Occultism is a way of hiding mysticism .[a] This list comprises and encompasses people, both contemporary and historical, who are or were professionally or otherwise notably involved in occult practices, including alchemists , astrologers , some Kabbalists ,[b] magicians , physiognomists , psychics , sorcerers , and practitioners some forms of divination , especially Tarot . People who were or are merely believers of occult practices should not be included unless they played a leading or otherwise significant part in the practice of occultism.
Antiquity
People professionally or notably involved in occultism prior to the Middle Ages
Hermes Trismegistus
Middle Ages
People professionally or notably involved in occultism during the Middle Ages (circa 500–1500)
Saint Albertus Magnus , a fresco by Tommaso da Modena (1352), Chapter hall of convent of St. Nicholas, Treviso , Italy
16th century
People professionally or notably involved in occultism during the 16th century
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, author of Three Books of Occult Philosophy Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (1486–1535), occult philosopher, astrologer
Giordano Bruno (1548–1600),[21] occult philosopher
Benevenuto Cellini (1500–1571), sculptor whose diary relates experience summoning spirits
Cosimo Ruggeri (fl. 1571–1615), Italian astrologer and occultist
John Dee (1527–1608), occult philosopher, mathematician, alchemist, queen Elizabeth's advisor[9]
Edward Kelley (1555–1597), spirit medium and alchemist who worked with John Dee, founder of Enochian magic [9]
John Lambe (1545–1628), astrologer to George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
Nostradamus (1503–1566),[22] one of the world's most famous prophets[9]
Paracelsus (1493–1541), medical pioneer and occult philosopher
Henry Percy (1563-1632),[23] "Wizard Earl"
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola – Italian Renaissance philosopher (1463–1494)
Johannes Reuchlin (1545–1622), German cabalist magician, summoned angels
Soulmother of Küssnacht (d. 1577), Swiss medium
Johannes Trithemius (1462–1516),[24] cryptographer and magical writer
Johann Weyer (aka Johannes Wierus) (1515–1588), German physician, occultist and demonologist
17th century
People professionally or notably involved in occultism during the 17th century
Elias Ashmole by John Riley Elias Ashmole (1617–1692), the first known speculative Freemason
Olaus Borrichius (1626–1690), Danish alchemist
Thomas Browne (1605–1682),[25] hermetic philosopher
Jacob Bruce (1669–1735), Russian general, statesman, diplomat, scientist and alchemist and magician of Scottish descent Clan Bruce , one of the chief associates of Peter the Great
Arthur Dee (1575–1661), Hermetic writer, son of John Dee
Robert Fludd (1574–1637), occult philosopher and astrologer
Isobel Gowdie (d. 1662), self-confessed professional sorcerer
Gabriel Naudé – French librarian, 1600–1653
Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1726), English physicist and alchemist[26]
Ali Puli (17th century), anonymous author of seventeenth-century alchemical and Hermetic texts
Gironima Spana (1615–1659), Italian astrologer
La Voisin (1640–1680), French professional magician
18th century
People professionally or notably involved in occultism during the Age of Enlightenment (18th century)
Ulrica Arfvidsson Ulrica Arfvidsson (1734–1801), politically influential Swedish fortune-teller
Gustaf Björnram (1746–1804), Swedish spiritual medium
Alessandro Cagliostro (1743–1795),[27] Italian occultist
Clotilde-Suzanne Courcelles de Labrousse (1747–1821), French prophet medium
Antoine Court de Gebelin (1725–1784), connected tarot and esotericism
Etteilla (1738–1791), fortune-teller
Marie Kingué (fl. 1785), African kaperlata occultist and faith healer
Marie-Anne de La Ville (1680–1725), French occultist
Count of St. Germain (dl. 1784), alchemist and occultist[9]
Höffern (fl. 1722), German-Swedish fortune teller
Henrietta Lullier (1716–1782), French fortune teller
Franz Mesmer (1734–1815), German magnetist
August Nordenskiold (1754–1792), alchemist and Swedenborgian
Charlotta Roos (1771–1809), Swedish spiritual medium
Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin (1743–1803), founder of Martinism , writer known as the Unknown Philosopher
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772),[28] alchemist, founder of Swedenborgianism
Henrik Gustaf Ulfvenklou (1756–1819), Swedish spiritual medium
19th century
People professionally or notably involved in occultism during the 19th century
Portrait of Mlle Lenormand from The court of Napoleon The Fox sisters ; from left to right: Margaret, Kate and Leah Cora L. V. Scott Evangeline Adams (1868–1932), astrologer to the famous
Francis Barrett (c. 1770 – fl. 1802), wrote The Magus , a book about magic
Alexis-Vincent-Charles Berbiguier de Terre-Neuve du Thym (1765–1851), French demonologist
Pierre Bernard (1875–1955), American occultist, businessman and yogi popularly known as "Oom The Omnipotent"
Annie Besant (1847–1933), British writer, socialist and occultist[29] [30]
Algernon Blackwood (1869–1951), member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831–1891), founder of Theosophy
Alexander Mikhaylovich Butlerov (Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Бу́тлеров; 1828–1886), Russian occultist
Mary Emily Bates Coues (1835–1906), secretary, Woman's National Liberal Union
Ida C. Craddock (1857–1902), occultist, writer, member of Theosophical Society
Andrew Jackson Davis (1826–1910), American occultist
Robert Felkin (1853–1926), medical missionary and explorer, member of Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Stella Matutina , writer on Africa and medicine
A. Frank Glahn (1865–1941), German mystic
Stanislas de Guaita (1861–1899), occult writer
Arnold Krumm-Heller (1876–1949), Rosicrucian founder of FRA
John George Hohman (fl. 1802–1846), American wizard
Allan Kardec (1804–1869), founder of Spiritism
William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874–1950), served as the 10th prime minister of Canada and was secretly into the occult
Giuliano Kremmerz (1861–1930), alchemist and occult writer
Marie Laveau (1801–1881), American New Orleans Voodoo practitioner
Charles Webster Leadbeater (1854–1934), occult writer and influential member of the Theosophical Society Adyar [31]
Marie Anne Lenormand (1772–1843), French fortune-teller favoured by Joséphine de Beauharnais
Eliphas Lévi (1810–1875), French occult writer and ceremonial magician[9]
Guido von List (1848–1919), Austrian writer and mystic
Arthur Machen (1863–1947), member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Moina Mathers (1865–1928), first initiate in Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn , wife of S.L. MacGregor Mathers , and Imperatrix of the Alpha et Omega
Samuel L. MacGregor Mathers (1854–1918), founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Damodar K. Mavalankar (1857–1885), Indian theosophist
Wolf Messing (1899–1964), Polish Russian occultists, stage mentalist
Papus , pseudonym for Gérard Encausse (1865–1916), occult writer
Jacques Collin de Plancy (1793–1871), French occultist, demonologist and writer
Paschal Beverly Randolph (1825–1875), African American physician and sex magician
Anna Rasmussen (1898–1983), Danish medium, psychic
Grigori Rasputin (1869–1916), Russian mystic and healer
Carl Reichenbach (1788–1869), German occultist
Theodor Reuss (1855–1923), German mason
August Strindberg (1849–1912), dramatist, alchemist
Max Théon (1848–1927), occultist, Kabbalist, founder of the Cosmic Movement
Evelyn Underhill (1875–1941), occultist, writer, particular Christian mysticism; member of GD
Arthur Edward Waite (1857–1941), occult writer and member of Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
William Wynn Westcott (1848–1925), cofounder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Karl Maria Wiligut (1866–1946), Austrian occultist
Charles Walter Stansby Williams (1886–1945), member of A.E. Waite's the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, 1929–1939
William Butler Yeats (1865–1934), poet, astrologer, member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
20th century
People professionally or notably involved in occultism during the 20th century
Mirra Alfassa (1878–1971), Indian poet and mystic
Robert Ambelain (1907–1997), French writer of Masonic and astrological works
Kenneth Anger (1927–2023), filmmaker, writer, and Thelemite
Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki (born 1929), occultist, occult writer, teacher
Alice Bailey (1880–1949), English writer, mystic and Theosophist [32]
Franz Bardon (1909–1958), occult writer, magician
Christian Bernard (born 1951), former grandmaster and imperator of the mystical organization called Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC)
Michael Bertiaux (born 1935), author of the Voudon Gnostic Workbook , occult artist
Kerry Bolton (born 1956), New Zealand neo-Nazi activist and writer
William Breeze (born 1955), writer, musician, patriarch of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica , and caliph of Ordo Templi Orientis ; also known as Hymenaeus Beta
Ray Buckland (1934–2017), writer, teacher
William S. Burroughs (1914–1997), Beat writer
W. E. Butler (1898–1978), esoteric writer
Laurie Cabot (born 1933), witch, high priestess, writer
Marjorie Cameron (1922–1995), scarlet woman of Jack Parsons' rituals, artist, actress
Peter J. Carroll (born 1953), occultist, writer, founder of chaos magic
Carlos Castaneda (unknown–1998), sorcerer, writer, anthropologist
Jean Chevalier (1906–1993), occult writer, philosopher, theologian
Constant Chevillon (1880–1944), head of FUDOFSI
Chic Cicero (born 1936), esoteric writer, magician, Imperator of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Inc.
Sandra Tabatha Cicero (born 1959), esoteric writer, magician, Cancellaria of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Inc.
Robert Collier (1885–1950), occult writer[33]
Pamela Colman Smith (1878–1951), artist, painted the Rider–Waite tarot deck, member of the Hermetic order of the Golden Dawn
D. J. Conway (1939–2019), occult writer
Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), English occultist and ceremonial magician, founder of Thelema religion[34] [9]
Jinx Dawson (born 1950), ceremonial magician, artist, founder of rock band Coven , recording artist
Samson De Brier (1899–1995), actor and occultist
Louis de Wohl (1903–1961), occultist
Savitri Devi (1905–1982), Greco-French Hindu writer, Nazi spy and leading figure of Esoteric Nazism
Hilda Doolittle (1886–1961), American modernist poet , known under the pseudonym H.D.[35]
Gerina Dunwich (born 1959), witch and occult writer
Lon Milo DuQuette (born 1948), musician, lecturer, and occultist
Julius Evola (1898–1974), Italian philosopher
Dion Fortune (1890–1946), considered one of Great Britain's most famous occultists,[9] founder of the Fraternity of the Inner Light
Paul Foster Case (1884–1954), founder of BOTA , adept of the Western mystery tradition, teacher, occult writer
Fulcanelli , French alchemist and esoteric writer[9]
Henri Gamache (fl. 1940s), authority on the Evil Eye
Sallie Ann Glassman (born 1954), practitioner of Haitian Vodou
Rudolf John Gorsleben (1883–1930)[36]
Kenneth Grant (1924–2011), occultist, writer, pupil of Aleister Crowley
John Michael Greer (born 1962), occult writer, fantasist, blogger
Eugen Grosche (1888–1964), known as Gregor A. Gregorius, German occultist, writer, founder of the lodge Fraternitas Saturni
Manly Palmer Hall (1901–1990), occult writer, teacher
Erik Jan Hanussen , born Hermann Steinschneider (1889–1933)
Frieda Harris (1877–1962), occultist, artist, painted the Thoth tarot deck
Max Heindel (1865–1919), writer
Rudolf Hess (1894–1987), nazi interested in magic and the occult[37]
Heinrich Himmler (1900–1945), Nazi Reichsführer SS , also interested in magic
Phil Hine (fl. 1980s), occult writer
Murry Hope (1929–2012), occult writer
Christopher Hyatt (1943–2008), writer, teacher, publisher
Bola Ige (1930–2001), Nigerian lawyer and former minister of power; a Rosicrucian [38]
Guru Maharaj ji , Nigerian grand master occultist, self proclaimed living perfect master and god[39]
Alejandro Jodorowsky (born 1929), filmmaker, comic book writer, writer and teacher on "Psychemagia"
Kurt E. Koch (1913–1987), Christian missionary pastor, demonologist
Konstantinos (born 1972), American occultist and writer[40]
Karl Ernst Krafft (1900–1945), occultist
Donald Michael Kraig (1951-2014), occult writer, magician
Nina Kulagina (1926–1990), Russian psychic; academic studies of her psychokinesis were widely disputed[41] [42]
Siegfried Adolf Kummer (1899–1977), German occultist
Dora van Gelder Kunz (1904–1999), occult writer
Roger de Lafforest (1905–1998), occult writer
Anton LaVey (1930–1997), occult writer, founder of the Church of Satan
Sybil Leek (1917–1982), witch and occult writer
Harvey Spencer Lewis (1883–1939), founder of AMORC
Jim Lewis (1941–1995), astrologer, writer, developer of astrocartography
Ralph Maxwell Lewis (1904–1987), former imperator of AMORC [43]
Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels (1874–1954), Austrian occultist and pioneer of Ariosophy
James H. Madole (1927–1979), American neo-Nazi, founder of the National Renaissance Party and personal friend of Anton LaVey
Friedrich Bernhard Marby (1882–1966), German rune occultist
Alan Moore (born 1953), British writer and occultist[44]
Evan Morgan (1893–1949), poet and aristocrat Lord Tredegar
Grant Morrison (born 1960), comic writer and magician
Jim Morrison (1943–1971), musician, occultist,[45] member of rock band The Doors
David Myatt (born 1950), allegedly the leader of the Order of Nine Angles [46]
Eddie Nawgu (1957–2000), Nigerian sorcerer and self-proclaimed prophet of the Biblical God[47] [48]
Victor Benjamin Neuburg (1883–1940), poet and member of the A∴A∴
Erwin Neutzsky-Wulff (born 1949), occultist, science fiction writer
Rosaleen Norton (1917–1979), self-proclaimed Australian witch
Pericoma Okoye (born 1948), Nigerian spiritualist and musician[49]
Olumba Olumba , Nigerian self proclaimed God in human form who has been described as an occult grandmaster[50]
Jesu Oyingbo (–1988), Nigerian traditionalist & spiritualist who proclaimed himself to be Jesus Christ[51]
Genesis P-Orridge (1950–2020), of Psychic TV video group and TOPY , chaos magician
Jimmy Page (born 1944), musician, occultist, member of rock band Led Zeppelin
Tommaso Palamidessi (1915–1983), Christian occultist, founder of the Archeosophical Society
Jack Parsons (1914–1952), occultist, writer, and rocket scientist
Mark L. Prophet (1918–1973), founder of the Summit Lighthouse and proponet of the "I AM" movement who supposedly achieved unification with God and became an 'Ascended Master'[52]
Israel Regardie (1907–1985), occult writer, magician, pupil of Aleister Crowley[53]
Jane Roberts (1929–1984), writer[54]
Alex Sanders (1926–1988), founder of Alexandrian Wicca
Miguel Serrano (1917–2009), Chilean diplomat, writer of books on Esoteric Nazism
Pekka Siitoin (1944–2003), Finnish occultist and neo-Nazi
Stephen Skinner (born 1948), Australian writer
Harry Everett Smith (1923–1991), visual artist, experimental filmmaker, record collector, bohemian, mystic, largely self-taught student of anthropology, and Neo-Gnostic bishop
Lionel Snell , occult writer, known as Ramsey Dukes
Austin Osman Spare (1886–1956), writer, painter, magician
Karl Spiesberger (1904–1992), German occultist
Nirmala Srivastava (1923–2011), Indian mystic and occultist[55] [56]
Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), founder of anthroposophy [57]
Ludwig Straniak (1879–1951)
Gerald Suster (1951–2001), occult writer[58]
Ralph Tegtmeier (born 1952), known as Frater U∴D∴, occultist, writer, founder of Pragmatic Magic, Cyber Magic and Ice Magic
Martinus Thomsen (1890–1981), Danish occultist
Paul Twitchell (1908 or 1909–1971), founder of the Eckankar religion and student of oriental occultism[59] [60] [61]
Mellie Uyldert (1908–2009), occult writer[62]
Iyke Nathan Uzorma , Nigeria's first documented and self-proclaimed occult grand master[63] [64]
Doreen Valiente (1922–1999), priestess and writer[65]
Hannes Vanaküla (born 1966), mage[66]
Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902), Indian mystic who supposedly possessed all occult powers known; a chief disciple of Ramakrishna [67]
Leila Waddell (1880–1932), mystic and muse
Don Webb (born 1960), writer of occult books and former high priest of Temple of Set [68] [69]
Sam Webster , American writer, publisher, co-founder of the Chthonic Auranian Templars of Thelema[70] and Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn [71]
Samael Aun Weor (1917–1977), theurgist and founder of a "Gnostic movement"[72] [73]
Robert Anton Wilson (1932–2007), writer[74]
William Butler Yeats (1865–1939), occultist and member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Catherine Yronwode (born 1947), occult author[75]
21st century
People professionally or notably involved in occultism during the 21st century;
Blanche Barton (born 1961), American religious leader who holds the title 'Magistra Templi Rex' within the Church of Satan
Damien Echols (born 1974), American occultist, convicted child murderer and author
Lucien Greaves (born ca. 1976), co-founder (alongside Malcolm Jarry) of The Satanic Temple
Augustus Sol Invictus (born 1984), American far-right attorney, expelled Ordo Templi Orientis member and former U.S. Senate candidate from Florida
Thomas Karlsson (born 1972), Swedish occultist and esoteric author
Konstantinos (born 1972), practicing occultist and neo-pagan
Jon Nödtveidt (1975–2006), Swedish musician, member of Temple of the Black Light , committed suicide
Julie Scott (born 1958), AMORC grandmaster
Stephen Skinner (born 1948), Australian author, editor, publisher and lecturer
Catherine Yronwode (born 1947), American writer, graphic designer, and practitioner of folk magic