Spiritualism and mediumship are often regarded as the product of lingering superstition in the Victorian era, and as having limited relevance in modern Anglo-American society. Scholarship to date which has considered Spiritualism as a distinct religious tradition has focussed on analysing the phenomenon in terms of spirit possession only. This volume analyses the development of shamanism (communication with the spiritual world) as a concept within North American English-speaking scholarship, with particular focus on Mircea Eliade's influential cross-cultural presentation of shamanism. By re-examining the work of Sergei Shirokogoroff, one of Eliade's principal sources, the traditional Evenki shamanic apprenticeship is compared and identified with the new Spiritualist apprenticeship. The author demonstrates that Spiritualism is best understood as a traditional shamanism, as distinct from contemporary appropriations or neo-shamanisms. He argues that shamanism is the outcome of an apprenticeship in the management of psychic experiences, and which follows the same pattern as that of the apprentice medium. In doing so, the author offers fresh insights into the mechanisms that are key to sustaining mediumship as a social institution.

William Sharp (1855-1905) was a prolific writer; friend and confidant to the literati of the day; an active member of the occult world of the late Victorian period; and a man who spent his life cloaked in layers of secrets - the most important being that he was the pen behind the writings of the mysterious Fiona Macleod. He kept her true identity a closely guarded secret. Many famous people - W.B. Yeats, "AE", MacGregor Mathers, Dante Gabriel Rossetti - were involved in Sharp's short life; he was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Yeats' secret Celtic Mystical Order; and he and Fiona Macleod were involved with the mysterious Dr. Goodchild whose ancient bowl was proclaimed by many to be the Holy Grail. But the enduring legacy of these two fascinating writers is the wealth of Faery magical lore contained in the writings of Fiona Macleod. For the first time this book reveals previously unknown secrets from the life of William Sharp and shows clearly how to recover the Faery lore contained in Fiona Macleod's literary output. These writings are not only about the Realm of Faery, they are the first authentic first-hand accounts from the Realm of Faery, revealing previously unknown Faery gods and goddesses, Faery belief, lore and magic. The Little Book of the Great Enchantment adds significantly to the corpus of serious writings on this greatly misunderstood subject.

This is a revised reprint of the book by the same title, first published in 1993, with 2 additional photographs some explanatory footnotes and, as Addendum, the Foreword by the renowned healer Harry Edwards which was written for the original privately printed book 'The Enigma of Psychic Phenomena' (1974) from which most of the material in this book was taken. Throughout his life, the author sat with many well-known mediums of his time amongst them Helen Duncan, Alec Harris and Leslie Flint and his memories of some of those sittings are recorded here. After many more experiences the author wrote a further chapter recounting these and the whole without the original Foreword was published as 'A Journey of Psychic Discovery'.

2014 Reprint of 1926 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. In this essay, Hall clearly sets forth the relationship of the fire symbols to the life forces within the human body. Special treatment is given to the subjects of the ductless glands and the part which they play in the development of spiritual consciousness. Mr. Hall describes how man's body is a living temple and how the places of initiation and ritual in the temple's various chambers and passageways symbolize processes occurring in the human body.

Dr Alex Tanous was a prolific scholar and acclaimed psychic of the latter part of the twentieth century. Having created quite a career for himself internationally, and commanding a great deal of respect amongst scholars and the general public, he spent nearly twenty years as an active researcher, and research participant, for the American Society for Psychical Research. He reached an untimely end in 1990, but established the Alex Tanous Foundation for Scientific Research shortly before his death to preserve his memory and share his research and teachings. "Conversations with Ghosts" was an idea for a fourth book for Dr Tanous, and it was intended to be written by Dr Karlis Osis and himself, outlining their various investigations of ghostly phenomena while working with the American Society for Psychical Research. The existing short manuscript - of no more than a couple of chapters - was archived by the Alex Tanous Foundation for Scientific Research, and left incomplete. Now, thanks to the Foundation's support, the book has finally been completed using additional notes and writings of Dr Tanous, and interviews that were conducted with him on his thoughts and theories into ghosts and conscious survival beyond death. Additionally, this book provides not only a first-hand insight into the Tanous/Osis investigations, but also draws on people's personal experiences with Dr Tanous during his various explorations of ghosts and hauntings. This is a rare insight into the work and mind of a psychic psychical researcher.

2014 Reprint of 1897 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. The astral plane, also called the astral world, is a plane of existence postulated by classical (particularly neo-Platonic), medieval, oriental and esoteric philosophies and mystery religions. It is the world of the planetary spheres, crossed by the soul in its astral body on the way to being born and after death, and generally said to be populated by angels, spirits or other immaterial beings. In the late 19th and early 20th century the term was popularized by Theosophy and Neo-Rosicrucianism. Leadbeater's account is one of the most enduring. Charles Webster Leadbeater was an influential member of the Theosophical Society, an author on occult subjects and an associate of Annie Besant. Leadbeater went on to write over 69 books and pamphlets that examined in detail the hidden side of life as well as maintain regular speaking engagements. His efforts on behalf of the society assured his status as one of its leading members until his death in 1934.

G.I. Gurdjieff (d. 1949) remains an important, if controversial, figure in early 20th-century Western Esoteric thought. Born in the culturally diverse region of the Caucasus, Gurdjieff traveled in Asia, Africa, and elsewhere in search of practical spiritual knowledge. Though oftentimes allusive, references to Sufi teachings and characters take a prominent position in Gurdjieff's work and writings. Since his death, a discourse on Gurdjieff and Sufism has developed through the contributions as well as critiques of his students and interlocutors. J.G. Bennett began an experimental 'Fourth Way' school in England in the 1970s which included the introduction of Sufi practices and teachings. In America this discourse has further expanded through the collaboration and engagement of contemporary Sufi teachers. This work does not simply demonstrate the influence of Gurdjieff and his ideas, but approaches the specific discourse on and about Gurdjieff and Sufism in the context of contemporary religious and spiritual teachings, particularly in the United States, and highlights some of the adaptive, boundary-crossing, and hybrid features that have led to the continuing influence of Sufism.

This is my second book. My first book, They All Told the Truth, describes how I developed an advanced physics theory of matter and energy that unifies all the other mainstream physics theories. It is truly and correctly the long-sought-after grand unified field theory. It was calculated mathematically using legitimate and accepted physics methods. Years later, I was bored one day and just happened to pick up a tattered Christian Bible and was browsing through the Book of Revelation. I was so shocked at what I saw that I fell out of my chair I saw that the essential physical numbers from my new physics theory were all in there and were repeated over and over and over. Like a message. There was exact correspondence as there were no numbers missing, nor were there extra numbers that didn't belong (with one exception, which was the number 666) I had stumbled upon the greatest discovery in modern history. The implications are enormous as they prove scientifically (physics) that God and Jesus are real because their signatures are in there No one else during those times that the various Bible books were written could have possibly known to put those specific numbers in there. Religion and science will now be unified from this time forward, starting from here.

2013 Reprint of 1949 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Early modern history comes alive in this fascinating account of the history of secret doctrines in Europe from antiquity to the end of the Age of Chivalry. The account begins with Manes, whose philosophy has survived into modern times as the impelling force behind Christian Mysticism. The glory of the Guilds unfolds the traditions of the first organization to put into solemn practice the concept of the brotherhood of man. The troubadour, minnesinger, and meistersinger are considered, as well as the troubled story of the Knights Templar of Jerusalem. Taliesin, the Adept of Britain, finds his proper place in the descent of the wisdom of the Druids and the secret assemblies of Wales. Through Merlin, the magician, the reader meets King Arthur and there is an interpretation of the Round Table legendary. The wonderful stories of the Holy Grail, the Grail Kings, Parsifal, and Lohengrin are discussed, as well as early Christian contacts with China and other Eastern lands. The account ends with the search for the mysterious temple of Shamballah, said to stand on the Imperishable Island in the midst of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.

This book is intended for those who have not yet read Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson "for the third time" to their own satisfaction. It describes approaches and techniques that may assist serious readers of Gurdjieff's Tales in their efforts to "fathom the gist."

2013 Reprint of 1963 Edition in Two Volumes bound into one. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Thomas H. Burgoyne, an astrologer and founder of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, was born April 14, 1855, and grew up in his native Scotland. Spontaneously psychic, he claimed that as a child he came into contact with the Brotherhood of Light, a group of discarnate, advanced beings who attempt to guide the destiny of humankind. Today that group continues as the Church of Light. At a later date he met a M. Theon, purported to be an earthly representative of the brotherhood who taught Burgoyne about the Brotherhood. Burgoyne moved to the United States around 1880 and soon afterward his writings began to appear in various periodicals. He was brought into contact with Norman Astley of Carmel, California, who also claimed to be in contact with the Brotherhood of Light. Astley suggested that Burgoyne write a set of lessons to introduce the brotherhood's teachings to the public, and Burgoyne accepted Astley's hospitality at Carmel while he worked on the lessons. They were published in 1889 as "The Light of Egypt." The writing of the lessons occasioned the establishment of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor as an esoteric occult order and outer expression of the Brotherhood of Light. The Hermetic Brotherhood was structured with three leaders, a seer, a scribe/secretary, and an astrologer. Burgoyne became the scribe. As Burgoyne understood it, the Brotherhood of Light was an occult order formed to oppose the dominant religious powers of the day in ancient Egypt. As the members died, they continued the brotherhood from their new plane of being.

2013 Reprint of 1946 Fifth Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Mr. Hall, himself an honorary 33x Mason, reveals the profounder aspects of this ancient Fraternity which has been a source of inspiration to so many individuals through the centuries. The basic symbolism of the three degrees of the Blue Lodge is explained. The text can be read with profit by both new and old Masons, for within its pages lies an interpretation of Masonic symbolism which supplements the monitorial instruction usually given in the lodges. The leading Masonic scholars of all times have agreed that the symbols of the Fraternity are susceptible of the most profound interpretation and thus reveal to the truly initiated certain secrets concerning the spiritual realities of life. Freemasonry is therefore more than a mere social organization a few centuries old, and can be regarded as a perpetuation of the philosophical mysteries and initiations of the ancients. This is in keeping with the inner tradition of the Craft, a heritage from pre-Revival days. The present volume will appeal to the thoughtful Mason as an inspiring work, for it satisfies the yearning for further light and leads the initiate to that Sanctum Sanctorum where the mysteries are revealed. The book is a contribution to Masonic idealism, revealing the profounder aspects of our ancient and gentle Fraternity - those unique and distinctive features which have proved a constant inspiration through the centuries. Chapters Include: Chapter I - The Eternal Quest Chapter II - The Candidate Chapter III - The Entered Apprentice Chapter IV - The Fellow Craft Chapter V - The Master Mason Chapter VI - The Qualifications of a True Mason Epilogue

2013 Reprint of 1950 Third Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Volume One Only. The books of Alice A. Bailey, written in cooperation with a Tibetan teacher between 1919 and 1949, constitute a continuation of the Ageless Wisdom--a body of esoteric teaching handed down from ancient times in a form which is always suitable to each period. Intended to precede and condition the coming era, the Alice A. Bailey writings offer an unparalleled spiritual approach to such subjects as the teaching on Shamballa and the Path of spiritual evolution; the spiritual Hierarchy; the new discipleship and training in meditation as a form of service; the teaching on the seven rays and the new psychology of the soul; the teaching on esoteric astrology; and the new world religion, which emphasizes the common thread of truth linking all the major world faiths. Five volumes have been written under the overall title of "A Treatise on the Seven Rays." This sequence of books is based on the fact, the nature and the quality of the seven basic streams of energy pervading our solar system, our planet and all that lives and moves within its orbit. Of the specialized subjects presented in these books, two volumes are concerned with esoteric psychology - the first in relation to basic energy patterns and structures; the second particularly applied to the soul and the personality of man and to the working out of the Plan for humanity. Psychology is defined in Webster's Dictionary as "the science of mind," at one time considered a branch of metaphysics. Today we are more inclined to include all the conditioning subjective factors as psychological in nature - mental and emotional impulses and soul contact, to whatever degree it exists. These subjective influences constitute the whole psychological background to a man's attitudes and behaviour, and create the faculty of spiritual response. The "psyche" is, after all, the human soul, the centre of consciousness. Esoteric psychology begins with a consideration of the human being as a soul, manifesting in the form of a personality, consisting of mental, emotional and etheric/physical substance, and more or less in contact and control, depending on the stage of evolution in the personality consciousness. From the point of view of esoteric psychology, evolution is the evolution of consciousness, by which the imbedded fragment of the soul within the personality progressively identifies its spiritual source and becomes at-one with it. The seven differentiated streams of ray energy play a significant role in this evolutionary process. A blend of five energies in a human being determine his goals, his problems, his available qualities and energy resources, and the correct method by which - according to his dominant ray influence - he may unfold his consciousness and make spiritual progress. In this volume of Esoteric Psychology many of these distinctive ray qualities and methods are given as quotations, or interpretations, of "The Old Commentary" put into poetic and symbolic words. The seven rays are shown as the Seven Creative Builders, each one imbued with purpose and power, functioning together as a synthesis in occult obedience to the purposes of our Solar Logos. Such a detailed and comprehensive study of the ray energies influencing our planetary life and all kingdoms in nature is of inestimable value to the aspirant consciously preparing himself to become of planetary service as he learns to serve and to unite with his fellowmen.

2013 Reprint of 1937 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. The first chapter of this essay provides a soundly skeptical, mythicist take on Christian origins, while simultaneously asserting Lemurian and Atlantean sources for esoteric traditions. The next three chapters are organized according to the book's pattern: brain/spirit, heart/emotions, and generative organs/physical sensation. In the chapter on "The Spinal Column" corresponding to the heart, there is also a discussion of clairvoyance and mediumship, and in the chapter on "The Infernal Worlds" Hall additionally provides an exposition of color symbolism. The final chapter of Occult Anatomy is on "embryology," which offers readings of religious texts as perinatal allegories. It then continues with a thumbnail description of the seven-year cyclical climacteric pattern of individual human development.

During the 16th century, a Frenchman named Michel de Nostredame wrote a series of one thousand four-lined verses called quatrains. These quatrains were marketed as predictions about the future. Over the four hundred and fifty years or so since Nostradamus's death, the belief in his powers of prophecy has grown. There are now millions of people worldwide who have an interest in this man as a prophet and what he foretold would come to pass. Says the author, "This book re-examines the writings of Nostradamus. It challenges long-held beliefs and concludes that he was not able to see the future. This is achieved by looking at the earliest surviving copy of these verses and understanding what they relate to in reality. The book shows that Nostradamus used contemporary people and events as a major source of his quatrains. In addition to this, he used material found in a wide variety of works from the ancient world, the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages. His other prominent source was his knowledge of occultism. The book attempts to show Nostradamus's writings in their proper historical context by giving an explanation, in detail, for each of remaining 942 quatrains." Nostradamus: Killing the Myth offers a provocative look at this enigma of the Renaissance. First-time author Mark Harrison grew up near York, England. He is currently working in Germany for a private school teaching business English for corporate clients. He is also an English oral examiner for Cambridge University. His second book is in the works. Publisher's Website: http://sbpra.com/MarkHarrison

In "Haunted Fairhaven," local writer Taimi Dunn Gorman, explores the tales of ghostly sightings through the testimonies of current residents and stories of the past. While researching 1890s newspapers for murders, suicides, strange deaths and other occurrences, she brought in a team of psychics and photographers to investigate the places where it happened, and call out the supernatural beings that still reside there.

IT WAS through Saint Germain's assistance that I was privileged to have the experiences recorded in this series of books, and that permission has been granted for them to be put in a form which can be given to the public. No one can realize, unless he too has had similar assistance, how great and eternal is my love and gratitude to him and those other Ascended Masters, whose assistance I had. Those, who accept the Truth herein recorded, will find a new and powerful "Force" entering their lives. Each copy carries with it this Mighty "Presence," Its Radiation, and Sustaining Power.

2012 Reprint of 1933 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Unsurpassed in its sheer scope and depth, the first definitive work on were-wolfs, employs a theological and philosophical approach, incorporating an extensive range of historical documentation and folklore. Summers examines the supernatural practice of shape-shifting, notes the finer distinctions between werewolfery and lycanthropy, and explores the differences of opinion on exactly how ordinary humans are transformed into creatures. Augustus Montague Summers was an English author and clergyman. He is known primarily for his scholarly work on the English drama of the 17th century, as well as for his idiosyncratic studies on witches, vampires, and werewolves, in all of which he professed to believe. He was responsible for the first English translation, published in 1928, of the notorious 15th-century witch hunter's manual, the Malleus Maleficarum

Lord, teach us to pray . . . - Luke 11:1bDuring His earthly ministry, the disciples made this request of Jesus. He answered them with what has become known as the 'Lord's Prayer.' Today, nearly two thousand years later, do we, as followers of Jesus Christ, have a passion for prayer? Do we desire to speak with our heavenly Father? And are the prayers we utter effective? In this handy pamphlet, perfectly sized to slide into your Bible or notebook, Mark Bubeck offers twenty prayers, rich in doctrine, to help Christians triumph in their spiritual battles. Model prayers include those for: Revival, Repentance, Intercession, Protection from the Enemy, Unity in the Body, Wearing the Armor of God. Learn to pray like the disciples did - by example.

The Christ, Psychotherapy and Magic is a Christian priest's appreciation of occultism, with a particular focus on the Qabalah. Far from condemning occult thinking, he finds it has much common ground with the Christian perspective and contemporary developments in psychotherapy. Drawing on the works of Dion Fortune, Gareth Knight and others, he appraises the theology and assumptions of occultists and examines how Christian mysticism coheres with the Tree of Life. While his ideas may be challenging and thought-provoking for many occultists as well as for many Christians, his spectrum is broad and his criticisms carefully considered. He also provides a lucid overview of the Tree of Life which makes the book an incredibly valuable introduction to the Qabalah, especially as a guide for aspiring Christian Qabalists. Originally published in 1969, this book came about through Anthony Duncan's friendship with occultist Gareth Knight, and directly inspired Knight's major work Experience of the Inner Worlds. "Now at least one clergyman has got the point and in this book urges his fellow Christians not to dismiss occultism either as a cranky fad or as 'a black art'." - The Guardian

2012 Reprint of 1949 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Steiner gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher. At the beginning of the 20th century, he founded a spiritual movement, Anthroposophy, as an esoteric philosophy growing out of idealist philosophy and with links to Theosophy. Steiner's work argues that body, spirit, and soul are bound together and determine the capacity of cognition. Exploring and developing ideas of occult science, the world, human nature, and similarly large, difficult concepts, this work asserts the existence and importance of the 'supersensible' world. Chapters: The Characters of the Occult Science; The Nature of Man; Sleep and Death; The Evolution of the World and Man; Perception of Higher Worlds; Concerning Initiation; The Present and Future Evolution of the World and of Humanity; Details from the Domain of Occult Science; Man's Ether Body; The Astral World; The Course of Human Life; The Principles of Man; The Dream State; Super Physical Knowledge; Beings in the Spiritual World.

2012 Reprint of 1945 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. "A Treatise on White Magic" is considered to be one of her most important writings, as it is less abstract than most, and deals with many important subjects of her works in an introductory, even programmatic fashion. It was first published in 1934 with the subtitle 'The Way of the Disciple'. She promulgated White Magic as a discipline to serve humanity. Bailey said the work was dictated telepathically by the Tibetan Master, Djwal Khul. It is offered as a "basic textbook" for the Western aspirant to initiation, and is divided into fifteen rules of magic, each one taking the reader further into the mysteries of spirituality. Topics discussed include: how an aspirant can best prepare himself for service, the various ray types of their influences, the relationship between the macrocosm and microcosm, the spiritual, causal, astral and physical realms and their interactions, the spiritual psychology of man (although this is dealt with much more fully in the Esoteric Psychology volumes), The Hierarchy of Masters, esoteric groups and schools, the spiritual centers (or chakras), the occult concept of the Seven Rays, meditation work and much more. One of the main themes is that of soul control. Students of the works of Alice A. Bailey and Theosophy believe that the ultimate purpose of White Magic is furtherance of the spiritual and material evolution of humanity. Specifically, this evolution is conceived in terms of the increased benevolent manifestation of seven spiritual energies or Seven Rays. It is further believed that adept practitioners of White Magic, wielding the power of the Seven Rays, can contribute to this evolution.

John F Newton was an American writer who, on his induction into Masonry, inquired if there was any introductory book detailing what the Craft was, "whence it came, what it teaches, and what it is trying to do in the world." Finding there was none, he resolved learn, and write upon the subject. 'The Builders' is the fascinating result of this research. Starting with ancient Egypt, Newton follows a thread of evidence from the ancient Mystery religions and the Collegia of Rome to the Comacine Masters and the Cathedral Builders, tracing the true origins of Masonry to these medieval stone-masons. The fraternity fell into decline, but was resurrected at an eighteenth century London alehouse. This scholarly but popular account of masonry was once given to every newly initiated Mason in the State of Iowa. It will prove a boon to all those interested in the Craft, mason and non-mason alike.

2012 Reprint of 1950 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. The seven lectures presented here were delivered in New York for the purpose of presenting the testimony of science as to the relation of matter and of consciousness; to enable the hearers to observe the identical manifestation of these relations and of certain basic laws in successively higher states of being, and thus to bring to them a realization of the universality of the evolutionary process and its actuality; and to deal somewhat with the nature of the expanded states of consciousness and the enlarged life toward which all mankind is traveling. They thus were intended to serve as an introduction to the more detailed study and application of the laws of life and human enfoldment generally included in the term of "occultism." Chapters: The Field of Evolution; The Evolution of Substance; The Evolution of Form, or Group Evolution; The Evolution of Man, the Thinker; The Evolution of Consciousness; The Goal of Evolution; Cosmic Evolution.