Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions

The editors of Gnosis magazine present a fascinating primer on Western religious traditions. Since the early 20th century, seekers in America "were seized with a passion for the lore of mystic Asia," the authors explain in their introduction. Meanwhile, Western traditions seemed to slip out of vogue, especially in the recent realm of New Age spiritualism. But there is much magic and wisdom to be found in Western traditions, claim Smoley and Kinney, who have embarked on an ambitious mission: breaking down the fundamental differences between Eastern and Western traditions and then extracting the best of the West for today's seekers.

Because the editors are diligent about keeping the narrative accessible, clean, and intelligent (they are magazine editors, after all), this weighty material reads exceptionally smoothly. Starting with "Jung and the Discovery of the Unconscious," each chapter delves into the intriguing--and often little-understood--mysteries of the West, including Shamans, Alchemy, Hermetism, and Sufism. --Gail Hudson