The Myth of Disenchantment

The Myth of Disenchantment

Author: Jason Ananda Josephson Storm

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2017-05-16

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 022640336X

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A great many theorists have argued that the defining feature of modernity is that people no longer believe in spirits, myths, or magic. Jason Ā. Josephson-Storm argues that as broad cultural history goes, this narrative is wrong, as attempts to suppress magic have failed more often than they have succeeded. Even the human sciences have been more enchanted than is commonly supposed. But that raises the question: How did a magical, spiritualist, mesmerized Europe ever convince itself that it was disenchanted? Josephson-Storm traces the history of the myth of disenchantment in the births of philosophy, anthropology, sociology, folklore, psychoanalysis, and religious studies. Ironically, the myth of mythless modernity formed at the very time that Britain, France, and Germany were in the midst of occult and spiritualist revivals. Indeed, Josephson-Storm argues, these disciplines’ founding figures were not only aware of, but profoundly enmeshed in, the occult milieu; and it was specifically in response to this burgeoning culture of spirits and magic that they produced notions of a disenchanted world. By providing a novel history of the human sciences and their connection to esotericism, The Myth of Disenchantment dispatches with most widely held accounts of modernity and its break from the premodern past.


Greek Myths in Roman Art and Culture

Greek Myths in Roman Art and Culture

Author: Zahra Newby

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2016-09-15

Total Pages: 409

ISBN-13: 1107072247

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A new reading of the portrayal of Greek myths in Roman art, revealing important shifts in Roman values and identities.


The Art of the Occult

The Art of the Occult

Author: S. Elizabeth

Publisher: Frances Lincoln

Published: 2020-10-13

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 0711254168

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A visual feast of eclectic artwork informed and inspired by spiritual beliefs, magical techniques, mythology and otherworldly experiences. Mystical beliefs and practices have existed for millennia, but why do we still chase the esoteric? From the beginning of human creativity itself, image-makers have been drawn to these unknown spheres and have created curious artworks that transcend time and place – but what is it that attracts artists to these magical realms? From theosophy and kabbalah, to the zodiac and alchemy; spiritualism and ceremonial magic, to the elements and sacred geometry – The Art of the Occult introduces major occult themes and showcases the artists who have been influenced and led by them. Discover the symbolic and mythical images of the Pre-Raphaelites; the automatic drawing of Hilma af Klint and Madge Gill; Leonora Carrington's surrealist interpretation of myth, alchemy and kabbalah; and much more. Featuring prominent, marginalised and little-known artists, The Art of the Occult crosses mystical spheres in a bid to inspire and delight. Divided into thematic chapters (The Cosmos, Higher Beings, Practitioners), the book acts as an entertaining introduction to the art of mysticism – with essays examining each practice and over 175 artworks to discover. The art of the occult has always existed in the margins but inspired the masses, and this book will spark curiosity in all fans of magic, mysticism and the mysterious.


Architecture, Mysticism and Myth

Architecture, Mysticism and Myth

Author: William Richard Lethaby

Publisher: Courier Corporation

Published: 2004-01-01

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 0486435199

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First published in 1892, this classic explores the symbolism of classical architecture. A milestone in relating mysticism to design, it shows the correlation between mythology and the design of St. Paul's Cathedral, the Taj Mahal, the Palace of Versailles, and other architectural masterpieces. 30 black-and-white illustrations.


Solomon's Temple

Solomon's Temple

Author: Alan Balfour

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2012-08-06

Total Pages: 345

ISBN-13: 1118275101

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A highly original architectural history of Solomon’s Temple and Islam’s Dome of the Rock that doubles as a social and cultural history of the region The most extensive study of the interrelated history of two monuments, Solomon’s Temple and The Dome of the Rock, drawing on an exhaustive review of all the visual and textual evidence Relayed as a gripping narrative, allowing readers to re-enter and experience the emotions and the visceral reality of the major events in its history Integrates illustration with the text to offer a highly detailed and accurate portrait of the major structures and figures involved in the history of the temple Opens up a fascinating line of questioning into the conventional interpretation of events, particularly Christ’s actions in the Temple Reproduces rarely seen detailed drawings of the subterranean passages beneath Temple Mount as part of the British survey in the 19th century


Architect's Guide to Feng Shui

Architect's Guide to Feng Shui

Author: Cate Bramble

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2007-06-01

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 1136429506

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Cate Bramble has devoted her career to highlighting the differences between 'feng shui-lite' as a fashionable pursuit in contrast to the original intentions of the Chinese masters. Here she presents the authentic principles in a technical, no-nonsense pocket book specifically for architects. As clients become more demanding and the competition for projects heats up, the architect is well advised to have many strings to their bow. This practical guide includes line illustrations that present the principles of feng shui, the Chinese art or practice in which a structure or site is chosen or configured so as to harmonize with the spiritual forces that inhabit it, and their application in architecture through planning principles, services, building elements and materials, in an accessible, easy reference format. The feng shui-savvy architect can also benefit from feng shui's ability to match structures and land, and the peculiar capacity of authentic feng shui to forecast development-related concerns including cost overruns, quality issues - even worker injuries and trade disputes! The author explains feng shui from archaeological sources and evidence of practice in the east, contrasting it with what passes for feng shui in the west. She analyses the practice in terms of such concepts as western systems theory, viewshed, space syntax and the 'pattern landscape' theory of urban planning. For the first time, the Sustainable implications of feng shui design are explained with reference to the latest developments in behavioural and cognitve sciences, evolutionary biology and other western viewpoints.


Le Corbusier and the Occult

Le Corbusier and the Occult

Author: Jan Birksted

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 418

ISBN-13: 0262026481

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"Le Corbusier grew up in La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland, a city described by Karl Marx as "one unified watchmaking industry." Among the unifying social structures of La Chaux-de-Fonds was the Loge L'Amitié, the Masonic lodge with its francophone moral, social, and philosophical ideas, including the symbolic iconography of the right angle (rectitude) and the compass (exactitude). Le Corbusier would later describe these as "my guide, my choice" and as his "time-honored ideas, ingrained and deep-rooted in the intellect, like entries from a catechism." Through exhaustive research that challenges long-held beliefs, J.K. Birksted's Le Corbusier and the Occult traces the structure of Le Corbusier's brand of modernist spatial and architectural ideas based on startling new documents in hitherto undiscovered family and local archives."--Publisher.


Thou Art That

Thou Art That

Author: Joseph Campbell

Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com

Published: 2010-09

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 1458757730

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Thou Art That is a compilation of previously uncollected essays and lectures by Joseph Campbell that focus on the Judeo-Christian tradition. Campbell explores common religious symbols, reexamining and reinterpreting them in the context of his remarkable knowledge of world mythology.Campbell believed that society often confuses the literal and metaphorical interpretations of religious stories and symbols. In this collection, he eloquently reestablishes these symbols as a means to enhance spiritual understanding and mystical revelation. With characteristic verve, he ranges from rich storytelling to insightful comparative scholarship. Included is editor Eugene Kennedy's classic interview with Campbell in the New York Times Magazine, which originally brought the scholar to the attention of the public.