List of World Occultists Past and Present

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Notable people, whether contemporary, historical or legendary, who are or were involved in any of the following practices and traditions:

Classical mythology

Cassandra, oracle
Circe, legendary sorceress
Hecate, goddess of witchcraft
Medea, often identified with Angitia, she had fled to Italy in her dragon chariot
Melampus, soothsayer and magician
Semiramis, semi-legendary queen and sorceress.
Vegoia, legendary inventor of Etruscan divination

Africa

Eddie Nawgu, Nigerian sorcerer & self proclaimed prophet of the Biblical God.

Ancient world

Abaris the Hyperborean, a legendary sage, healer, and priest of Apollo
Alexander of Abonoteichus, founder of Glycon-worship and oracle
Apollonius of Tyana, wizard
Apuleius, author of a magical novel
Apsethus the Libyan, magician who attempted to prove he was divine
Atomus, Magus who worked for Antonius Felix at Caesarea
Elymas, Jewish Magus who opposed Paul on Cyprus
Gyges of Lydia, king said to possess magical artifacts
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
Ikenga, African warrior of Nigerian descent, who died and became a worshipped Alusi (Demi-god / Deity)
Julian, practiced occult theurgy
Mary the Jewess, 4th century alchemist
Plato, philosopher
Plotinus, neo-platonist philosopher important in occultism
Pythagoras, Greek mathematician, numerologist, philosopher important in occultism
Ptolemy, astrologer
Simon Magus, magician mentioned in New Testament of the Christian Bible.
Solomon, reputed inventor of the Seal of Solomon and supposed author of the Testament of Solomon, Key of Solomon, Magical Treatise of Solomon, Lesser Key of Solomon
Virgil, subjected to magical legends
Vyasa, author and character of Mahabharat
The Witch of Endor, witch and spirit medium of King Saul in the Old Testament
Zhang Jiao, leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion
Zhuge Liang, advisor to Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms period
Zoroaster, founder of the order of the Magi
Zosimos of Panopolis, Egyptian alchemist and gnostic mystic

Medieval Europe

Abraham Abulafia, kabalist "messiah"
Albertus Magnus, had many magical texts attributed to him
Gerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond, associated with the goddess Áine
Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, shapeshifter skilled in the black arts
Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare, alchemist thought to have magical powers
Gilles de Rais, serial killer accused of sorcery
Jābir ibn Hayyān, Persian alchemist that influenced all Medieval alchemy
Joachim of Fiore, Christian esotericist who founder his own group called the Joachimites
John of Nottingham and Robert Marshall, accused of attempting to kill Edward II with magic
Merlin, Arthurian wizard
Morgan le Fay, witch sister of King Arthur
Nicolas Flamel, considered one of Europe's greatest alchemists
Pietro d'Abano astrologer and purported author of the Heptameron
Ramon Llull, syncretic mystic
Roger Bacon, philosopher accused of magic
Michael Scot, Magician
Ímar Ua Donnubáin, Norse-Gaelic navigator and sorcerer

Renaissance

Abramelin the Mage, Egyptian sage
Ali Puli, anonymous author of seventeenth-century alchemical and hermetic texts
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, occult philosopher, astrologer
Roger Bolingbroke, astrologer and alleged necromancer
Olaus Borrichius, Danish alchemist
Thomas Browne, hermetic philosopher
Giordano Bruno, occult philosopher
Benevenuto Cellini, sculptor whose diary relates experience summoning spirits
Christina of Sweden, abdicated Queen who dabbled in alchemy
Arthur Dee, hermetic author, and son of John Dee
John Dee, occult philosopher, mathematician, alchemist, Queen Elizabeth's advisor
Gerhard Dorn, Belgian follower of Paracelsus
Faust, made a pact with the Devil, also see Doctor Faustus
Marsilio Ficino, astrologer and translator of the "Corpus Hermeticum"
Robert Fludd, occult philosopher and astrologer
Edward Kelley, spirit medium and alchemist who worked with John Dee, founder of Enochian magic
Athanasius Kircher, Jesuit priest, wrote on magical subjects
John Lambe, astrologer to George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
Nostradamus, one of the world's most famous prophets
Paracelsus, medical pioneer and occult philosopher
Henry Percy, "Wizard Earl"
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, humanist and Neoplatonist
Sir Walter Raleigh, practiced alchemy
Johannes Reuchlin, German cabalist magician, summoned angels
Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor, patron of alchemists
Ursula Southeil
Johannes Trithemius, cryptographer and magical writer
Johann Weyer (aka Johannes Wierus), German physician, occultist and demonologist
Seventeenth century
Isobel Gowdie, self-confessed witch
Margaret Matson, New Sweden (colony) witch
Françoise Athenaïs Rochechouart, marquise de Montespan, royal mistress
Sir Isaac Newton, renowned physicist and alchemist
"La Voisin", French sorceress

Enlightenment

Ulrica Arfvidsson, politically influential Swedish fortune-teller.
Alessandro Cagliostro, Italian occultist
Antoine Court de Gebelin, connected tarot and esotericism
Etteilla, fortune-teller
Marquis de Sade, the 18th aristocrat,writer and libertine.
Jacques Collin de Plancy, French occultist, demonologist and writer
Count of St. Germain, alchemist and occultist
Höffern, German-Swedish fortune teller
Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin, founder of Martinism, writer known as the Unknown Philosopher
Emanuel Swedenborg, alchemist, founder of Swedenborgianism
August Nordenskiold, alchemist and Swedenborgian

Nineteenth century

Evangeline Adams, astrologer to the famous
Francis Barrett, wrote a book on magic
Alexis-Vincent-Charles Berbiguier de Terre-Neuve du Thym, French demonologist
Algernon Blackwood, member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, founder of Theosophy
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, author of several occult novels
Constant Chevillon, the head of FUDOFSI
Aleister Crowley, English occultist and ceremonial magician, founder of Thelema
Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes
Robert Felkin, medical missionary and explorer, member of Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Stella Matutina, author on Africa and medicine
Henri Gamache, authority on the Evil Eye
A. Frank Glahn
Rudolf John Gorsleben
Stanislas de Guaita, occult author
John George Hohman, American wizard
Allan Kardec, founder of Spiritism
Giuliano Kremmerz alchemist and occult author
William Lyon MacKenzie King, Prime Minister of Canada
Siegfried Adolf Kummer
Marie Laveau, American New Orleans Voodoo practitioner
Marie Anne Lenormand, fortune-teller favoured by Joséphine de Beauharnais
Eliphas Lévi, French occult author and ceremonial magician
Harvey Spencer Lewis, founder of AMORC
Ralph Maxwell Lewis, Imperator of AMORC
Guido von List
Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels, Austrian occultist and pioneer of Ariosophy
Arthur Machen, member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Friedrich Bernhard Marby
Moina Mathers, first initiate in Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, wife of S.L. MacGregor Mathers, and Imperatrix of the Alpha et Omega
Samuel L. MacGregor Mathers, founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Evan Morgan, poet and aristocrat Lord Tredegar
Papus, pseudonym for Gérard Encausse, occult author
Paul Foster Case, Founder of BOTA, Adept of the Western Mystery Tradition, Teacher, Occult author,
Paschal Beverly Randolph, American physician and sex magician
Grigori Rasputin, Russian mystic and healer
Carl Reichenbach
Theodor Reuss
Arthur Rimbaud, visionary poet, adventurer
Pamela Colman Smith, Golden Dawn member, artist, designed the Waite-Smith tarot deck
Austin Osman Spare, author, painter, magician
Miguel Serrano, Chilean diplomat, author of books on Esoteric Nazism
Ludwig Straniak
August Strindberg, dramatist, alchemist
Arthur Edward Waite, occult author and member of Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
William Wynn Westcott, cofounder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Karl Maria Wiligut, Austrian occultist and SS-Brigadeführer
Hellmut Wolff
William Butler Yeats, poet, Golden Dawn member, astrologer

Twentieth century

Margot Adler, witch and NPR reporter
Antero Alli, author, artist, teacher
Kenneth Anger, disciple of Crowley.
Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki, occultist, occult author, teacher
Franz Bardon, occult author, magician
Michael Bertiaux, author of the Voudon Gnostic Workbook, occult artist
Mort Garson, esoteric electronic music composer
David Bowie, musician and actor
Brother XII, mystic and founder of Canadian cult
Ray Buckland, author, teacher
William S. Burroughs, author, Beat writer.
W. E. Butler, esoteric author
Laurie Cabot, witch, high priestess, author
Christopher Penczak, author
D. J. Conway, author
Marjorie Cameron, Scarlet Woman of Jack Parsons' rituals, artist, actress
Peter J. Carroll, occultist, author, founder of Chaos magic
Carlos Castaneda, sorcerer, writer, anthropologist
Jean Chevalier, occult author, philosopher, theologian
Jinx Dawson, ceremonial magician, artist, founder of rock band Coven (band), recording artist
Samson De Brier
Maya Deren, filmmaker and Haitian Vodou priestess
Ramsey Dukes, occult author
Gerina Dunwich, witch and occult author
Lon Milo DuQuette
Julius Evola
Dion Fortune, considered one of Great Britain's most famous occultists
Fulcanelli, French alchemist and esoteric author
Gerald Gardner, author and founder of the religion of Wicca
H. R. Giger, artist, designer, member of the O.T.O.
Kenneth Grant, occultist, author, pupil of Crowley
Eugen Grosche (known as Gregor A. Gregorius), German occultist, author, founder of the lodge Fraternitas Saturni
Manly Palmer Hall, occult author, teacher
Frieda Harris, occultist, artist
Max Heindel, author
Heinrich Himmler, Nazi Reichsführer SS
Phil Hine, occult author
Murry Hope, occult author
Christopher Hyatt, author, teacher, publisher
Alejandro Jodorowsky, filmmaker, comic book writer, autor and teacher on 'Psychemagia'.
Gareth Knight, occult author
Kurt E. Koch
Dora van Gelder Kunz, occult author
Roger de Lafforest, occult author
Anton LaVey, occult author, founder of the Church of Satan
Timothy Leary, psychologist, member of the Illuminates of Thanateros
Sybil Leek, witch and occult author
Martinus, Danish occultist
Alan Moore, magician and comic creator
Grant Morrison, comic writer and magician
Erwin Neutzsky-Wulff, occultist, science fiction writer
Tommaso Palamidessi, Christian Occultist, founder of the Archeosophical Society
Jim Morrison, musician, occultist, member of rock band The Doors
Jimmy Page, musician, occultist, member of rock band Led Zeppelin
Jack Parsons, occultist, author, and rocket scientist
Genesis P-Orridge, of Psychic TV video group and TOPY chaos magician
Israel Regardie, occult author, magician, pupil of Aleister Crowley
Jane Roberts, author
Robin Skelton, British-Canadian witch, poet
Stephen Skinner, Australian author
Starhawk, witch and occult author
Rudolf Steiner, founder of anthroposophy
Gerald Suster, occult author
Ralph Tegtmeier aka Frater U∴D∴, occultist, author, founder of Pragmatic Magic, Cyber Magic and Ice Magic
Mellie Uyldert, occult author
Doreen Valiente, priestess and author
Hannes Vanaküla, mage
Leila Waddell, mystic and muse
Robert Anton Wilson, author
Catherine Yronwode, occult author
Rosaleen Norton, self-proclaimed Australian witch

Twenty-first century

Konstantinos (occultist), American occultist and writer.
Don Webb (writer), Author of occult books and former high Priest of Temple Of Set
Gerina Dunwich, American astrologer and occult historian