Book picks similar to
Unlocked Books: Manuscripts of Learned Magic in the Medieval Libraries of Central Europe by Benedek Láng
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In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching
P.D. Ouspensky - 1947
I. Gurdjieff's thoughts and universal view. This historic and influential work is considered by many to be a primer of mystical thought as expressed through the Work, a combination of Eastern philosophies that had for centuries been passed on orally from teacher to student. Gurdjieff's goal, to introduce the Work to the West, attracted many students, among them Ouspensky, an established mathematician, journalist, and, with the publication of In Search of the Miraculous, an eloquent and persuasive proselyte.Ouspensky describes Gurdjieff's teachings in fascinating and accessible detail, providing what has proven to be a stellar introduction to the universal view of both student and teacher. It goes without saying that In Search of the Miraculous has inspired great thinkers and writers of ensuing spiritual movements, including Marianne Williamson, the highly acclaimed author of A Return to Love and Illuminata. In a new and never-before-published foreword, Williamson shares the influence of Ouspensky's book and Gurdjieff's teachings on the New Thought movement and her own life, providing a contemporary look at an already timeless classic.
Modern Tarot: Connecting with Your Higher Self through the Wisdom of the Cards
Michelle Tea - 2017
Infused with beloved iconoclastic author Michelle Tea’s unique insight, inviting pop sensibility, and wicked humor, Modern Tarot is a fascinating journey through the cards that teaches how to use this tradition to connect with our higher selves.Whether you’re a committed seeker or a digital-age skeptic—or perhaps a little of both—Tea’s essential guide opens the power of tarot to you. Modern Tarot doesn’t require you to believe in the supernatural or narrowly focus on the tarot as a divination tool. Tea instead provides incisive descriptions of each of the 78 cards in the tarot system—each illustrated in the charmingly offbeat style of cartoonist Amanda Verwey—and introduces specially designed card-based rituals that can be used with any deck to guide you on a path toward radical growth and self-improvement.Tea reveals how tarot offers moments of deep, transformative connection—an affirming, spiritual experience that is gentle, individual, and aspirational. Grounded in Tea’s twenty-five years of tarot wisdom and her abiding love of the cards, and featuring 78 black and white illustrations throughout, Modern Tarot is the ultimate introduction to the tradition of the tarot for millennial readers.
Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic
Edred Thorsson - 1983
Both the spiritual heritage of ancient runic lore and the practical steps we can take to draw on rune power are present in "A Handbook of Rune Magic." This complete book of rune instruction includes rune history and lore, its basis in metaphysical thought and mysticism, complete definitions of the 24 runes of the Elder Futhark, and the etymology, phonetic value and interpretation of each rune. The reader is shown how to perform chants and rituals using runic energy, how to sign and send runes, and given suggestions for runic meditation. The author's presentation of this powerful system is lucid and profound, and provides a valuable tool for spiritual transformation and self-development.
Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism
Valentin Tomberg - 1980
Written anonymously and published posthumously, as was the author's wish, the intention of this work is for the reader to find a relationship with the author in the spiritual dimensions of existence. The author wanted not to be thought of as a personality who lived from 1900 to 1973, but as a friend who is communicating with us from beyond the boundaries of ordinary life.
The Vikings
Else Roesdahl - 1987
This encyclopedic study brings together the latest research on Viking art, burial customs, class divisions, jewellery, kingship, poetry and family life. The result is a rich and compelling picture of an extraordinary civilisation.
Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy
Mircea Eliade - 1951
Writing as the founder of the modern study of the history of religion, Romanian emigre--scholar Mircea Eliade (1907-86) surveys the practice of Shamanism over two & a half millennia of human history, moving from the Shamanic traditions of Siberia & Central Asia--where Shamanism was first observed--to North & South America, Indonesia, Tibet, China & beyond. In this authoritative survey, Eliade illuminates the magico-religious life of societies that give primacy of place to the figure of the Shaman--at once magician & medicine man, healer & miracle-doer, priest, mystic & poet. Synthesizing the approaches of psychology, sociology & ethnology, "Shamanism" will remain for years to come the reference book of choice for those intrigued by this practice.
The Modern Guide to Witchcraft: Your Complete Guide to Witches, Covens, and Spells
Skye Alexander - 2014
Looking for an enchanting love potion? Want to create your own sacred space and promote good energy? The Modern Guide to Witchcraft helps you harness your own inner power so you can shape your destiny. With the help of spellcraft expert Skye Alexander, you'll tap into your own magic and create incantations, potions, and charms. As she carefully guides you through each step of these witchcraft practices and details ways of personalizing them to your specific situation, you'll gain confidence in your own knowledge and inner force. Once you learn to harness your natural talents as a witch, you'll discover that a whole new world of possibilities exists.
Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard
Oberon Zell-Ravenheart - 2004
This essential handbook contains everything an aspiring Wizard needs to know. It is profusely illustrated with original art by Oberon and friends, as well as many woodcuts from medieval and alchemical manuscripts--plus charts, tables, and diagrams. It also contains: Biographies of famous Wizards in history and legend; Descriptions of magickal tools and regalia (with full instructions for making them); spells and workings for a better life; rites and rituals for special occasions; a bestiary of mythical creatures; systems of divination; the Laws of Magick; myths and stories of gods and heroes; lore and legends of the stars and constellations; instructions for performing amazing illusions, special effects,! and many other wonders of the magickal multiverse. To those who study the occult, in particular, Witchcraft, the name of Oberon Zell-Ravenheart is internationally-known and respected. He is a genuine Wizard, and he has written this book for any person wishing to become one. Perhaps, as some have written, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart is the real Albus Dumbledore to aspiring Harry Potters!In addition to his own writings in this collection, he also presents other writers who add some highly thoughtful insights. Such as Raymond Buckland among others.The illustrations and photographs which accompany the text are among the finest found anywhere, and are a helpful boon to those wanting to see what they are reading about. Biographies of many famous Wizards of history and legend appear in the book. Detailed descriptions of magickal tools with information for making them appears in this book. Additional information includes rites and rituals for special occasions, a bestiary of mythical creatures, a detailed and educational discussion on the laws of magick, myths, and lore of the stars and constellations. This book is full of instructions!As a handbook and guide for becoming a Wizard, this is as near perfect and honest a book as one will find today. New Page Books has done a great service to the paranormal and occult community readers by publishing this worthwhile reference book.Oberon Zell-Ravenheart has written a classic on Wizardry. This is his masterpiece. One of the American pioneers of Paganism in the United States, his lifetime of learning and information is shared with readers from all walks of life. He started in 1968 with the publication of his award-winning journal, Green Egg, and is often considered by readers as one of their favorite Pagan writers. The lessons in this fine book are accurate, honest, and entertaining.If you want to become a Wizard, this is the book to start with, and learn from. This Grimoire is must-have reading for readers interested in true magick. The information given on ghosts will hold the reader spellbound, as will all information in this reference book!
The Secret History of the World
Jonathan Black - 2007
From the esoteric account of the evolution of the species to the occult roots of science, from the secrets of the Flood to the esoteric motives behind American foreign policy, here is a narrative history that shows the basic facts of human existence on this planet can be viewed from a very different angle. Everything in this history is upside down, inside out and the other way around.At the heart of "The Secret History of the World" is the belief that we can reach an altered state of consciousness in which we can see things about the way the world works that are hidden from us in our everyday, commonsensical consciousness. This history shows that by using secret techniques, people such as Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton and George Washington have worked themselves into this altered state - and been able to access supernatural levels of intelligence. There have been many books on the subject, but, extraordinarily, no-one has really listened to what the secret societies themselves say. The author has been helped in his researches by his friendship with a man who is an initiate of more than one secret society, and in one case an initiate of the highest level.
The Magus of Strovolos: The Extraordinary World of a Spiritual Healer
Kyriacos C. Markides - 1985
In what appears at first to be an exercise in fantasy, we see Daskalos draw on seemingly unlimited mixture of esoteric teachings, psychology, reincarnation, demonology, cosmology and mysticism, from both eastern and western traditions. But Daskalos is first and foremost a healer, whose work is firmly rooted in a belied in 'Holyspirit' or absolute love, and whose aim is the expansion of reason and spiritual evolution.
Agincourt: Henry V and the Battle that Made England
Juliet Barker - 2005
Although almost six centuries old, the Battle of Agincourt still captivates the imaginations of men and women on both sides of the Atlantic. It has been immortalized in high culture (Shakespeare's Henry V) and low (the New York Post prints Henry's battle cry on its editorial page each Memorial Day). It is the classic underdog story in the history of warfare, and generations have wondered how the English -- outnumbered by the French six to one -- could have succeeded so bravely and brilliantly. Drawing upon a wide range of sources, eminent scholar Juliet Barker casts aside the legend and shows us that the truth behind Agincourt is just as exciting, just as fascinating, and far more significant. She paints a gripping narrative of the October 1415 clash between outnumbered English archers and heavily armored French knights. But she also takes us beyond the battlefield into palaces and common cottages to bring into vivid focus an entire medieval world in flux. Populated with chivalrous heroes, dastardly spies, and a ferocious and bold king, Agincourt is as earthshaking as its subject -- and confirms Juliet Barker's status as both a historian and a storyteller of the first rank.
On Becoming an Alchemist: A Guide for the Modern Magician
Catherine MacCoun - 2008
But this is only half the story. According to Catherine MacCoun, alchemy is no mere metaphor. It’s real magic. Transforming the inner world is, for the alchemist, a way to transform the outer world. Through studying the principles of alchemy, we can achieve extraordinary effects from ordinary actions by understanding how the world really works. We can perceive the hidden connections between the spiritual and the material worlds. Knowledge of these connections enables us to influence external phenomena through the powers of heart and mind alone. Yet alchemy is not, like some forms of magic, the exercise of mind over matter. It is the art of taking what already exists—whatever presents itself—and transmuting the harmful into the helpful, the useless into the valuable. On Becoming an Alchemist initiates us into these secrets, showing us how to think, perceive, and operate as an alchemist. It offers practical advice and exercises that will help the modern magician to: ● Understand and apply basic principles of alchemy ● Transmute setbacks, failures, and losses into sources of magical power ● Navigate one’s inner world with poise, confidence, and common sense ● Intuitively show up in the right place at the right time to benefit from magical coincidences ● Discover the potentials latent in any situation by awakening subtle perception
Six Ways: Approaches & Entries for Practical Magic
Aidan Wachter - 2018
I create the world that is that I may inhabit it fully. I build a bridge into the Otherworld, a place between Awake and Dreaming, a place between Matter and Spirit, a place between what was, what is, and what is to come.Six Ways is a handbook of magic and sorcery, rooted in witchcraft, folk magic, chaos magic, and animist spirit work. Subjects covered include sigils, servitors, meditation, trance, spiritual cleansing, warding, dream sorcery, candle magic, talismanic magic, and tending to the spirit ecologies we live with and in.Six Ways looks at how and why to build relationships in all of the worlds, manifest and unmanifest (what Wachter calls the Field) that allow us to perform effective magic. Effective magic is magic that changes us at the mind, soul, and spirit levels while improving our real-world circumstances. The focus is on finding pathways to the Otherworlds and building symbiotic relationships with the Others (the spirits and allies) that dwell there. Sorcery then becomes the practice of working within those relationships to effect the changes we seek in our lives.Aidan Wachter is a talismanic jeweler. He has been involved in magical practice since 1982 when some punks in his hometown turned him on to Force The Hand of Chance by the band Psychic TV. He can be found at www.aidanwachter.com
Thee Psychick Bible: Thee Apocryphal Scriptures ov Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and Thee Third Mind ov Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth
Genesis P-Orridge - 1994
Its leader was Genesis P-Orridge, co-founder of Psychick TV and Throbbing Gristle, the band that created the industrial music genre.
The limited signed cloth edition of Thee Psychick Bible quickly sold out, creating demand for any edition of this 544-page book, which will be available in a handsome smyth-sewn paperback edition with flaps and ribbon. According to author Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, "this is the most profound new manual on practical magick, taking it from its Crowleyan empowerment of the Individual to a next level of realization to evolve our species."
Witch Craze: Terror and Fantasy in Baroque Germany
Lyndal Roper - 2004
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries thousands of women confessed to being witches—of making pacts with the Devil, causing babies to sicken, and killing animals and crops—and were put to death. This book is a gripping account of the pursuit, interrogation, torture, and burning of witches during this period and beyond. Drawing on hundreds of original trial transcripts and other rare sources in four areas of Southern Germany, where most of the witches were executed, Lyndal Roper paints a vivid picture of their lives, families, and tribulations. She also explores the psychology of witch-hunting, explaining why it was mostly older women that were the victims of witch crazes, why they confessed to crimes, and how the depiction of witches in art and literature has influenced the characterization of elderly women in our own culture.