Gérard Encausse operated a highly successful medical practice in Paris under his real name, but under the pseudonym Papus, he became one of the most influential occultists of the late nineteenth century.

A closer look

Gérard Encausse operated a highly successful medical practice in Paris under his real name, but under the pseudonym Papus, he became one of the most influential occultists of the late nineteenth century. He founded the Martinist Order, popularized the study of the Tarot, and wrote dozens of books on practical magic, alchemy, and the secret spiritual history of the world. Despite his mystical double life, he still found time to serve as a physician on the front lines of World War I, where he ultimately contracted tuberculosis and died. You really have to respect the time management skills of a guy who could spend all morning treating serious respiratory infections and all evening leading an underground esoteric society of Parisian wizards