The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz is one of the most important writings of esoteric Christianity, first published anonymously in German in 1616. It is an allegorical story divided into seven journeys about how Christian Rosenkreutz was invited to a castle to assist the 'chymical wedding' of the king and queen. 'Chymical' is an old form of the word chemical and refers to alchemy, whose aim is the uniting of opposites -- hence, the sacred wedding. It is a book concerned with the inner transformation of the soul. Bastiaan Baan's interpretation and commentary makes this work accessible to readers of today, and shows the special language Andreae used to express the meditative content of his text. He delves deep to uncover the original significance, combining images and concepts from alchemy with insights from Rudolf Steiner's teachings. He concludes that the content is as valuable today as it was hundreds of years ago. The book contains the complete text of the Chymical Wedding.

Witchcraft and paganism exert an insistent pressure from the margins of midcentury British detective fiction. This Element investigates the appearance of witchcraft and paganism in the novels of four of the most popular female detective authors of the era: Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh and Gladys Mitchell. The author approaches the theme of witchcraft and paganism not simply as a matter of content but as an influence which shapes the narrative and its possibilities. The 'witchy' detective novel, as the author calls it, brings together the conventions of Golden Age fiction with the images and enchantments of witchcraft and paganism to produce a hitherto unstudied mode of detective fiction in the midcentury.

How can researchers study magic without destroying its mystery? Drawing on a collaborative project between the playwright Poppy Corbett, the poet Anna Kisby Compton, and the historian William G. Pooley, this Element presents thirteen tools for creative-academic research into magic, illustrated through case studies from France (1790-1940) and examples from creative outputs: write to discover; borrow forms; use the whole page; play with footnotes; erase the sources; write short; accumulate fragments; re-enact; improvise; use dialogue; change perspective; make methods of metaphors; use props. These tools are ways to 'untell' the dominant narratives that shape stereotypes of the 'witch' which frame belief in witchcraft as ignorant and outdated. Writing differently suggests ways to think and feel differently, to stay with the magic, rather than explaining it away. The Element includes practical creative exercises to try as well as research materials from French newspaper and trial sources from the period.

Sex magick, the practice of utilising sexual energy and sacred sex rituals as a potent force to reach higher states of consciousness, has been cloaked in secrecy for centuries, passed down as a secret doctrine through many esoteric orders, from the Knights Templar to the Rosicrucians, the Freemasons and, finally, the O.T.O. 20th century English occultist, mystic, ceremonial magician and O.T.O. leader, Aleister Crowley, believed that sexual magick was the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe. He dedicated the entire second half of his life to exploring its mysteries. This book presents the bulk of Crowley's written works on the subject.

This Element argues that Ireland did not experience a disenchanted modernity, nor a decline in magic. It suggests that beliefs, practices and traditions concerning witchcraft and magic developed and adapted to modernity to retain cultural currency until the end of the twentieth century. This analysis provides the backdrop for the first systematic exploration of how historic Irish trials of witches and cunning-folk were represented by historians, antiquarians, journalists, dramatists, poets, and novelists in Ireland between the late eighteenth and late twentieth century. It is demonstrated that this work created an accepted narrative of Irish witchcraft and magic which glossed over, ignored, or obscured the depth of belief in witchcraft, both in the past and in contemporary society. Collectively, their work gendered Irish witchcraft, created a myth of a disenchanted, modern Ireland, and reinforced competing views of Irishness and Irish identity. These long-held stereotypes were only challenged in the late twentieth-century.

Ritual deposition is not an activity that many people in the Western world would consider themselves participants of. The enigmatic beliefs and magical thinking that led to the deposition of swords in watery places and votive statuettes in temples, for example, may feel irrelevant to the modern day. However, it could be argued that ritual deposition is a more widespread feature now than in the past, with folk assemblages - from roadside memorials and love-lock bridges, to wishing fountains and coin-trees - emerging prolifically worldwide. Despite these assemblages being as much the result of ritual activity as historically deposited objects, they are rarely given the same academic attention or heritage status. As well as exploring the nature of ritual deposition in the contemporary West, and the beliefs and symbolisms behind various assemblages, this Element explores the heritage of the modern-day deposit, promoting a renegotiation of the pejorative term 'ritual litter'.

This occult classic was written in 1888 by an 18 year old American boy, Frederick S Oliver. The author claimed that he was used as a channel by 'Phylos', an advanced being who had once lived in the fabled city of Atlantis. The advanced philosophy found in this book tells a remarkable, personal tale of achievement and temptation, of other planes of existence, reincarnation and the inexorable unfolding of Karma. Atlantean society is also described in detail, with its concept of the One Substance underlying all phenomena, and its advanced science and technology that include devices mirroring many of today's modern instruments. If the book is fiction, these accounts make Frederick Oliver's book a profound, almost inexplicable, achievement for one so young. If it is indeed a channeled message from a spiritually advanced being, 'A Dweller on Two Planets' provides copious esoteric information indispensable to all students of the occult.

NAMED A BESTSELLING TOP THEOLOGY BOOK OF 2022 BY QSPIRIT Queer God de Amor explores the mystery of God and the relationship between divine and human persons. It does so by turning to the sixteenth-century writings of John of the Cross on mystical union with God and the metaphor of sexual relationship that he uses to describe this union. Juan's mystical theology, which highlights the notion of God as lover and God's erotic-like relationship with human persons, provides a fitting source for rethinking the Christian doctrine of God, in John's own words, as "un no se que," "an I know not what." In critical conversations with contemporary queer theologies, it retrieves from John a preferential option for human sexuality as an experience in daily life that is rich with possibilities for re-sourcing and imagining the Christian doctrine of God. Consistent with other liberating perspectives, it outs God from heteronormative closets and restores human sexuality as a resource for theology. This outing of divine queerness-that is, the ineffability of divine life-helps to align reflections on the mystery of God with the faith experiences of queer Catholics. By engaging Juan de la Cruz through queer Latinx eyes, Miguel Diaz continues the objective of this series to disrupt the cartography of theology latinamente.

Los dialogos que forman este libro son una recopilacion de la intemporal ensenanza de uno de los sabios mas grandes de la India. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj no propuso ninguna religion ni tampoco ideologia alguna, limitandose a desvelar suavemente el misterio del Ser, con su mensaje a la vez sencillo, directo y sublime. La unica preocupacion de Nisargadatta era acabar con el sufrimiento humano y su mision fue guiar al individuo hacia la comprension de su verdadera naturaleza: el Ser todo-abarcante y todo-penetrante, eterna bienaventuranza y felicidad sin limites, de la cual surge todo cuanto existe.

Subtitled An Outline of the Origins of Moon and Sun Worship, Astrology, Sex Symbolism, Mystic Meaning of Numbers, the Cabala, and Many Popular Customs, Myths, Superstitions and Religious Beliefs. Important information not easily found. Mythologist Jordan Maxwell was so impressed he created a three-part video series based on this material and wrote a Preface to the book.

Discover the herbs, flowers and fungi considered sacred in the Druid tradition, with this beautifully illustrated oracle. The virtues and qualities of each plant, and the ancient folklore and mythology associated with them, offer wisdom, inspiration and guidance, in this enlightening pack. The perfect companion volume to the bestselling Druid Animal Oracle, this is a must-have title for all those interested in Celtic and Pagan subjects and the world of nature.