Book picks similar to
Mysteries by Colin Wilson


non-fiction
paranormal
occult
history

Monsters: An Investigator's Guide to Magical Beings


John Michael Greer - 2001
    Vampires, werewolves, zombies, demons--they're simply figments of our imagination, right? After all, their existence has never been scientifically proven. But there is one giant problem with such an easy dismissal of these creepy creatures: people keep encountering them.Join occult scholar John Michael Greer for a harrowing journey into the reality of the impossible. Combining folklore, Western magical philosophy, and actual field experience, Monsters: An Investigator's Guide to Magical Beings is required reading for both active and armchair monster hunters. Between these covers you'll find a chilling collection of fiendish facts and folklore, including:Why true vampires are the least attractive--and most destructive--of all monsters The five different kinds of ghosts Magical origins of the werewolf legends How to survive a chimera encounter (Jersey Devil, chupacabra, Mothman) The hidden connections between faery lore and UFOs Where dragons are found today How to investigate a monster sighting Natural and ritual magic techniques for dealing with hostile monsters This 10th anniversary edition of the quintessential guide to magical beings features a new preface, new chapters on chimeras and zombies, and updates on werewolves, dragons, and the fae.

Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe


Laura Lynne Jackson - 2019
    She possesses an incredible gift: the ability to communicate with loved ones who have passed, convey messages of love and healing, and impart a greater understanding of our interconnectedness. Though her abilities are exceptional, they are not unique, and that is the message at the core of this book. Understanding "the secret language of the universe" is a gift available to all. As we learn to ask for and recognize signs from the other side, we will start to find meaning where before there was only confusion, and see light in the darkness. We may decide to change paths, push toward love, pursue joy, and engage with life in a whole new way.In Signs, Jackson is able to bring the mystical into the everyday. She relates stories of people who have experienced uncanny revelations and instances of unexplained synchronicity, as well as others drawn from her own experience. There's the lost child who appears to his mother as a deer that approaches her unhesitatingly at a highway rest stop; the name written on a dollar bill that lets a terrified wife know that her husband will be okay; the Elvis Presley song that arrives at the exact moment of Jackson's own father's passing; and many others. This is a book that is inspiring and practical, deeply comforting and wonderfully motivational, in asking us to see beyond ourselves to a more magnificent universal design.

The Queen's Conjurer: The Science and Magic of Dr. John Dee, Advisor to Queen Elizabeth I


Benjamin Woolley - 2001
    Beyond the political sphere his intellectual pursuits ranged from the scientific to the occult. His mathematics anticipated Isaac Newton by nearly a century, while his mapmaking and navigation were critical to exploration. He was also obsessed with alchemy, astrology, and mysticism. His library was one of the finest in Europe, a vast compendium of thousands of volumes. Yet, despite his powerful position and prodigious intellect, Dee died in poverty and obscurity, reviled and pitied as a madman. Benjamin Woolley tells the engrossing story of the rise and fall of this remarkable man, who wielded great influence during the pivotal era when the age of superstition collided with the new world of science and reason. Written with flair and vigor, based on numerous surviving diaries of the period, The Queen's Conjurer is a highly readable account of an extraordinary life.

Undoing Yourself: With Energized Meditation and Other Devices


Christopher S. Hyatt - 1982
    Who hates Undoing? Stuffed-shirt academicians, do-nothing sweetness-and-light practitioners of cosmic foo-foo, and would-be slave-owners everywhere. On the other hand, if you are interested in actually accomplishing something, you will love it.

Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson


G.I. Gurdjieff - 1950
    I. Gurdjieff (1866-1949) has come to be recognized as one of the most original, enduring, and penetrating of our century. While Gurdjieff used many different means to transmit his vision of the human dilemma and human possibility, he gave special importance to his acknowledged masterwork, Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson. Beelzebub's Tales is an "ocean of story" and of ideas that one can explore for a lifetime. It is majestic in scale and content, challengingly inventive in prose style, and, for those very reasons, often approached with apprehension. The first English language edition of the Russian original appeared in 1950. Since then, readers have recognized the need for a revised translation that would clarify the verbal surface while respecting the author's own thought and style. This revised edition, in preparation for many years under the direction of Gurdjieff's closest pupil, Jeanne de Salzmann, meets this need. Originally published in 1992, this translation offers a new experience of Gurdjieff's masterpiece for contemporary readers. It is presented in a sturdy cloth edition that echoes its original publication.

Raising Hell: A Concise History of the Black Arts - and Those Who Dared to Practice Them


Robert Masello - 1996
    Raising Hell weaves history with myths, quotes, anecdotes, and illustrations, to provide a vivid chronicle of the evolution of the occult arts. This definitive source offers a compelling look at the black arts and those who risked their lives to explore them.

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot


Rachel Pollack - 1980
    Described by many as ‘the Bible of Tarot readers’, the books brought awareness of myth and modern psychology to the Tarot’s ancient esoteric symbolism. Now, for the first time, the texts for 'The Major Arcana' and 'The Minor Arcana' appear in one volume. To mark this special occasion, Rachel Pollack has revised and updated the book in the light of her thirty years’ teaching, reading, and writing about Tarot cards. She has also written a new preface describing her own journey through the Tarot’s world of symbols.The Tarot is an eternally fascinating set of strange and beautiful pictures. But beyond this lies a world of potent symbols granting access to a path of self knowledge, personal growth and freedom. These symbols connect us to the great stories of world mythology and the eternal truths of the soul. 'Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom'shows you how to use Tarot as an effective and accessible means of self-enlightenment. The book includes a complete section on how to give Tarot readings, as well as an analysis of the origins, meaning and psychological aspects of Tarot divination.

Myths to Live By


Joseph Campbell - 1972
    Campbell stresses that the borders dividing the Earth have been shattered; that myths and religions have always followed the certain basic archetypes and are no longer exclusive to a single people, region, or religion. He shows how we must recognize their common denominators and allow this knowledge to be of use in fulfilling human potential everywhere.

The Devil Came to St. Louis


Troy Taylor - 2006
    Louis in 1949, creating a mystery that continues to endure to this day. But what really happened in this enigmatic case? How much of the mysterious story that has been told over the years is truth and how much fiction? Author Troy Taylor, who has examined many cases of ghosts and the unexplained over the years, has spent more than 10 years researching the facts behind this chilling story --- searching through old records, visiting the sites associated with the exorcism and even interviewing the last remaining witnesses to the strange events. This book now reveals the results of his work, unveiling the true facts behind what occurred in St. Louis in 1949 and allowing the reader to judge for himself whether the victim in the case, "Robbie Doe," was really possessed by demons or not. This eye-opening and horrifying book is not for the faint of heart and is liable to have you sleeping with the lights on long after you have closed it pages for the final time!

Ghosts: A Natural History: 500 Years of Searching for Proof


Roger Clarke - 2012
    What explains sightings of ghosts? Why do they fascinate us? What exactly do those who have been haunted see? What did they believe? And what proof is there?Taking us through the key hauntings that have obsessed the world, from the true events that inspired Henry James's classic The Turn of the Screw right up to the present day, Roger Clarke unfolds a story of class conflict, charlatans, and true believers. The cast list includes royalty and prime ministers, Samuel Johnson, John Wesley, Harry Houdini, and Adolf Hitler. The chapters cover everything from religious beliefs to modern developments in neuroscience, the medicine of ghosts, and the technology of ghosthunting. There are haunted WWI submarines, houses so blighted by phantoms they are demolished, a seventeenth-century Ghost Hunter General, and the emergence of the Victorian flash mob, where hundreds would stand outside rumored sites all night waiting to catch sight of a dead face at a window.Written as grippingly as the best ghost fiction, A Natural History of Ghosts takes us on an unforgettable hunt through the most haunted places of the last five hundred years and our longing to believe.

A Course in Miracles


Foundation for Inner Peace - 1976
    __________'I love it. Will make you see the world differently' - 5* reader review'This book can and will change your life' - 5* reader review 'Anyone who has ever sensed that pull against the ego for a greater understanding and meaning to life, will feel blessed to have discovered this great work.' - 5* reader review

Astral Dynamics: A New Approach to Out-Of-Body Experience


Robert Bruce - 1999
    In this fascinating volume, Robert Bruce has drawn on his lifetime's experience not only traveling in the astral dimension, but teaching others to do so.Astral Dynamics provides, all in one package, a personal narrative, a "how-to," a troubleshooting guide, and a theoretical perspective. Whether you are a skeptic, a veteran astral projector, a novice or an armchair traveler--there is treasure here.Astral Dynamics provides the intelligent and motivated reader with everything needed to put theory into practice:Elements of Projection--Bruce's mind-split theory of what actually goes on during projectionNew Energy Ways (NEW)--His stunningly practical method of raising awareness by using touch, which Bruce calls tactile imaging.Core Skills--How to succeed at the three tasks that are essential to success in astral projection.Projection Technique--What you need to know to stop reading about astral projection and actually do it.The Akashic Connection--Speculations on things seen and heard while traveling in astral realms.Written in an engaging, unpretentious manner,Astral Dynamics is already considered to be a classic.

Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming


Stephen LaBerge - 1989
    Based on Dr. Stephen LaBerge's extensive laboratory work at Stanford University mapping mind/body relationships during the dream state, as well as the teachings of Tibetan dream yogis and the work of other scientists, including German psycholgist Paul Tholey, this practical workbook will show you how to use your dreams to: Solve problems; Gain greater confidence; improve creativity, and more.

The Divine Matrix: Bridging Time, Space, Miracles, and Belief


Gregg Braden - 2006
    From the healing of our bodies, to the success of our careers, relationships, and the peace between nations, this new evidence demonstrates that we each hold the power to speak directly to the force that links all of creation. What would it mean to discover that the power to create joy, to heal suffering, and bring peace to nations lives inside of you? How differently would you live if you knew how to use this power each day of your life? Join Gregg Braden on this extraordinary journey bridging science, spirituality and miracles through the language of The Divine Matrix.

A Still, Small Voice: A Psychic's Guide to Awakening Intuition


Echo Bodine - 2001
    Using humorous anecdotes and a positive, readable style, this sequel to Echoes of the Soul explores what intuition is, where it’s located, what it sounds like, and how to cultivate it. The author, who comes from a family of psychics, exposes the various internalized voices that can mask one’s intuition. These include the voices of parents, grandparents, peers, therapists, significant others, religious figures, and society, along with such emotions as anger, fear, guilt, and despair. The book challenges the notions that psychic abilities and intuition are the same or that they are in some way suspect. One chapter is devoted to the many practical benefits that come from listening to intuition; another looks at the “faith-building times” in life and how to cope with others’ negative reactions to one’s setting off on a spiritual path.