a 1893 work by A. E. Waite. Arthur Edward Waite (1857 - 1942), more commonly referred to as A. E. Waite, was an American-born British mystic and poet. He wrote profusely on the subject of the occult and esoteric matters, and is famous for being the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. His work arguably constitutes the first attempt to systematically studying the history of western occultism, which he viewed more of a spiritual tradition than proto-science or pseudo-religion, as was the more common conception. Contents include: "The Agnostic Standpoint as the Threshold of Mysticism", "Intellectual Difficulties of a Certain Class of Thinkers". "Connection between Religion and Morality", "Certain Consolation to be Derived from the Mysteries of Life", "Philosophical Basis of this Statement", "Appeal of Material Philosophy", "Ultimately Worthless Nature of this Life Except as a Preparation for the Higher Life", etc. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in a modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.