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Secrets of the Occult

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Secrets of the Occult

By: Richard B. Spence, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Richard B. Spence
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About this listen

From spirituality to politics and science, the occult has had an astonishing influence on the human experience across the centuries. It may surprise you to learn that everyday activities like attending church services or reading your daily horoscope all fit the broad definition of the occult. As you will see in the 24 illuminating episodes of Secrets of the Occult, the mystic and obscure are threaded through our ordinary lives in more ways than you may realize.

This revealing course is taught by Richard B. Spence, a Professor Emeritus at the University of Idaho, and covers a wide array of subjects and experiences that fall under the umbrella of the occult and stretch from the ancient world to the 21st century. According to Professor Spence, “Occultism posits that we inhabit a limited spectrum of reality within a much larger one. We’re arguably surrounded by a larger world that we normally can’t see, or touch, or knowingly interact with. This larger world is hidden or ‘occulted’ from us. However, the beliefs and practices broadly referred to as occultism aim to reveal, access—or even control—elements of this hidden world.” Throughout these episodes, you will uncover these hidden elements and consider what these revelations have to say about our perception of the world.

Whether you accept occult perspectives as possible truth or reject them as desperate fantasy, the occult still has something to say about our relationship to the world, and even to reality itself. Science has solved many of the great mysteries of the universe, and yet, there are still so many questions left unanswered. Could some of these answers be found in the realm of arcane knowledge and mystic beliefs? What can the occult teach us about the universe and our place in it? With this journey through the occult across the ages, you will get the chance to pull back the curtain shrouding these mysteries and decide for yourself.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 The Great Courses (P)2022 The Teaching Company, LLC
Occult Religious Studies
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Informed and objective

A good overview of the history of the occult, recommended for the investigator rather than the adherent. The lectures cover a lot of ground and offer plenty of avenues to go off and explore.

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Brilliantly narrated

I probably won’t remember half of the content of this book but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it

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Fascinating and wide-reaching

I really didn't want this to end! The lectures are well researched, easy to follow, witty, and perfectly narrated. I would strongly recommend this to anyone interested in the occult and spiritual matters.

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Entertaining

I liked how he told the stories, ties it all together and at the end of each lecture says 'join me next time where we'll talk about...' He's engaging and witty. But I take issue with him associating Islam with the occult. It's an unusual take. He's saying the occult means 'covered up' but then he could call all religions occultist. And I think he *is* actually saying that but we all know we're all really just thinking about witchcraft and calling on the dead etc. And for the most part he does talk about witchy type stuff but then Islam gets lumped in with it all with a dismissive tone. But in the end, I let him off because he says at the start that he's agnostic. So he doesn't really believe any of it so of course he'll draw ignorant parallels. He's your entertaining uncle who knows a lot but doesn't understand when he's being offensive. I never heard of jinn being called 'pesky Middle Eastern genies' (or something like that) but it was a reminder to take him with a pinch of salt.

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Enjoyable

The lectures very nicely cover centuries of occult in various parts of the world.

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Best narrator ever!

This is only the second time I’ve been impressed by a narrator. Most often I am interested in the subject matter but the listening experience is tortured by those presenting the material. I hope this guy is prolific in his medium.

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Absolutely Fascinating!

Was hooked on this from the very first lecture and it never failed to be an interesting, engrossing and informative listen. For what could be dismissed as a daft, dubious subject, this lecture series takes it seriously and neatly explains why it’s worthy of analysis. Will def listen to this one again…

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