quote:

The Emerald Tablet (or in Latin, Tabula Smaragdina) is a short text considered to be a cornerstone of the Hermetic movement and fundamental to the Art of Alchemy. Alchemical writings sometimes reference it by a variant title: The Secret of Hermes. Its putative author is Hermes Trismigestus (Hermes the Thrice-Great), a legendary Egyptian adept named after the Greek god of occult wisdom. The origin of the Emerald Tablet is lost in antiquity, and there is no recorded history as to its place of creation or the name of the actual author. Scholars and philosophers have been aware of it since the 10th century.

In the 14th century, the alchemist Ortolanus wrote a substantial exegesis on "The Secret of Hermes," which was influential on the subsequent development of alchemy. Many manuscripts of this copy of the Emerald Tablet and the commentary of Ortolanus survive, dating at least as far back as the 15th century.

A Latin copy of the Emerald Tablet was included among the alchemical papers of Isaac Newton. The manuscript was in Newton's own hand.

C.G. Jung identified "The Emerald Tablet" with a table made of green stone that he encountered in the first of a set of his dreams and visions beginning at the end of 1912, and climaxing in his writing the Seven Sermons to the Dead in 1916. The ideas contained in the Hermetic text are consistent with the enantiodromian processes characteristic of Jungian individuation.

quote:

The Book of the Dead is the common name for the ancient Egyptian funerary text The Book of Coming [or Going] Forth By Day. The name was invented by the German Egyptologist Richard Lepsius, who published a selection of the texts in 1842.

The name is somewhat misleading, as the "book" was nothing like a modern book. The text was initially carved on the exterior of the dead person's sarcophagus, but was later written on papyrus and buried inside the mummy case with the deceased, presumably so that it would be both portable and close to hand.

It constituted a collection of spells, charms and magical formulas for use by the deceased in the afterlife, describing many of the basic tenets of Egyptian mythology. They were intended to guide the dead through the various trials that they would encounter before reaching the underworld. Knowledge of the appropriate spells was considered essential to achieving happiness after death.

The Book of the Dead was usually illustrated with pictures showing the tests to which the deceased would be subjected, of which the most important was the weighing of the heart of the dead person against Truth. The god Thoth would record the results and a monster would wait in the wings to eat the dishonest heart.

The earliest known version dates from the 16th century BC during the 18th Dynasty (circa 1580-1350 BC). It partly incorporated two previous collections of Egyptian religious literature, known as the Coffin Texts (c. 2000 BC) and the Pyramid Texts (c. 2600-2300 BC), both of which were eventually superseded by the Book of the Dead.

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is the title of the earliest extant book on Jewish esotericism, although some early commentators treated it as a treatise on mathematical and linguistic theory as opposed to Kabbalah. "Yetzirah" is more literally translated as "Formation"; the word "Briah" is used for "Creation".[1] The book is traditionally ascribed to the patriarch Abraham, while modern scholars haven't reached consensus on the question of its origins.

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The Book of Abramelin tells the story of an Egyptian mage named Abramelin, or Abra-Melin, who taught a system of magic to Abraham of Worms, a Jew in Worms, Germany, presumed to have lived from c.1362–c.1458. The system of magic from this book regained popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries due to the efforts of Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers' translation, The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, its import within the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and later within the mystical system of Thelema (created in 1904 by Aleister Crowley).

Mathers used the least-reliable manuscript copy as the basis for his translation, and it contains many errors and omissions. The later English translation by Georg Dehn and Steven Guth, based on the earliest and most complete sources, is more scholarly and comprehensive. Dehn attributed authorship of The Book of Abramelin to Rabbi Yaakov Moelin (Hebrew יעקב בן משה מולין; ca. 1365–1427), a German Jewish Talmudist. This identification has since been disputed.

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The Lesser Key of Solomon or Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis (the Clavicula Salomonis, or Key of Solomon is an earlier book on the subject), is an anonymous 17th century grimoire, and one of the most popular books of demonology. It has also long been widely known as the Lemegeton, although that name is considered incorrect because it depends on faulty Latin.

It appeared in the 17th century, but much was taken from texts of the 16th century, including the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, by Johann Weyer, and late-medieval grimoires. It is likely that books by Jewish kabbalists and Muslim mystics were also inspirations. Some of the material in the first section, concerning the summoning of demons, dates to the 14th century or earlier.

The book claims that it was originally written by King Solomon, although this is certainly incorrect. The titles of nobility assigned to the demons were unknown in his time, as were the prayers to Jesus and the Christian Trinity included in the text.

The Lesser Key of Solomon contains detailed descriptions of spirits and the conjurations needed to invoke and oblige them to do the will of the conjurer (referred to as the "exorcist"). It details the protective signs and rituals to be performed, the actions necessary to prevent the spirits from gaining control, the preparations prior to the invocations, and instructions on how to make the necessary instruments for the execution of these rituals.

Earwicker posted:

Lil Mama Im Sorry posted:

Another great compendium is The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P. Hall. It's pretty much the book that got me drawn into all this stuff.

Lil Mama Im Sorry posted:

Alchemy, while considered hilariously outdated to most, is a wide-ranging field in the occult that's shrouded in cryptic prose and symbols. The Emerald Tablet is probably its greatest and most central work. A lot of the language used in Alchemical texts for metals and such is generally considered to be metaphors for spiritual realities and processes. This gives Alchemy a very mystic quality when it's applied on a personal level.

A human heart posted:

That one is available on sacred-texts.com, since like a lot of older occult stuff it's public domain: http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/index.htm Lots of good stuff on there related to occult subjects.

I have a copy of the History of Magic by Eliphas Levi which I should really finish reading, Levi had a big influence on the Golden Dawn and on Aleister Crowley so he's quite important to 20th century occultism.


The thing about alchemy is that it's a lot more interesting than the weird proto chemistry that it gets talked about as, because like you said much of the symbolism and language involved was metaphorical, and there's not even a clear idea of what the 'philosopher's stone' was actually supposed to be.

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In the broadest sense, Magick is any act designed to cause intentional change. This term is often spelled with a terminal "k" to differentiate it from other practices, such as "stage magic". Magick is not capable of producing "miracles" or violating the physical laws of the universe (i.e. it cannot cause a solar eclipse), although "it is theoretically possible to cause in any object any change of which that object is capable by nature" (Book 4). Aleister Crowley saw magick as the essential method for a person to reach true understanding of the self and to act according to one's True Will. Crowley describes this process:

One must find out for oneself, and make sure beyond doubt, "who" one is, "what" one is, "why" one is...Being thus conscious of the proper course to pursue, the next thing is to understand the conditions necessary to following it out. After that, one must eliminate from oneself every element alien or hostile to success, and develop those parts of oneself which are specially needed to control the aforesaid conditions. (Book 4)

Crowley also provides us with some fundamental statements about the nature of magick (also from Book 4):

"MAGICK is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will."
"Every intentional (willed) act is a Magical Act."
"Magick is the Science of understanding oneself and one's conditions. It is the Art of applying that understanding in action."

For Crowley, the practice of magick—although it equally applies to mundane things, like balancing the checkbook—is essentially to be used for attaining the Knowledge and Conversation of one's Holy Guardian Angel. Since achieving this state with one's 'Silent Self' can be extremely arduous, magick can be used not only to reach that particular goal, but to clear the way for it as well. For example, if one needed a particular dwelling to perform the operation, one could use magick to obtain a suitable home. Crowley stated that magick that did not have one of these goals as its aim was 'Black Magick' and should be avoided.

[...]
In The Magick of Thelema, Lon Milo DuQuette expands on Crowley's definition of magick by saying that "conversely, any unwilled action is an unmagical act: reaching for a cigarette; ordering that fourth Martini; or any habitual or reactive behavior that overrides the momentum of one's life focus." He goes on to say that "magick also postulates a universal order—call it God, Nature, the Supreme Being, the Grand Architect of the Universe, the Tao, or just the-way-things-are. But the Magician knows that the pure Will of every man and every woman is already in perfect harmony with the divine Will; in fact they are one and the same. It is the Magician's Great Work to endeavor to remove the obstacles that hinder his or her perfect realization of that Will and then proceed to execute it."

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Eliphas Lévi, born Alphonse Louis Constant, (1810-1875) was a French author and magician.

"Eliphas Lévi," the name under which he published his books, was his attempt to translate or transliterate his given names "Alphonse Constant" into Hebrew.

Alphonse was the son of a shoemaker in Paris; he attended a seminary and began to study to enter the Roman Catholic priesthood. However, while at the seminary he fell in love, and left without being ordained. He wrote a number of minor religious works and radical political tracts after leaving the seminary, to no great success.

In 1854, he visited England, where he met the novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who was interested in Rosicrucianism as a literary theme and was the president of a minor Rosicrucian order. With Lytton, Constant conceived the notion of writing a treatise on magick. This appeared in 1855 under the title Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie, and was translated into English by Arthur Edward Waite as Transcendental Magic.

In 1861, he published a sequel, La Clef des Grandes Mystères (The Key to the Great Mysteries). Further magical works by Levi include Fables et Symboles (Stories and Images), 1862, and La Science des Esprits (The Science of Spirits), 1865. In 1868, he wrote Le Grand Arcane, ou l'Occultisme Dévoilé (The Great Secret, or Occultism Unveiled); this, however, was only published posthumously in 1898.

Constant's version of magick became a great success, especially after his death. His magical teachings were free from obvious fanaticisms; he had nothing to sell, and did not pretend to be the inititate of some ancient or fictitious secret society. He incorporated the Tarot cards into his magical system, and as a result the Tarot has been an important part of the technology of Western magicians. He had a deep impact on the magick of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and it was largely through this impact that Eliphas Levi is remembered as one of the key founders of the twentieth century revival of magick.

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Aleister Crowley (Oct. 12, 1875-Dec. 1, 1947) — however one judges him — was a fascinating man who lived an amazing life. He is best known as being an infamous occultist and the scribe of The Book of the Law, which introduced Thelema to the world. Crowley was an influential member in several occult organizations, including the Golden Dawn, the A.'.A.'., and Ordo Templi Orientis. He was a prolific writer and poet, a world traveler, mountaineer, chess master, artist, yogi, social provocateur, drug addict and sexual libertine. The press loved to demonize him and dubbed Crowley “The wickedest man in the world.”

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The religion known as Thelema was established with the writing of The Book of the Law. It was written (or received) by Aleister Crowley in Cairo, Egypt in the year 1904. It contains three chapters, each of which was written down in one hour, beginning at noon, on April 8th, 9th, and 10th. Crowley claims that the author was an entity named Aiwass, whom he later identified as his own Holy Guardian Angel. The teachings within this small book are clearly expressed in the Law of Thelema, expressed by these two phrases:

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" (AL I:40) and
"Love is the law, love under will" (AL I:57)

Interpretation of this book is considered a matter for the individual, and openly promoting personal ideas about its meaning is strongly discouraged. Although Crowley expressed the desire to see the Law of Thelema promulgated in all areas of society, success in this endeavor is to be based on others willfully following the the good example of Thelemites rather than by evangelization or direct attempts to convert others. "Success is thy proof: argue not; convert not; talk not over much!"

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Magick, Liber ABA, Book 4 is widely considered to be the magnum opus of 20th-century occultist Aleister Crowley, the founder of Thelema. It is a lengthy treatise on Magick, his system of Western occult practice, synthesised from many sources, including Eastern Yoga, Hermeticism, medieval grimoires, contemporary magical theories from writers like Eliphas Levi and Helena Blavatsky, and his own original contributions. It consists of four parts: Mysticism, Magick (Elementary Theory), Magick in Theory and Practice, and ΘΕΛΗΜΑ—the Law (The Equinox of The Gods). It also includes numerous appendices presenting many rituals and explicatory papers.

In November 1911, Crowley carried out a ritual during which he reports being commanded to write Book 4 by a discarnate entity named "Abuldiz" (sometimes spelled "Ab-ul-diz") in Crowley's incomplete record of the working, which came around the time that Liber Legis was ready to be published in The Equinox Vol VII. The working was published in The Equinox Vol. VIII of Vol I. The writing of Book 4 was duly accomplished with the aid of his seer Soror Virakam (Mary Desti)[1] at a villa in Posillipo near Naples, Italy, and was published in the winter of 1912–1913 in The Equinox Vol. VIII of Vol I. Abuldiz appeared in Mary Desti's visions (as Crowley's seer) as an old man with a long white beard, wearing a ring which contained a white feather. Abuldiz communicated that there was a book to be given to Fra. P. (Frater Perduabo = Crowley). The name of the book was Aba, and its number 4. Another being called Jezel was also in the room where the visions of Abuldiz were seen - he was described as a black-headed 'Turk' or 'Egyptian' wearing a "tarbush" (Fez) and a red sash; one of his hands was covered with crocodile skin. (Crowley comments in the text that Soror Virakam recognized the human counterparty of Jezel as Elias Pasha, the father of Veli Bey, a Turkish man whom man Mary Desti married after she divorced Preston Sturges).

Liber ABA refers to this work being a part of Crowley's system of magical works known as libri (Latin for 'books'). In most systems such as gematria where letters are given numerical value, ABA adds up to 4, a number which represents the Four Elements, Stability and so on (thus the name Book 4).

Much of the book was dictated by Crowley to his principal A∴A∴ students of the time, who would also ask questions to get clarification. The principal collaborators were Soror Virakam (Mary Desti or D'Este 1871-1966; mother of Preston Sturges and companion of Isadora Duncan), Leila Waddell (1880-1932; also known as Laylah and Soror Agatha), and Soror Rhodon (Mary Butts, 1890-1937), all of whom were given coauthorship credit. The book was also dedicated to Soror Ouarda (Rose Edith Crowley, 1874-1932); Frater Per Ardua (Maj.-Gen. John Frederick Charles Fuller, 1878-1966); Soror Alostrael (Leah Hirsig, 1883-1951) and Frater Volo Intelligere (Gerald Yorke, 1901-1983).

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Magick Without Tears, a series of letters, was the last book written by English occultist Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), although it was not published until after his death. It was written in the mid-1940s and published in 1954 with a foreword by its editor, Karl Germer.

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Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (27 (25?) February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian philosopher, author, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as a literary critic and published philosophical works including The Philosophy of Freedom. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he founded an esoteric spiritual movement, anthroposophy, with roots in German idealist philosophy and theosophy; other influences include Goethean science and Rosicrucianism.

In the first, more philosophically oriented phase of this movement, Steiner attempted to find a synthesis between science and spirituality; his philosophical work of these years, which he termed spiritual science, sought to apply the clarity of thinking characteristic of Western philosophy to spiritual questions, differentiating this approach from what he considered to be vaguer approaches to mysticism. In a second phase, beginning around 1907, he began working collaboratively in a variety of artistic media, including drama, the movement arts (developing a new artistic form, eurythmy) and architecture, culminating in the building of the Goetheanum, a cultural centre to house all the arts. In the third phase of his work, beginning after World War I, Steiner worked to establish various practical endeavors, including Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, and anthroposophical medicine.

Steiner advocated a form of ethical individualism, to which he later brought a more explicitly spiritual approach. He based his epistemology on Johann Wolfgang Goethe's world view, in which "Thinking … is no more and no less an organ of perception than the eye or ear. Just as the eye perceives colours and the ear sounds, so thinking perceives ideas."[9] A consistent thread that runs from his earliest philosophical phase through his later spiritual orientation is the goal of demonstrating that there are no essential limits to human knowledge

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The first English version of this basic work by Rudolf Steiner, appeared in print in 1904 as two volumes with the titles:

“The Way of Initiation or How to Attain Knowledge of the Higher Worlds,” (Bn 10.1)
“Initiation and Its Results.” (its sequel) (Bn 10.2)

It was extensively rewritten, and the new version appeared in English translation in 1923 with the title, Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and Its Attainment. This book, perhaps the most controversial of Steiner's extensive literary legacy, suggests the possibility of a person in the 20th century developing sufficient skills of concentration, empathy, etc. to be able to obtain first-hand knowledge of spiritual realities consciously. It was originally published in German as, Wie Erlangt Man Erkenntnisse der Hoeheren Welten?.

The contents of this book are:
How is Knowledge of the Higher Worlds Attained?
The Stages of Initiation
Initiation
Some Practical Aspects
The Conditions for Esoteric Training
Some Effects of Initiation
The Transformation of Dream Life
The Continuity of Consciousness
The Division of Personality during Spiritual Training
The Guardian of the Threshold
Life and Death, The Greater Guardian of the Threshold

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Regardie was born Francis Israel Regudy (Франсис Израиль Регудий) in London to Barnet Regudy, a cigarette maker, and his wife, Phoebe Perry, poor orthodox Jewish immigrants from Zhitomir, Russia. His family changed their surname to "Regardie" after a clerical mixup resulted in Israel's brother being enrolled in the British Army under that name.[1] Regardie emigrated with his parents to the United States in August 1921 and settled in Washington, DC. He studied art in Washington, DC and Philadelphia, PA. With a Hebrew tutor he gained a linguistic knowledge which would prove invaluable in his later studies of Hermetic Qabalah.[2] With easy access to the Library of Congress, he read widely and became interested in Theosophy, Hindu philosophy and yoga. He also joined the Societas Rosicruciana in America at around this time.

After reading Part I of Book 4 by the occultist Aleister Crowley, Regardie initiated a correspondence which led to his return at 21 to the U.K. at Crowley's 1928 invitation to become his secretary. When the two parted company four years later, in 1932, Regardie distanced himself from Crowley personally, but still retained a great deal of respect for his writings.[4] In 1931 he wrote A Garden of Pomegranates, a primer on Qabalah based on notes he had taken while working for Crowley.

In 1932 Regardie published The Tree of Life, a book many consider his magnum opus. In it he states:

According to the traditional philosophy of the Magicians, every man is a unique autonomous center of individual consciousness, energy and will – a soul, in a word. Like a star shining and existing by its own inward light it pursues its way in the star-spangled heavens, solitary, uninterfered with, except insofar as its heavenly course is gravitationally modified by the presence, near or far, of other stars. Since in the vast stellar spaces seldom are there conflicts between the celestial bodies, unless one happens to stray from its appointed course – a very rare occurrence – so when the realms of humankind there would be no chaos, little conflict and no mutual disturbance were each individual content to be grounded in the reality of his own high consciousness, aware of his ideal nature and his true purpose in life, and eager to pursue the road which he must follow.

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Lon Milo DuQuette, IX° is one of a handful of individuals initiated (1975 EV) by Hymenaeus Alpha 777 (Grady L. McMurtry) after the death of Karl Germer and prior to McMurtry’s formal reorganization of the OTO. In 2004 EV, upon the death of his former teacher, Phyllis Seckler, DuQuette inherited the distinction of being in the OTO longer than any other living member.

He is currently the U.S. Deputy Grand Master General, and enjoys the unique position of Archbishop of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, a prelacy conferred upon him by both Hymenaeus Alpha and Hymenaeus Beta.

DuQuette has authored numerous books pertaining to magick and Thelema. He lectures extensively and is arguably the most publicly visible member of the O.T.O. in the world.

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A unique and humorous -- and also practical -- approach to the increasingly popular study of Qabalah. This is a seriously funny book! Traditional Qabalistic (or Cabalistic, or, indeed, Kabbalistic -- read this book to find out what the difference is...we know you've always wondered) sources tend to be a bit, er, dry. DuQuette spices up the Qabalah and makes it come alive, restoring the joy of learning the fundamentals of this admittedly arcane system by using simple, amusing anecdotes and metaphors. This account, written psuedepigraphically (fictitiously attributed to a supposed authority), allows DuQuette as Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford to soar to outrageous heights and, when necessary, stand apart from the silliness to highlight the golden eggs of Qabalistic wisdom nested therein. Sure to be a revelation to those who think that learning about the Qabalah needs to be tedious and serious, DuQuette shows that great truths can be transmitted through the medium of laughter. * A Dilettante's Guide to What You Do and Do Not Need to Know to Become a Qabalist .

quote:

Sharing the lessons he’s learned from over forty years as a magician and family man, Lon Milo DuQuette reveals his unique point of view about magick—its ups and downs, ins and outs, and how his family and home are the foundation of his practice. Written in Lon’s humorous style that makes learning and discovery a joy, Homemade Magick will show you that everyday life events are, in fact, true magical adventures.

As you navigate your journey, you’ll learn how to:

Choose your magical motto
Perform a self-initiation ritual
Make your own tools
Raise children in a magical home
Perform the Rite of Earth
Learn how to make your whole life magick

With this insightful book as your guide, you can see how the magical world is already an integral part of your life. Between easy-to-follow instructions and Lon’s colorful stories about his years as a domesticated magician, you’ll be inspired to wake up to your own magical identity—and have a whole lot of fun along the way.

Smoking Crow posted:

Can we all agree there's no k in magic

quote:

The Formula of Tetragrammaton is the complete mathematical expression of Love. Its essence is this: any two things unite, with a double effect; firstly, the destruction of both, accompanied by the ecstasy due to the relief of the strain of separateness; secondly, the creation of a third thing, accompanied by the ecstasy of the realisation of existence, which is Joy until with development it becomes aware of its imperfection, and loves.

This formula of Love is universal; all the laws of Nature are its servitors. Thus, gravitation, chemical affinity, electrical potential, and the rest—and these are alike mere aspects of the general law—are so many differently-observed statements of the unique tendency.

The Universe is conserved by the duplex action involved in the formula. The disappearance of Father and Mother is precisely compensated by the emergence of Son and Daughter. It may therefore be considered as a perpetual-motion-engine which continually develops rapture in each of its phases.

The sacrifice of Iphigenia at Aulis may be taken as typical of the formula: the mystical effect is the assumption of the maid to the bosom of the goddess; while, for the magical, the destruction of her earthly part, the fawn composes the rage of Æolus, and bids the Danaids set sail.

Now it cannot be too clearly understood, or too acutely realised by means of action, that the intensity of the Joy liberated varies with the original degree of opposition between the two elements of the union. Heat, light, electricity are phenomena expressive of the fullness of passion, and their value is greatest when the diversity of the Energies composing the marriage is most strenuous. One obtains more from the explosion of Hydrogen and Oxygen than from the dull combination of substances indifferent to each other. Thus, the union of Nitrogen and Chlorine is so little satisfying to either molecule, that the resulting compound disintegrates with explosive violence at the slightest shock. We might say, then, in the language of Thelema, that such an act of love is not "love under will." It is, so to speak, a black magical operation.

Let us consider, in a figure, the ‘feelings’ of a molecule of Hydrogen in the presence of one of Oxygen or of Chlorine. It is made to suffer intensely by the realisation of the extremity of its deviation from the perfect type of monad by the contemplation of an element so supremely opposed to its own nature at every point. So far as it is egoist, its reaction must be scorn and hatred; but as it understands by the true shame that is put upon its separateness by the presence of its opposite, these feelings turn to anguished yearning. It begins to crave the electric spark which will enable it to assuage its pangs by the annihilation of all those properties which constitute its separate existence, in the rapture of union, and at the same time to fulfil its passion to create a perfect type of Peace.

precision posted:

I should probably post a lot here since this poo poo has been my bag for decades now.

I think one of the best things Crowley wrote is Little Essays Toward Truth and am pretty surprised you didn't include it.

On "Love", he writes:

Earwicker posted:

This morning I left my place to go get some pastries and coffee. On the walk back I saw that a pile of books had been dumped in front of a house. It was a set of brand new, mind condition volumes of the Zohar - "the first unabridged English translation" it said on the spines. I picked one up at random (it was volume 17) and looked at it without opening it, noted that there was absolutely no dirt or water damage (it had rained last night). I put the volume back in the pile and kept walking. I deliberately forgot which house it was.

Lil Mama Im Sorry posted:

I have not read this but it is definitely on my list now. If you wanna type up something on it I can add it to the OP.

precision posted:

Well, I also wish people understood that he actively discouraged and detested black magickal practices, contrary to what almost everyone (even people who have read some of his stuff) believes.

Earwicker posted:

I don't think Crowley himself would have wished for that. I'm pretty sure the fact that he was (and in some contexts continues to be) held up as some kind of "evil Satanic witch doctor" etc. in popular consciousness was something that pleased him.

Earwicker posted:

here is a cool book:







http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/art/all/45421/gallery.alchemy_mysticism.htm

it is a huge compendium of imagery and symbols from manuscripts and other works by alchemists and occultists - mostly central European from the 15th-17th centuries (and especially a lot of work from Jakob Boehme and Michael Maiar in particular) but featuring a good amount of other material as well.

Earwicker posted:

here is a cool book:

Stravinsky posted:

Was newton truly the last alchemist?

Hieronymous Alloy posted:

Is there any one single book this thread would suggest for a BOTM nominee

quote:

Prometheus Rising is a book by Robert Anton Wilson first published in 1983. It is a guide book of "how to get from here to there", an amalgam of Timothy Leary's 8-circuit model of consciousness, Gurdjieff's self-observation exercises, Alfred Korzybski's general semantics, Aleister Crowley's magical theorems, Sociobiology, Yoga, relativity, and quantum mechanics, amongst other approaches to understanding the world around us, and claiming to be a short book (under 300 pages) about how the human mind works and how to get the most use from one. Wilson describes it as an "owner's manual for the human brain".

Hieronymous Alloy posted:

Is there any one single book this thread would suggest for a BOTM nominee

quote:

A unique and humorous -- and also practical -- approach to the increasingly popular study of Qabalah. This is a seriously funny book! Traditional Qabalistic (or Cabalistic, or, indeed, Kabbalistic -- read this book to find out what the difference is...we know you've always wondered) sources tend to be a bit, er, dry. DuQuette spices up the Qabalah and makes it come alive, restoring the joy of learning the fundamentals of this admittedly arcane system by using simple, amusing anecdotes and metaphors. This account, written psuedepigraphically (fictitiously attributed to a supposed authority), allows DuQuette as Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford to soar to outrageous heights and, when necessary, stand apart from the silliness to highlight the golden eggs of Qabalistic wisdom nested therein. Sure to be a revelation to those who think that learning about the Qabalah needs to be tedious and serious, DuQuette shows that great truths can be transmitted through the medium of laughter. * A Dilettante's Guide to What You Do and Do Not Need to Know to Become a Qabalist .

A human heart posted:

I can't imagine a way of making a book on an esoteric tradition less appealing than stressing how light and funny the book is. Like if you didn't want to read dense tomes why the heck would you be interested in occult subjects in the first place.

A human heart posted:

I can't imagine a way of making a book on an esoteric tradition less appealing than stressing how light and funny the book is. Like if you didn't want to read dense tomes why the heck would you be interested in occult subjects in the first place.