Occult Paris: The Lost Magic of the Belle Époque

Occult Paris: The Lost Magic of the Belle Époque

How fin-de-siÃ¨cle Paris became the locus for the most intense revival of magical practices and doctrines since the Renaissance

â€¢ Examines the remarkable lives of occult practitioners JosÃ©phin Peladan, Papus, Stanislas de GuaÃ¯ta, Saint-Yves dâ€™Alveydre, Jules Doinel, and others

â€¢ Reveals how occult activity deeply influenced many well-known cultural movements, such as Symbolism, the Decadents, modern music, and the â€œpsychedelic 60sâ€

During Parisâ€™s Belle Ã‰poque (1871-1914), many cultural movements and artistic styles flourished--Symbolism, Impressionism, Art Nouveau, the Decadents--all of which profoundly shaped modern culture. Inseparable from this cultural advancement was the explosion of occult activity taking place in the City of Light at the same time.

Exploring the magical, artistic, and intellectual world of the Belle Ã‰poque, Tobias Churton shows how a wide variety of Theosophists, Rosicrucians, Martinists, Freemasons, Gnostics, and neo-Cathars called fin-de-siÃ¨cle Paris home. He examines the precise interplay of occultists JosÃ©phin Peladan, Papus, Stanislas de GuaÃ¯ta, and founder of the modern Gnostic Church Jules Doinel, along with lesser known figures such as Saint-Yves dâ€™Alveydre, Paul SÃ©dir, Charles Barlet, Edmond Bailly, Albert Jounet, AbbÃ© Lacuria, and Lady Caithness. He reveals how the work of many masters of modern culture such as composers Claude Debussy and Erik Satie, writers Arthur Rimbaud and Charles Baudelaire, and painters Georges Seurat and Alphonse Osbert bear signs of immersion in the esoteric circles that were thriving in Paris at the time. The author demonstrates how the creative hermetic ferment that animated the City of Light in the decades leading up to World War I remains an enduring presence and powerful influence today. Where, he asks, would Aleister Crowley and all the magicians of today be without the Parisian source of so much creativity in this field?

Conveying the living energy of Paris in this richly artistic period of history, Churton brings into full perspective the characters, personalities, and forces that made Paris a global magnet and which allowed later cultural movements, such as the â€œpsychedelic 60s,â€ to rise from the ashes of post-war Europe.
Country USA
Brand Inner Traditions
Manufacturer Inner Traditions
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 9781620555453
ReleaseDate 2016-11-03
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781620555453

Country	USA
Brand	Inner Traditions
Manufacturer	Inner Traditions
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	9781620555453
ReleaseDate	2016-11-03
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781620555453

Occult Paris: The Lost Magic of the Belle Époque

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