About the Author

Jeffrey S. Kupperman is a scholar, artist, and maker of things esoteric and occasionally beautiful. He lives in central Wisconsin with his children.

Reviews

Iamblichus was one of only three spiritual giants the ancient Greeks honored with the title "divine." (The other two were Pythagoras and Plato.) His extraordinary insights were rooted in the spirituality of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and other sacred traditions still thriving in the third century C.E. His books galvanized the Greek world--the brilliant Roman emperor Julian was one of this most fervent devotees.Advanced students of ritual work will relish this book on late Neoplatonic spiritual practice. If however, you're new to this important tradition of working with spirit, you may find the book challenging reading. My advice is buy it anyway; you'll be well rewarded by the glimpse if offers of the depth and magnificence of the lost tradition at the root of Western culture. I personally think many New Agers drawn to channeling and magic can learn a lot from Iamblichus' deeply informed understanding of these topics.A word to the wise: In some respects Iamblichus' methods of spiritual development are surprisingly close to ancient techniques still practiced in India today. For example, if the idea of enlivening a statue for the purpose of spiritual growth makes no sense to you, you might do well to visit a Hindu temple in your area and see how "prana pratishta" (breathing life into an image of a deity) is still done now, and what an amazingly powerful spiritual practice this can be. - Linda Johnsen, Amazon reviewer