An Encyclopaedia of Occultism

From Abracadabra to the Zohar: the classic 1920 reference to every occult science, seance trick, demon, alchemist and secret society — 2,000+ entries, all here.

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47 pages in this part of Encyclopaedia of Occultism.

Habondia

Queen of the fairies, witches, harpies, furies, and ghosts of the wicked. This definition is according to the statement of Pierre Delancre…

Hackworld House

(See Haunted Houses.) Hafed, Prince of Persia: (See Duguid, David.) 66 Hag of the Dribble, or "Gwrach y Rhibyn": One of the Welsh banshees…

Hajoth Hakados

One of the spheres of angels, by whose agency Jehovah's providence is spread. The Jews believe that these angels inhabit one of the…

Hallucination

A false perception of sensory vividness arising without the stimulus of a corresponding sense-impression. In this it differs from illusion…

Ham

A Norwegian storm-fiend in the shape of an eagle with black wings, sent by Helgi to engulf Frithjof as he sailed for the island of Yarl…

Hambaruan

Among the Dayaks of Borneo the hambaruan, or soul of a living man, may leave the body at will, and go where it chooses; it is, however…

Hamon

A sacred stone like gold, shaped as a ram's horn. If its possessor is in the posture of contemplation, it gives the mind a representation…

Hand of Glory

The hand of a dead man, in which a lighted candle has been placed. It was formerly believed in Ireland and Mexico to be an instrument of…

Hands of Spirits

There are instances in occult history where the hand only of a spirit has become visible to the human eye. During the reign of James I. a…

Hanon-Tramp

The name given by the Germans to a certain kind of nightmare (q.v.). This particular nightmare takes the form of a demon, which suffocates…

Harodim

A degree of Freemasonry very popular in the North of England, and especially in the County of Durham, and probably founded in Gateshead in…

Haruspication

(See Divination.) Hasidim ( Pious Ones"): Devotees of a mystical phase of Judaism. They are first heard of in the pre-Maccabean age. In the…

Hastraun

A small mystical sect of Judaism, whose members were to be found in some parts of Palestine and Babylon. They practised some sort of…

Hatha Yoga

The earliest and therefore most simple form of the Yoga practice. An English translation of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika of Swatmaram Swami was…

Haunted Houses

Not long ago a number of the daily papers contained, throughout several consecutive weeks, an advertisement offering for sale an ancient…

Hazel Tree

The Hazel was dedicated to the god Thor, and, in the Roman Catholic Church, was esteemed a plant of great virtue for the cure of fevers…

Head of Baphomet

An interesting discovery was made public in 1818 dealing with the history of secret societies. There was found, among the antiquities of…

Heart

It is said in Ecclesiates that the heart of the wise is at the right side, the heart of the foolish at the left. But this saying must be…

Heat and Light

Spiritualistic Journal. (See Spiritualism.) Heavenly Man, The : According to the Zohar, the first of the Sephiroth, or divine emanations…

Hecate

Originally a Greek goddess of uncertain parentage. She appears to have been one of the Titans who ruled the heaven, earth and sea; and…

Hekalot

According to the Zohar, the seven halls of the world of Yetsirah, the divine halls into which the seekers for the Chariot (Merkabah) strive…

Heliotrope

Said to render its possessor invisible if it be rubbed over with the juice of the herb of the same name; stops bleeding, and averts danger…

Hell

The derivation of this word is probably from the root helan to cover, designating a subterranean or hidden place. In Ward's Mythology we…

Hellawes

A sorceress, Lady of the Castle Nigramous. She attempted to win the love of Lancelot, but being unable to do so, she perished. Hellenbach…

Hermitage Castle

(See Haunted Houses.) Herne, J.: A medium who was associated with Charles Williams (q.v.) during a part of the latter's career and who…

Heyd

A Norwegian sea-witch or storm-fiend in the shape of a white bear, alluded to in the saga of Grettir. With the other storm-fiend Ham, she…

Hieroglyphs

Hieroglyphs were, and are, frequently made use of by the spirits in the so-called "direct" writing, i.e., writing produced without a medium…

Haggadah – Hilarion

The general name for the narrative or fabular portion of the Rabbinical literature. (See Fascination.) Harris

Hippomancy

A method of divination practised by the ancient Celts, who kept certain white horses in consecrated groves. These were made to walk…

Hmin Nat

An evil spirit. (See Burma.) Hobgoblin, Robin Goodfellow, or Puck: An English domestic fairy or brownie of nocturnal habits. He is of a…

Hocus Pocus

Words of magical import, which by some are believed to be derived from "Ochus Bochus" a magician and demon of the north. It is perhaps more…

Hod

The name assigned in the Kabbala to the number eight and meaning "Eternity "-that is, Eternity of the conquests achieved by mind over…

Holland

For early matter see Teutons). Spiritualism. Since the introduction of spiritualism into Holland, in 1857-8, no small part of its history…

Holly

This name is probably a corruption of the word holy as this plant has been used from time immemorial as a protection against evil…

Homunculas

An artificial man supposed to have been made by the alchemists, and especially by Paracelsus. To manufacture one, he states that the…

Hopedale Community

A socialistic and religious community founded in 1842 near Milford in Massachusetts, by the Rev. Adin Ballon. In 1850 various spirit…

Horbehutet

The Egyptian winged disk. He was a solar deity who accompanied the sun-god, Ra, on his daily journey across Egypt for the purpose of…

Horse-Whispering

A secret method by which certain persons are able to acquire power over refractory horses. As is well known to students of gypsy lore, that…

House of Wisdom

The tarik or "path of the House of Wisdom was founded by Moslem mystics at Cairo in the ninth century, and had seven initiatory degrees…

Hudson

Photographer. (See Spirit Photography.) Huet, Pierre-Daniel: A celebrated bishop of Avrenches, who died in 1721. One finds in his…

Huns

The ancient historians credited the Huns with a monstrous origin. They were often called children of the devil, because it was said that…

Hydromancy

Divination by water, is said by Natalis Comes to have been the invention of Nereus, and according to Delrio, a most respectable authority…

Hyena

A many-coloured stone, taken from the eye of the animal SO called. Put under the tongue, it enables its possessor to…

Hyle

The name given by the Gnostics to one of the three degrees in the progress of spirits. Hyperæsthesia: An actual or apparent exaltation of…

Hirschborgen – Hypnosis

(See Gustenhover.) (See Adelung, Jean Christophe).

Hypnotism

A peculiar state of cerebral dissociation distinguished by certain marked symptoms, the most prominent and invariable of which is a…

Hypocephalus

A disk of bronze or painted linen found under the heads of Græco-Roman mummies in Egypt. It is inscribed with magical formulæ and divine…

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