The Secret History of the World Paperback – 29 July 2010

Having spent some time now looking into the ancient history of the world both from an academic point of view as well as so called "pseudo historical facts" I have turned my head towards the esoterical and mystical side of history. Having read quite a few of the books in the bibliography here I have also had a fascination with religion and it's history and impact on the world for a long time. There was something about this book that made me purchase it and I have not regretted the purchase.For someone of a closed mind or of strict religious views this book is not reccommended as you will find yourself in a world that is "topsy turvy" (which is the way of the ancient teachings that constitutes esoteric thinking to begin with), and might anger you that someone is arguing that "magic" and mysticism is at the core of religion as a whole. Especially concidering that religious leaders have condemned the very idea of magic and occult teachings as the workings of the devil.Jonathan Black's style of writing is easy going and very engaging, which helps you understand the heaviness of what is discussed here.To me it is clear that he has a vast knowledge on esoteric and religious matters, and as he makes you take part in the experience that is reading this book with his imaginative exercises, you might gain an appreciation that goes beyond the pages of this book. I have gained new energy in my search for understanding of the past and present as well as a vast body of books to sift through in addition to what I'm already looking into.He makes no claims as to say that this is anything but a history of the world looked at from a esotheric stand point, and you may disagree to any or all of what is written, but you cannot deny that it makes you look at things in a different way than you used to. He wants you to use your imagination and in doing so see the world in a new way, and that is something we all can allow ourself to do without hesitation in my opinion.This is food for thought and a must read for anyone who is open minded or just plain curious. For anyone wanting one book on the esoterical view this is that one book!!!Hope to have been of assistance and wish you luck in your search for knowledge!

I am rather flummoxed by a few of the negative reviews of this book and do wonder whether some readers simply expected a book on entirely different subject matter - for example the reader who complained that it didn't mention the big crime families...this is a book about esoteric beliefs, not a book on conspiracy theories, although naturally the two occasionally coincide.I am also puzzled by the assertion that the author's pen-name is a 'red flag' (to a conspiracy, maybe?!)since his identity is clearly outlined on the book jacket and, indeed, in the Amazon summary of contents.Oh well. I thought it was great. I would never normally pick up something like this but fancied something different, that delved a bit deeper into the facts beneath the Da Vinci Code fiction, perhaps. That's exactly what this does. It is obviously the product of committed research,and occasionally one does need to stop and re-read if not familiar with this stuff, but I found it, overall, highly readable and enjoyable. He is very good, I think, at making difficult concepts understandable.I guess this was always going to be a controversial book, given that people who are very into the subject matter tend to disagree with each-other as a matter of course about the true nature and origin of things that are, by definition, obscure or obscured!

I enjoyed this book, and as the title says it does give a good exploration of esoteric ideas throughout history, working in the manner of a time line. There are however, some slight errors in some of the material which I cringed at on occasion. In the early chapters I found the tone and manner in which the books was written arrogant and 'matter of fact'. As the book progressed it became way more interesting and the tone seemed to improve.The author claims these are the secrets of the 'secret societies' but really I feel this book does not speak for 'all secret societies' and their secrets as the book claims. There are many references to Freemasonry which suggest what is portrayed in this book is more a masonic view of history, drawing upon notable shared references such as Swedenborg, Steiner, Boeheme and the like. Therefore, I dont think it speaks for all secret societies, making the title a bit erroneous.For someone new to esoteric lore, it would be a good book to read, but I think those already with quite good knowledge might find the book a bit tiresome, although I have to say it really is a good round up of many ideas.Another thing I didnt like about the book was how in some chapters the author started with a premise then threw in examples from differet world religions and cultural mythologies to try and prove his point. This I felt made it appear disjointed - rather presenting evidence from many cultures and then drawing a conclusion. It was a bit like pick n mix. Mythologies can be interpreted on many levels depending on the context they are written in and the esoteric level or not they are view from - so it better to study a mythology in its totality and applicable context before comparing and contrasting, imao.I also found the material on the Luciferian tradition in the book to be self contradictory on the one hand the cause of materialism and on the other the saviour out of matter into spirit. This material in the book was incoherent.Still I have given it four stars for the sheer scale of content and interesting topics.The other niggle I had was the author boasted of knowing an initiate and claiming he denied initiation to continue with his researches alone. From an anthropological point of view this is interesting, because I wondered if the author would have the same points of view had he himself been through the process of initiation. The thing about initiation is - you have to experience it - it cannot be fully understood by intellectual study nor analysis, but only by experience does it have value. Of course, the universe initiates us naturally, but I felt the author speaking about subjects he claims not to have experienced personally. Perhaps he should have done a Carlos Casteneda and claimed to have been involved in the experience.There also seems to be an overlap in material with the book 'The Zelator' by Ovason which in places is interesting. I found myself wondering if this was a jump on the 'da vinci code dan brown' bandwagon - or an advertisment for the now waning freemasonry or just the musings of a person interested in occult lore.Still I'd recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in the subject for the sheer scale of information presented within.