Jessica Hundley – författare

Initiating readers in the fascinating and complex history of witchcraft, from the goddess mythologies of ancient cultures to the contemporary embrace of the craft by modern artists and activists, this expansive tome conjures up a breathtaking overview of an age-old tradition. Rooted in legend, folklore, and myth, the archetype of the witch has evolved from the tales of Odysseus and Circe, the Celtic seductress Cerridwen, and the myth of Hecate, fierce ruler of the moonlit night. In Witchcraft we survey her many incarnations since, as she shape-shifts through the centuries, alternately transforming into mother, nymph, and crone—seductress and destroyer.Edited by Jessica Hundley, and co-edited by author, scholar, and practitioner Pam Grossman, this enthralling visual chronicle is the first of its kind, a deep dive into the complex symbologies behind witchcraft traditions, as explored through the history of art itself. The witch has played muse to great artists throughout time, from the dark seductions of Francisco José de Goya and Albrecht Dürer to the elegant paean to the magickal feminine as re-imagined by the Surrealist circle of Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Leonor Fini. The witch has spellbound through folktales and dramatic literature as well, from the poison apples of The Brothers Grimm, to the Weird Sisters gathered at their black cauldron in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, to L. Frank Baum’s iconic Wicked Witch of the West, cackling over the fate of Dorothy.Throughout this entrancing visual voyage, we’ll also bear witness to the witch as she endures persecution and evolves into empowerment, a contemporary symbol of bold defiance and potent nonconformity. Featuring enlightening essays by modern practitioners like Kristen J. Sollée and Judika Illes, as well interviews with authors and scholars such as Madeline Miller and Juliet Diaz, Witchcraft includes a vast range of cultural traditions that embrace magick as spiritual exploration and creative catharsis.

To explore the Tarot is to explore ourselves, to be reminded of the universality of our longing for meaning, for purpose and for a connection to the divine. This 600-year-old tradition reflects not only a history of seekers, but our journey of artistic expression and the ways we communicate our collective human story.For many in the West, Tarot exists in the shadow place of our cultural consciousness, a metaphysical tradition assigned to the dusty glass cabinets of the arcane. Its history, long and obscure, has been passed down through secret writing, oral tradition, and the scholarly tomes of philosophers and sages. Hundreds of years and hundreds of creative hands—mystics and artists often working in collaboration—have transformed what was essentially a parlor game into a source of divination and system of self-exploration, as each new generation has sought to evolve the form and reinterpret the medium.Author Jessica Hundley traces this fascinating history in Tarot, the debut volume in TASCHEN’s Library of Esoterica series. The book explores the symbolic meaning behind more than 500 cards and works of original art, two thirds of which have never been published outside of the decks themselves. It's the first ever visual compendium of its kind, spanning from Medieval to modern, and artfully arranged according to the sequencing of the 78 cards of the Major and Minor Arcana. It explores the powerful influence of Tarot as muse to artists like Salvador Dalí and Niki de Saint Phalle and includes the decks of nearly 100 diverse contemporary artists from around the world, all of whom have embraced the medium for its capacity to push cultural identity forward. Rounding out the volume are excerpts from thinkers such as Éliphas Lévi, Carl Jung, and Joseph Campbell; a foreword by artist Penny Slinger; a guide to reading the cards by Johannes Fiebig; and an essay on oracle decks by Marcella Kroll.

The 600-year-old tradition of tarot reflects a colorful and diverse history of esoteric expression. This extensive, full color visual compendium gathers more than 500 cards, featuring imaginative works ranging from early Renaissance decks to contemporary cards by artists like Niki de Saint Phalle and Salvador Dali.

Drawing on art, literature, and scientific research, scholar and therapist Kikan Massara delves into the Twelve Steps – the widely used and respected program of recovery. Developed in the early 20th century to address alcoholism, the Twelve Step program was later found to be an effective tool in aiding recovery for all types of addictions and compulsive behaviors.Now for the very first time, Twelve Step recovery is linked to a visual narrative. This inspiring edition features over 150 timeless and compelling works of art — from antiquity to the present day — to metaphorically describe a soulful path toward healing and transformation using these principles of recovery that continue to help millions.Featuring in-depth studies by leading experts in several converging fields, the book examines the history behind the Twelve Steps, from the program's origins in Depression-era America to building a foundation for recovery that incorporates concepts identified by psychologist C. G. Jung. The volume also offers relevant insight into the meaning of addiction in today's society. With striking imagery, literary quotations, and psychological references, the Twelve Step program is reintroduced to a wider audience as timely, accessible, and constructive. At a time of radical change and opportunity, this visual edition honors the transformative power of these universal principles and thoughtfully explores ways of aligning with them.

Celebrating the magick of the natural realm, Volume IV of The Library of Esoterica, delves into the symbolism, ceremony, and our ritual relationships with the botanical world. A visual journey through our interdependent evolution with nature, Plant Magick celebrates botanicals as creative muse – from ancient Greek sculptures to Renaissance paintings to visionary art inspired by psychoactive plants, cacti, and mushrooms. Our myths, beliefs, and shared stories are continually reflected in nature; purity represented by the white lily or spiritual awakening by the bloom of the lotus. Our joys and laments are mirrored in the cycle of the seasons, in the seed birthing sprout, or in the dead leaf falling softly from winter branches. Plants, trees, and flowers as signifiers of transition are also deeply embedded within rites of passage rituals across global cultures. Rose petals strewn along the wedding aisle mark the evolution into womanhood and marriage. A wreath of lilies stands sentinel over an open grave. A lover’s bouquet awaits on the doorstep. The wooden May Day pole is circled by girls wearing crowns of woven daisies, celebrating the coming of spring. Birth, unions, and burials – cycles of joyful celebration and deep grieving, all are marked symbolically with herbs, flowers or branches of a tree – the integration of nature into ceremony our method of signifying catharsis. Since time immemorial, plants have also served as potent symbols within the religions of the world; Buddha attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, Eve plucking the Apple of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. From root to vibrant blossom, Plant Magick explores the fertile, interconnected history between plants and people, the multitude of ways in which we embrace plants in spiritual ceremony, as healing medicine, as creative muse and as gateways into deeper explorations of consciousness.

To explore the Tarot is to explore ourselves, to be reminded of the universality of our longing for meaning, for purpose and for a connection to the divine. This 600-year-old tradition reflects not only a history of seekers, but our journey of artistic expression and the ways we communicate our collective human story.For many in the West, Tarot exists in the shadow place of our cultural consciousness, a metaphysical tradition assigned to the dusty glass cabinets of the arcane. Its history, long and obscure, has been passed down through secret writing, oral tradition, and the scholarly tomes of philosophers and sages. Hundreds of years and hundreds of creative hands—mystics and artists often working in collaboration—have transformed what was essentially a parlor game into a source of divination and system of self-exploration, as each new generation has sought to evolve the form and reinterpret the medium.Author Jessica Hundley traces this fascinating history in this pocket-sized edition of Tarot from TASCHEN’s Library of Esoterica series. The book explores the symbolic meaning behind hundreds of cards and works of original art, spanning from Medieval to modern, and artfully arranged according to the sequencing of the 78 cards of the Major and Minor Arcana. It explores the powerful influence of Tarot as muse to artists like Salvador Dalí and Niki de Saint Phalle and includes the decks of dozens of contemporary artists from around the world, all of whom have embraced the medium for its capacity to push cultural identity forward.

A voyage through mysterious and haunted lands, the sixth volume of The Library of Esoterica delves into the art, rituals, and global mythologies of the spirit realms. Unearthing our complex beliefs around death, rebirth and resurrection, we explore the art, traditions and ancient stories of the afterlife. Through interviews with scholars and practicioners, insightful essays and over 400 works of visionary art, Spirit Worlds delves into the shadows of the supernatural, from dark domains of ghosts and demons to the light-filled lands of angels and celestial beings. Across more than 500 pages, we celebrate the ways in which we connect with both our ancestors and with ourselves, as we worship, mythologize and honor our dead. We study the rites of death around the globe, highlighting the ancient monuments and sacred temples we build out of our sorrow. We showcase the altars we create and the communities we nurture as we share our grief with our gods. We dive into the rituals that connect us to those we’ve lost. And we decipher the messages communicated to us from the other worlds by mediums and prophets, through the elaborate séances of the Spiritualists, and in the storied words of oracles and fortunetellers bent at their crystal balls. And finally, we showcase artworks that that channel not only the muse, but the unknown, eloquent voices and visions from the other side. In this expansive volume, we board the ferry across the storied river and enter the gloomy passages between lands, stepping across the threshold—to part the most sacred of veils.

Taking us on a journey through the history of sacred art and architecture, Sacred Sites explores the myriads of ways in which we imbue our environments with profound and enduring meaning.  From our early designation of nature and the body as temple to our futuristic embrace of imaginary realms, we travel the vast and mystical landscapes of myth, religion, and imagination.   Through gathering, we ignite our spaces with spirit, we circle the bonfire, bow down at the forest altar, give praise at the temple to our chosen divinities.  Through pilgrimage, we carve indelible pathways, making our meditative way across continents, generations of footsteps treading, again and again, upon sacred grounds. And through our creative offerings to spirit - we envision new worlds, wildly imaginative odes to what we deem as holy; golden temples hewn of rock, enormous spirals sculpted from sand and soil, silent sanctuaries hidden among wooded groves. We paint the ancient cave walls, carve petroglyphs to mark the way, place roses in veneration at the candlelit shrine.   Slowly, stone-by-stone, we build monuments to our gods, a cosmic geometry held within our sacred architecture of worship. These hidden patterns can be found in the mysterious, towering pyramids found across the globe and throughout an astounding diversity of cultures, in the marble sanctuaries built to house the Greek and Roman goddesses, and in the windblown mountain monasteries of ancient Asia and the indigenous cliff-dwellings of the American Southwest. Nature, art, beauty, these are the common elements found both within the places made sacred by our ancestors and in the multitude of environments where we strive to connect to source, and to ourselves.  Tracing a hallowed route from rugged stone temples to transcendent works of modern architecture, the fifth volume in The Library of Esoterica celebrates the collective history of spaces made sacrosanct through human worship.

From the beginning of human history, individuals across cultures and belief systems have looked to the sky for meaning. The movement of celestial bodies and their relation to our human lives has been the central tenant of astrology for thousands of years. The practice has both inspired reverence and worship, and deepened our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. While modern-day horoscopes may be the most familiar form of astrological knowledge, their lineage reaches back to ancient Mesopotamia. As author Andrea Richards recounts in Astrology, the second volume in TASCHEN’s Library of Esoterica series, astronomy and astrology were once sister sciences: the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid at Giza was built to align with constellations, Persian scholars oversaw some of the first observatories, and even Galileo cast horoscopes for the Medicis. But with the Enlightenment and the birth of exact science, the practice moved to places where mystery was still permitted, inspiring literature, art, and psychology, and influenced artists and thinkers such as Goethe, Byron, and Blake. Later movements like the Theosophists and the New Agers, would thrust the practice into the mainstream. Edited by Jessica Hundley, this vibrant visual history of Western astrology is the first ever compendium of its kind, exploring the symbolic meaning behind more than 400 images, from Egyptian temples and illuminated manuscripts to contemporary art from across the globe. Works by artists from Alphonese Mucha and Hilma af Klint to Arpita Singh and Manzel Bowman are sequenced to mirror the spin of the planets and the wheel of the zodiac. With wisdom from new interviews with astrologers like Robert Hand, Jessica Lanyadoo, and Mecca Woods, Astrology celebrates the stars and their mysterious influence on our everyday lives.

From the beginning of human history, individuals across cultures and belief systems have looked to the sky for meaning. The movement of celestial bodies and their relation to our human lives has been the central tenant of astrology for thousands of years. The practice has both inspired reverence and worship, and deepened our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. While modern-day horoscopes may be the most familiar form of astrological knowledge, their lineage reaches back to ancient Mesopotamia. As author Andrea Richards recounts in Astrology, the second volume in TASCHEN’s Library of Esoterica series, astronomy and astrology were once sister sciences: the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid at Giza was built to align with constellations, Persian scholars oversaw some of the first observatories, and even Galileo cast horoscopes for the Medicis. But with the Enlightenment and the birth of exact science, the practice moved to places where mystery was still permitted, inspiring literature, art, and psychology, and influenced artists and thinkers such as Goethe, Byron, and Blake. Later movements like the Theosophists and the New Agers, would thrust the practice into the mainstream. Edited by Jessica Hundley, this vibrant visual history of Western astrology explores the symbolic meaning behind hundreds of images, from Egyptian temples and illuminated manuscripts to contemporary art from across the globe. Works by artists from Alphonese Mucha and Hilma af Klint to Arpita Singh and Manzel Bowman are sequenced to mirror the spin of the planets and the wheel of the zodiac. Astrology celebrates the stars and their mysterious influence on our everyday lives.

Uncover the elusive spark that permeates all things, awaken your psychic senses, and tap into your creativity with the help of nature, magic, and the spirit world. Using philosophy, science, and experiential learning, Wonderment encourages you to embark on a journey of profound spiritual change. Author and travel journalist Amber C. Snider uses her personal journey as a framework to explore the link between esoteric concepts and spiritual experiences. Demonstrated through stories from New York City, Ireland, Hawaii, and other exciting locations, Amber helps you unlock your divine potential with tools like shadow work, smoke cleansing, color magic, and pastlife regression hypnosis. This book s insights on spellwork, chakras, Goddess worship, and other practices will rekindle your curiosity and inspire a deeply fulfilling life.

Modern living isn''t easy. It often seems to require some know-how our parents didn''t pass on, or a special tool. Happily, Kaufmann Mercantile has both, and in this comprehensive field guide, they share their expertise on a huge range of topics, from frying an egg, tying a tie, or brewing coffee to things the inner utilitarian in all of us aspires to do, like splitting wood, building a fire, growing our own food, or making our own soap. Fifty how-tos are organized into five sections: Kitchen, Outdoors, Home, Garden, and Grooming. Written in clear detail and extensively illustrated, The Kaufmann Mercantile Guide teaches us what we ought to know how to do, as well as what we''d like to. Supplemental sidebars feature the best tool for the job, whether a dibber for planting, the best rawhideand- ash snowshoes, or flammable smoking bags for making authentic BBQ. This book is a must-have reference tool for living well in the twenty-first century.

In the early 1970s, Ginny Winn became the first in-house staff photographer for Warner/Reprise Records in Burbank, CA - when its roster included John Cale, Grateful Dead, Van Morrison, Maria Muldaur, Jimmy Webb, The Incredible String Band, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Captain Beefheart, Alice Cooper, Frank Zappa, Bonnie Raitt, Tim Buckley, Arlo Guthrie, and Jackie DeShannon. Led by Mo Ostin and Joe Smith, the label's catalogue was a blend of counterculture icons and Americana (before it had a name). By the late '70s, Ginny had moved into Hollywood imagery, her camera capturing the likes of Carly Simon, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Roz Kelly, Penelope Spheeris, Jodie Foster, and Gloria Swanson. Along the way, Ginny also photographed Bob Marley, Al Green, Maxayn Lewis, Donna Summer, and Alice Coltrane. It was rare for a female photographer to get such access, yet Ginny was not an outsider: she was welcomed into artists' homes, dressing rooms, and private moments. Edited and annotated by historians Pat Thomas and Jessica Hundley with Ginny's cooperation, Grievous Angels, Trout Masks, and American Beauties presents Ginny's remarkable story for the first time - and is rich with candid, never-before-seen photos. Beautifully designed by Thunderwing, this book is highlighted by an essay from and interviews with Ginny's close friend Maria Muldaur.

Dragons, mermaids, centaurs and more, Library of Esoterica’s seventh volume celebrates the divine creatures of mythology and modern fantasy. Through essays, interviews and over 400 works of contemporary and historic art, Mystical Beasts offers an expansive global bestiary exploring the deep connection between humans and the wild animal realms.

From the beginning of human history, individuals across cultures and belief systems have looked to the sky for meaning. The movement of celestial bodies and their relation to our human lives has been the central tenant of astrology for thousands of years. The practice has both inspired reverence and worship, and deepened our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. While modern-day horoscopes may be the most familiar form of astrological knowledge, their lineage reaches back to ancient Mesopotamia. As author Andrea Richards recounts in Astrology, the second volume in TASCHEN’s Library of Esoterica series, astronomy and astrology were once sister sciences: the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid at Giza was built to align with constellations, Persian scholars oversaw some of the first observatories, and even Galileo cast horoscopes for the Medicis. But with the Enlightenment and the birth of exact science, the practice moved to places where mystery was still permitted, inspiring literature, art, and psychology, and influenced artists and thinkers such as Goethe, Byron, and Blake. Later movements like the Theosophists and the New Agers, would thrust the practice into the mainstream. Edited by Jessica Hundley, this vibrant visual history of Western astrology explores the symbolic meaning behind hundreds of images, from Egyptian temples and illuminated manuscripts to contemporary art from across the globe. Works by artists from Alphonese Mucha and Hilma af Klint to Arpita Singh and Manzel Bowman are sequenced to mirror the spin of the planets and the wheel of the zodiac. Astrology celebrates the stars and their mysterious influence on our everyday lives.

To explore the Tarot is to explore ourselves, to be reminded of the universality of our longing for meaning, for purpose and for a connection to the divine. This 600-year-old tradition reflects not only a history of seekers, but our journey of artistic expression and the ways we communicate our collective human story.For many in the West, Tarot exists in the shadow place of our cultural consciousness, a metaphysical tradition assigned to the dusty glass cabinets of the arcane. Its history, long and obscure, has been passed down through secret writing, oral tradition, and the scholarly tomes of philosophers and sages. Hundreds of years and hundreds of creative hands—mystics and artists often working in collaboration—have transformed what was essentially a parlor game into a source of divination and system of self-exploration, as each new generation has sought to evolve the form and reinterpret the medium.Author Jessica Hundley traces this fascinating history in this pocket-sized edition of Tarot from TASCHEN’s Library of Esoterica series. The book explores the symbolic meaning behind hundreds of cards and works of original art, spanning from Medieval to modern, and artfully arranged according to the sequencing of the 78 cards of the Major and Minor Arcana. It explores the powerful influence of Tarot as muse to artists like Salvador Dalí and Niki de Saint Phalle and includes the decks of dozens of contemporary artists from around the world, all of whom have embraced the medium for its capacity to push cultural identity forward.

Taking us on a journey through the history of sacred art and architecture, Sacred Sites explores the myriads of ways in which we imbue our environments with profound and enduring meaning.  From our early designation of nature and the body as temple to our futuristic embrace of imaginary realms, we travel the vast and mystical landscapes of myth, religion, and imagination.   Through gathering, we ignite our spaces with spirit, we circle the bonfire, bow down at the forest altar, give praise at the temple to our chosen divinities.  Through pilgrimage, we carve indelible pathways, making our meditative way across continents, generations of footsteps treading, again and again, upon sacred grounds. And through our creative offerings to spirit - we envision new worlds, wildly imaginative odes to what we deem as holy; golden temples hewn of rock, enormous spirals sculpted from sand and soil, silent sanctuaries hidden among wooded groves. We paint the ancient cave walls, carve petroglyphs to mark the way, place roses in veneration at the candlelit shrine.   Slowly, stone-by-stone, we build monuments to our gods, a cosmic geometry held within our sacred architecture of worship. These hidden patterns can be found in the mysterious, towering pyramids found across the globe and throughout an astounding diversity of cultures, in the marble sanctuaries built to house the Greek and Roman goddesses, and in the windblown mountain monasteries of ancient Asia and the indigenous cliff-dwellings of the American Southwest. Nature, art, beauty, these are the common elements found both within the places made sacred by our ancestors and in the multitude of environments where we strive to connect to source, and to ourselves.  Tracing a hallowed route from rugged stone temples to transcendent works of modern architecture, the fifth volume in The Library of Esoterica celebrates the collective history of spaces made sacrosanct through human worship.

Developed in collaboration with George Lucas and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, this extensive two-volume catalog brings together an unparalleled collection of narrative art. From murals and paintings to comics, photography, and cinematic archives, it illuminates the influence of narrative art on culture, imagination, and human connection.

On December 5, 1923, at just twenty-two years old, Manly Palmer Hall embarked on the defining pilgrimage of his early life, boarding the S.S. Franconia for a journey around the world. The voyage was conceived an ambitious spiritual and intellectual expedition, as Hall set out to encounter firsthand the religious traditions, sacred philosophies, symbols, and cultural systems that had long stirred his imagination through books. This journey became the inspiration for Hall’s masterpiece, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, an encyclopedic synthesis of myth, mysticism, esoteric philosophy, comparative religion, and symbolic traditions from around the globe. The book supported his enduring conviction that beneath the world’s diverse religions and mystery schools lay a perennial philosophy: a hidden wisdom expressing humanity’s enduring search for truth. The Secret Teachings would secure his place as one of the twentieth century’s foremost interpreters of esoteric thought.Created in close collaboration with Manly P. Hall’s archives at the Philosophical Research Society, this newly curated edition offers a fresh gateway into Hall’s landmark esoteric masterpiece. Revered as a classic since its original publication in 1928, Hall’s monumental encyclopedia remains one of the most expansive explorations of subjects ranging from Hermetic philosophy and Tarot to Egyptian mythology, sacred geometry, and Pythagorean thought. This thoughtfully abridged companion edition brings renewed life to Hall’s visionary work, with previously unpublished photographs from his global travels alongside the extraordinary illustrations of J. Augustus Knapp and additional works by Hall’s longtime creative collaborator, Mihran Serailian. Together, these artists illuminate nearly 60 mythological and magical subjects, creating a volume that is both an essential introduction for new readers and a visually immersive reexamination for longtime seekers.

During the 1960s, Dennis Hopper carried a camera everywhere—on film sets and locations, at parties, in diners, bars and galleries, driving on freeways and walking on political marches. He photographed movie idols, pop stars, writers, artists, girlfriends, and complete strangers. Along the way he captured some of the most intriguing moments of his generation with a keen and intuitive eye. A reluctant icon at the epicenter of that decade’s cultural upheaval, Hopper documented the likes of Tina Turner in the studio, Andy Warhol at his first West Coast show, Paul Newman on set, and Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.From a selection of photographs compiled by Hopper and gallerist Tony Shafrazi, this extensive volume, finally back in print in a new edition, distills the essence of Hopper’s prodigious photographic career. Also included are introductory essays by Shafrazi and legendary West Coast art pioneer Walter Hopps, as well as an extensive biography and new afterword by journalist Jessica Hundley. With excerpts from Victor Bockris’s interviews of Hopper’s famous subjects, friends, and family, this volume revives an unprecedented exploration of the life and mind of one of America’s most fascinating personalities.

Drawing on art, literature, and scientific research, scholar and therapist Kikan Massara delves into the Twelve Steps – the widely used and respected program of recovery. Developed in the early 20th century to address alcoholism, the Twelve Step program was later found to be an effective tool in aiding recovery for all types of addictions and compulsive behaviors.Now for the very first time, Twelve Step recovery is linked to a visual narrative. This inspiring edition features over 150 timeless and compelling works of art — from antiquity to the present day — to metaphorically describe a soulful path toward healing and transformation using these principles of recovery that continue to help millions.Featuring in-depth studies by leading experts in several converging fields, the book examines the history behind the Twelve Steps, from the program's origins in Depression-era America to building a foundation for recovery that incorporates concepts identified by psychologist C. G. Jung. The volume also offers relevant insight into the meaning of addiction in today's society. With striking imagery, literary quotations, and psychological references, the Twelve Step program is reintroduced to a wider audience as timely, accessible, and constructive. At a time of radical change and opportunity, this visual edition honors the transformative power of these universal principles and thoughtfully explores ways of aligning with them.

To explore the Tarot is to explore ourselves, to be reminded of the universality of our longing for meaning, for purpose and for a connection to the divine. This 600-year-old tradition reflects not only a history of seekers, but our journey of artistic expression and the ways we communicate our collective human story.For many in the West, Tarot exists in the shadow place of our cultural consciousness, a metaphysical tradition assigned to the dusty glass cabinets of the arcane. Its history, long and obscure, has been passed down through secret writing, oral tradition, and the scholarly tomes of philosophers and sages. Hundreds of years and hundreds of creative hands—mystics and artists often working in collaboration—have transformed what was essentially a parlor game into a source of divination and system of self-exploration, as each new generation has sought to evolve the form and reinterpret the medium.Author Jessica Hundley traces this fascinating history in Tarot, the debut volume in TASCHEN’s Library of Esoterica series. The book explores the symbolic meaning behind more than 500 cards and works of original art, two thirds of which have never been published outside of the decks themselves. It's the first ever visual compendium of its kind, spanning from Medieval to modern, and artfully arranged according to the sequencing of the 78 cards of the Major and Minor Arcana. It explores the powerful influence of Tarot as muse to artists like Salvador Dalí and Niki de Saint Phalle and includes the decks of nearly 100 diverse contemporary artists from around the world, all of whom have embraced the medium for its capacity to push cultural identity forward. Rounding out the volume are excerpts from thinkers such as Éliphas Lévi, Carl Jung, and Joseph Campbell; a foreword by artist Penny Slinger; a guide to reading the cards by Johannes Fiebig; and an essay on oracle decks by Marcella Kroll.

From the beginning of human history, individuals across cultures and belief systems have looked to the sky for meaning. The movement of celestial bodies and their relation to our human lives has been the central tenant of astrology for thousands of years. The practice has both inspired reverence and worship, and deepened our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. While modern-day horoscopes may be the most familiar form of astrological knowledge, their lineage reaches back to ancient Mesopotamia. As author Andrea Richards recounts in Astrology, the second volume in TASCHEN’s Library of Esoterica series, astronomy and astrology were once sister sciences: the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid at Giza was built to align with constellations, Persian scholars oversaw some of the first observatories, and even Galileo cast horoscopes for the Medicis. But with the Enlightenment and the birth of exact science, the practice moved to places where mystery was still permitted, inspiring literature, art, and psychology, and influenced artists and thinkers such as Goethe, Byron, and Blake. Later movements like the Theosophists and the New Agers, would thrust the practice into the mainstream. Edited by Jessica Hundley, this vibrant visual history of Western astrology is the first ever compendium of its kind, exploring the symbolic meaning behind more than 400 images, from Egyptian temples and illuminated manuscripts to contemporary art from across the globe. Works by artists from Alphonese Mucha and Hilma af Klint to Arpita Singh and Manzel Bowman are sequenced to mirror the spin of the planets and the wheel of the zodiac. With wisdom from new interviews with astrologers like Robert Hand, Jessica Lanyadoo, and Mecca Woods, Astrology celebrates the stars and their mysterious influence on our everyday lives.

Initiating readers in the fascinating and complex history of witchcraft, from the goddess mythologies of ancient cultures to the contemporary embrace of the craft by modern artists and activists, this expansive tome conjures up a breathtaking overview of an age-old tradition. Rooted in legend, folklore, and myth, the archetype of the witch has evolved from the tales of Odysseus and Circe, the Celtic seductress Cerridwen, and the myth of Hecate, fierce ruler of the moonlit night. In Witchcraft we survey her many incarnations since, as she shape-shifts through the centuries, alternately transforming into mother, nymph, and crone—seductress and destroyer.Edited by Jessica Hundley, and co-edited by author, scholar, and practitioner Pam Grossman, this enthralling visual chronicle is the first of its kind, a deep dive into the complex symbologies behind witchcraft traditions, as explored through the history of art itself. The witch has played muse to great artists throughout time, from the dark seductions of Francisco José de Goya and Albrecht Dürer to the elegant paean to the magickal feminine as re-imagined by the Surrealist circle of Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Leonor Fini. The witch has spellbound through folktales and dramatic literature as well, from the poison apples of The Brothers Grimm, to the Weird Sisters gathered at their black cauldron in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, to L. Frank Baum’s iconic Wicked Witch of the West, cackling over the fate of Dorothy.Throughout this entrancing visual voyage, we’ll also bear witness to the witch as she endures persecution and evolves into empowerment, a contemporary symbol of bold defiance and potent nonconformity. Featuring enlightening essays by modern practitioners like Kristen J. Sollée and Judika Illes, as well interviews with authors and scholars such as Madeline Miller and Juliet Diaz, Witchcraft includes a vast range of cultural traditions that embrace magick as spiritual exploration and creative catharsis.

Celebrating the magick of the natural realm, Volume IV of The Library of Esoterica, delves into the symbolism, ceremony, and our ritual relationships with the botanical world. A visual journey through our interdependent evolution with nature, Plant Magick celebrates botanicals as creative muse – from ancient Greek sculptures to Renaissance paintings to visionary art inspired by psychoactive plants, cacti, and mushrooms. Our myths, beliefs, and shared stories are continually reflected in nature; purity represented by the white lily or spiritual awakening by the bloom of the lotus. Our joys and laments are mirrored in the cycle of the seasons, in the seed birthing sprout, or in the dead leaf falling softly from winter branches. Plants, trees, and flowers as signifiers of transition are also deeply embedded within rites of passage rituals across global cultures. Rose petals strewn along the wedding aisle mark the evolution into womanhood and marriage. A wreath of lilies stands sentinel over an open grave. A lover’s bouquet awaits on the doorstep. The wooden May Day pole is circled by girls wearing crowns of woven daisies, celebrating the coming of spring. Birth, unions, and burials – cycles of joyful celebration and deep grieving, all are marked symbolically with herbs, flowers or branches of a tree – the integration of nature into ceremony our method of signifying catharsis. Since time immemorial, plants have also served as potent symbols within the religions of the world; Buddha attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, Eve plucking the Apple of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. From root to vibrant blossom, Plant Magick explores the fertile, interconnected history between plants and people, the multitude of ways in which we embrace plants in spiritual ceremony, as healing medicine, as creative muse and as gateways into deeper explorations of consciousness.

Embracing an expansive range of occult teachings, this vast encyclopedia unveils the arcane myths and mysteries of thousands of years of human civilization. First published in 1928, Manly Palmer Hall’s magnum opus has been meticulously reproduced in its original size in collaboration with his archives at the Philosophical Research Society.

Drawing on art, literature, and scientific research, scholar and therapist Kikan Massara delves into the Twelve Steps – the widely used and respected program of recovery. Developed in the early 20th century to address alcoholism, the Twelve Step program was later found to be an effective tool in aiding recovery for all types of addictions and compulsive behaviors.Now for the very first time, Twelve Step recovery is linked to a visual narrative. This inspiring edition features over 150 timeless and compelling works of art — from antiquity to the present day — to metaphorically describe a soulful path toward healing and transformation using these principles of recovery that continue to help millions.Featuring in-depth studies by leading experts in several converging fields, the book examines the history behind the Twelve Steps, from the program's origins in Depression-era America to building a foundation for recovery that incorporates concepts identified by psychologist C. G. Jung. The volume also offers relevant insight into the meaning of addiction in today's society. With striking imagery, literary quotations, and psychological references, the Twelve Step program is reintroduced to a wider audience as timely, accessible, and constructive. At a time of radical change and opportunity, this visual edition honors the transformative power of these universal principles and thoughtfully explores ways of aligning with them.