Godwin, Joscelyn

Overview

Works:	129 works in 505 publications in 5 languages and 9,798 library holdings
Genres:	Criticism, interpretation, etc History Biography Allegories Instrumental music Librettos Operas Romance fiction Miscellanea Fiction
Roles:	Author, Editor, Translator, Performer, Author of introduction, Other, Writer of accompanying material, Dedicatee, Contributor, Composer

Publication Timeline

Most widely held works by Joscelyn Godwin

The theosophical enlightenment by Joscelyn Godwin( )

8 editions published between 1994 and 2007 in English and held by 1,581 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Mystery religions in the ancient world by Joscelyn Godwin( Book )

21 editions published between 1981 and 1995 in 3 languages and held by 908 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

"A lively, illustrated overview of the variety of mystery religions that flourished at the dawn of the Christian era. In clear, enlightened text and striking images, Mystery Religions holds up a "distant mirror" to our own times, showing that the quest for spiritual illumination from Eastern religions, and emphasis on spiritual development and experience, and a concern for hidden knowledge are deeply rooted in Western culture. Mystery Religions brings the myths, the magic, their rites and the wisdom of a bygone age to compelling life, making them comprehensible to modern readers. Godwin begins Mystery Religions with a crucial discussion of the five basic spiritual attitudes or orientations, one (or more) of which informs the religious conceptions of all peoples of every epoch. He clarifies the various paths--that of the warrior, of the monk, of the magician, of love, and of knowledge--and applies them in a detailed examination of the major mystery religions that follows. Here is a compelling account of the forms mystery religions took, from the cults of Mithras, Dionysus, and Orpheus to those of the Goddess, esoteric Christianity and Judaism, and Gnosticism. Godwin offers a rich and varied selection of illustrations; the symbolism of paintings, statues, reliefs, and other visual imagery provides a wealth of additional information about these religions. As in our day, the people of ancient Greece and Rome enjoyed unprecedented religious freedom and pursued their spiritual quest through a variety of cults, sects, rituals, and sacred studies. Mystery Religions explores this historical phenomenon from its wellsprings in the Eastern Mediterranean to its manifestations in such remote outposts of empire as the borderlands of Scotland. At the same, Mystery Religions distills those elements of man's spiritual and intellectual growth which these religions embodied and which remain unchanged to this day." -- Publisher's description

Hypnerotomachia Poliphili = The strife of love in a dream by Francesco Colonna( Book )

40 editions published between 1999 and 2005 in 3 languages and held by 784 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

"It is hard to believe that the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, printed by Aldus Manutius in 1499, one of the most famous books in the world, read by every Renaissance intellectual and endlessly referred to in studies of art and culture ever since, has never appeared in English. One reason, no doubt, is the length and difficulty of the text. It is a strange, pagan, pedantic, erotic, allegorical, mythological romance relating in highly stylized Italian the quest of Poliphilo for his beloved Polia. The author (presumed to be Francesco Colonna, a friar of dubious reputation) was obsessed by architecture, landscape and costume - it is not going too far to say sexually obsessed - and its 174 woodcuts are a primary source for Renaissance ideas on both buildings and gardens. In 1592 a beginning was made to produce an English version but the translator gave up after only a third of the text. Now, at last, the task has been triumphantly accomplished by Joscelyn Godwin, who succeeds in reproducing all its wayward charm and arcane learning in language accessible to the modern reader."--Jacket

Music and the occult : French musical philosophies, 1750-1950 by Joscelyn Godwin( Book )

19 editions published between 1991 and 2001 in 3 languages and held by 662 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

"This book is an adventure into the unexplored territory of French esoteric philosophies and their relation to music. Occultism and esotericism flourished in nineteenth-century France as they did nowhere else. Many philosophers sought the key to the universe, some claimed to have found it, and, in the unitive vision that resulted, music invariably played an important part. These modern Pythagoreans all believed in the Harmony of the Spheres and in the powerful effects of music on the human soul and body. Faced with the challenge of the rationalist Enlightenment, then with that of modern scientism, they adapted their occultism to the prevailing style ... A widely published musicologist and authority on esotericism, Godwin is able to give a clear and concise context for these philosophers' often surprising beliefs, and he demonstrates how this "speculative music" influenced composers such as Satie and Debussy, who were familiar with occultism. His long study of music and the Western esoteric tradition makes him uniquely qualified to unravel the strange story of these forgotten sages."--Publisher's description

Schirmer scores : a repertory of western music by Joscelyn Godwin( )

4 editions published in 1975 in English and held by 428 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

The pagan dream of the Renaissance by Joscelyn Godwin( Book )

18 editions published between 2002 and 2005 in English and held by 409 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Describes the revival of interest in the pagan, mythological imagination during the Renaissance, the influence on the arts of imagery based on classical mythology, and the troubled co-existence of this pagan culture with official Christianity

Marco Attilio Regolo by Alessandro Scarlatti( )

10 editions published in 1975 in 3 languages and held by 388 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Athanasius Kircher : a Renaissance man and the quest for lost knowledge by Joscelyn Godwin( Book )

16 editions published in 1979 in English and held by 378 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Harmonies of heaven and earth : the spiritual dimensions of music from antiquity to the avant-garde by Joscelyn Godwin( Book )

14 editions published in 1987 in English and held by 374 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Robert Fludd, hermetic philosopher and surveyor of two worlds by Joscelyn Godwin( Book )

22 editions published between 1979 and 1991 in English and Japanese and held by 373 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Freimaurerei / England / Geschichte

Music, mysticism, and magic : a sourcebook by Joscelyn Godwin( Book )

24 editions published between 1986 and 1988 in English and held by 358 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Athanasius Kircher's theatre of the world : the life and work of the last man to search for universal knowledge by Joscelyn Godwin( Book )

20 editions published between 2009 and 2015 in English and held by 312 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

"A major study of both the written and pictorial work of a neglected genius whose breadth of interest made him the last Renaissance man."--Provided by publisher

Upstate cauldron : eccentric spiritual movements in early New York State by Joscelyn Godwin( )

6 editions published in 2015 in English and held by 264 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

"From 1776 to 1914, an amazing collection of prophets, mediums, sects, cults, utopian communities, and spiritual leaders arose in Upstate New York. Along with the best known of these, such as the Shakers, Mormons, and Spiritualists, this book explores more than forty other spiritual leaders or groups, some of them virtually unknown, but all of them fascinating. The author uncovers common threads that characterize these homegrown spiritualities, including roots in Western esoteric traditions, liberation from the psychological pressures of dogmatic Christianity, a preoccupation with sex, and involvement in the radical reform movements of the day. In addition to maps and photographs of surviving buildings and monuments, the book also features a gazetteer of sites listing 150 locations connected to these groups, which may be used as a helpful travel guide to the region."--Publisher's description

The real rule of four by Joscelyn Godwin( Book )

13 editions published between 2004 and 2005 in English and French and held by 188 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason's The Rule of Four is already a bookselling phenomenon. The Ivy League super-achievers drew upon an authentic 1499 Renaissance text to create their thriller about two Princeton undergraduates who try to unravel the mysteries of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (pronounced?HIP-ne-RO-to-MA-kia PO-li-FEE-li?). The Hypnerotomachia Poliphili is an erotic, pagan epic, written in a private language peppered with words taken from Latin and Greek and decorated with Egyptian hieroglyphs. It was not translated into English for 500 years, until 1999, when Joscelyn Godwin finally achieved that near-impossible task. The Real Rule of Four, Professor Godwin carefully investigates each aspect of the history of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and its use in The Rule of Four, including: What is the Hypnerotomachia? Who wrote the Hypnerotomachia? (A central theme of The Rule of Four) What does the Hypnerotomachia mean? Places and people in The Rule of Four Glossary of names and terms in The Rule of Four Lavishly illustrated with reproductions of the many beautiful woodcuts in the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a fold-out color map and photographs of the featured locations at Princeton University, The Real Rule of Four is an indispensable guide to the many fans of Caldwell and Thomason's best-selling novel

The Harmony of the spheres : a sourcebook of the Pythagorean tradition in music by Joscelyn Godwin( Book )

13 editions published between 1990 and 1993 in English and held by 184 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

"Professor of Music at Colgate University and a widely respected musicologist, Godwin here traces the idea, held since ancient times, that the whole cosmos is in some way a musical or harmonious entity."--Publisher's description

The multiple states of being by René Guénon( Book )

1 edition published in 1984 in English and held by 172 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Atlantis and the cycles of time : prophecies, traditions, and occult revelations by Joscelyn Godwin( Book )

6 editions published between 2010 and 2014 in English and held by 163 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

A comprehensive study of the major occult writings on Atlantis.-publisher description

The golden thread : the ageless wisdom of the Western mystery traditions by Joscelyn Godwin( )

7 editions published between 2007 and 2014 in English and held by 149 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

The Golden Thread traces the interconnectedness of esoteric wisdom in the Western world, from classical antiquity to contemporary Europe and America. Joscelyn Godwin lends personal perspective to an arrangement of text that is historical and wisdom that is timeless, creating a source of inspiration that calls us to action in our everyday spiritual practice. Every chapter, therefore, makes reference to some aspect of contemporary life and issues of immediate concern. Elegantly written and not without irony and humor, readers will appreciate the non-threatening tone of Godwin's writing, which is

Arktos : the polar myth in science, symbolism, and Nazi survival by Joscelyn Godwin( Book )

14 editions published between 1993 and 1996 in English and held by 141 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Cosmic music : musical keys to the interpretation of reality : essays by Marius Schneider( Book )

7 editions published between 1987 and 1989 in English and held by 136 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Essays af Marius Schneider, Rudolf Haase ogHans Erhard Lauer