Through personal experience, Colin Wilson discovered that human beings consist of a ladder or hierarchy of selves, whose upper members may be called upon at will for personal transformation and deep knowledge. Wilson’s new-found knowledge spurred him to write Mysteries—an attempt to apply his theory to all paranormal phenomena, from precognition to Uri Geller's spoon bending.  He presents detailed studies of hauntings, possession, and “demonic hypnosis,” as well as magic, the Kabbalah, and astrology. At the heart of his work is a fascinating discussion of the “Great Secret” of the alchemists, which Wilson sees as the key to the mystery of the “ladder of selves.”