Investigating the impact of Arabic medieval astrological and magical theories on early modern occult philosophy, this book argues that they provided a naturalistic explanation of astral influences and magical efficacy based on Aristotelian notions of causality.

As an "omniscient and obnoxious" teenager in 1969, Alan Richardson wrote to the occult author William G. Gray in pursuit of instant magical enlightenment. While he didn't quite get that, it was the beginning of a correspondence lasting many years in which Gray generously shared his magical knowledge and experience. Gray's letters, witty, ascerbic and blunt, contain a wealth of hints and tips on working and using Qabalah, his views on Dion Fortune, sex magic, initiation, joining magical groups, and how to stay on the straight and true path to Light regardless of what life flings at you. How does free-will relate to Destiny? Why do many great Adepts behave like idiots if they're in contact with Higher Powers? Is sex incompatible with a spiritual path? He addresses the questions which weigh on the mind of every magical seeker - always with the proviso that true wisdom can only be reached from within oneself. The letters are a delight to read and show the humour and understanding which shine through Gray's famously unsentimental character. They will be of direct practical value to anyone pursuing a magical path of any kind, Qabalistic or otherwise, and his advice to his young apprentice is every bit as pertinent today as it was back then.

This issue of inSpirit Magazine brings the lightness, fun and enjoyment of the Faery as they flutter their wings spreading magical Faery dust over all of you. To bring some of the Faery magic to this issue we couldn't go pass the sensational work of the Froud family. Known for creating other worldly magic in such films as the Labyrinth and the Dark Crystal, Brian and Wendy Froud have so much to share when it comes to the elemental world. Each of the contributors have brought together their own expression of the Faery and inSpired wisdoms, so you'll enjoy a variety of perspectives on this unique topic. Perhaps you will even find one that speaks to you, just as Serene Conneeley's article "Faeries as a personification of nature" and its unique approach to this topic did for our managing editor.

Paul Sedir was one of the most important figures of the late 19th century occult renaissance in France, and yet he remains very little known in the English-speaking world. Born Yvon Le Loup in 1871, the young Breton moved to Paris and took up occultism as a teenager under the patronage of Papus (Gerard Encausse). Blessed with an exceptional memory and intuition, he embraced a diversity of paths and quickly rose through the ranks of a wide range of esoteric fraternities, authoring a number of books. From his home in Montmartre he held weekly open discussions on occultism and was well known for his exceptional knowledge and powerful presence. In later life, a significant mystical encounter led him to resign from his occult activities and focus solely on a Christian mystical path. Adopting the name Sedir (an anagram of 'desir'), he began writing his important work Initiations around 1901, and expanded it gradually over the following twenty-five years until his death in 1926. It follows the 'initiations', both occult and mystical, of a Paris doctor and his strange friend Andreas, nuanced by the enigmatic background presence of Theophane, the true healer. Presented in a deceptively simple narrative form, it distils and encodes a lifetime's esoteric and mystical knowledge in a way which serves as a very real initiation for the perceptive reader. Gareth Knight brings the benefit of 60 years' experience in practical occultism to this new translation of Sedir's work. He has translated a number of French esoteric texts, as well as being a renowned author in his own right.

Among Non-Masons, especially the sensationalist type, and even among many Freemasons, there are many misconceptions and misunderstandings of the original objectives, so much so that much of the meaning of Freemasonic ritual has become blurred and confused. The original creators of this system of character building, harmonising with humanity, and of creating a better understanding of the individual's relationship to God - whatever he deems his God to be - were very intelligent individuals. They possessed a deliberate intent regarding the most suitable method of encouraging others to achieve these high objectives. By this system of progression, it was hoped that man's understanding of himself and his God would lead eventually to a peaceful harmony throughout life. So great was its objectives and construction that it received many imitators, some not quite achieving the ideals envisaged by the original creators. This book is an attempt to 'get back to basics', and will hopefully bring some additional light upon what I consider the greatest method of self-improvement ever devised by man.

This book examines magic's generally maleficent effect on humans from ancient Egypt through the Middle Ages, including tales from classical mythology, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim cultures. It shows that certain magical motifs lived on from age to age, but that it took until the Italian Renaissance for magic tales to become fairy tales.

2014 Reprint of 1946 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Intriguing, thoroughly researched volume provides expert historical view of demonology and the occult, drawing information from the Bible, literary classics, personal memoirs, correspondence, and court records. Scholarly, yet highly readable study defines witchcraft, then proceeds to examine ceremonial practices, the casting of spells and conjuring, celebration of the Black Mass, and much more. A masterfully written work for anyone interested in supernatural phenomena, this book has been hailed by critic H. L. Mencken as "learned, honest, and amusing." Summers made a lifelong study of this terrible yet important subject, the black and baleful shadow in our midst. He analyzes the historical traditions and present politics of this cult society, describing in detail its workings, its aims, its frantic proselytism, and its ends.

Potent medieval faery lore and hidden goddess traditions for the 21st century. Gareth Knight explores and reveals the hidden mystery of the Faery Melusine, a major figure in medieval French lore and legend. Through vivid interpretation of original source texts, Gareth Knight shows that the Melusine story is a powerful initiatory legend emerging from the deeply transformative Faery Tradition of ancient Europe. Furthermore he demonstrates how such legends manifest as history: the innate sacromagical power of Melusine affected key places and events in the development of the medieval world and from there reached far into the shaping of the modern world through the conflicts for Jerusalem and the Middle East. Gareth Knight is the author of many books on magic, occultism, and esoteric tradition. His work is known world-wide and has been influential in the development of the contemporary magical revival.

A series of essays covering a wide spectrum of knowledge and experience, whose underlying theme is to show how our daily lives can be made a training ground for adepthood. It explains the different kinds of meditation and how to find the right esoteric teachers. Essays on the Tree of Life explain the evolution of modern esoteric Qabalah and how it has evolved from an image of God to a map of the created universe. A careful elucidation of the philosophy of Coleridge, and its relevance for today, is followed by a chapter on bridging the gap between psychology and occultism, with examples from the life of Dion Fortune and the 'ghost' of her Sea Priestess. Written by one of the world's foremost experts on Western Esoteric Traditions, this book is full of wisdom and insights that will help readers apply spiritual, magical and Qabalistic principles to their everyday life.

In The Talking Tree W.G. Gray presents an encyclopaedic and systematic analysis of the 22 Paths of the Qabalistic Tree of Life and the archetypal principles underlying them in each of the 'four worlds'. This unique work by a leading Qabalist of his generation includes a detailed and comprehensive study of the symbolism of the Tarot, in which he offers an alternative method of allocating the Major Arcana to the Paths in place of the commonly used Golden Dawn system. He also explains how the Western alphabet can be applied to the Tree of Life as a viable alternative to Hebrew letters. This book is a priceless reference work for the serious Qabalah student who has already studied the ten Sephiroth and is looking to move on to the Paths. As well as explaining the function of God-names, archangels, angelic orders and mundane archetypes for each Path, Gray seeks to demonstrate that the Tree of Life is in a continual state of growth and evolution, and that those who study and work with the Qabalah should not be afraid to apply new correspondences to it and rethink some of the traditional assumptions.

The multiple strands which make up the Western Mystery Tradition can present a bewildering tangle of paths for the seeker to negotiate - and this book provides the roadmap by exploring them with clarity and insight. Gordon Strong, who has written various books on the Arthurian legends, Tarot, the goddess and sacred stone circles, is uniquely placed to offer this journeyman's guide to magic. Meditation and contacts, Tarot, Qabalah, shamanism and polarity magic are covered, as are the British and Egyptian mysteries. The Way of Magic explores the path of ancient secrets as well as more modern adaptations of them, winding through the enigmatic codices of Egypt and the early shamen through to the modern use of Qabalah and practical magic today. Strong follows an established path with the fervour of a pioneer, making new connections and bringing fresh insights to age-old teachings. He contends that "wisdom does not automatically follow in the wake of a great deal of information, no matter how comprehensive" and proceeds to offer a practitioner's manual for ritual magic that emphasises commitment and self-discipline. This book will be an invaluable guide to any student of the mysteries looking to find some clarity in making their way forward. It will also appeal to those interested in the history of various mystery schools and their impact upon philosophical thought.

2013 Reprint of 1925 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. "The Hermetic Marriage" explains certain alchemical symbols in the nature of all things. Taking the chemistry of human relationships as the basis, this essay describes the true preparation of a Philosopher's Stone and Elixir of Life, according to the fundamentals laid down by Hermes and the ancient Egyptian priest craft. Manly P. Hall (1901-1990) founded the Philosophical Research Society in 1934, a non-profit organization dedicated to the dissemination of useful knowledge in the fields of philosophy, comparative religion and psychology. In his long career, spanning more than 70 years of dynamic public activity, Mr. Hall delivered over 8000 lectures in the United States and abroad, authored over 150 books and essays, and wrote countless magazine articles.

Following the Enochian material that would become the Heptarchia Mystica, John Dee and Edward Kelley received a grid of letters called the Great Table that encodes a complex hierarchy of angels and demons, and a series of conjurations in the Angelic language called the Angelic Keys. These conjurations and the structure of the Great Table itself have inspired individual magicians and entire magical orders for centuries. Author Scott Michael Stenwick now does for the Great Table what he did for the Heptarchia Mystica in the first volume of this series, presenting the material in a manner that is true to Dee and Kelley's original schema along with a ritual template that includes both modern and traditional grimoire techniques. The entities of the Great Table possess a vast collection of powers well-suited to practical magical work, and have been employed in some of the most effective operations of the modern era. Unlock the secrets of the Great Table, and put them to work transforming your life.

Dion Fortune encoded much practical magical lore within her novels, leaving it up to the reader to work out how to make use of it. Behind the novels were two major rituals, the Rite of Isis and the Rite of Pan, which Dion Fortune occasionally performed in public in the 1930s as part of her drive to open up occultism beyond the closed walls of esoteric fraternities. Now for the first time, these important magical workings have been released from her society's archive in their complete and original form. Edited and explained by Gareth Knight, this book contains the full text of the original Rite of Isis and Rite of Pan which formed the basis for Dion Fortune's Moon Magic, The Goat-Foot God, and The Sea Priestess. Further archive material elucidates the practical magical principles found in The Winged Bull. The book is supplemented by several articles written by Dion Fortune in the 1930s which shed further light on the practical content of her novels, including the essay Ceremonial Magic Unveiled, a review of the work of Israel Regardie in which she gives her views on the controversies within the Golden Dawn and frankly describes her own falling out with Moina MacGregor Mathers.

Evoking hidden worlds, summoning visions and making magic happen, Conjure: A Book Of Spells is filled with vivid images and tantalizing narrative fragments that stir the heart, mind and eye. Echoing the tone and structure of Medieval and Renaissance grimoires, Dube's unique collection joins surrealist automatism with rigorous formal discipline and offers readers a profound and complex work. Peter Dube is the author of four other books: Hovering World, At the Bottom of the Sky, Subtle Bodies: a Fantasia on Voice, History and Rene Crevel, which was a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award, and most recently the novel The City's Gates. He is also the editor of three anthologies of contemporary writing. His essays and critical writings have been widely published in journals such as CV Photo, ESSE, Hour and Ashe, and in exhibition publications for various galleries, among them SKOL, Occurrence, Quartier Ephemere and the Leonard and Bina Ellen Gallery of Concordia University. He lives in Montreal.