Much, much more than an introduction to Elizabethan Age philosophy, The Occult Philosophy is divided into three parts. The first part lays the medieval philosophical groundwork going back as far as Ramond Lull in the 13th century, the second part deals with philosophy in the Elizabethan Age itself, and the third part is a kind of coda which briefly covers the aftermath, including the philosophy underlying John Milton's work.

One reason this book is so intriguing to me is that it delves into subjects of which I have been only dimly aware. Esoteric subjects such as Cabala (as Yates spells it) or Kabbalah, Hermeticism and Alchemy are way off the beaten path for me mostly because I have believed them to be somehow outside the mainstream. But this just goes to show you how a little bit of ignorance goes a long way. There was a time in the Middle Ages when these were at the very center of religious and philosophical inquiry. The word "occult" which means hidden, has come to be associated with astrology and fortune telling and the paranormal in our time, or "knowledge that is meant to be kept hidden." In the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, esoteric subjects were excavated for hidden truths and deep meanings and not for the deterministic purposes associated with, for example, astrology today.

Renaissance philosophers in Italy, in addition to their "discovery" of the lost works of Plato and Aristotle, were deeply engrossed in the philosophical aspects of Hermeticism, Christian Cabala and alchemy. These esoteric ideas were written about and adopted more for their mystical God-seeking aspects than the so-called black magic. Christianity might have taken a more mystical turn had the authorities not misunderstood the high minded spiritual intent of the writings of such Renaissance luminaries as Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Miranda, Giordano Bruno and others.

As the Renaissance was waning in Italy, it was just getting started in England. In Italy those who pursued the arcane and occult philosophies were persecuted at the time of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, but were becoming very much a part of the intellectual climate in England, which was pretty much isolated from the scourge of the Counter-Reformation. Poets such as Spenser, Raleigh and even Shakespeare used a great deal of esoteric symbolism in their works, which Yates explains using examples from their writings. And John Dee, who was important in establishing the public image and cult of Queen Elizabeth, was very much a part of this esoteric philosophical school of thought. It fell out of favor during the reign of James I, but after the Restoration it experienced a resurgence in the person and poetry of John Milton.

This is the barest oversimplified sketch of the material covered in The Occult Philosophy and doesn't begin to elucidate what really is going on between the covers. I highly recommend this amazing book to readers who are interested in the foundations of Renaissance philosophy and literature. ( )