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...surely one of the most controversial books of the year...there is something about the huge perspectives of this book that creates the exhilaration that Beethoven was talking about - Colin Wilson, Daily Mail
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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From the esoteric account of the evolution of the species to the occult roots of science, here is a narrative history that shows the basic facts of human existence on this planet can be viewed from a very different angle. Everything in this history is upside down, inside out and the other way around. At the heart of The Secret History of the World is the belief that we can reach an altered state of consciousness in which we can see things about the way the world works that are hidden from us in our everyday, commonsensical consciousness. This history shows that by using secret techniques, people such as Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton and George Washington have worked themselves into this altered state - and been able to access supernatural levels of intelligence. It soon becomes evident that a secret philosophy is encoded in the world around us, in public buildings and monuments, in great art and literature, in the arrangement of the pips in an apple, in the names of the days of the week, even in the very stories we tell our children.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
illuminating, fascinating and thought provoking,
By A. Fosse "Neet" (Brussels, Belgium) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Secret History of the World (Paperback)
Having spent some time now looking into the ancient history of the world both from an academic point of view as well as so called "pseudo historical facts" I have turned my head towards the esoterical and mystical side of history. Having read quite a few of the books in the bibliography here I have also had a fascination with religion and it's history and impact on the world for a long time. There was something about this book that made me purchase it and I have not regretted the purchase.
For someone of a closed mind or of strict religious views this book is not reccommended as you will find yourself in a world that is "topsy turvy" (which is the way of the ancient teachings that constitutes esoteric thinking to begin with), and might anger you that someone is arguing that "magic" and mysticism is at the core of religion as a whole. Especially concidering that religious leaders have condemned the very idea of magic and occult teachings as the workings of the devil. Jonathan Black's style of writing is easy going and very engaging, which helps you understand the heaviness of what is discussed here. To me it is clear that he has a vast knowledge on esoteric and religious matters, and as he makes you take part in the experience that is reading this book with his imaginative exercises, you might gain an appreciation that goes beyond the pages of this book. I have gained new energy in my search for understanding of the past and present as well as a vast body of books to sift through in addition to what I'm already looking into. He makes no claims as to say that this is anything but a history of the world looked at from a esotheric stand point, and you may disagree to any or all of what is written, but you cannot deny that it makes you look at things in a different way than you used to. He wants you to use your imagination and in doing so see the world in a new way, and that is something we all can allow ourself to do without hesitation in my opinion. This is food for thought and a must read for anyone who is open minded or just plain curious. For anyone wanting one book on the esoterical view this is that one book!!! Hope to have been of assistance and wish you luck in your search for knowledge!
107 of 115 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Esoteric Mind Gym,
By jamie b (uk) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Secret History of the World: As Laid Down by the Secret Societies (Hardcover)
This is a certainly an unusual book and I found it a very stimulating read. It invites the reader to take part in an imaginative exercise, which involves having an artistic and emotional response to the book's ideas, as well as an intellectual one. In a way, it's an experiment to see if we can approach the same kind of consciousness as our ancestors, when people could be rational and mystical at the same time.
Pythagoras, Copernicus, da Vinci and Newton are some of the better known exemplars of this way of thinking, but the book draws its inspiration much more widely than the usual poster boys. Comparisons between Lao-Tzu and Heraclitus are illuminated with comments on Confucius and Rudyard Kipling, for example. Creative artists as varied as David Lynch and Botticelli are shown to be nourished by the same ideas - as was P.L. Travers, creator of one the most famous children's magicians of all time: Mary Poppins. The author explores the significance of certain archetypes and symbols down the ages - and personally I found the writing nimble and light of touch. Yes, it makes connections that are sometimes surprising, but that's the point. Ever wondered exactly what the difference is between Satan and Lucifer? Or why French revolutionaries adopted the Phrygian cap as their headgear of choice? Did you know that St Thomas Aquinas and St Francis of Assissi both claimed to have levitated? What "The Secret History" never pretends to be is yet another conspiracy theory book, or an academic history. (A fact that seems to upset some of the other reviewers.) It would be better to think of it as an esoteric mind gym. Sure, it structures itself as a "secret history" of how humanity and human consciousness developed but this is, after all, just a metaphor. The author has created that narrative form as a way to explore the ideas that have fascinated some of the greatest minds in the actual, real, (footnotable) history of the world. Conspiracy theories close things down; this book is an ambitious, enjoyable attempt to open them up and offer a graspable alternative account of how human consciousness has developed - from the creation of the world through to dadaism and beyond. Definitely worth a read, if you like ideas and knowledge and can cope with them being taken out of their boxes and shaken round a bit.
33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
fascinating,
By
This review is from: The Secret History of the World: As Laid Down by the Secret Societies (Hardcover)
I have been interested to read the wide range of comments about this book which I personally found fascinating.
The Secret History of the World presents a different way of contemplating the world that we live in. Whether you agree or disagree with the author's ideas - and there are so many different ideas, links and connections here that why should you agree with all of them? - the book is about opening your mind to a radically new way of thinking about the mystical history of the world and about our own human consciousness. It isn't necessary to agree with everything the author writes to find dozens of fascinating avenues to explore. The whole point of a book like this is to be an entertaining read and to raise the consciousness of the reader by presenting ideas that remind us that different civilisations did not regard or understand the world in the same way that we do. We cannot assume that our thought processes and our attitudes to life are comparable to those of our ancestors who experienced their lives at different times and in different societies throughout the ages and had no knowledge of industry, science or technology as we understand it today. Everything they believed in was based on the much more limited (in most cases)knowledge that was available to them at the time. In the past twelve months people everywhere are seeing the collapse of so many organisations and systems in our society that they had assumed were fundamentally stable. The book is very timely because we are entering a new era in our civilisation where we will have no choice but to adjust our thinking about many different things. The Secret History of the World can be used to expand your mind introducing original and mystical concepts which have been common throughout many different civilisations in history and for that reason are worthy of consideration when our present-day globally linked and crowded world is heading towards its own tipping point. What this book tells us is that things are not necessarily what they seem and that history and science and everything we think we know and understand can be turned on its head and seen from a different angle - if we choose to open our minds to other possibilities. The concept of the book - a secret mystical history of the world in under 1000 pages - is huge and I do wonder how much material had to be left out. I would love to read more of the research because some of the sections are of necessity rather sketchy. I was also very much aware that so few women featured in it. But secret societies have tended to be for men and run by men. While I was reading the book I thought of a lot of people who I would want to recommend it to. It is a love it or hate it book, arousing strong feelings in readers. I recommend it to everyone who is not afraid to accept that there is only a very thin veil between the world we think we are familiar with and the unseen and unknown worlds which lie just beyond our everyday thought-processes.
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