CONTENTS
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
PART ONE THE HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY
Chapter One Hermes - Star of Alexandria
The Vision of Hermes
Neoplatonism and the Hermetic Tradition
Chapter Two Alchemy
Zosimos of Panopolis
Chapter Three Hermes meets Islam
Gnosis in Harran and Baghdad
Thabit
Thabit and the Gral
The Sabian inheritance in the west
Alchemy in the middle ages
Sir George Ripley (c.1415-1490?)
Chapter Four The Hermetic Reniassance
The Mercurial Spirit
Lodovico Lazzarelli - born again gnostic
At the Hermetic bowl
In the Sun
Chapter Five The Hermetic background to the first Rosicrucians
Paracelsus (1483-1541)
The Amphitheatre of Eternal Wisdom
Notes to Part One
PART TWO THE TRUE STORY OF THE ROSICRUCIANS
Chapter Six The Fame of the Fraternity
The Fama
The myth of Christian Rosenkreuz
In the House of the Holy Spirit
Haslmayr and Paracelsus
Plötzkau
Chapter Seven The New Age
Apocalyptic
John Dee: Apocalyptic Prophet
Saving the world
The Fiery Trigons
The breaking of the seals
Tobias Hess and the apocalyptic numbers
Chapter Eight Hess and Andreae
Andreae and radical reform
Caspar Schwenckfeld (1489-1561)
Sebastian Franck (1499-1542)
Piety & Mysticism
Christoph Besold (1577-1649)
Chapter Nine The Greatest Publicity Stunt of all Time
The Rose
The Furore begins
The Stone falls
The Devil in Paris
The Assassination of Truth
Andreae calls Time
Johann Valentin Andreae and History
Chapter Ten Others have Laboured
Hit by the Stone
The Stones in Action
Comenius (1592-1671)
A new Court at the Hague
The Royal Society
The Return of the Fama
Witch Hunt
Haunted by Dee's Spirits
Notes to Part Two
Illustrations
PART THREE ELIAS ASHMOLE (1617-1692)
Chapter Eleven A Mighty Good Man
His Life
Restoration
Chapter Twelve Elias Ashmole and the origins of Free Masonry
The Mainwarings
Warrington - what happened?
The Old Charges
The Lodge is in the Head – The Acception and the London
Masons Company
Notes to Part Three
Bibliography
Index