The Secret History of the World

The Secret History of the World – Jonathan Black

What if the history you learned at school was only half the story?

In The Secret History of the World, Jonathan Black explores an alternative account of the human past, the one preserved, he argues, in the esoteric teachings of mystery schools, secret societies and spiritual traditions across the ages. Drawing on sources ranging from ancient Egyptian and Greek religion to Kabbalah, Gnosticism, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry and the writings of mystics and occultists, he sets out the hidden worldview in which consciousness came before matter and in which unseen spiritual forces have shaped the rise and fall of civilizations.

Moving from the creation myths of antiquity through the classical world, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Enlightenment to the modern era, Black reinterprets famous figures and events from this mystical perspective, from Pythagoras and Plato to Joan of Arc, Leonardo da Vinci, Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, George Washington and beyond.

Along the way he explains the symbols, rituals and ideas that run through these traditions, and invites readers to see familiar paintings, buildings and stories in a startling new light.

Whether read as a guide to the beliefs of the world’s secret traditions or as a provocative reimagining of world history, The Secret History of the World is a richly detailed and illustrated journey for anyone intrigued by mythology, mysticism, symbolism and the questions mainstream history leaves unanswered.