Madame Blavatsky's Victorian-era masterpiece is now scaled down to its essentials, providing the most readable, accessible experience ever of one of history's seminal occult works.
"The Secret Doctrine," Helena Petrovna Blavatsky's masterwork on the origin and evolution of the universe and humanity itself, is arguably the most famous, and perhaps the most influential, occult book ever written. Published since 1888 only in expensive, two-volume editions of some 1,400 pages, it has long eluded the grasp of modern readers- until now.
This single-volume edition, abridged and annotated by historian and Theosophical scholar Michael Gomes, places the ideas of "The Secret Doctrine" within reach of all who are curious. In particular, Gomes provides a critical sounding of the book's famous stanzas on the genesis of life and the cosmos- mysterious passages that Blavatsky said originated from a primeval source and which form the heart of "The Secret Doctrine." Gomes scrupulously scales down the book's key writings on symbolism to their essentials, and offers notes and a glossary to illuminate arcane references. His historical and literary introduction casts new light on some of the book's sources and on the career of its brilliant and elusive author, one of the most intriguing personages of the nineteenth century.
At once compact and representative of the work as a whole, this new edition of "The Secret Doctrine" brings unprecedented accessibility to the key esoteric classic of the modern era.

Building on her fundamental texts The Art of Acting and The Art of Speech, Dawn Langman shows how the great dramas of Western heritage illuminate the evolution of human consciousness - from the past and into the future - thus providing a context in which actors can consciously evolve their art. Having laid her foundation by exploring the Eleusis Mysteries - the seed point of Western drama - she moves to the end of the nineteenth century, when drama and performance practice prepared for its next great evolutionary leap. She explores the connection of this leap to the evolutionary threshold facing human beings at the end of what occult history calls Kali Yuga. Weaving back and forth between future, past and present - guided by the great cyclic themes of human soul and spiritual development - Langman shows how the inspiration of our greatest artists springs from a source of knowing that encompasses the high calling of the human being to mature beyond its biological inheritance, and to become a conscious co-creator with the macrocosmic powers that serve the evolution of the universe. In doing so, she clarifies the specific function drama has in our contemporary development within the spectrum of the arts.

Are Thoresen perceives demons and other spiritual beings as clearly as we see each other. He sees the demons that cause disease as well as the beings associated with medicinal plants and other substances that can promote health. He has witnessed how demons of disease leave the bodies of the sick and enter the healthy, thus causing contagion. Through his therapeutic work, Thoresen has learned that one cannot simply `fight' demons, as they will `translocate' to other people or return later. The only effective way to counteract these malign entities is to dissolve them through the boundless love of the being of Christ. The author presents a lifetime's knowledge - the fruit of more than half a century's practical and clinical experience - in the pages of this book, offering a better understanding of health and disease. He recounts numerous personal experiences of demonic entities and explains how demons are created. Thoresen advises on the prevention of the demonic effects of natural and artificial radiation, and how we can defend and ultimately free ourselves from demonic influence. A fascinating Addendum describes the phenomenon of poltergeists and the spiritual beings related to various drugs. Demons and Healing is a singular work, written out of precise vision and knowledge of the spiritual entities that surround us in everyday life.

'Approaching the different and manifold sequences in this book...one will gradually come to realise that metamorphosis can become an ideal for knowledge, a guiding path for self-knowledge and knowledge of the world - as intuitive contemplation and as artistic creation.' - Dr Peter Wolf What is metamorphosis? Through the medium of art, sculptor Gertraud Goodwin invites us to enter the realm of time and continuously changing movement in this highly original book. With chapters by various artists and writers, interwoven with her key insights, Goodwin offers numerous points of entry to understanding the mystery of metamorphosis. Profusely-illustrated in colour, we are shown many sequences of images - of sculptures, reliefs and graphic works - which, with the aid of informed commentary, we are invited to 'read'. These images belong together, developing from one to the next - just as single experiences and events in life belong to our biographies. One motif, one movement, passes through all stages, from simple beginnings and more differentiated formations, to a culmination - and, from there, back to a more mature simplicity and concentration, which makes a new beginning possible.' In relation to the transcendent, where ordinary words fail, the language of form, texture and relations in space, like those of music in time, offer alternatives to words, perhaps less encumbered by preconceptions. These pages offer many examples of the beauties and mysteries of metamorphosis, which is itself an essential component of Nature's creative language.' - Dr Philip Kilner

Written in the form of question and answer, "The Key to Theosophy" is an excellent introduction for the inquirer. After the publication of "Isis Unveiled" and "The Secret Doctrine", the author was deluged with questions about the human constitution, spiritual and psychological; the mysteries of periodic rebirths; and, the difference between fate, destiny, free will, and karma. These and many other questions on the basic theosophical concepts are answered simply and directly. The work is enhanced by a 60-page glossary of philosophical terms drawn from Sanskrit, Hebrew, and classical literature.

In an extraordinary exposition, Lorenzen - an expert beekeeper and student of contemporary spiritual science - describes the `Logos mysteries', based at the ancient temple of Artemis in Ephesus, where priestesses were known as `Melissas' (`honeybees') and the sacrificial priests were called `Essenes' (or `bee-kings'). These cultic mysteries, he says, bore remarkable parallels to the workings of a bee colony - specifically in the relationship between the queen and worker bees to the spiritual `group-soul' of the bees. Lorenzen commences his unique study with a discussion of flowers and insects, exploring their common origins. He then describes the beginnings of the honeybee, its connection with the fig wasp, and the subsequent controlled transformation of the latter that took place in pre-historic mystery-centres. Breeding the honeybee from the fig wasp - a sacred deed performed at consecrated sanctuaries - was part of the `Fig-tree mysteries'. The initiates behind this task developed the ability to commune with the bees' group-soul and to work consciously on the mutual development of the hive and humanity. This concise but rich work features an illuminating foreword by Heidi Herrmann of the Natural Beekeeping Trust as well as a lucid introduction by translator Paul King that explains the anthroposophical concepts employed by Lorenzen in his text.

Delivered in the context of post-war cultural and social chaos, these lectures form part of Rudolf Steiner's energetic efforts to cultivate social understanding and renew culture through his innovative ideas based on `threefolding'. Steiner develops a subtle and discerning perception of how social dynamics could change and heal if they were founded on real insight into our threefold nature as individuals, social beings and economic participants in the world. He doesn't offer a programmatic agenda for change, but a real foundation from which change can organically grow. Social forms and reforms, says Steiner, are `created together', not imposed by lone geniuses. Nevertheless, the detail of some of the thoughts and ideas he presents here as a possible model - down to the economic specifics of commodity, labour, taxation, ground rent and capitalism itself - are staggering in their clarity and originality. This is no mystic effusion but a heartfelt plea, backed by profound insights, to change our thinking and the world we live in. As he points out, thoughts create reality, and so it is vital how and what we think. Among the many contemporary and highly-relevant topics Steiner discusses here are: the nature of money and capital; taxation and the state; free enterprise and initiative; capitalism and Marxism; the relationship between employer and employee; `added value' theory and the concept of commodity; and `class consciousness', the proletariat and the bourgeoisie.

From the bestselling author of Fingerprints of the Gods, and creator of the explosive Netflix series, Ancient Apocalypse ____________________________________ 'Supernatural: of or relating to things that cannot be explained according to natural laws.' 'As gripping as any thriller' New Statesman 'Provocative and fascinating' Daily Mail ____________________________________ Less than 50,000 years ago mankind had no art, no religion, no sophisticated symbolism, no innovative thinking. Then, in a dramatic and electrifying change, described by scientists as "the greatest riddle in human history", all the skills and qualities that we value most highly in ourselves appeared already fully formed, as though bestowed on us by hidden powers. Graham Hancock sets out to investigate this mysterious "before-and-after moment" and to discover the truth about the influences that gave birth to the modern human mind. His quest takes him on a journey of adventure from the stunningly beautiful painted caves of prehistoric France, Spain and Italy to remote rock shelters in the mountains of South Africa where he finds a treasure trove of extraordinary Stone Age art, ending in the depths of the Amazon rainforest, where he drinks the powerful plant hallucinogen Ayahuasca with Indian shamans, whose paintings contain images of "supernatural beings" identical to the animal-human hybrids depicted in prehistoric caves and rock shelters. Could these "supernaturals" be the ancient teachers of mankind? And is human evolution in fact more purposeful and intelligent that we have barely even begun to understand? ____________________________________ 'A welcome exploration and celebration of the mystery inside our skulls' Guardian 'Extraordinary' Daily Express 'Intelligent and articulate . . . his writing is as expert as you would expect from an esteemed international correspondent' Scotsman 'Hancock's most important book . . . Quite stunning' Independent

The actual historical moments of birth of the various arts are not known. At most, significant changes of direction are distinguishable - and these are usually detected retrospectively. However, the founding of eurythmy, a new art of movement, has been extensively documented. The story of the first eurythmist, Lory Maier-Smits, told in the pages of this profusely-illustrated book, is a valuable contribution to that legacy. It brings to life the pioneering period when the new artform was being developed under Rudolf Steiner's personal instruction. Magdalene Siegloch traces Lory Maier-Smits' biography with artistic care and loving detail. She describes the eurythmist's early exposure to anthroposophy; her training under Rudolf Steiner from 1912; the first performance of eurythmy during the Theosophical Society festival in 1913; Rudolf Steiner's lectures on the new art of movement; the staging of eurythmy under the direction of Marie Steiner; and Maier-Smits' later work as a trainer of eurythmists. Also included is an account of Maier-Smits' personal path of development, her marriage and family life.

We live in a world characterized by intolerance, war, environmental degradation and economic collapse. In contrast, might it be possible to build a society in which tolerance, love and peace are the abiding principles? In this positive and inspiring book Danielle van Dijk shows how, beginning with our personal development, we can contribute to such a new, transformed world. She describes how we can develop a universal spiritual consciousness - what she refers to as 'Christ Consciousness'. Van Dijk emphasizes that the Christian mysteries took place on the physical plane, and distinguishes with great clarity between Jesus as a human being, the incarnation of Christ on earth, and the cosmic Christ. She builds bridges between the spiritual research of Rudolf Steiner, the Nag Hammadi writings and the gospels of Mary Magdalene and Judas, culminating in a comprehensive and wide-ranging picture of Christ. By gaining insight into the nature of Christ's being, and undertaking practical exercises described here, each of us can achieve the new Christ Consciousness. In ancient times, selected individuals underwent rites of initiation within secret mystery schools. Disclosing the knowledge obtained there was punishable by death. In our time, however, the spiritual mysteries have become open and available to all. Initiation, says the author, involves 'walking the inner path to all-embracing love, which is known in gnostic and esoteric lore as Christ, the highest divine Being', leading to 'a sublime cosmic-orientated consciousness, which comes into existence when the higher self wholly exists within the individual human being.

This expanded edition of "The Gnostic Bible" includes the "Gospel of Judas" - the recently discovered and translated Gnostic text that was an instant best seller on its original appearance in 2006 - in its most accessible translation yet. Also included in this work are such important and topical texts as the "Gospel of Mary Magdalene" and the "Gospel of Thomas". Religious thinkers engaged in the quest for wisdom and knowledge, the Gnostics proclaimed that salvation could be found through mystical knowledge and intuition. Dating from the first to the thirteenth centuries, the texts in "The Gnostic Bible" represent Jewish, Christian, Hermetic, Mandaean, Manichaean, Islamic, and Cathar forms of Gnostic spirituality, and they derive from Egypt, the Greco-Roman world, the Middle East, Syria, Iraq, China, France, and elsewhere.

A collection of best loved lectures containing practical insights for day-to-day living.

First published in the run-up to the new millennium, van Manen's seminal study remains a unique and important source for understanding the spiritual and karmic background to the Anthroposophical Movement and Society, as founded around the work of the twentieth-century seer and scientist Rudolf Steiner. In his lectures on karma given in 1924, Steiner spoke of the principal Aristotelian and Platonic traditions - and the movements based on their thinking. Van Manen studies the streams of destiny connected to these groups, and elaborates upon Steiner's presentations - also tackling the apparent contradictions in the Karmic Relationships lecture series. The author discusses the background to these groupings of destiny, beginning with the cosmic Michael School in the life before birth. He throws light on many different esoteric aspects connected to anthroposophy, including the archetypal representations of thinking arising from the Middle Ages; the Arthurian and Grail movements; the mystery of 'Old' and 'Young' souls; the individuals identified as 'Seekers for Christ' and 'Servants of Michael', and the 'Shepherds' and 'Kings'. We are led to the point at which the two principal groups of souls incarnate and meet together on earth for the first time ever - an event which is to take place within the contemporary anthroposophical movement. In an inspiring conclusion, the author presents his thoughts on a great Whitsun happening at the end of the twentieth century, and expounds on the tasks of the new millennium and the future of anthroposophy.

The concepts of 'thinking with the heart' or 'emotional intelligence' are often used today, usually in contrast to intellectual thought. When Rudolf Steiner used the phrase 'heart thinking', however, he meant it in a very specific sense. Drawn primarily from his lectures, the compiled texts in this anthology illuminate his perspective - that heart thinking is intimately related to the spiritual faculty of Inspiration. The heart, he says, can become a new organ of thinking through the practice of exercises that work towards the transformation of feeling, shedding its personal and subjective character.The exercise sequences presented here call for two fundamental gestures. Firstly, renunciation, which extends from an extinguishing of images engendered in meditation, through inner silence, to a conscious suppression of sense perception. The second gesture involves the development of new feelings towards natural phenomena as well as to the reports of spiritual-scientific research. By practising these methods, we can attain a kind of thinking that is in harmony with the true nature and reality of what we seek to know.Rudolf Steiner's texts are collected together by Martina Maria Sam, who contributes a lucid introduction and notes.

"We must become selfless-that is the task of culture today for the future. Human beings must become more and more selfless. Therein lies the future of right moral life actions, the future of all acts of love that can occur through earthly humanity." -Rudolf Steiner (Approaching the Mystery of Golgotha) In a lecture eight weeks before the outbreak of World War I, Rudolf Steiner, conscious of developments to come, coined the phrase "culture of selflessness" to describe the culture that would develop in the future. The far-reaching social implications of his primarily Christological lectures on the Fifth Gospel, given in 1913/14 under the same political circumstances, were foreign to many of Steiner's contemporary audiences, who largely failed to understand his dramatic accounts drawn from the Fifth Gospel (or that gospel itself) as a "source of comfort" for the future, or (as Rudolf Steiner said of them) as "needed" for future work. The subsequent catastrophes of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, however, have sensitized us to Steiner's central themes and contents of 1913/14. He spoke of spiritual development and self-preservation in the face of great suffering; of truly participating in the misfortunes of others; and of acquiring "true selflessness" that takes the human "I" fully into account. During the 1930s, during the National Socialist reign of violence, a few of Rudolf Steiner's pupils took this path of moral resistance and all-embracing therapeutic action. One example is described in the second chapter of this volume. Many other destinies are less well-known; by now, they can no longer be saved completely from oblivion. They include the great life work of Maria Krehbiel-Darmstadter, an anthroposophist of Jewish origin who was murdered in Auschwitz in January 1943. However, both now and in the future, in a world that must find humane ways to endure continued calamities of tremendous magnitude, the task Rudolf Steiner described remains relevant in all cultures and all parts of the globe. "A single great community covers the earth. Its name is suffering and strength."

Living Theurgy is a masterpiece combining scholarly excellence with lucid practicality. Theurgy ('god-working') is a combination of ritual mystical practices interwoven with philosophy and theology. It was developed by Iamblichus and other Neoplatonists inspired by the works of philosophers including Plato, Aristotle and Pythagoras, and Julian the Chaldean. Author and scholar Jeffrey Kupperman elucidates and makes accessible the core ideologies and practices of Theurgy, which evolved through more than 1000 years of Platonic philosophy and cultural transformations. Kupperman guides the reader through the contemplative and theurgical practices used by the Neoplatonists to create effective spiritual transformation in the practitioner. Philosophia (Philosophy) as the foundation of Theurgy is explored through techniques such as lectio divina ('divine reading') contemplation and visualisation. It focuses on discussion of key concepts including virtue, wisdom, bravery, temperance, justice, evil, political philosophy, beauty and love. Theologia (Theology) considers the One, also known as the Good, which is the source of all, through the spectrum of monotheism, polytheism and panentheism. It also explores different views regarding the nature and functions of the Demiurge, angels and daimons, and the human soul, and the practices of Theurgy, including the use of hymns and prayers. Theourgia (Theurgy) focuses on the practices, from purification and the use of signs, symbols and tokens to talismancy and the ensouling of eikons (divine images). The work concludes with a complete guide to the Invocation of the Personal Daimon, an essential step in the theurgic process of purification and illumination in seeking the Divine. Living Theurgy is a literary psychopomp for practitioners seeking effective methods of developing their knowledge and relationship with the divine through Neoplatonic praxis. It is essential reading for all those interested in traditional forms of magical, philosophical, and religious practice, and the history of the western mysteries. "Philosophy is purifying, religion illuminating, but theurgy is uplifting." Introduction, Jeffrey Kupperman

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.