35 traditions · 111,486 placements
Thirty-five rooms in the reading room.
Traditions are discovery categories. Membership means relevance, not endorsement — a book on the history of witch trials sits beside a modern spellbook because a reader of one may want the other.
A book can belong to several traditions. Counts are placements, so they add up to more than the catalog. How the taxonomy was built.
01 · 2,599 books
Occultism and esotericism
General occult sciences, esoteric traditions, hidden knowledge, and surveys of the supernatural.
- occultism1,099
- History323
- Early works to 1800270
- Philosophy227
02 · 6,195 books
Ritual magic and grimoires
Ceremonial and ritual magic, grimoires, spellcraft, talismans, sigils, and magical manuals.
- Magic1,250
- Orthography and spelling830
- Early works to 1800568
- Magic tricks557
03 · 2,604 books
Witchcraft and folk magic
Historical and contemporary witchcraft, Wicca, cunning craft, Hoodoo, Vodou, and related vernacular traditions.
- Witchcraft1,292
- History417
- Early works to 1800318
- Magic291
04 · 4,268 books
Alchemy and Hermeticism
Alchemy, Hermetic philosophy, Hermetica, and spiritual or laboratory transformation traditions.
- Alchemy1,666
- Early works to 1800796
- History239
- Chemistry237
05 · 6,244 books
Astrology
Natal, judicial, mundane, horary, medical, and historical astrology.
- Astrology3,246
- Early works to 18002,448
- Ephemerides1,380
- English Almanacs1,282
06 · 4,604 books
Divination and oracles
Tarot, cartomancy, numerology, palmistry, scrying, geomancy, runes, and other divinatory systems.
- Divination772
- Divinity646
- Early works to 1800583
- Physiognomy574
07 · 1,997 books
Kabbalah and Jewish esotericism
Kabbalah, Qabalah, Cabala, Merkavah traditions, and Jewish mystical or magical texts.
- Cabala1,180
- Judaism304
- Early works to 1800270
- Commentaries201
08 · 900 books
Gnosticism and esoteric Christianity
Gnostic texts, Christian esotericism, mystical apocrypha, and heterodox cosmologies.
- gnosticism370
- Gnosis141
- Gnosticisme120
- History109
09 · 1,584 books
Theosophy, Anthroposophy, and New Thought
Modern esoteric syntheses, Theosophy, Anthroposophy, New Thought, and related metaphysical movements.
- Theosophy691
- New thought232
- Theosophie220
- Anthroposophy143
10 · 3,277 books
Initiatory orders and secret societies
Rosicrucian, Masonic, Golden Dawn, and other initiatory, fraternal, or secret organizations.
- Freemasonry1,302
- Secret societies637
- Freemasons463
- History361
11 · 2,399 books
Demonology, angelology, and possession
Demons, angels, spirit hierarchies, possession, exorcism, Satanism, and Goetic traditions.
- Demonology728
- angels402
- Early works to 1800333
- Witchcraft260
12 · 5,783 books
Spiritualism, mediumship, and channeling
Séance culture, mediums, spirit communication, channeling, automatic writing, and psychography.
- Spiritualism1,751
- Spiritual life1,311
- Catholic Church594
- Early works to 1800556
13 · 2,538 books
Ghosts, hauntings, and poltergeists
Apparitions, haunted places, poltergeists, ghost lore, and investigations of hauntings.
- Ghosts515
- Fiction342
- Apparitions338
- Ghost stories265
14 · 3,276 books
Afterlife, reincarnation, and near-death experiences
Survival after death, reincarnation, near-death experiences, and accounts of the afterlife.
- Future life1,144
- Immortality747
- Reincarnation383
- Early works to 1800284
15 · 1,395 books
Parapsychology and psychical research
Experimental, historical, popular, and skeptical studies of psi and psychical phenomena.
- Parapsychology750
- Parapsychologie160
- psychology154
- Spiritualism145
16 · 1,148 books
Telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition
Thought-transference, clairvoyance, precognition, second sight, and related forms of anomalous cognition.
- Telepathy342
- Telepathie227
- Clairvoyance180
- Fiction178
17 · 280 books
Psychokinesis and remote viewing
Psychokinesis, telekinesis, remote viewing, psychic intelligence programs, and anomalous physical effects.
- Psychokinesis119
- Parapsychology75
- Psychokinese74
- Fiction58
18 · 1,149 books
Out-of-body, astral, and dream studies
Astral projection, out-of-body experiences, lucid dreams, dream interpretation, and dream divination.
- Dreams646
- Dream interpretation203
- Astral projection163
- Fiction80
19 · 1,115 books
Psychic healing, auras, and subtle energy
Auras, chakras, Reiki, kundalini, psychic healing, subtle bodies, and energy medicine.
- Mental healing326
- Geistheilung151
- spiritual healing138
- Chakras113
20 · 1,112 books
UFOs, extraterrestrials, and contact
UFO/UAP reports, flying saucers, extraterrestrial life, alien contact or abduction, contactees, and ancient-astronaut claims.
- Fiction363
- Science fiction258
- Extraterrestrial beings257
- Human-alien encounters253
21 · 1,210 books
Cryptozoology and Forteana
Cryptids, Bigfoot, lake monsters, anomalous animals, Fortean collections, and unexplained phenomena.
- Curiosities and wonders470
- Cryptozoology134
- Early works to 180095
- Loch Ness monster95
22 · 906 books
Shamanism and spirit practice
Shamanic traditions, spirit journeys, trance practices, and cross-cultural spirit mediation.
- Shamanism319
- Schamanismus144
- Spirit possession119
- Chamanisme112
23 · 895 books
Asian esoteric and internal traditions
Tantra, Daoist internal alchemy, the I Ching as divination, and esoteric Buddhist or yogic practice.
- Taoism161
- Taoismus157
- Taoïsme134
- China113
24 · 2,965 books
Legendary beings and transformations
Fairies, elementals, vampires, werewolves, and other beings discussed in folklore, occult literature, or anomalous reports.
- Fairy tales1,018
- Juvenile fiction443
- Fairies390
- Fiction375
25 · 5,377 books
Prophecy, oracles, and revelation
Prophetic traditions, private revelation, oracle literature, and claimed predictions.
- Prophecies2,032
- Bible1,126
- Early works to 1800552
- History479
26 · 1,864 books
Mesmerism, animal magnetism, and hypnosis
Animal magnetism, mesmerism, suggestion, and historical borders between trance science and occult practice.
- hypnotism596
- animal magnetism519
- Mesmerism403
- Magnétisme animal341
27 · 741 books
Lost civilizations and anomalous archaeology
Atlantis, Lemuria, lost civilizations, ancient mysteries, and anomalous-archaeology claims.
- Atlantis253
- Atlantis (Legendary place)196
- Lost continents92
- Atlantide77
28 · 946 books
Megaliths, stone circles, and archaeoastronomy
Megalithic monuments, stone circles, standing stones, dolmens, henges, ancient observatories, and archaeological study of astronomy and celestial alignments.
- Megalithic monuments301
- Antiquities260
- Archaeoastronomy116
- Stone circles101
29 · 722 books
Pyramids, ancient engineering, and sacred architecture
Pyramids, monumental construction, ancient engineering and technology, sacred architecture, and competing interpretations of how major ancient structures were designed and built.
- Pyramids219
- Egypt84
- Pyramides66
- History60
30 · 580 books
Rock art, geoglyphs, and ancient symbols
Petroglyphs, pictographs, rock and cave art, geoglyphs, the Nazca lines, megalithic art, and interpretations of ancient symbolic landscapes.
- Petroglyphs182
- Antiquities125
- Rock paintings77
- Archaeology73
31 · 34 books
Archaeological mysteries, hoaxes, and pseudoarchaeology
Enigmatic or allegedly anomalous artifacts and ruins, archaeological mysteries, hoaxes and forgeries, pseudoarchaeological claims, and scholarly or skeptical responses to them.
- Archaeology9
- History8
- Pseudoarchaeology6
- Ancient Civilization3
32 · 459 books
Sacred geometry, symbolism, and numerical mysticism
Sacred geometry, esoteric symbols, correspondences, and number mysticism.
- Symbolism of numbers175
- Numerology55
- Text28
- Non-fiction literature24
33 · 5,862 books
Consciousness, mysticism, and metaphysics
Works at the boundary of mystical experience, consciousness studies, metaphysics, and paranormal interpretation.
- Mysticism1,363
- Metaphysics882
- Early works to 1800666
- Philosophy459
34 · 20,091 books
Mythology, folklore, and sacred legends
Mythic systems, traditional folklore, sacred and supernatural legends, fairy tales, and documented folk beliefs that preserve or contextualize magical, spiritual, anomalous, and otherworldly traditions.
- Folklore3,565
- Legends2,083
- Fairy tales1,822
- Tales1,486
35 · 14,367 books
Ancient religions, animism, and ritual
Ancient and traditional religious systems, animist and polytheist belief, deities, sacred rites, mystery cults, and historical ritual practices that contextualize magical and esoteric traditions.
- God2,102
- Animals1,878
- Early works to 18001,832
- Juvenile fiction907
