List of occultists
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List of notable occultists and mystics.
This is a list of notable people, whether contemporary, historical or legendary, who are or were involved in any of the following practices and traditions:
- paranormal or supernatural magic, black or white
- witchcraft
- sorcery
- wizardry
- alchemy
- practical mysticism
- voodoo
- divination and fortune-telling
- theurgy
Since this is a subject which has attracted hoaxes, folklore, and tall tales, the inclusion of historical persons is limited based on considerations of accepted historical fact - a restriction which obviously does not apply to fictional or mythological figures.
For a list of sleight of hand artists and practitioners of stage magic, see: List of magicians.
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Famous magicians:
Some historical or legendary magicians, wizards, witches, or people who have been claimed to be so, are:
Classical mythology:
- Cassandra, oracle
- Circe, legendary sorceress
- Hecate, goddess of witchcraft
- Medea, legendary sorceress
- Semiramis, semi-legendary queen and sorceress
Ancient world:
- Apollonius of Tyana, wizard
- Apuleius, author of a magical novel
- Elymas, Jewish magus who opposed Paul on Cyprus
- Heraclitus, philosopher important in occultism
- Hermes Trismegistus/Thoth
- Iamblichus, neo-platonist philosopher, espoused theurgy
- Iannes and Mambres, magicians at Pharaoh's court mentioned in the New Testament
- Julian, practiced occult theurgy
- Plato, philosopher important in occultism
- Plotinus, neo-platonist philosopher important in occultism
- Pythagoras, philosopher important in occultism
- Simon Magus, magician mentioned in New Testament
- The Witch of Endor, Biblical witch and spirit medium
Mediæval Europe:
- Abraham Abulafia, kabalist "messiah"
- Gilles de Rais, serial killer accused of sorcery
- Merlin, (probably fictional) Arthurian wizard
- Nicholas Flamel, alchemist
- Ramon Llull, syncretic mystic
Renaissance:
- Abramelin the Mage, alleged author of a grimoire
- Francesco Giuseppe Borri, alchemist
- Sir Thomas Browne, hermetic author
- Arthur Dee, hermetic author
- Athanasius Kircher, Jesuit priest, wrote on magical subjects
- Benevenuto Cellini, sculptor whose diary relates experience summoning spirits
- Christina of Sweden, abdicated Queen who dabbled in alchemy
- Giordano Bruno, occult philosopher
- Edward Kelley, medium who assisted John Dee
- Faust, made a pact with the Devil
- Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, occult philosopher, astrologer
- Henry Percy, "Wizard Earl"
- Johannes Reuchlin, German cabalist magician, summoned angels
- Johann Weyer (aka Johannes Wierus), German physician, occultist and demonologist.
- Dr John Dee, seer, astrologer, and occult philosopher
- Nostradamus, soothsayer, seer, astrologer
- Olaus Borrichius, alchemist
- Paracelsus, medical pioneer and occult philosopher
- Robert Fludd, occult philosopher and astrologer
- Sir Walter Raleigh, practiced alchemy
- Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor, employed alchemists
- Johannes Trithemius, cryptographer and magical writer
Enlightenment and early modern period:
- Adam Weishaupt, founder of the Illuminati
- Antoine Court de Gebelin, connected tarot and esotericism
- Martines de Pasqually, theurgist founder of the Ordre des Chevliers Maçons Elus Coëns de l'Univers
- Louis Claude de Saint Martin, founder of martinism, writer known as the Unknown Philosopher
- "La Voisin", French sorceress
- Count of St Germain, alchemist
- Etteila, fortune-teller
- Françoise Athenaïs Rochechouart, marquise de Montespan, another royal mistress
- Giuseppe Balsamo, "Count Alessandro di Cagliostro," occult charlatan
- Sir Isaac Newton, physicist and alchemist
- Isobel Gowdie, self-confessed witch
- Margaret Matson, New Sweden (colony) witch
- Matthew Hopkins, commissioned English witch-finder
Nineteenth century:
- Algernon Blackwood, member of the *Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
- Allan Kardec, founder of Spiritism
- Arthur Machen, member of the *Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
- Marie-Anne Le Normand, fortune-teller favoured by Joséphine de Beauharnais
- Alexis-Vincent-Charles Berbiguier de Terre-Neuve du Thym, French demonologist
- Arthur Edward Waite, occult author and Golden Dawn member
- Edgar Cayce
- Eliphas Lévi, occult author
- Evangeline Adams, astrologer to the famous
- Francis Barrett, wrote a book on magic
- Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, founder of Theosophy
- John George Hohman, American wizard
- Marie Laveau, American voodoo practitioner
- Papus, pseudonym for Gérard Encausse, occult author
- Pekka Ervast Finnish Theosophist
- Stanislas de Guaita, occult author
- Samuel L. MacGregor Mathers, Golden Dawn founder
- William Blake, poet of the occult
- Dr. William Wynn Westcott, cofounder of the *Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Twentieth century:
- Anton Szandor LaVey, Founder of The Church of Satan, author of five books on the subject of Satanism, including The Satanic Bible and The Satanic Rituals.
- Draconis Blackthorne, Satanist, author of several books on the subject of Ritual Magic and social commentary, founder of The Order of The Black Dragon.
- Margot Adler, witch and NPR reporter
- Kenneth Anger, disciple of Crowley
- Fairuza Balk, actress and owner of witchcraft store
- Franz Bardon, occult author, magician
- Christian Bernard, Imperator of AMORC
- Ior Bock, Finnish cult leader
- Isaac Bonewits, occult author
- Aisling Bronach, editor of Traditions Magazine
- Raymond Buckland, Wiccan author
- Zsuzsanna Budapest, feminist witch
- William S. Burroughs, member of the Illuminates of Thanateros
- W. E. Butler, occultist and esoteric author
- William Butler Yeats, poet, Golden Dawn member, astrologer
- Peter Carroll, occult author, co-founder of the Illuminates of Thanateros
- Constant Chevillon, the head of FUDOFSI
- Andrew D. Chumbley, occult author and artist. Magister of the Cultus Sabbatai
- Andrew Collins, author and noted Psychic Quester
- Aleister Crowley, occult author, poet, magician, astrologer
- Maya Deren, filmmaker
- Ramsey Dukes, occult author
- Gerina Dunwich, witch and occult author
- Julius Evola
- Dion Fortune, occult author
- Henri Gamache, authority on the Evil Eye
- Gerald Gardner, founder of Wicca
- Kenneth Grant, Occult author and Outer Head of the Typhonian OTO
- Robert Graves, poet and mythographer
- Rene Guenon
- Jaq D. Hawkins, occult author
- Max Heindel, occultist and mystic Christian, founder of The Rosicrucian Fellowship
- Phil Hine, occult author
- Frater Adsum Iterum (Auxilior Arti), occult author, magician, a principal of Companions of the Glyph
- Alejandro Jodorowsky, filmmaker, comic book writer
- Robert Johnson, allegedly sold soul to Devil for musical talent
- Albert S. Kivinen, Finnish occultist
- Gareth Knight, occult author
- Timothy Leary, member of the Illuminates of Thanateros
- Dave Lee, occult author
- Sybil Leek, witch and occult author
- Ralph Maxwell Lewis, Imperator of AMORC
- Harvey Spencer Lewis, founder of AMORC
- Jack Parsons, occultist
- Israel Regardie, occult Author, magician, pupil of Crowley
- Virginia Kent Roberts, occult author
- Ray Sherwin, occult author, co-founder of the Illuminates of Thanateros
- Pamela Colman Smith, Golden Dawn member, artist, did tarot deck
- Austin Osman Spare, occult artist
- Starhawk, witch and occult author
- Rudolf Steiner, founder of anthroposophy
- Gary L. Stewart, founder of Confraternity of the Rose Cross, past Imperator of AMORC, Knight Commander of the OMCE
- Valentin Tomberg, Christian mystic and mage
- Julian Vayne, occult author
- John L. Westbrook, former politician
- Joshua Wetzel, occult author
People subjected to magical legends
These people may or may not have been practicing magicians, mystics, or diviners, but later stories or folklore have arisen that link them to such practices:
- Albertus Magnus, Roman Catholic writer dubiously credited with several magical texts, notably the Book of the Secrets of Albertus Magnus [1] (http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/history_western_magic.htm)
- Roger Bacon, philosopher accused of magic
- Livingstone Bramble, world champion boxer, suspected of practicing witchcraft before fights
- Gyges of Lydia, credited by Plato with ownership of the Ring of Gyges, a magical artifact
- Pope Honorius III, dubiously credited with the grimoire The Sworn Book of Honorius
- Moses, miracle worker, dubiously credited with the grimoires The Sixth (http://www.sacred-texts.com/grim/moses6/index.htm) and Seventh Books of Moses (http://www.sacred-texts.com/grim/moses7/index.htm)
- Virgil, Latin poet who was turned into a wizard in medieval folklore
- Olaus Wormius, incorporated into H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos as the supposed translator of the Necronomicon
- William Shakespeare, known among occult circles as "The Rosicrucian Mask" (influenced by the same Rosicrucian Initiate as Francis Bacon)
- Count of St Germain, during the centuries after his disappearence without a trace, numerous myths, legends and speculations have surfaced; he has been attributed with occult practices and other legends report that he was immortal, alchemist with the elixir of life, a true Rosicrucian ("A man who knows everything and who never dies" according to Voltaire)
Magical movements, societies, and organisations:
- Anthroposophy
- Companions of the Glyph
- Dragon Rouge
- Hermeticism
- Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
- Illuminates of Thanateros
- Illuminati
- The Magi
- New Age
- Ordo Templi Orientis
- Servants of the Light
- Theosophy
- Theosophical Society
- Thule Society
- Wicca
Rosicrucian Movements:
- Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC)
- Confraternity of the Rose Cross
- Fraternitas Rosae Crucis
- Rosicrucian Fellowship
- Rosicrucianism
Other Mystical Movements:
Fictional wizards, magicians, and witches:
- Baba Yaga (Slavic mythology)
- Belgarath the Sorcerer
- Doctor Strange (a comic book superhero and wizard appearing in Marvel Comics)
- Elminster (Forgotten Realms)
- Elric of Melniboné
- Eric, from Eric by Terry Pratchett
- Fizban
- Gandalf the Grey (The Lord of the Rings)
- Harry Potter
- Väinämöinen (Kalevala)
- Polgara the Sorceress
- Raistlin Majere
- Rincewind the magically-challenged wizard from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books.
- Prospero, (The Tempest by Shakespeare)
- Pug from Raymond E. Feist's book Magician, and many others.
- Sparrowhawk
- The Wizard from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
- The Wicked Witch of the West