In a work that spans nearly two centuries, anthropologist Alan Kilpatrick explores the occult world of the Western Cherokee, expounding on previously collected documents and translating some forty new shamanistic texts that have never been disclosed to outside audiences. For over a hundred and fifty years, the Cherokee Indians have been recording their medico-magical traditions in the native script of the Sequoyah syllabary. These texts, known as idi: gawe' sdi, deal with such esoteric matters as divining the future, protecting oneself from enemies, destroying the power of witches, and purifying one's soul from all forms of supernatural harm. As one of the few scholars able to translate the discourse, Kilpatrick underlines the critical role of transformational language in the ritual performance. His book challenges conventional wisdom about Native American folk medicine, witchcraft, and sorcery by introducing a new body of shamanistic thought and by placing this thought in the context of growing anthropological literature on indigenous folk beliefs.

Contents: Practical Occultism; Occultism Versus the Occult Arts; The Blessings of Publicity; Hypnotism; Black Magic in Science; Signs of the Times; Psychic and Noetic Action.

Examines the first principles of the perennial philosophy or ancient wisdom tradition as expressed in the writings of its great exponents, Rene Guenon and Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, and offers a critique of the West from the standpoint of traditional principles.

The Only Tradition examines the first principles of the perennial philosophy or ancient wisdom tradition as expressed in the writings of Rene Guenon and Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, and the current breakdown of value, meaning, and culture in the West due to the decline of these principles since the thirteenth century. The book further focuses on the relationship or reciprocity between the first principles and Western and Eastern culture, and discusses the future development of a homogenous, worldwide system of belief that would restore value and meaning to people's lives.

Quinn argues for a return to the first principles inherent in the perennial philosophy, which constitute the sacred primordial Tradition and which inform all the world's greatest religious traditions. His book makes an excellent introduction to this powerful current of European esoteric thought -- Traditionalism.

"I cannot recall reading as clear a statement of the perennial philosophy, nor one as solidly based on empirical research, as I have read in this book. The topic of 'primordial tradition' or 'perennial philosophy' is important in the area of the history of religions, and there are precious few books that deal with it in a sympathetic and yet critical way.

Coomaraswamy is mentioned often and honorably in religious studies literature without telling us much about why. Guenon usually is idolized or vilified, if he is acknowledged at all. Book such asQuinn's, that treat these influential figures honestly and fairly but with an open and critical eye, fill a real need". -- James Burnell Robinson, University of Northern Iowa

Contents: Mysteries of the East and of Barbarous Nations; The Grecian Mysteries and the Roman Bacchanalia; The Pythagorean League and other Secret Associations; Son of Man, Son of God; A Pseudo-Messiah; A Lying Prophet; The Knights Templar; The Femgerichte; Stonemasons' Lodges of the Middle Age; Astrologers and Alchemists; Rise and Constitution of Freemasonry; Secret Societies of the Eighteenth Century; The Illuminati; Secret Societies of Various Kinds.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. 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.

A Verbatim Reprint of His First Four treatises; Anthroposophia Theomagica; Anima Magica Abscondita; Magia Adamica; and the True Coelum Terrae. The Magical Writings of Thomas Vaughan constitute an explanatory prolegomena not only to the general history of practical transcendentalism, and to the philosophy of transcendental art, from the standpoint of a Christian initiate, but they are special directed to the interpretation of alchemical symbolism; they claim to provide the intelligent reader with a substantially fresh revelation of that mysterious First Matter of the Magnum Opus. Thomas Vaughan enlarges the theoretical scope of alchemical processes, and delineates the spiritual evolution of humanity.

Of all of his works, The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity is the one that Steiner himself believed would have the longest life and the greatest spiritual and cultural consequences. It was written as a phenomenological account of the "results of observing the human soul according to the methods of natural science. This seminal work asserts that free spiritual activity - understood as the human ability to think and act independently of physical nature - is the suitable path for human beings today to gain true knowledge of themselves and of the universe. This is not merely a philosophical volume, but rather a warm, heart-oriented guide to the practice and experience of living thinking. Readers will not find abstract philosophy here, but a step-by-step account of how a person may come to experience living, intuitive thinking - "the conscious experience of a purely spiritual content." During the past hundred years since it was written, many have tried to discover this "new thinking" that could help us understand the various spiritual, ecological, social, political, and philosophical issues facing us. But only Rudolf Steiner laid out a path that leads from ordinary thinking to the level of pure spiritual activity - intuitive thinking - in which we become co-creators and co-redeemers of the world. "When, with the help of Steiner's book, we recognize that thinking is an essentially spiritual activity, we discover that it can school us. In that sense - Steiner's sense - thinking is a spiritual path" (Gertrude Reif Hughes).

"Occasionally a truly remarkable book appears-one that takes a topic in need of discussion, thoroughly researches it, and presents credible results in a fascinating and extremely well manner. Witchcraft in the Southwest is such a volume, and as such, is a must for all readers, be they scholars, students, or others. . . . The volume devotes equal time to Spanish and Indian supernaturalism along the Rio Grande. Opening with a succinct review of the meaning and evolution of witchcraft in Europe and Spain, Simmons establishes the existence of many similar beliefs among native inhabitants of the New World. Moving chronologically to Spanish colonization, the author vividly conveys Spanish reactions to Pueblo life and religion, the fears of witches and other supernatural forces that plagued Spanish colonists. . . . Emphasizing the beliefs and nature of witchcraft rather than the actual mechanics (which are secret), he follows Hispanic communities into the late 19th century. . . . Readers learn how witchcraft fits into the Pueblo world view and how it compares and contrasts with European and Spanish varieties in such areas as motivation, types, powers, beliefs and means of acquisition. . . . Simmons' study provides a needed overview and one that is carefully based on available ethnohistorical documents and credible anthropological data."-American Indian Quarterly A professional historian, author, editor, and translator, Marc Simmons has published numerous books and monographs on the Southwest as well as articles in more than twenty scholarly and popular journals.

Among the most important sources for understanding the cultures and systems of thought of ancient Mesopotamia is a large body of magical and medical texts written in the Sumerian and Akkadian languages. An especially significant branch of this literature centres upon witchcraft. Mesopotamian anti-witchcraft rituals and incantations attribute ill-health and misfortune to the magic machinations of witches and prescribe ceremonies, devices, and treatments for dispelling witchcraft, destroying the witch, and protecting and curing the patient. The Corpus of Mesopotamian Anti-Witchcraft Rituals aims to present a reconstruction of this body of texts; it provides critical editions of the relevant rituals and prescriptions based on the study of the cuneiform tablets and fragments recovered from the libraries of ancient Mesopotamia.

Exploring occultist, magician, poet, painter, and writer Aleister Crowley's longstanding and intimate association with Paris, Tobias Churton provides the first detailed account of Crowley's activities in the City of Light. Using previously unpublished letters and diaries, Churton explores how Crowley was initiated into the Golden Dawn's Inner Order in Paris in 1900 and how, in 1902, he relocated to Montparnasse. Soon engaged to Anglo-Irish artist Eileen Gray, Crowley pontificates and parties with English, American, and French artists gathered around sculptor Auguste Rodin: all keen to exhibit at Paris's famed Salon d'Automne. In 1904--still dressed as "Prince Chioa Khan" and recently returned from his Book of the Law experience in Cairo--Crowley dines with novelist Arnold Bennett at Paillard's. In 1908 Crowley is back in Paris to prove it's possible to attain Samadhi (or "knowledge and conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel") while living a modern life in a busy metropolis. In 1913 he organizes a demonstration for artistic and sexual freedom at Oscar Wilde's tomb. Until war spoils all in 1914, Paris is Crowley's playground. The author details how, after returning from America in 1920, and though based at his "Abbey of Thelema" in Sicily, Crowley can't leave Paris alone. When Mussolini expels him from Italy, Paris becomes home from 1924 until 1929. Churton reveals Crowley's part in the jazz-age explosion of modernism, as the lover of photographer Berenice Abbott, and many others, and how he enjoyed camaraderie with Man Ray, Nancy Cunard, Andre Gide, and Aimee Crocker. The author explores Crowley's adventures in Tunisia, Algeria, the Riviera, his battle with heroin addiction, his relationship with daughter Astarte Lulu--raised at Cefalu--and finally, a high-level ministerial conspiracy to get him out of Paris. Reconstructing Crowley's heyday in the last decade and a half of France's Belle Epoque and the "roaring Twenties," this book illuminates Crowley's place within the artistic, literary, and spiritual ferment of the great City of Light.

The Kybalion is a study of basic hermetic teachings that outline an ageless wisdom. In ancient times these teachings were not understood by the lay person, but were readily understood by students, after the axioms and principles had been explained and exemplified by the Hermetic Initiates and Masters to their Neophytes.

Sir Hermann Gollancz (1852-1930) was an English rabbi, scholar and public figure whose distinguished career led to his becoming the first rabbi to receive a knighthood. Gollancz was Professor of Hebrew at University College London from 1902 to 1924 and published extensively on Jewish history as well as translating many Hebrew and Aramaic texts. This 1912 volume contains editions, with translations and notes, of three Syriac manuscripts (two from Gollancz' personal library and a third from Cambridge University Library) containing a collection of Eastern Christian charms and incantations. They range from antidotes to headaches, colic and 'teeth chattering' to prayers for controlling mad dogs, unruly cows and 'the gun of warriors', as well as for warding off the evil eye. They begin with the Trinitarian formula and often invoke specific biblical stories to add force. Illustrations from Codex A (dated to 1802 and from Turkish Kurdistan) are also included.

A comprehensive guide to the ancient beliefs and spiritual power of subterranean spaces * Examines in depth the myths, symbology, deities, and beliefs connected to the underworld from many different cultures and mystery traditions * Investigates the role of the underworld in initiatory rites and mystical practices, such as the Orphic Mysteries, the chambers of reflections in Freemasonry, the cult of the Black Madonna, and the cult of Isis * Discusses the telluric currents that run through ley lines, the significance of underground waterways, Hollow Earth theory, and the denizens of the subterranean realms, such as dragons, gnomes, and dwarfs Ancient cultures around the world understood the spiritual powers of the underworld. For millennia, natural caves and caverns were turned into sacred underground temples and, from holy mountains and cliffs, churches were beautifully carved into solid rock. Offering a guide to the spiritual energies that flourish beneath the surface of the Earth, Jean-Pierre Bayard explores the esoteric mysteries of the underworld, including the symbolic significance of caves, caverns, and underground temples. He examines in depth the myths, symbology, deities, and beliefs connected to the underworld from many different cultures and mystery traditions, from ancient Egypt to Scandinavia and Europe to the Middle East and India. He investigates the role of the underworld in initiatory rites, such as the Orphic Mysteries and Christ's descent into hell, revealing that at the heart of these teachings is the transformative power of a hero's descent into and return from the underworld. The author connects the esoteric attributes of the world below with the cult of the Black Madonna and the earlier cult of Isis. He discusses the telluric currents that run through ley lines, the significance of underground waterways, the esoteric properties of gems and stones, and the "mineral blood" of the alchemists. He also looks at Hollow Earth theory and the denizens of the subterranean realms, such as dragons, gnomes, and dwarfs. Explaining how the Earth is the womb of the world, Bayard shows how initiatic descent into the sacred subterranean realms reflects the descent of spirit into matter and its slow crystallization. By entering the body of the Earth Mother we are transformed, initiated into primordial wisdom and reborn as spiritual beings.

The seer ("mantis"), an expert in the art of divination, operated in ancient Greek society through a combination of charismatic inspiration and diverse skills ranging from examining the livers of sacrificed animals to spirit possession. Unlike the palm readers and mediums who exist on the fringe of modern society, many seers were highly paid, well respected, educated members of the elite who played an essential role in the conduct of daily life, political decisions, and military campaigns. Armies, for example, never went anywhere without one. This engaging book, the only comprehensive study of this fascinating figure, enters into the socioreligious world of ancient Greece to explore what seers did, why they were so widely employed, and how their craft served as a viable and useful social practice.

During the archaic and classical periods, Greek ideas about the dead evolved in response to changing social and cultural conditionsOComost notably changes associated with the development of the polis, such as funerary legislation, and changes due to increased contacts with cultures of the ancient Near East. In "Restless Dead," Sarah Iles Johnston presents and interprets these changes, using them to build a complex picture of the way in which the society of the dead reflected that of the living, expressing and defusing its tensions, reiterating its values and eventually becoming a source of significant power for those who knew how to control it. She draws on both well-known sources, such as Athenian tragedies, and newer texts, such as the Derveni Papyrus and a recently published "lex sacra" from Selinous.Topics of focus include the origin of the "goes" (the ritual practitioner who made interaction with the dead his specialty), the threat to the living presented by the ghosts of those who died dishonorably or prematurely, the development of Hecate into a mistress of ghosts and its connection to female rites of transition, and the complex nature of the Erinyes. "Restless Dead" culminates with a new reading of Aeschylus' "Oresteia" that emphasizes how Athenian myth and cult manipulated ideas about the dead to serve political and social ends.

'Spiritual knowledge is not given to us as in ancient times. By spiritual means it must be struggled and striven for against a host of demons...We must therefore get to know the powers that would cover up and obscure all spiritual knowledge.' - from the Preface 'The world seems to be standing within a demonic storm that threatens to overwhelm it', states T.H. Meyer at the outset of this rousing call for a wide-ranging, spiritual-scientific knowledge of the world. Appeals to traditional religious belief will no longer pacify this storm, and neither will 'good will' suffice. Building on Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy, In the Sign of Five tackles the central task of our epoch: the epistemological struggle with evil, and presents the five most important spiritual events since the beginning of the Age of Michael: 1879 - the rise of Michael to the rank of Time Spirit; 1899 - the end of Kali Yuga; 1933 - the appearance of Christ in the Etheric; 1998 - the assault of Sorath, 'one of the greatest ahrimanic demons'; The present - the incarnation of Ahriman. These events are linked to the five main tasks of the Age of Michael, the great challenge of inner knowledge and spiritual consciousness posed by the epoch as a whole. In the light of world history, and within the context of 'the sign of five', we stand today at the fifth place - at the point of the incarnation of Ahriman. Is humanity prepared for this decisive event? Have we recognised the phenomena of evil that surround us on a daily basis? Have the tasks corresponding to the five events been identified, and to what extent have they been carried out? How is evil related to 'the good' that guides the world, and specifically to the Christ impulse? Meyer provides a vital, pithy, aphoristic handbook for our apocalyptic times.

This book provides a practical introduction to Chaos Magic, one of the fastest growing areas of Western Occultism. Through it you can change your circumstances, live according to a developing sense of personal responsibility, effect change around you, and stop living as a helpless cog in some clockwork universe. All acts of personal/collective liberation are magical acts. Magic leads us into exhilaration and ecstasy; into insight and understanding; into changing ourselves and the world in which we participate. Through magic we may come to explore the possibilities of freedom.

"Prime Chaos" presents an overview of the fastest-growing school of modern occultism - Chaos Magic. The author of "Condensed Chaos" presents simple, yet effective techniques for becoming proficient in practical magic, including an exhaustive breakdown of the possibilities offered by ritual magic, sorcery, invocation, possession and evocation. The resurgence of interest in magic has led to a new interest in magical groups, and Phil Hine brings a wealth of experience in groups to an exploration of the advantages - and disadvantages - of working magic with other people. "Prime Chaos" also explores some of the lighter and darker - aspects of modern occultism, and presents new ideas for developing magical techniques for the 21st Century. In addition, you have on this book a unique piece of history: a cover by William S Burroughs, author of "Naked Lunch" and many other famous works.

What are "The Black Books"? They are a series of booklets from Dr Christopher Hyatt and the Extreme Individual Institute. Little more can be said lest we give away their intention and reduce their impact. This book includes: "My Report" by Joseph Matheny; "Doctor Hyatt is Boring" by Christopher Hyatt; "Tantra Motherfucker: The Importance of Christopher Hyatt" by Nick Pell; "Integrity" by Christopher Hyatt; "The Success Robot Experiment" by Calvin Iwema; "Worthlessness" by Christopher Hyatt; "Yes, you CAN take over the world!" by Wes Unruh; "Fulfillment" by Christopher Hyatt; "Paratheatre Manifesto" by Antero Alli; "Power" by Christopher Hyatt; "Collaboration in Theory and Practice" by Joseph Matheny; and, "Telling the Truth Amongst Other Lies" by Christopher Hyatt and much more...

Legendary for an unusual combination of spiritual power, beauty, charisma, showmanship, intimidation, and shrewd business sense, Marie Leveau also was known for her kindness and charity, nursing yellow fever victims and ministering to condemned prisoners, and her devotion to the Roman Catholic Church. In separating verifiable fact from semi-truths and complete fabrication, Carolyn Morrow Long explores the unique social, political, and legal setting in which the lives of Laveau's African and European ancestors became intertwined in nineteenth-century New Orleans.