Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

    Hall, the American philosopher, in over a period of 20 years of dynamic public activity, has steadfastly sought recognition of the belief that world civilization can only be perfected when human beings meet on a common ground of intelligence, cooperation and worthy purpose. The Initiates of the Flame is a reverent and inspired tribute to the ancient wisdom teachings. Though mystical in spirit, this work explains many keys to esoteric philosophy. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

    This concise guide offers a modern interpretation of the doctrine, distilling its teachings with seven compelling principles that can be applied to self-development in daily life.

    This Weiser Classics edition is newly re-typeset and include a new foreword by Judika Illes and a new afterword by Stuart R. Harrop, co-director of the Society of Inner Light (founded in 1924 by Dion Fortune).Dion Fortune's classic, The Mystical Qabalah, explores all aspects of the Qabalah, including the esoteric sciences of astrology and tarot, which form the basis of the Western Mystery Traditions. It provides a key to the practical working of this mystical system for both novice and initiate alike.

    This is the definitive study of the Egyptian tarot and is used as a key to all Western mystery disciplines. Color plates of eight cards.

    Their supposed author, a mythical figure named Hermes Trismegistus, was thought to be a contemporary of Moses. The Hermetic philosophy was regarded as an ancient theology, parallel to the revealed wisdom of the Bible, supporting Biblical revelation and culminating in the Platonic philosophical tradition. This new translation is the only English version based on reliable texts, and Professor Copenhaver's introduction and notes make this accessible and up-to-date edition an indispensable resource to scholars.

    Part I - Theory: / establishes the foundation of physical existence as explained through the elements / the secret of the Tetragrammaton / the YOD-HE-VAU-HE / Karma, the Law of Cause and Effect / the significance of the physical, astral and spiritual planes / opening the door to initiation without the aid of a teacher.Part II - Practice: (divided into 10 progressive steps) / self thought control / introspection / conscious eating and breathing / controlling the elements / the practice of mental travel / transformation of character and temperament / astral body projection / loading of tallsmans, amulets and gems / elevation of the spirit to higher spheres including conscious communion with God.

    Influencing the Egyptians, Greeks, and much of Western thought, this work is credited to Hermes, an ancient Egyptian sage who lived around 3000 B.C. and so revered that he was granted the title "Trismegistus" meaning "Thrice-great."Providing a fascinating mystical introduction to the philosophy of ancient Egypt that has influenced and shaped our world for five millennia, The Hermetica is a book for anyone interested in this lasting civilization or in the knowledge of sacred traditions.

    This unique selection of illustrations with commentaries and source texts guides us on a fascinating journey through the representations of the secret arts.

    Germain is one of the most baffling personalities of modern history. His activities are traceable for more than one hundred: years between 1710 and 1822, leading Frederick the Great to refer to him as "the man who does not die." An outstanding scholar and linguist, a great musician and painter, as well as a chemist with skill so profound he could change base metals into gold, he was also enormously wealthy and was on intimate terms with the crowned heads of Europe. Nothing is known about the source of St. Germain's occult knowledge; he merely admitted he was obeying the orders of a power higher than himself, saying that his father was the Secret Doctrine and his mother the Mysteries.

    Includes Crowley's "An Initiated Interpretation of Ceremonial Magic," his version of "The Bornless Ritual," Enochian translations of some of the Goetic invocations, an introduction, and notes. Illustrated. Smythe-sewn and printed on acid-free paper.

    It speaks from a nonsectarian point of view, unearthing insights from the whole of the Christian tradition, orthodox and heretical, famous and obscure. The esoteric tradition has traditionally searched for meanings that would yield a deeper inner knowledge of the divine. While traditional Christianity draws a timeline from Adam's Fall to the Day of Judgment, the esoteric often sees time as folding in on itself, bringing every point to the here and now. While the Church fought bitterly over dogma, the esoteric borrowed freely from other traditions—Kabbalah, astrology, and alchemy—in their search for metaphors of inner truth. Rather than basing his book around exponents of esoteric doctrine, scholar Richard Smoley concentrates on the questions that are of interest to every searching Christian. How can one attain direct spiritual experience? What does "the Fall" really tell us about coming to terms with the world we live in? Can we find salvation in everyday life? How can we ascend, spiritually, through the various levels of existence? What was Christ's true message to humankind? From the Gospel of Thomas to A Course in Miracles, from the Jesus Prayer to alchemy and Tarot, from Origen to Dante to Jung, Richard Smoley sheds the light of an alternative Christianity on these issues and more.

    She was born and raised in Southern California and presently lives with her three children in the sultry piedmont forest of North Carolina.I began the Mary-el Tarot in late 1997 when I had my first baby Sophia. 15 years later it is finally being released to the world via Schiffer Books. What a journey! In the early days I decided my big goal with this tarot was to have one that was powerful, beautiful and balanced between male and female energies. This idea grew and evolved as this tarot unfolded, and at the end, I think, represents the greatness of the balanced human soul, which is itself a reflection of the balanced universe. A journey from perfection in innocence to experience and enlightenment. What you should know about the Mary-el Tarot: It has a traditional structure, 22 major arcana, 56 minor arcana, standard names for all. It is built on traditional symbolism. I took the symbolism as found in tarot and illustrated those ideas the best I could. It is not a clone of other tarots, rather a parallel.The whole Mary-el Tarot is built on the symbolism in modern tarot. The Major Arcana is traditional and the Minor Arcana is built on the ideas, symbolism and numerology of the Major Arcana. For example, the 5s are elemental extensions of the Hierophant. The 4s of the Emperor. The 7s the Chariot. Taking this even further the Court cards are, the Pages - Strength. The Knights - the Hanged Man, the Queens-Death. The Kings -Temperance. While there are a lot of associations, ideas and symbolism in these cards the above is the most basic of them - number and element. I think that there is a great objective truth that underlies reality. We can't always see it clearly, though we do feel it, sense it, and are made of it. We each try to describe it using the tools available to us, the trappings of our culture and experience, and this gives rise to different mythologies and religions and systems, esoterics included. Its all the same. I have tried to illustrate that common underlying reality, sometimes using what I thought were the best representative examples of that idea, like Raven Stealing the Sun for the 7 of Swords.The Mary-el tarot is not perfect, not by far!! These things keep evolving!! But it is a journey and hopefully what you find inside will help illuminate a little bit of what you are looking for.

    This title addresses the perennial questions: continuity of life after death, purpose of existence, good and evil, consciousness and substance, sexuality, karma, evolution, and human and planetary transformation.

    If you have ever wanted to read a book that validates immortality and communication with loved ones who have passed on, then read this book. It is an authentic portal to the other side." Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the SpiritWhen Mike and Beth Pasakarnis received the news that every parent dreads, their world seemed to crumble around them. Spiritual teacher and evidential medium Suzanne Giesemann knew exactly how they felt. Like Mike and Beth’s son, Wolf, her step-daughter Susan had been struck and killed by a bolt of lightning out of the blue. Until meeting Mike and Beth, Suzanne—a former “by-the-book” Navy commander—had cautiously refrained from using the word “proof” when speaking of the eternal existence of the soul. But no longer. The evidence Mike and Beth shared from their son provided all the proof she needed. Little did Mike, Beth, or Suzanne know that their lives would soon become even more entangled by unexpected visits from Wolf’s spirit. Had Wolf’s presence offered a one-time glimpse across the veil, they might still be pondering the significance of the mystifying clues he left behind. Instead, as Wolf repeatedly made his presence known, Suzanne was able to piece together Wolf’s puzzle and reveal a startling message that has profound spiritual implications for us all. Travel along on Suzanne’s incredible journey as she unravels the web of clues Wolf wove to ensure that his uplifting message of hope and joy is understood by all mankind. "Part spiritual detective story, part definitive proof of after-death communications from a most extraordinary young man, Wolf’s Message is above all a must-read for those seeking a more balanced, heart-centered way of living." Kenneth Ring, Ph.D., author of Lessons from the Light“Wolf’s efforts to communicate with us through Suzanne deserve to be taken seriously and received with gratitude, awe, and celebration.” Gary E. Schwartz, Ph.D., author of The Sacred Promise “Somehow, reading Wolf's Message creates a field into which the reader is incorporated experientially. Reading, learning, and Being are rolled into a synergy that exemplifies the truths of nature and existence as they are revealed. Such authentic interactivity is rarely achieved in this context; a really good book is one in which the author draws the reader in by chronicling notions and events in such a way as to invite and affirm our ability to relate. A really great story dispenses with the dichotomy of author and reader altogether, and the precious anomaly of Wolf's Message is that it behaves more like an Oracle than a Book.” Dr. Barbara E. Fields, Executive Director, Association for Global New Thought