ORIENTAL MAGIC

Idries Shah
foreword by Louis Marin

Octagon Press, London, 1968

Does there lie in mankind's remote past a single origin for the beliefs and practices of magic found in nearly every culture in the world? Behind the distortions and grotesqueries of magical practices, could there be clues to processes worthy of our objective consideration?

First published nearly forty years ago, Oriental Magic is still the definitive work on the subject. Its publication was the culmination of five years of research into rare artifacts, obscure manuscripts and travels into remote areas where strange magical practices endure.

The 'Singing Sands' of Egypt, the invisible rulership of Sufism, subcutaneous electricity and the prehistoric sources of Babylonian occult practices are just a few of the intriguing subjects described. The author includes personal accounts of 'training' under a Ju-Ju witch doctor, a demonstration of Hindu levitation and translations of secret alchemical and magical formulae.

Revealed is an astonishing similarity in magical beliefs, practices and terminology of places as diverse as China, the Near East, Scandinavia and Africa.

Oriental Magic includes a myriad of illustrations, including unique photos of places and people associated with the mysterious world of magic. Only an author of Shah's experience, dedication, and knowledge of human nature could assemble such an array of arcane information into a dazzling picture of human beliefs and practices.

Magic is a field where intensive and creative study may show that many so-called supernatural powers are in fact reflections of hitherto little-understood forces, which may very possibly be harnessed to individual and collective advantage. This is a part of the basis of this book.
--From Oriental Magic © 1956, 1968 by The Estate of Idries Shah.