Artists have always been creating worlds. They were transforming the mundane into magic via their canvas and welcoming its spirit into the conscious world. This idea that we use what we have and transform it into something else is in essence - creating magic.

The Art of the Occult: A Visual Sourcebook for the Modern Mystic by S. Elizabeth very much re-enforces this link and shows how occult art goes beyond the demonic images that people come to associate with the occult. Yes we may see devilish figures lurking in the background but these have come to be symbols of something very different. This book shows a plethora of images that embody the spirit of nature, magic and mysticism.

The symbolism of occult art can be deeply hidden, it is something the viewer has to read and decipher. We can of course appreciate fantastic art at first glance but for many occult artists it isn't so obvious. If we look much closer we will often find there is always something else going on and that is where our search for hidden knowledge begins.

This book is split into three parts – The Cosmos, Higher Beings and Practitioners. From sacred geometry to the Kabbalah to witchcraft - the book is carefully curated and organised in a way that enables you to step back and forth through time and through many themes across the world of occultism.

The book also benefits from some wonderful writing from the author together with over 175 artworks. The reader will be immersed and intrigued by its pages. It really is a visual treat for occultists, art students, art historians or for those who are just curious.

Available from your usual bookworm haunts.

You can also visit S. Elizabeth at her wonderful blog Unquiet Things

A few of our favourite works below that feature in the book.