A study of the infiltration of Neoplatonic and Hermetic theology into the Catholic Church in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Born on 21 September 1452, the very same year that Leonardo Da Vinci was born, Girolamo Savonarola: The Renaissance Preacher tells the story of a man who believed so wholeheartedly in God and the message that He was giving, that he gave his life for it. The book is an introduction to the life and times of this infamous preacher, a man who was witness to the dramatic downfall of the Medici dynasty in fifteenth-century Florence, who instigated some of the most dramatic events in Florentine history and whose death is still commemorated today. ------------ 'Thoroughly well researched and enthusiastically written. It is clear that Samantha Morris has great care for her subject and this is reflected in the quality of this work. A great introduction to Florentine politics in the late 15th century and the life of one of the most infamous individuals of the Renaissance'. - Katharine Fellows, St Peter's College, University of Oxford AUTHOR INTERVIEW What makes the medieval history of Florence special? Florence, unlike the majority of Italy's city states during the Renaissance, was a Republic, but run by the Medici family who were kings in all but name. It was also the city that birthed the Renaissance, a city full of political intrigue, violence, art and religion. Who was Savonarola? Girolamo Savonarola was a Dominican friar who badly wanted to see Church reform not only within Florence but throughout the World. Unfortunately for Savonarola, despite his best intentions, the city turned against him and his hard lined ways, just as they had with the Medici family. Why should readers give your non-fiction history books a try? My books offer a well researched historical introduction to some of the most fascinating periods in both Italian and World history - a stepping stone, if you will, into the torrid history of the Renaissance. Within them you get to meet and learn about, personalities who lived and worked in this era - sex, violence, murder and religious fervour is only a little of what you will find within.

The first English translation of the book that reveals the Cathar stronghold at Montségur to be the repository of the Holy Grail • Presents the history of the Papal persecution of the Cathars that lies hidden in the medieval epic Parzival and in the poetry of the troubadours • Provides new insights into the life and death of this gifted and controversial author Crusade Against the Grail is the daring book that popularized the legend of the Cathars and the Holy Grail. The first edition appeared in Germany in 1933 and drew upon Rahn’s account of his explorations of the Pyrenean caves where the heretical Cathar sect sought refuge during the 13th century. Over the years the book has been translated into many languages and exerted a large influence on such authors as Trevor Ravenscroft and Jean-Michel Angebert, but it has never appeared in English until now. Much as German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann used Homer’s Iliad to locate ancient Troy, Rahn believed that Wolfram von Eschenbach’s medieval epic Parzival held the keys to the mysteries of the Cathars and the secret location of the Holy Grail. Rahn saw Parzival not as a work of fiction, but as a historical account of the Cathars and the Knights Templar and their guardianship of the Grail, a “stone from the stars.” The Crusade that the Vatican led against the Cathars became a war pitting Roma (Rome) against Amor (love), in which the Church triumphed with flame and sword over the pure faith of the Cathars.

An in-depth analysis of the different worldviews available to us in today's world, their underlying metaphysics, and the symbolism they use to convey their doctrines. The Metaphysical Compass is an exercise in both analysis and synthesis, delving deeply into complex religious and philosophical issues while providing summarized access to vast amounts of information that is difficult for non-specialists to access. It is based on the incontrovertible premise that, especially after the globalization of knowledge, we find ourselves in a highly complex world in which different incompatible worldviews uneasily coexist. To guide us in our search, the book focuses on the metaphysical answers underlying the different worldviews available to us, whether religious, mystical, esoteric, philosophical, or scientific. It also stresses the importance of symbolism in transmitting these doctrines, and its undeniable and growing prevalence in today's mass media and popular culture. The Metaphysical Compass was designed as an enjoyable synthesis capable of conveying a large amount of information in a visual and summarized, but not dumbed down, way. Furthermore, the book contains plenty of hyperlinks (digital editions) and notes through which those interested can expand their knowledge on specific topics. It is an ideal book for those with little time to investigate and confront the great questions of life. Also for those interested in discovering all the possible solutions to the oldest philosophical question of all, which lies at the core of each and every worldview: the conflict between the One and the Many. The Metaphysical Compass includes: .: A massive repository of knowledge (both ancient and modern), highly structured and profusely illustrated, designed to clear up all your metaphysical doubts and guide you in navigating the complexities of the modern world and its myriad worldviews. .: A comparative table with the 41 main current worldviews, in which their particularities are described, their main symbols discussed, and their central metaphysical beliefs defined, compared, and categorized. .: 15 summary diagrams that explain the complete argument of the book in a clear and pleasant visual way. .: Graphics highlighting the prevalence of certain recurrent metaphysical doctrines in modern popular culture.

"Written by a practitioner of various Western occult traditions -- the author has a background in druidism, freemasonry, cabala, Louisiana hoodoo, and is a certified tarot grandmaster -- this is an authoritative and engaging reference on the occult. Cross-references lead to relevant entries, and sources for further reading are often suggested (a bibliography of these sources is included at the end of the volume). Extensively researched yet concise, this encyclopedia will provide a wide range of users with information on both occult history and current practice."--"Reference that rocks," American Libraries, May 2005.

At a fascinating moment in French intellectual history, an interest in matters occult was not equivalent to a rejection of scientific thought; participants in séances and magic rituals were seekers after experimental data as well as spiritual truth. A young astronomy student wrote of his quest: "I am not in the presence or under the influence of any evil spirit: I study Spiritism as I study mathematics." He did not see himself as an ecstatic visionary but rather as a sober observer. For him, the darkened room of occult practice was as much laboratory as church. In an evocative history of alternative religious practices in France in the second half of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries, John Warne Monroe tells the interconnected stories of three movements—Mesmerism, Spiritism, and Occultism. Adherents of these groups, Monroe reveals, attempted to "modernize" faith by providing empirical support for metaphysical concepts. Instead of trusting theological speculation about the nature of the soul, these believers attempted to gather tangible evidence through Mesmeric experiments, séances, and ceremonial magic. While few French people were active Mesmerists, Spiritists, or Occultists, large segments of the educated general public were familiar with these movements and often regarded them as fascinating expressions of the "modern condition," a notable contrast to the Catholicism and secular materialism that prevailed in their culture. Featuring eerie spirit photographs, amusing Daumier lithographs, and a posthumous autograph from Voltaire, as well as extensive documentary evidence, Laboratories of Faith gives readers a sense of what being in a séance or a secret-society ritual might actually have felt like and why these feelings attracted participants. While they never achieved the transformation of human consciousness for which they strove, these thinkers and believers nevertheless pioneered a way of "being religious" that has become an enduring part of the Western cultural vocabulary.