Un libro che esplora la precognizione, la sincronicità e il mistero delle coincidenze, attingendo al lavoro di pensatori come J.W. Dunne, J.B. Priestley e C.G. Jung. La descrizione e l'analisi della quarantennale esperienza dell'autore con i sogni precognitivi introducono i lettori al misterioso potere delle nostre menti sognanti e rivelano, in modo convincente, che tutti siamo in grado di conoscere il nostro futuro attraverso i sogni!

In 'La stella nera' Gary Lachman offre una panoramica sulle radici dei movimenti di pensiero occulto che hanno dato forma al fenomeno Trump (dal pensiero positivo al New thought, dal Tradizionalismo di Guénon ed Evola, a oscuri personaggi dell'esoterismo francese). I principali protagonisti della politica internazionale esprimono, secondo Lachman, una visione del mondo che ha molto a che fare con la 'magia', intesa come capacità di alterare il reale attraverso l'immaginazione o l'uso dei simboli della memetica su internet. Il libro, senza mai strizzare l'occhio al complottismo, mette in luce, con grande chiarezza, una serie di autori e filosofie che oggi si muovono al di sotto della superficie degli eventi trascinando il lettore lungo détour. Il pregio del lavoro di Lachman sta nel leggere l'attualità con una lente insolita e originale, capace di aprire squarci inattesi sulla realtà politica e culturale che stiamo vivendo negli ultimi anni. Il testo è arricchito da una prefazione dell'autore per l'edizione italiana.

Colin Wilson's classic exploration of the rebel as genius, with a new introduction by Gary Lachman.

When the upstart English writer Colin Wilson debuted on the literary scene with The Outsider in 1956, it marked one of the opening notes of the cultural revolution of the sixties. Wilson celebrated the misfit not as a figure be "fixed" and reintegrated into society, but as a lone journeyer who often had a stirring artistic, political, or spiritual innovation to convey to society.

Wilson lived this book as much as wrote it. As an impoverished 23-year-old, the Englishman slept in a tent in a London park so that he could be free of material demands to dedicate himself fully to his study. When The Outsider appeared in 1956, it became a sensation among both critics and beats, who formed the vanguard of the dawning Aquarian Age.

In Wilson's epic exploration of mystics, visionaries, literary pioneers, political troublemakers, and rule breakers of all sorts, he evoked a new kind of heroism, which changed how we view ourselves and our purpose in life. 

The Outsider is now reissued and reset in a beautiful Tarcher Cornerstone Edition, with a new introduction by Wilson's friend and biographer, Gary Lachman. This new volume coincides with Tarcher's publication of Lachman's biography of Wilson,Beyond the Robot.

Historian Gary Lachman delivers a fascinating, rollicking biography of literary and cultural rebel Colin Wilson, one of the most adventurous, hopeful, and least understood intellects of the past century.

You will embark on the intellectual ride of a lifetime in this rediscovery of the life and work of writer, rebel, and social experimenter Colin Wilson (1931-2013).

Author of the classic The Outsider, Wilson, across his 118 books, purveyed a philosophy of mind power and human potential that made him one of the least understood and most important voices of the twentieth century. Wilson helped usher in the cultural revolution of the 1960s with his landmark work, The Outsider, published in 1956.The Outsider was an intelligent, meticulous, and unprecedented study of nonconformity in all facets of life. Wilson, finally, became a prolific and unparalleled historian of the occult, providing a generation of readers with a responsible and scholarly entry point to a world of mysteries.

Now, acclaimed historian Gary Lachman, a friend of Wilson and a scholar of his work, provides an extraordinary and delightful biography that delves into the life, thought, and evolution of one of the greatest intellectual rebels and underrated visionaries of the twentieth century.

As an experienced writer on esoterica, a biographer of Jung, Swedenborg, and Rudolph Steiner, and a founding member of seminal New Wave band Blondie, author Gary Lachman is well qualified to describe a life of polymathic interests and abundant self-invention. Here, he has crafted a biography of Madame Blavatsky. As founder of the Theosophical Society, she was a major player in the development of everything from Victorian spiritualism to modern art to Buddhist studies in the West. Lachman dedicates his book 'To the Masters, whoever they are.' He keeps his prose balanced at a point between respect and skepticism for Blavatsky's occult tales, occupied by a historian's detachment and a dry wit. Unfortunately, writing a biography of Blavatsky is like mapping the afterlife. Somewhere between nothing and everything actually happened, and means somewhere between everything and nothing she said it did. As the author shows, any version is remarkable. She was a Russian expatriate as Russia lurched violently from feudalism to the Soviet Future, a world traveler, a keeper of famous and infamous company, and a self-made woman intellectual in the late 19th century; her life depended on grand leaps of fate, coincidence, and chutzpah. Lachman aptly calls her a modern Caligostro. Whether her true identity was enlightened spiritual master, con artist, anthropologist, self-help coach, performer, survivor, or all of the above, documentary evidence is lacking. To write an accurate biography would take a genius and a create-your-own-adventure format. Instead, Lachman aims to make Helena Petrova Blavatsky better known to readers. He calmly argues that she is one of the more influential figures of the 20th century. By focusing on the history of her ideas, he shows that much in modern life is the result of people and influences historians rarely take seriously. Though Lachman's prose occasionally shows his lack of formal training, the book is very smart, enjoyable, and worthy of serious attention. It is suitable for both popular and scholarly readers, and has endnotes and an index. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Questa nuova biografia di Carl Gustav Jung colma un vuoto nella nostra comprensione dell'innovativo psicologo, e si concentra sulla dimensione occulta e mistica della vita e dell'opera di Jung, un aspetto essenziale ma spesso frainteso della sua carriera. Pur essendo stato spesso definito il 'padre fondatore della New Age', Carl Jung, meglio noto per innovativi concetti quali l'inconscio collettivo, la teoria archetipica e la sincronicità, si sforzò in ogni modo di evitare qualsiasi esplicita associazione con il misticismo o l'occulto. Eppure, egli visse una vita ricca di esperienze paranormali, portando argomenti a favore dell'esistenza dei poltergeist in un dibattito con Sigmund Freud, partecipando a sedute spiritiche, incorporando l'astrologia nel suo lavoro terapeutico, riferendo un'esperienza di quasi morte e collaborando con J. B. Rhine, ricercatore d'avanguardia nel campo delle ESP. Sono proprio tali esperienze-chiave - cui si è spesso accennato di sfuggita in altre biografie o studi critici - che formano il nucleo di questo nuovo testo. Mentre le sue memorie - 'Ricordi, sogni, riflessioni' - scritte non in prima persona, sfiorano appena il ruolo che le esperienze mistiche e occulte ebbero nella sua vita, l'opera di Gary Lachman chiude il cerchio: l'autore valuta la vita e l'opera di Jung dal punto di vista della tradizione esoterica occidentale, e colloca lo psicologo svizzero nel contesto di altri importanti pensatori esoterici.

A spiritual adventure story tracing the profound influence of Hermes Trismegistus on the western mind.

La brillante opera di P.D. Ouspensky, 'Frammenti di un insegnamento sconosciuto', fu la prima a interpretare la psicologia di Gì. Gurdjieff, il maestro esoterico dell'inizio del XX secolo che vanta ancor oggi un seguito globale. Tuttavia, una volta Gurdjieff dimostrò scarsa considerazione nei confronti di Ouspensky, descrivendolo come un uomo 'con cui è molto piacevole bere vodka, ma debole', tanto che alcuni considerano il loro incontro una catastrofe che travolse la vita di Ouspensky. Questo libro mette in risalto l'intenso misticismo di Ouspensky in netto contrasto con l'idea dell''uomo come macchina' di Gurdjieff. Ouspensky era di per sé un filosofo completo. Che cosa lo spinse inizialmente verso Gurdjieff, e perché in seguito lo rifiutò? Forse quest'ultimo si era rivolto alla pratica della magia nera? E perché Ouspensky continuò a insegnare le idee di un uomo che aveva ripudiato? Le risposte a tali domande si dispiegano nel racconto di un'avventura mistica che affascinerà tutti coloro che si interessano al raggio d'azione più ampio dell'essere umano.

La brillante opera di P.D. Ouspensky, 'Frammenti di un insegnamento sconosciuto', fu la prima a interpretare la psicologia di Gì. Gurdjieff, il maestro esoterico dell'inizio del XX secolo che vanta ancor oggi un seguito globale. Tuttavia, una volta Gurdjieff dimostrò scarsa considerazione nei confronti di Ouspensky, descrivendolo come un uomo 'con cui è molto piacevole bere vodka, ma debole', tanto che alcuni considerano il loro incontro una catastrofe che travolse la vita di Ouspensky. Questo libro mette in risalto l'intenso misticismo di Ouspensky in netto contrasto con l'idea dell''uomo come macchina' di Gurdjieff. Ouspensky era di per sé un filosofo completo. Che cosa lo spinse inizialmente verso Gurdjieff, e perché in seguito lo rifiutò? Forse quest'ultimo si era rivolto alla pratica della magia nera? E perché Ouspensky continuò a insegnare le idee di un uomo che aveva ripudiato? Le risposte a tali domande si dispiegano nel racconto di un'avventura mistica che affascinerà tutti coloro che si interessano al raggio d'azione più ampio dell'essere umano.

Investigates the links between suicide and the written word, by a founder member of Blondie.

The link between the occult and politics is as old as politics itself. In ancient Egypt and China, magi translated the messages of the gods into the edicts of the land.
These days that link has become obscure, limited mostly to studies on the 'dark side' of fascism. But countercultural critic Gary Lachman shows there is a 'progressive,' democratic occult politics as well. Focusing on notions of 'hidden superiors' and the 'retreat from the modern world,' he traces how occult ideas have informed politics in the West ranging from the Knights Templar and Freemasonry to the French and American Revolutions, Spiritualism and Feminism, Theosophy and India, the search for Shambhala, the roots of Nazism, the occult revival of the 1960s, and Christian fundamentalism in the U.S. today.
Lachman's critique of occult politicians like Annie Besant, Emanuel Swedenborg, Nicholas Roerich, Rene Guenon, Julius Evola, Rudolf Steiner, Mircea Eliade, C. G. Jung, and Aleister Crowley shows that politics is as swayed by the occult now as it ever was. His fresh and conscientious view proves him one of the most reliable writers on this matter in the English-speaking world.

The first truly popular biography of the influential twentieth-century mystic and educator who-while widely known for founding the Waldorf schools and other educational and humanitarian movements-remains a mystery to many who benefit from his ideas. People everywhere have heard of Waldorf schools, Biodynamic farming, Camphill Villages, and other innovations of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). Indeed, Steiner-as an architect, artist, teacher, and agriculturalist-ranks among the most creative and prolific figures of the early twentieth century, pioneering work in alternative education, holistic health, and environmental research. While his accomplishments are felt all over the world, few people understand this unusual figure. Steiner®s own writings and lectures fill several bookcases, intimidating those who would like to know more. Works on Steiner are often dense and ·insider· in tone, further deterring the curious. No popular biography, written by a sympathetic but critical outsider, has been available.Gary Lachman®s Rudolf Steiner provides this missing introduction. Along with telling Steiner®s story and placing Steiner in his historical context, Lachman®s book presents Steiner®s key ideas in a readable, accessible manner. In particular, Lachman considers the spread of Steiner®s most popular projects, which include Waldorf schools-one of the leading forms of alternative education-and Biodynamic farming-a popular precursor to organic farming. He also traces Steiner®s beginnings as a young intellectual in the ferment of fin de si?cle culture, to his rise as a thought leader within the influential occult movement of Theosophy, to the founding of his own metaphysical teaching called Anthroposophy. Finally, the book illustrates how Steiner®s methods are put into practice today, and relates Steiner®s insights into cosmology to the work of current thinkers. Rudolf Steiner is a full-bodied portrait of one of the most original philosophical and spiritual luminaries of the last two centuries, and gives those interested in the history of ideas the opportunity to discover one of the most underappreciated figures of the twentieth century.Includes information on anti-Semitism, astral body, aura, Annie Besant, Madame Blavatsky (Helena Petrovna), Christ, Christianity, consciousness, Aleister Crowley, death, dreams, etheric body, biodynamic agriculture, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Goetheanum, Jews, karma, materialism, reincarnation, soul, women, etc.

In a vividly atmospheric recreation of the occult underworld of sixteenth century Germany, during an age of Inquisition, three souls meet: an innocent young man choosing between Love and Duty, a woman prone to visions and a Knight, who is either angel or demon.
Religious experience and sexual hysteria meet in an apocalyptic vision of the spiritual crisis of modern life. The Fiery Angel is one of the great novels of decadent occultism.

Subtitled, }The Garden Of Hermetic Dreams{.