Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions Richard Smoley Jay Kinney 430 pages $18.95 paper 978-0-8356-0844-2

“People everywhere are tired of religion 101 and are hungering for a peek behind the scenes of traditional religious and spiritual traditions. If you are among them, this book is a treasure. Highly recommended.”
—Larry Dossey, M.D., renowned physician and author of Healing Beyond the Body and Reinventing Medicine

This book is meant for those who have ever thought there’s something deeply wrong in their life or the state of the world in general. So often we’re troubled by the anxieties of everyday life, numbly repeating daily rituals with no significance or inner meaning. Contemporary seekers long for a deeper spirituality that, while rooted in Western tradition, will reconnect them with the hidden wisdom that lies beneath all mystical teachings. For decades, our modern society has looked to the East for spiritual guidance and renewal. Here is a guide much closer to home that will lead to a refined and renewed spiritual path and help people rediscover their deeper selves—a true connection of the body, mind, and soul.

Covering the gamut from Kabbalah, Gnosticism, and Sufism to shamanism, Neopaganism, Theosophy, and mystical Christianity, Hidden Wisdom is the handbook to the Western wisdom traditions. Also included are the teachings of C.G. Jung, G.I. Gurdjieff, Alice Bailey, and Rudolf Steiner. Authors Smoley and Kinney examine the key figures and movements of these traditions throughout history to offer a balanced and coherent view of esoteric Western practices. Accessible to all readers—whether they’re considering membership or long-term practice of any one tradition or teaching or they’re simply curious about their options—this book lends advice on how to find groups and like-minded individuals and how to best avoid possible pitfalls.

(Hidden Wisdom) is a new, wide-ranging book about alternative spiritual paths...(in a) Western society that largely lacks authorities who can keep certain spiritual ideas in check and discourage people from experimenting with them.
—The New York Times

…Thorough and well researched. Especially good are the historical connections the authors draw between the various traditions. Yet the philosophical underpinnings of each tradition are amply described as well. Smoley and Kinney do not shirk from alerting readers to some of the less savory practitioners…of the various traditions, and provide short but extremely well chosen biographies for each.
—Booklist

Smoley and Kinney offer engaging and lively histories of exoteric movements, ranging from Kabbalism, magic, Wicca and neopaganism, to shamanism, alchemy, hermeticism and Sufism…A useful introduction to the many varieties of Western esotericism.
— Publishers Weekly

A highly readable account of Western spirituality and mysticism. An excellent place to start for anyone seeking avenues into Western “inner” religious wisdom; recommended for all libraries.
—Library Journal

A fascinating primer on Western religious traditions…Because the editors are diligent about keeping the narrative accessible, clean, and intelligent…this weighty material reads exceptionally smoothly.
— Amazon.com

---

Endorsements

This book is a reliable and truly helpful guide. It is clear, intelligent, grounded, and appropriately critical. If you want to add a vital dimension to your life, start with this book and discover a fascinating world that lies hidden all around you.
—Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul and Dark Nights of the Soul

People everywhere are tired of Religion 101 and are hungering for a peek behind the scenes of traditional religious spiritual traditions. If you are among them, this book is a treasure. Highly recommended.
—Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Beyond the Body and Reinventing Medicine

Today, with the burgeoning interest in all kinds of spirituality, how are we to know what they all mean and what each tradition has to offer? How can we separate the useful from the dangerous? Smoley and Kinney do not tell us what to think, but rather, how to think about the esoteric traditions of the West. Highly recommended.
—June Singer, Ph.D., Jungian analyst and author of Boundaries of the Soul and Modern Woman in Search of a Soul

Hidden Wisdom is a concise and almost complete (such a venture can never be complete) guide to World esoterica in the 21st century. The authors, Richard Smoley and Jay Kinney, formerly editor and publisher of Gnosis magazine, are great scholars and magicians.
—Heather Valencia, author of Queen of Dreams: The story of a Yaqui Dreaming Woman

Engaging, accurate, and clearly written, Hidden Wisdom offers the most lucid and useful guide to the Western inner traditions available. Highly recommended.
—David Fideler, author of Jesus Christ, Sun of God; translator, Love's Alchemy: Poems from the Sufi Tradition

An informative survey written by experienced authors, Hidden Wisdom offers an engaging and provocative introduction to a wide range of living Western esoteric spiritual practices and traditions.
—Arthur Versluis, editor of Esoterica, author of The New Inquisitions and many other books

• Conscious Love (CD)
• Conscious Love (DVD)
• The Dice Game of Shiva
• The Future of Esoteric Christianity (CD)
• The Future of Esoteric Christianity (DVD)
• Our Gnostic Legacy:
  The Western Esoteric Tradition (CD)
• Our Gnostic Legacy:
  The Western Esoteric Tradition (DVD)
• What Is Consciousness? (CD)
• What Is Consciousness? (DVD)

Quest Books publishes nonfiction works to facilitate spiritual growth and healing; to encourage the study of religion, philosophy, and science; and to promote fellowship among all peoples of the world. In addition to a comprehensive selection of Theosophy titles by noteworthy authors like H.P. Blavatsky, Annie Besant, C.W. Leadbeater, and others, Quest offers books on a variety of topics including alternative healing, development of creativity, transpersonal psychology, deep ecology, mythology, comparative religion, consciousness, spiritual evolution, ancient wisdom, mysticism, esoteric studies, and perennial philosophy. This website is made possible by generous grants from the Kern Foundation This page and its contents are copyright ©2010 by the Theosophical Society in America. Quest Books ® The Theosophical Publishing House The Theosophical Society in America International Headquarters, Adyar, India