If you must check your horoscope every morning, or believe in ghosts, or have superstitions, you definitely have an interest in the occult. And it’s a fascination that’s quite common—especially among best-selling authors. Some of the most popular novels, including The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, and Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, focus on the occult. See? You know more than you thought you knew about it.
Despite the fact that the word "occult" is routinely used in books and movies to conjure up dark, scary subjects, the occult is about much more than horror. Occultism is defined by supernatural beliefs and practices, such as magic, mysticism, and spirituality. Basically, the occult refers to happenings that are beyond the range of everyday experience and logical explanation or fall outside the scope of religion and science.
We’ve curated a list of the best audiobooks to satisfy all levels of curiosity, from beginners to passionate occultists. Whether you’re looking for a great grimoire or your next spellbinding novel, we’ve got you covered.
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DK is a publisher known for its extensive, thorough histories of many, many subjects, including the occult. A great place to start your listening journey into the occult, this balanced, unbiased account covers its history from ancient animal worship and shamanism through alchemy and divination to modern Wicca and the occult's resurgence in 21st-century literature, cinema, and television. It also dispels a lot of myths surrounding occult items, such as Ouija boards and voodoo dolls, and explores our enduring human fascination. Seasoned audiobook narrator Susie Riddell makes it all the more intriguing.
The Dark Path is the result of many years of research, in which Isaac Weishaupt attempts to separate religion from conspiracy theories, explore the connections between them, and answer the questions of whether the agenda of the Illuminati overlaps with the tenets of the occult. Citing works of noted occultists and scholars such as Aleister Crowley, Helena Blavatsky, Kenneth Grant, Jack Parsons, and Alice Bailey. Narrating his own work, Weishaupt discusses his findings into witches, magicians, satanists, ceremonial magick, and more.
This collection of 18 essays was created with students interested in learning about the occult in mind. It features some of the most notable and prominent names throughout history, ranging from William Butler Yeats to Isaac Newton, on a variety of occult-themed topics—the Tarot, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, Hermeticism, alchemy, magic, the Kabbalah, Theosophy, and spiritualism among them. The dual narrators, Michael Strader and Sandra Brautigam lend a personal feel to each essay, as though the writers themselves are speaking. And you don't have to be a student to learn a lot about the occult by listening!
Starting with the fundamentals of this ancient worldview, Paganism covers the Pagan sacred year, Pagan rituals, Pagan ethics, and more, while giving listeners a sense of what everyday Pagans are like. Based on a course in Paganism that they've taught for more than a decade, authors Joyce and River Higginbotham offer exercises, meditations, and discussion questions to complement their overview of Earth-centered religious beliefs and practices. This informative audiobook is great for anyone exploring their own spirituality, as well as for practicing Pagans to share with their non-Pagan friends. Pam Ward, who has voiced many nonfiction works, narrates with authority while keeping listeners engaged.
A grimoire is a textbook of magic, typically with lessons on performing spells and charms, creating magical objects such as talismans, and summoning assorted spirits. For listeners eager to learn more about the practice of magic, Wicca Book of Spells is an excellent starter grimoire. Wicca is a form of modern Paganism, and best-selling author Lisa Chamberlain is an expert on the subject. She sheds light on how spells can bring positive experiences into your life, breaking them down into four categories: Love and Relationships, Wealth and Prosperity, Health and Well-Being, and Assorted Spells and Strategies. Encouraging listeners to try their hand at spellcasting, Chamberlain shares spells suitable for novice witches that don't require expensive or hard-to-find ingredients.
Also from Lisa Chamberlain, Wicca Moon Magic delves into why the moon is such a vital force to Wiccans and other Pagans. Long associated with love, passion, and fertility, the moon has much to teach us about the powers of nature, the rhythms of the universe, and our own magical potential, as Chamberlain explains. Listeners will find a detailed breakdown of the lunar cycle and its amazing properties, plus spells for each phase of the moon, techniques for tapping into lunar energy, and magical recipes. Like all of the titles in Chamberlain's Mystic Library series, this fascinating audiobook is expertly read by award-winning narrator Kris Keppeler.
Leigh Bardugo is known for her popular YA fiction, including the best-selling Shadow and Bone trilogy. Ninth House is her debut novel for adults—and it's steeped in the occult! At 20, after a tough childhood, dead-end jobs, drug-dealer boyfriends, and worse, Alex Stern wakes up to find she's the sole survivor of a horrific multiple murder. At her hospital bed, she's offered a scholarship to Yale. Of course, she jumps at the chance—but there's a catch: her mysterious benefactors task her with monitoring the activities of Yale’s eight secret societies. Shortly after her arrival on campus, it's apparent to Alex that the university's elite are dabbling in occult activities. But when someone tampers with forbidden magic, can Alex stop the dark forces it unleashes? Lauren Fortgang and Michael David Axtell brilliantly give voice to the two main characters.
Among occult lore, there's nothing quite as iconic as the image of witches riding on broomsticks. In We Ride Upon Sticks, acclaimed novelist Quan Barry gives that image a girl-power twist. It's 1989 and the Danvers High School field hockey team is having a losing season. A coastal Massachusetts town, Danvers is the site of the former Salem Village, where some pretty famous witch trials took place. In a flash of brilliance, team captains Abby Putnam (a descendant of infamous Salem accuser Ann Putnam) and Jen Fiorenza (a smart blonde with a secret gift) decide to tap into some of their hometown's history. Soon the field hockey team is working its own brand of witchcraft, and it just might take the Falcons all the way to the state finals. Actress Isabel Keating narrates, and she does a winning job at serving up this devilishly delightful tale.
