Esoteric

Decoding John Dee’s Interactions with Spiritual Entities

Throughout history, few figures are as enigmatic and intriguing as John Dee, the renowned 16th-century scholar, advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, and pioneering explorer of the esoteric. A polymath who straddled the worlds...

Theosophy: Beliefs, Origins, Helena Blavatsky & More

Theosophy is a part of Western occultism. Created by Helela Blavatsky, it went on to influence a wide array of occult philosophies ranging from the New Age movement to the occult roots...

Rosicrucianism: Beliefs, Origins, Groups & More

Rosicrucianism is a religious movement that originated in the 17th century. Unlike many other movements that rose and fell with the years, Rosicrucianism continues to this day. Where did it come from,...

Thelema: Beliefs, Magick, Aleister Crowley & More

Thelema is a school of Western occult philosophy created by Aleister Crowley. Both Thelema and its creator are often misunderstood -- at its heart, Thelema is a synthesis of Crowley's personal gnosis,...

What is Witchcraft?

Few things are as ubiquitous in fiction as witchcraft. Witches are variously idolized and maligned, portrayed both as powerful people in touch with nature and the secrets of the universe, and malevolent...

Hermeticism: Beliefs, Magic, Philosophy & More

In many ways, Hermeticism is the grandparent of modern magic and mystery traditions. Stretching back all the way to 300 BCE, many of the ideas and philosophies of Hermeticism still linger in...

Reality Shifting Methods: How to Shift Realities

Have you ever felt like you've wanted to step out of your current reality? Maybe it doesn't feel quite like home to you, or you just want to explore another parallel universe...

What Are Familiar Spirits?

Look at the documents recounting historical witch trials, and you'll see some unusual names: Vinegar Tom, Pyewacket, Jarmara, Elemanzer, Peckin the Crown. All of these figures have one thing in common --...

Pyromancy: Fire Divination

Pyromancy is one of humanity's oldest forms of divination. As long as people have had bonfires, candles, or anything else they could burn, they've used them to foretell the future. Today, pyromancy...

Gnosticism: Gnostic Teachings & Beliefs

Gnosticism comes from the Greek word for insight or knowing, gnosis. Unlike other forms of Christianity, which say that one's salvation hinges on faith, Gnosticism requires adherents to seek divine knowledge. This...

Lithomancy: Stone Divination

Lithomancy is an ancient form of divination that's often overlooked in favor of runes, tarot, or scrying. It falls into two primary categories: crystallomancy and sortilege. It's impossible to know exactly how...

Oneiromancy: Dream Divination

Have you ever had a dream that seemed oddly significant? It might've even been prophetic, showing you future events with startling accuracy. It could've been very vivid, showing you powerful symbols and...

Crystal Scrying: Crystal Divination

When most people think of divination, a few images pop into their minds: tarot cards, candles, and a crystal ball. Crystal ball scrying is a very old divinatory practice, and one of...

7 Hermetic Principles

Hermeticism, named for Hermes Trismegistus, is a set of spiritual and philosophical beliefs. It's essentially a non-Christian Gnostic tradition, meaning that it focuses on gnosis -- the seeking of secret knowledge related...

17 Best Divination Tools

There's no limit to the tools that an experienced diviner can use to find secret information. Divination relies on the idea that nothing is truly random -- therefore, anything with an element...

Esoteric Spirituality: What is Esotericism?

Ever since humans evolved the ability to wonder about things outside of themselves, they have sought hidden knowledge and a connection to a higher power. Over time, we've developed countless methods to...

Scrying Divination: What is Scrying?

Scrying is one of the most informative - if not least understood - methods of divination. When most people hear the word, they picture a woman waving her hands over a crystal...

Mirror Scrying: Mirror Divination

Magic mirrors have been the subject of fiction for centuries. From the Evil Queen's "Mirror, mirror, on the wall," to The Mirror of Erised in the world of Harry Potter, mirrors have...

Methods of Divination

Humankind has always looked for a way to obtain secret knowledge. Every religion has some way to do it, whether through prophesizing, talking to spirits, observing nature, or using divinatory objects like...

Rune Casting Divination: Rune Symbols & Meanings

In ancient Norse and Germanic culture, runes were more than a writing system. In the Codex Regius, a collection of old Norse poems, there's even a reference to using runes to raise...

Water Scrying: Water Divination

Divination is one of the most important skills that a witch can cultivate. Far beyond simply "seeing the future," divination also allows the diviner to gain more information about the present and...

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