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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Alternative belief systems > Occult studies > Magic, alchemy & hermetic thought
Dion Fortune's The Cosmic Doctrine is a spiritual work that
resulted from a psychic experiment between two friends in
Glastonbury, 1923. It has since become one of the most important
works in modern esoteric literature and a constant source of
inspiration and instruction to many practitioners. Sparks from the
Cosmic Flame is a series of essays written by some of those
inspired practitioners, which rather than seeking to 'explain' the
work or re-write it in more modern vernacular, instead develops
various and different aspects of its ideas that can be applied to
one's practice. It's a book about how The Cosmic Doctrine can be
used, or perhaps used differently and more flexibly. Wendy Berg,
author of Red Tree, White Tree and Gwenevere and the Round Table
has collated a series of illuminating essays by those who share a
common enthusiasm for The Cosmic Doctrine and its applicability to
contemporary practice. The contributors include the editor as well
as M. E. Beardsley, James North, Stuart Delacey, Dale Kendrick,
J.R. Petrie, Derek Thompson, Gwen Blythe, Christian Gilson, Holly
Mulhern and Alan Robinson. There is no single or orthodox
interpretation but rather a call for individual imagination and
intuition, as well as the reasoning mind. It is unlike any other
book and the reader will find that the guidance and inspiration of
the original Inner Plane communicators are still there to be
contacted; the words are the catalyst. One needs only to read a
portion of the text and hold the images and concepts in the mind
for the magic to work.
In this provocative book, Marla Segol explores the development of
the kabbalistic cosmology underlying Western sex magic. Drawing
extensively on Jewish myth and ritual, Segol tells the powerful
story of the relationship between the divine and the human body in
late antique Jewish esotericism, in medieval kabbalah, and in New
Age ritual practice. Kabbalah and Sex Magic traces the evolution of
a Hebrew microcosm that models the powerful interaction of human
and divine bodies at the heart of both kabbalah and some forms of
Western sex magic. Focusing on Jewish esoteric and medical sources
from the fifth to the twelfth century from Byzantium, Persia,
Iberia, and southern France, Segol argues that in its fully
developed medieval form, kabbalah operated by ritualizing a mythos
of divine creation by means of sexual reproduction. She situates in
cultural and historical context the emergence of Jewish
cosmological models for conceptualizing both human and divine
bodies and the interactions between them, arguing that all these
sources position the body and its senses as the locus of culture
and the means of reproducing it. Segol explores the rituals acting
on these models, attending especially to their inherent erotic
power, and ties these to contemporary Western sex magic, showing
that such rituals have a continuing life. Asking questions about
its cosmology, myths, and rituals, Segol poses even larger
questions about the history of kabbalah, the changing conceptions
of the human relation to the divine, and even the nature of
religious innovation itself. This groundbreaking book will appeal
to students and scholars of Jewish studies, religion, sexuality,
and magic.
This richly illustrated history provides a readable and fresh
approach to the extensive and complex story of witchcraft and
magic. Telling the story from the dawn of writing in the ancient
world to the globally successful Harry Potter films, the authors
explore a wide range of magical beliefs and practices, the rise of
the witch trials, and the depiction of the Devil-worshipping witch.
The book also focuses on the more recent history of witchcraft and
magic, from the Enlightenment to the present, exploring the rise of
modern magic, the anthropology of magic around the globe, and
finally the cinematic portrayal of witches and magicians, from The
Wizard of Oz to Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
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.
These 840+ magical tables are the most complete set of tabular
correspondences covering magic, astrology, divination, Tarot, I
Ching, Kabbalah, gematria, angels, demons, Graeco-Egyptian magic,
pagan pantheons, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Taoist and
mystical correspondences ever printed. It is over five times larger
and more wide ranging than Crowleys Liber 777. New columns include
the spirits from Fausts Hoellenzwang and Trithemius Steganographia.
Types of magic and their Greek identification headwords; the
meanings of a wide range of nomina magica; planetary incenses; and
the secret names for ingredients, all from the Greek magical
papyri. Also the names of the gods of the hours and the months
which must be used for successful evocation. The source of the data
in these tables ranges over 2000 years, from the Graeco-Egyptian
papyri, Byzantine Solomonike, unpublished manuscript mediaeval
grimoires and Kabbalistic works, Peter de Abano, Abbott Trithemius,
Albertus Magnus, Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Dr John Dee, Dr Thomas
Rudd, Tycho Brahe, MacGregor Mathers (and the editors of Mathers
work, Aleister Crowley and Israel Regardie), to the mage of
classical geometric shapes, modern theories of prime numbers and
atomic weights. The sources include many key grimoires such the
Sworn Book, Liber Juratus, the Lemegeton (Goetia, Theurgia-Goetia,
Almadel, Pauline Art), Abramelin, and in the 20th century the
grimoire of Franz Bardon. All this material has been grouped and
presented in a consistent and logical way covering the whole
Western Mystery tradition and some relevant parts of the Eastern
tradition. This is the final update of this volume.
* Explores Kremmerz's life, his teachings, his work as a hermetic
physician, and the metaphysical and hermetic principles that guided
his activities * Offers a detailed account of the distance healing
practices, diagnostic methods, and rituals of the Fraternity of
Myriam * Includes texts written by Kremmerz on the inner workings
and magical operations of the fraternity, intended for its
practicing members Giuliano Kremmerz (1861-1930), born Ciro
Formisano, was one of the most influential Italian occultists,
alchemists, and Hermetic masters of the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries, though he remains almost unknown to English
readers. In 1896, Kremmerz began writing about natural and divine
magic, healing, and alchemy through the journal Il Mondo Secreto
(The Secret World). At the same time, he founded a school known as
the Schola Philosophica Hermetica Classica Italica as well as a
magical group, the Therapeutic and Magical Fraternity of Myriam.
Within the Myriam, he sought to use Hermetic, magical, and
Pythagorean principles to harness the power of the psyche and
convey collective energies for therapeutic purposes and distance
healing. His initiatic order would become the principal esoteric
society in Italy--comparable to its British counterpart, the
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn--but forced to be a carefully
guarded secret as Mussolini's government rose to power. In this
unique compilation of essays, David Pantano presents an in-depth
study of Kremmerz's life and work by his student and initiate,
Italian esotericist Marco Daffi. Without holding back criticism,
Daffi provides a detailed account of the history and practices of
the Myriam as well as the metaphysical and Hermetic principles that
guided their activities. Revealing Kremmerz's rediscovery of the
occult healing of ancient mystery schools, Daffi also shows how
Kremmerz laid the foundation for passing this initiatory tradition
on to the new millennium. He explores the means by which Kremmerz
said miracles can be performed and the way Hermetic forces affect
both bodily health and mystical eroticism. Throughout this
collection, David Pantano provides extensive annotations, offering
the English reader essential historical and mystical context for
Daffi's work. Connecting to untranslated Italian texts and
elucidating Daffi's poetic style, Pantano's commentary reveals the
particular tradition of Italian esoterism. Pantano also includes
rare and unpublished texts written by Kremmerz and intended for the
Myriam's practicing members. Combined, these papers offer a picture
of the inner workings and magical operations of this fraternity,
available for the first time in English.
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Initiations
(Paperback)
Paul Sedir; Translated by Gareth Knight
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R624
Discovery Miles 6 240
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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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.
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