult today is a broad and diverse genre, but in the West many esoteric groups claim the existence of a secret philosophy that underlies all occult practice. Today, the term “occult” is commonly used to encompass a wide range of mystical organizations and activities, including Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism, Theosophy, Wicca, magic as practiced by the 19th-century Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, modern revivalist Druidism and Freemasonry, and elements of Satanism. It also covers the works of authors such as Eliphas Levi, Aleister Crowley, William Gray, Colin Wilson, and Diane Fortune. These individuals were members of these organizations at various times, but also wrote independently on occult themes, both fiction and
non-fiction. The beliefs of these groups and individuals stem from the ancient world, based on Greek philosophy, Egyptian religion, Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Viking beliefs and magical practices. Throughout the course of this book, we will explore these ideas and their influences. ■Table of contents Preface/About this book Chapter 1: The Origins of Western Occultism Mesopotamian Occultism / Egyptian Magic / Ancient Greek Magic / Greek Magical Papyri / Hermetic Magic / Roman Imperial Magic / Celtic Magic / Anglo-Saxon Occultism / Nordic Occultism / Kabbalism / Alchemy / Medieval and Early Modern Witches and Witchcraft Chapter 2: Divination Egyptian Astrology / Greek Astrology / Palmistry / Rune Reading / Renaissance Astrology / Tarot / Ouija Board / Dowsing / Pendulum / Scrying Chapter 3: Rites and Liturgy Egyptian Rite / Greek Rite / Roman Rite / Saxon Rite / Renaissance Rite / Black Mass / Thelema / Golden Dawn Rite / Voodoo / Satanism / Wiccan Rite Chapter 4: Charms and Talismans Origin of Charms, Amulets, and Talismans / Correspondence Theory / Egyptian Amulets and Charms / Greek Amulets / Roman Amulets / Saxon Snake Stones / Grimoires / Elizabethan Amulets Chapter 5: Curses and Witchcraft Egyptian Curses / Babylonian and Assyrian Curses / Greek Curses / Roman Curses / Saxon and Viking Curses / Witch Bottles / Demonology / Voodoo Dolls Chapter 6: Secret Societies Knights Templar / Rosicrucians / Freemasonry / Hellfire Club / Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn / Theosophical Society / Knights Templar of the East / Early Wicca Chapter 7: Power Spots and Sacred Sites Avebury / Stonehenge / Pyramids of Giza / Glastonbury / Serpent Mound / Brocken / Salem / New Orleans Glossary / Index / Illustration Credits ■From the text
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/12754/1040/12754-1040-56134a1b31318929c8cec8d9dc59feb1-3900×2525.jpg Bottom left: A Cimbri prophetess performing a human sacrifice. From Johannes Schell’s Germania (1891). Top right: Woden (Odin) was considered the ancestor of Anglo-Saxon kings. From On the First Arrival of the Saxons. British Library Cotton Calogul A.viii f. 29r (1099-1128). Bottom right: Germanic, early Anglo-Saxon bracteat (gold coin-shaped pendant, excavated at Andree Common, near Lakenheath). British Museum (6th century)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/12754/1040/12754-1040-a887dec982160c5b0751edd7475b1594-3900×2525.jpg Bottom left: O. von Corvin’s “The Library of Alexandria” (19th century); Right: William Fetts Douglas’s “The Alchemist” (1855)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/12754/1040/12754-1040-9542955cf6de14606241581236870e45-3900×2525.jpg Left: Catherine Monvoisat, also known as “La Voisin” (17th century print). Bottom right: Henri de Malvost’s “Mass at Guifour.” From “Satanicism and Magic” by Jules Bois (Paris, 1903)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/12754/1040/12754-1040-9bc4354ada2c19a9551316d05b48fea8-3900×2525.jpg Left: Burning of convicted witch Louisa Mably (France, circa 18th century) ■About the Author Liz Williams (Liz Williams) Received a PhD in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge. Currently based in Glastonbury, UK, he is co-owner of a
witchcraft-related business, writes about paganism and scientific philosophy for The Guardian, and is the UK correspondent for The Wild Hunt, a US pagan news site. His books include Miracles of Our Own Making, a history of British paganism, and Modern Handfasting, a book about pagan weddings. ■Translator’s Introduction Yoshifumi Tsujimoto (Tsujimoto Yoshifumi) Translator, researcher of fashion and military history. External lecturer at the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Quartermaster School. Graduated from Waseda University. His
translations include “The Complete History of the Third Reich” (2 volumes) and “Barbarossa: The German-Soviet War as Seen by a German Soldier on the Front Lines.” He has co-authored with Reiko Tsujimoto “A Color Illustrated Guide to the History of Military Uniforms and Fashion,” and has supervised and co-translated books such as “Visual Illustrated Guide to the History of Grimoires,” “A Photographed Guide to Beautiful Men’s Clothing,” and “A Great Illustrated Guide to the Ancient Roman Empire.” He has also made numerous television
appearances. Tsujimoto Reiko (Tsujimoto Reiko) Historical illustrator and lecturer at the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Quartermaster School. Graduated from the Department of Performance, Faculty of Music, Toho Gakuen School of Music. Completed a special course at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, Germany. He is one of the few painters in Japan who specializes in uniformology and historical restoration paintings. He has co-authored and co-translated the above book with Yoshifumi Tsujimoto. ■Bibliographic Information Title: Visual Encyclopedia of the Occult Author: Liz Williams Translators: Yoshifumi Tsujimoto, Reiko Tsujimoto Specifications: A4 variant (246 x 190 mm) / Hardcover, square spine / 256 pages / Full color First edition release date: September 29, 2025 Regular price: 5,390 yen (4,900 yen) ISBN: 978-4-309-22959-1
https://www.kawade.co.jp/np/isbn/9784309229591/ Publisher: Kawade Shobo Shinsha
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