Author(s): John Matthews

Spirituality

Readers have always been fascinated by the vast body of fact and fable surrounding wizards, those healers, mystics, and memorable figures from folklore and literature. Here is a beautifully illustrated guide to wizards and wizardry, a volume tracing wizardry's origins and legends, and charting wizards' activities and powers over the centuries and across many cultures. The book's six chapters examine and discuss--the history of wizards, including Siberian shamans, the classical Roman poet Virgil, wizards of the medieval and Renaissance eras including Dr. John Dee (1527-1608), famous fictional practitioners of wizardry such as Tolkien's Gandalf, and today's shamans in South America and India . . . The traditional role of the wizard as prophet and visionary . . . The wizard as master of nature's elements, and the genius who works with nature to transform himself and others . . . The good versus the evil wizards in history and legend, from the medieval Gilles de Rais to the modern Star Wars legend of the Emperor versus Obi wan Kenobi . . . The wizard as alchemist, with special attention to figures such as Merlin, the wizard of the Arthurian legends . . . The wizard as a keeper of knowledge and a seeker of truth . . . . The author also suggests meditations and practices readers can use to foster their own potential for wizardry. This fascinating volume features 180 full-color illustrations.