Magic, alchemy and hermetic thought Books

Book SynopsisThe Hermetic Museum takes readers on a magical mystery tour spanning an arc from the medieval cosmogram and images of Christian mysticism, through the fascinating world of alchemy to the art of the Romantic era. The enigmatic hieroglyphs of cabalists, Rosicrucians, and freemasons are shown to be closely linked with the early scientific illustrations in the fields of medicine, chemistry, optics, and color theory. Even for those with no knowledge of the fascinating history of alchemy, this book is a delight to explore. Each richly illustrated chapter begins with an introduction and quotes from alchemists by specialist Alexander Roob. The roots of surrealism and many other more recent artistic movements can be found in this treasure trove.Trade Review“Captures the incredibly rich artistic tradition of alchemy.” * Seattle Weekly *

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Book SynopsisIn what many consider to be his masterwork, Evola contrasts the characteristics of the modern world with those of traditional societies, from politics and institutions to views on life and death.Trade Review"Revolt Against the Modern World is destined to remain an essential work and frame-of-reference for anyone seriously involved in native European spirituality." * Michael Moynihan, Vortru *"Evola does not write in abstract philosophical language but in lively prose, filled with fascinating and concrete details. Given a basic grounding in history and culture, one can dip into the book anywhere and find new twists and reinterpretations. Such an encounter with a totally original mind is a rarity in these days of bland consensus, and a thrilling one whether one agrees with Evola or not." * Joscelyn Godwin, Gnosis Magazine *Table of ContentsRevolt Against the Modern World Politics, Religion, and Social Order in the Kali Yuga A Short Introduction to Julius Evola Translator's Preface Foreword Part One - The World of Tradition 1. The Beginning 2. Regality 3. Polar Symbolism; the Lord of Peace and Justice 4. The Law, the State, the Empire 5. The Mystery of the Rite 6. On the Primordial Nature of the Patriciate 7. Spiritual Virility 8. The Two Paths in the Afterlife 9. Life and Death of Civilizations 10. Initiation and Consecration 11. On the Hierarchical Relationship Between Royalty and Priesthood 12. Universality and Centralism 13. The Soul of Chivalry 14. The Doctrine of the Castes 15. Professional Associations and the Arts; Slavery 16. Bipartition of the Traditional Spirit; Asceticism 17. The Greater and the Lesser Holy War 18. Games and Victory 19. Space, Time, the Earth 20. Man and Woman 21. The Decline of Superior Races Part Two - Genesis and Face of the Modern World Introduction 22. The Doctrine of the Four Ages 23. The Golden Age 24. The Pole and the Hyperborean Region 25. The Northern-Atlantic Cycle 26. North and South 27. The Civilization of the Mother 28. The Cycles of Decadence and the Heroic Cycle 29. Tradition and Antitradition 30. The Heroic-Uranian Western Cycle 31. Syncope of the Western Tradition 32. The Revival of the Empire and the Ghibelline Middle Ages 33. Decline of the Medieval World and the birth of Nations 34. Unrealism and Individualism 35. The Regression of the Castes 36. Nationalism and Collectivism 37. The End of the Cycle Conclusion Appendix: On The Dark Age Index

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Book SynopsisBanish bad energy, ward off unpleasant people, and defend your belongings, your spirit and your space with this spellbook focused specifically on protection.In our modern world there is a lot to worry about, from the global-scale—climate change, political uncertainty—to the personal—a toxic ex, cyber bulling. Spellcrafting can help you find comfort in a stressful world. This book will give you the tools to take charge of defending yourself in both energy and physicality. With over 100 spells for protection and defense, and a glossary of protective symbols, stones, and other objects to keep on hand, this book can help you cleanse your room and cast out old negative energies, put a protective and peace-preserving bubble around yourself as you ride the bus, deflect grumpiness and negativity from people you work with—and so much more!Trade Review"The cover design is very pretty. The book gives an introduction on spell crafting and then covers spells for body and spirit, house and home, family and friends and out and about. The last section covers rituals and protective objects. Very comprehensive with some really interesting spells." —The Kitchen Witch"The key to any good spell book is to be able to find exactly what I'm looking for quickly. The author makes it easy for me to find purification spells, cord magic and much more with the full index in the back. I would highly recommend adding this book to your standard witchy library. I believe you won't be disappointed." —Confessions of a Modern Witch"This is a fun book, as well as educational, and offers something for just about any life situation." —New Spirit Journal"If she loves astrology and magic, she'll be obsessed with this new spell book from Arin Murphy-Hiscock that focuses on clearing negative energy, protecting your space, and harnessing power." —Marie Claire"Arin Murphy-Hiscock has a truly impressive body of work on spell craft and witchery. Chances are least one of her books is an integral part of your personal library. The Way of the Hedge Witch: Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home and The Green Witch: Your Complete Guide to the Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More not only grace the shelves of many readers but the aesthetically-pleasing covers pop up all over Instagram. Her books are truly objects of beauty and knowledge." —Luna Luna"The newly released Protection Spells by Arin Murphy-Hiscock addresses one of the most important areas of Magic today. Without adequate protection, Witches and other Psychic practitioners leave themselves open to unnecessary harm and chaos. This book contains over 100 different spells for defense and protection, so there is something here for just about everyone." —Patheos"Strikingly beautiful… you will not be disappointed." —Pagan Pages“Filled with everything you need to begin the art of spellcrafing … timely and exceptionally relevant.” —The Magickal Pen“Helpful… The information is solid and while it is geared toward beginners, any experienced Witch will find the information useful for more advanced workings.” —Patheos“A nice reference… very accessible.” —Facing North

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Book SynopsisAn initiatory and practical guide to creative alchemy. In this initiatory guide to the hermetic art of alchemy, artist Marlene Seven Bremner reveals how the alchemical opus, the Great Work, offers a practical means for liberating the authentic creator within and attaining gnosis, or true self-knowledge. Exploring the connections between Surrealism and alchemy, as well as the rich and complicated symbolism of alchemical art, Bremner elucidates how both Surrealism and alchemy seek to unfetter the imagination and dissolve the boundaries between dream and reality, thus reconciling the conscious and unconscious minds. She details how the three principles (salt, sulphur, and mercury), the four elements, and the seven planets interact together and within the self in creative alchemy, and she explains how to work with and transmute these energies for increased levels of insight, intuition, and imaginative expression. The author shares practical hermetic and alchemical techniques for liberating creative expression and clearing energetic obstructions that prevent us from reaching our higher potential. She also looks at the zodiacal and planetary timing of creative operations. Revealing how the stages of alchemical transmutation are relevant to the creative process, the author shows how the initiate comes to experience for themselves the relationship between consciousness and matter, which is the essence of alchemical teachings. By creating, one transmutes spiritual energies through matter for greater self-knowledge and awakening. Allowing you to truly realize your own creative power, this in-depth guide to creative alchemy shows how the alchemical path attunes the Self to the rhythms of the spheres, so that one is naturally creating in time with the seasons and zodiac signs and in harmony with elemental forces and planetary influences.Trade Review“Marlene Bremner’s The Hermetic Marriage of Art and Alchemy is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in the fascinating intersection of art and the occult. Marlene’s knowledge and passion will captivate any reader, making this book an indispensable companion for those seeking to unlock the mysteries of the unseen.” * JASON LOUV, author of John Dee and the Empire of Angels and teacher at Magick.me *“The Hermetic Marriage of Art and Alchemy is a sumptuous examination of where our relationship with imagination and our capacity to create intersects with the spiritual and psychic realms. . . . A fantastic guide for both the artist and magical practitioner alike!” * LAURA TEMPEST ZAKROFF, author of Sigil Witchery and Visual Alchemy *“A book rich in colorful illustrations, poignant imagery, and penetrating analysis. Written in a clear and easy-to-understand language that will appeal both to the specialist and the curious alike. This scholarly work is certain to please connoisseurs of the Royal Art with a useful aid to reference, time and again, on decoding the mysteries of life.” * DAVID PANTANO, translator of The Hermetic Physician *“Capably researched, vividly illustrated, and trenchantly argued, this is a treat for those who know their way around the realm of the magical imagination and a revelation for those who are just setting foot on that potent and life-affirming path.” * JOHN MICHAEL GREER, author of The Twilight of Pluto *“This new volume makes me all excited again! I would not call it a sequel but a way of going deeper into that magical realm, where alchemical thinking and practice meet the art world. . . . Another gem from Marlene Seven Bremner, including the wonderful paintings that accompany the book.” * RUDOLF BERGER, performing arts professionaland creator of the Thoth Hermes Podcast *“A remarkable work in scope and depth that explores art as alchemy, Bremner provides the ground for a much-needed discussion on the esoteric currents that have surfaced throughout various art movements such as Symbolism, Dada, and Surrealism. And in doing so, she articulates the basic premise of alchemy—that all creations arise from the same principles. Then, using these alchemical principles and processes, Bremner shows how to incorporate them into your work with clear, insightful descriptions of exercises for the artist/alchemist. The Hermetic Marriage of Art and Alchemy is a ‘must-have’ for anyone seriously working in or investigating the intersection of art and alchemy.” * Brian Cotnoir, author of Practical Alchemy, Alchemy: The Poetry of Matter, and On Alchemy *“Bremner envisions the integration of the modern-day practice of creative alchemy with a deep understanding of its representations in the visual and poetic arts. By locating imagination at the center, Bremner makes evident the hidden connections between alchemy and artists whose gaze initiates psychological change and spiritual evolution. This book is both an esoteric meditation and a feminist call to reclaim personal authority over consciousness and reject hierarchical ideologies in favor of personal exploration. This book is a must-read for historians of ideas, the arts, and practitioners of the esoteric.” * Leslie Korn, Ph.D., M.P.H., author of Rhythms of Recovery *“The Hermetic Marriage of Art and Alchemy is an unprecedented work in decoding the opacity of alchemical allegory and charting the pervasive cultural influence of esotericism. Its rich imagery discloses the intimate mechanisms of modernism within a panoramic assimilation of occult philosophy. Bremner evokes a textured interpretation of ancient arcana through informed and embodied knowledge of their processes, imparting effectual praxis for sacred operations that impel the reader toward spiritual and creative actualization.” * Micki Pellerano, artist, astrologer, and host of Time Lord TV *"For those looking to explore more layers of their creative processes, undertaking the arduous process of transforming lead into gold, The Hermetic Marriage of Art and Alchemy is a wonderful resource. This book is rich with insights about how consciousness and matter can merge to usher in new levels of self-awareness and personal insights, along with uniting readers with spiritual energies to reach their highest potential. By following the path that’s been carved by artists of centuries past, Bremner assists readers in undertaking their own creative alchemy." * Alanna Kali, Musing Mystical *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsINTRODUCTION Imaginatio Vera PART I Alchemy and Imagination 1 Romanticism: Irrational Freedom 2 Symbolism: Dark Dreams and Ideals of the Other World 3 Dada: Cutting to the Chance 4 Surrealism: The Automatic Solution PART II The Magnum Opus 5 Creative Alchemy: Essentials of the Great Work6 Nigredo: Putrefaction and the Generation of the Idea7 Albedo: Purification and the Lunar Stone 8 Citrinitas: Solar Inspiration and Integration 9 Rubedo: The Royal Marriage and the Philosopher’s Stone CONCLUSION Creatio Continua APPENDIX A Chakra Correspondence Charts APPENDIX BPlanetary Correspondences APPENDIX CElemental MeditationNotes BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisA new, 672-page title in Llewellyn s popular Complete Book series, available as a trade paperback

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Book SynopsisThis is a new and expanded second edition of THE BOOK OF ABRAMELIN, a modern classic of Magic since it was first published in English by Ibis Press in 2006. The new material includes copious footnotes and an extensive index. This is the first modern translation of this critical magical work since S.L. Macgregor Mathers''s original translation over 100 years ago. Not only is the language updated, but Georg Dehn, the compiler and editor, has sourced his work from all extant manuscripts, whereas Mathers used just one. The result is a stunning new translation, which has already set the occult world abuzz. It includes voluminous important material left out of Mathers'' work, including an entire Part 2 filled with magical recipes, important distinctions in the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel ritual and completes word grids that had been left half-completed by Mathers. Abraham von Worms, long thought to be a pseudonymous figure, is nearly conclusively proved to be the we

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Book SynopsisCelebrating the magick of the natural realm, Volume IV of The Library of Esoterica, delves into the symbolism, ceremony, and our ritual relationships with the botanical world. A visual journey through our interdependent evolution with nature, Plant Magick celebrates botanicals as creative muse – from ancient Greek sculptures to Renaissance paintings to visionary art inspired by psychoactive plants, cacti, and mushrooms. Our myths, beliefs, and shared stories are continually reflected in nature; purity represented by the white lily or spiritual awakening by the bloom of the lotus. Our joys and laments are mirrored in the cycle of the seasons, in the seed birthing sprout, or in the dead leaf falling softly from winter branches. Plants, trees, and flowers as signifiers of transition are also deeply embedded within rites of passage rituals across global cultures. Rose petals strewn along the wedding aisle mark the evolution into womanhood and marriage. A wreath of lilies stands sentinel over an open grave. A lover’s bouquet awaits on the doorstep. The wooden May Day pole is circled by girls wearing crowns of woven daisies, celebrating the coming of spring. Birth, unions, and burials – cycles of joyful celebration and deep grieving, all are marked symbolically with herbs, flowers or branches of a tree – the integration of nature into ceremony our method of signifying catharsis. Since time immemorial, plants have also served as potent symbols within the religions of the world; Buddha attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, Eve plucking the Apple of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. From root to vibrant blossom, Plant Magick explores the fertile, interconnected history between plants and people, the multitude of ways in which we embrace plants in spiritual ceremony, as healing medicine, as creative muse and as gateways into deeper explorations of consciousness.Trade Review“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” * John Muir *

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Book SynopsisA bold exploration of the reintegration of rationality and intuition, science and soul, to foster individual and planetary healing During the scientific revolution, science and soul were drastically separated, propelling humanity into four centuries of scientific exploration based solely on empiricism and rationality. But, as scientist and ecologist Stephan Harding, Ph.D., demonstrates in detail, by reintegrating science with profound personal experiences of psyche and soul, we can reclaim our lost sacred wholeness and help heal ourselves and our planet. The book begins with compelling introductions to depth psychology, alchemy, and Gaia theory--the science of seeing the Earth as an intelligent, self-regulating system, a theory pioneered by the author’s mentor James Lovelock. Harding then explores how alchemy, as understood through the depth psychology of C. G. Jung, offers us powerful methods of reuniting rationality and intuition, science and soul. He examines the integration of important alchemical engravings, including those from L’Azoth des Philosophes and the Rosarium Philosophorum, with Gaian science. He shows how the seven key alchemical operations in the Azoth image can help us develop deeply transformative experiences and insights into our interconnectedness with Gaia. He then looks at how the four components of the living Earth--biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere--mesh not only with the four elements of alchemical theory but also with the four functions of consciousness from depth psychology. Woven throughout with the author’s own experiences of Gaia alchemy, the book also offers guided meditations and contemplative exercises to open your receptivity to messages from the biosphere and help you develop your own Gaian alchemical way of life, full of wonder and healing.Trade Review“Few things are more important today than bringing humane values to the science, technology, and information sectors. It requires a person of vision and imagination. I have known Stephan Harding for many years and have seen firsthand how his genius and big heart help science evolve to the next level. This latest book, Gaia Alchemy, is a beautiful blueprint for transforming contemporary knowledge and returning soul to our planet.” * Thomas Moore, author of #1 New York Times bestseller Care of the Soul and Soul Therapy *“In this time of global crises and evolutionary opportunities, it’s vital that we reclaim our innate human ability to learn from our animate Earth using our feeling senses, our imaginations, and our dreams. Western science, in contrast, has specialized in learning about our world, using logic, quantification, and the illusion of separation. Harding shows us how to alchemically unite and integrate these two modes of knowing and why it’s both necessary and rapturous, and he does so with brilliance, imagination, humor, grace, and, above all, heart. Gaia Alchemy is a worldshifting masterwork, an essential read for all twenty-first-century lovers and defenders of life.” * Bill Plotkin, Ph.D., founder of Animas Valley Institute and author of Soulcraft, Wild Mind, and The *“Harding shows how Western empirical science, which is at the root of so much material progress but also the cause of blatant destruction, can find its way back into the heart of subjective living experience. Gaia Alchemy points to a new union of calculating and intuiting mind, of measuring and of contemplating beauty, and does so from a firm foundation in Western culture, not by borrowing from Asian or Indigenous cosmologies. Profound, erudite, timely, and immensely necessary, Gaia Alchemy builds a bridge between the head and the heart. A landmark work for the Anthropocene.” * Andreas Weber, Ph.D., philosopher, biologist, and author of The Biology of Wonder, Enlivenment, and *“Desperate for a way beyond the reductive mindset of contemporary science, a keenly creative biologist excavates the medieval ‘Great Work’ of alchemy, the immediate precursor of modern science. This book is a record of Harding’s deeply personal quest to bring alchemy’s esoteric insights to bear on the catastrophic situation in which our planet now finds itself. * David Abram, Ph.D., author of The Spell of the Sensuous and Becoming Animal *“A brave book that offers a profound celebration of the marriage between science and soul, showing convincingly that there is no conflict between reason and intuition; in fact, they are good companions. A close collaborator of James Lovelock, who proposed Gaia theory, Stephan has been able to develop an original and authentic understanding of relationships between science and psyche. In this compelling book, rooted in rigorous science and poetic imagination, Stephan outlines a new paradigm for a holistic worldview. Read this book and it will inspire you to look at the world and see it whole.” * Satish Kumar, cofounder of Schumacher College and editor emeritus of Resurgence and Ecologist *“A remarkable and lively synthesis of leading-edge science and the deep wisdom of the archetypal psyche. Harding’s bold and engaging vision works its own alchemical transformation on the reader, guiding us from the lead of the dominant mechanistic and disenchanted worldview to the gold of an experiential understanding of Gaia as the ensouled body in which we live and have our being. This book will prove invaluable to those seeking a more integral approach to Earth System Science, to the psychologically minded who long for deeper connections with the living Earth, and to all who are called to participate in the Great Work of our times.” * Sean Kelly, Ph.D., author of Becoming Gaia and Coming Home *“In this bold and extraordinary book Stephan Harding, an eminent ecologist, makes a surprising defense of alchemy as a tool with which to reconnect with the more-than-human world. Pursue the path of alchemy, he says, and we can restore ourselves to ourselves, and, even more importantly, to Gaia, the living soul of the planet. By offering exercises that anyone can try for themselves, Stephan opens doorways so that everyone can experience Gaian consciousness firsthand. At a time when so many are looking to Indigenous cultures for the answers to our ever-mounting ecological ills, it is refreshing to find someone offering homegrown tools, techniques, and methods that stem from the intellectual roots of Western culture. All the tools we need are to be found in the alembic of the unconscious, in the union of opposites between the scientific rational domain of logos and the deep waters of mythos. I can think of no better guide to steer us through this muchneeded process.” * Andy Letcher, Ph.D., senior lecturer at Schumacher College, program lead for the M.A. in Engaged Eco *“Gaia Alchemy arises like a phoenix out of the ashes of our terribly precise but ultimately life-denying sciences of reduction, abstraction, and objectification. Harding’s storied and deeply personal account of his imaginal journey into Gaia alchemy is a timely invitation to each of us to cultivate ways of knowing and being adequate to the great Planet-Being with whom we live.” * Jonathan M. Code, M.Ed., lecturer in sustainable land management at Royal Agricultural University *“Stephan Harding’s teaching is always illuminating. In Gaia Alchemy, he shows how, through the relationship between science, alchemy, and depth psychology, we can reach toward an experience of nondual Gaian soul in our lives.” * Peter Reason, Ph.D., professor emeritus at the University of Bath *“Stephan Harding tells an enthralling new story of Gaia, one where we begin with Gaia rather than ourselves. His unique union of science, myth, and alchemy--invoking both our rational and intuitive ways of thinking and exploring how they may and must come together--brings us into a new vision of a Gaia consciousness. A brilliant book.” * Jules Cashford, Jungian analyst and coauthor of The Myth of the Goddess *“With the emergence of a Gaian science that restores mind to Earth, we have a new lens through which to divine alchemical meaning in geo-ecological processes. This is the dazzling new vista for the healing of both Earth and ourselves that Gaia Alchemy opens up.” * Freya Mathews, adjunct professor of environmental philosophy at La Trobe University and author of Re *Table of ContentsForeword by Stephen Harrod Buhner Acknowledgments INTRODUCTION Science Meets Alchemy 1 First Steps 2 Psyche and Alchemy 3 Descartes’s Sky God 4 Descartes Meets Alchemy 5 The Unus Mundus: Gaia Archetype and Gaia Science 6 Carbon and Gaia’s Temperature Regulation 7 A Gaia Alchemy Meditation: Creating and Using the Gaiascope 8 Gaia and the Tabula Smaragdina 9 The Seven Stars 10 Sir Isaac Newton’s Azoth Mandala 11 Gaia Alchemy on Granite 12 Of Loops and Stars 13 Gaia Alchemy and Deep Time 14 An Alchemical Conversation 15 The Fungus and the Rose Garden 16 Living a Gaian Alchemical Life: The Ecosophical Tree 17 Experiencing Gaia Mercurius Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisMagic, witches, and demons have drawn interest and fear throughout human history. In this comprehensive primary source reader, Martha Rampton traces the history of our fascination with magic and witchcraft from the first through to the seventeenth century. In over 80 readings presented chronologically, Rampton demonstrates how understandings of and reactions toward magic changed and developed over time, and how these ideas were influenced by various factors such as religion, science, and law. The wide-ranging texts emphasize social history and include early Merovingian law codes, the Picatrix, Lombard’s Sentences, The Golden Legend, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. By presenting a full spectrum of source types including hagiography, law codes, literature, and handbooks, this collection provides readers with a broad view of how magic was understood through the medieval and early modern eras.Rampton’s introduction to the voTrade Review"Anyone looking for significant attention paid to the medieval period, and especially the earlier medieval centuries, will find it here. And for the late medieval and early modern periods, its attention to different kinds of sources, especially its mix of literature and drama along with legal and demonological texts, is a welcome addition." -- Michael D. Bailey, Iowa State University * The Medieval Review *"For several decades now, magic and witchcraft have been the focus of scholarly attention, and Martha Rampton’s reader – a collection of primary texts that prepares the topic in all its breadth for use in the classroom – is a welcome addition. University of Toronto Press has to be thanked for providing teachers, students, and scholars alike with a rich and voluminous source-book, albeit less affordable than one might have hoped. European Magic and Witchcraft presents carefully selected texts, eighty-six examples from very different genres, from biblical times to the early modern period in chronological order. Some of these texts are famous and have had an enormous cultural impact, such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Augustine’s City of God, while others are quite rare, such as Alferic of Eynsham (ca. 955–1010) or court records of the use of torture in early modern witchcraft trials." -- Sergius Kodera, University of Vienna * Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance et Réforme *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Preface Chapter One: Late Classical and Early Christian Archetypes 1. Moses and Aaron Challenge Pharaoh’s Magicians 2. The Pythoness Brings the Dead to Life: The Witch of Endor 3. Odysseus and Circe the Sorceress 4. Medea: The Classic Witch 5. Erictho: Divination through the Dead 6. Simon Magus: Money for Miracles 7. Goddess Diana of the Ephesians Bests the Apostle Paul 8. Hecate and the Chaldean Oracles 9. Magic Transforms One into a Bird, Another into an Ass 10. Justin Martyr and the Fallen Angels 11. The Apostle Peter Bests Simon Magus 12. Antony of the Desert Combats Demons 13. Curse Tablets and Binding Spells 14. Saint Martin Battles with Pagans and Demons 15. Augustine: Demons and Magic in the City of God Chapter Two: Post-Roman Kingdoms of Europe: Traffic with Demons (500–750) 16. Three Post-Roman Law Codes against Malicious Magic 17. Caesarius of Arles Preaches against Magic and Paganism 18. Continuity in Magic Spells 19. A Warning to Peasants about the Evils of Trafficking with Demons 20. Sorcery in Gregory of Tours’s Sixth-Century Gaul 21. Saint Patrick Battles Pagan Magicians 22. Early Medieval Sainthood and Demons: Saint Radegund 23. Isidore of Seville Defines Magic: The Etymologies 24. Penance for Sins of Magic 25. A Demoniac in Early Medieval England: Bede Chapter Three: The Carolingian Dynasty: Demons Cut Down to Size (750–1000) 26. An Eighth-Century List of Pagan Practices 27. Paganism of the Saxons 28. Beowulf Fights the Demons: Grendel, and Grendel’s Mother 29. Agobard of Lyons and Weather Magic 30. Carolingian Catalogue of Magical Acts: Council of Paris 31. Treatise on Magic: Hrabanus Maurus 32. Magic at the Court of Louis the Pious: Paschasius Radbertus 33. The Devil of Kempten and the Villager 34. Marriage and Magic: The Divorce of Lothar 35. Loosed Women and Night Flight: Canon episcopi 36. Anglo-Saxon Healing Cures and Charms 37. Anglo-Saxon Sermon against Augury: Aelfric of Eynsham 38. A Prayer to Mother Earth and Other Charms 39. An Eleventh-Century Penitential: Burchard of Worms Chapter Four: The High Middle Ages: Many Threads (1000–1300) 40. Evil Angels: Lombard’s Sentences 41. Divination and the Court: The Policraticus 42. Lanval and the Fairy Queen: Marie de France 43. The Gentle Werewolf: Marie de France 44. Guide for the Perplexed: Jewish Magic and Maimonides 45. Weather Well and Magic Ring: Chrétien de Troyes 46. Norse Magic: Saga of the Volsungs 47. Magic as a Cautionary Tale: Caesarius of Heisterbach 48. A Saintly Dog and the Changelings 49. Picatrix: Arabic Magic 50. Astronomy: Natural Magic or Necromancy? 51. The Golden Legend: Saints and Devils 52. Heresy versus Sorcery 53. A New Kind of Devil: Thomas Aquinas Chapter Five: The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries: Diabolism 54. A Priest Dupes His Friend with a Promise of Magic in The Decameron 55. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 56. Key to Occult Mysteries of Solomon 57. Clerical Magic: A Handbook 58. A Warning to the People of Siena to Expunge Witches from the City 59. Trial of Joan of Arc 60. Witch Beliefs Coalesce: Formicarius 61. The Ordinal of Alchemy 62. Natural Magic and Renaissance Humanism: Oration on the Dignity of Man 63. Pope Innocent VIII Empowers the Inquisitors 64. The Witch Hammer Chapter Six: The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries: The Full Fury of the Witch-Hunts 65. Defending the Harvest: The Cult of the Benandanti 66. In Praise of Natural Magic: Cornelius Agrippa 67. Martin Luther’s Devil 68. Papists, Popedom, and Witchery: John Calvin 69. A Voice of Skepticism from the Medical Profession: Johann Weyer 70. Witch Persecutions in Trier 71. Charms, Tricks, and Day-to-Day Sorcery 72. Demon Mania in France: Jean Bodin 73. Mechanics of Torture: Dr. Fian and Suzanne Gaudry 74. King James and the Witches of North Berwick: “News from Scotland” 75. Skepticism and a Forced Recantation 76. King James I of England: Treatise on Demons and Witchcraft 77. A Midsummer Night’s Dream 78. Shakespeare’s Witches: Macbeth 79. A Jacobean Comedy 80. The Witches’ Sabbath 81. Persecution of the Burgomaster of Bamberg 82. The Witches of Würzburg 83. Witch Panic in Bonn 84. In Defense of the Accused 85. The Demonic Possession of the Nuns of Loudun 86. England’s Witch Finder General Sources Index of Topics

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Book SynopsisThe ancient Egyptians were firmly convinced of the importance of magic, which was both a source of supernatural wisdom and a means of affecting one’s own fate. The gods themselves used it for creating the world, granting mankind magical powers as an aid to the struggle for existence. Magic formed a link between human beings, gods, and the dead. Magicians were the indispensable guardians of the god-given cosmic order, learned scholars who were always searching for the Magic Book of Thoth, which could explain the wonders of nature. Egyptian Magic, illustrated with wonderful and mysterious objects from European museum collections, describes how Egyptian sorcerers used their craft to protect the weakest members of society, to support the gods in their fight against evil, and to imbue the dead with immortality, and explores the arcane systems and traditions of the occult that governed this well-organized universe of ancient Egypt.Trade Review"This volume is very richly illustrated . . . .The described Egyptian practices and objects are introduced and presented in an excellent way."—Bibliotheca OrientalisTable of ContentsA present of the gods From wisdom to the black arts The battle of good and evil Principal parts The magicians of Egypt Witches and sorcerers High school for magicians The premier league Surfing through the cosmos Cosmic internet Search for the laws of nature Knowledge is power Sacred writing The practice of magic Showing one’s colors Knowledge of commodities The right time and place Knotty points Books of magic A magical toolbox Tracking down Khaemwas An end and a new beginning The Egyptian insurance system Women and children first Doctor for invisible ailments Home insurance Foul and fair The vigilant authorities Battle at the temple gate Sports and leisure Spontaneous generation Sex and violence A magical funerary policy Troublesome deceased Going out by day The body as a microcomos The daily bread Eternal life Fighting evil Free travel At the weightwatchers’ The quest for enlightenment Changing world Eastern wisdom A Christian varnish Jinns and buried pearls European Enlightenment From witchcraft to Egyptomania Moses and the sting-fish Good chemistry The rediscovery of Thoth’s book of magic

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Book SynopsisThe black sun, an ages-old image of the darkness in individual lives and in life itself, has not been treated hospitably in the modern world. Modern psychology has seen darkness primarily as a negative force, something to move through and beyond, but it actually has an intrinsic importance to the human psyche. In this book, Jungian analyst Stanton Marlan reexamines the paradoxical image of the black sun and the meaning of darkness in Western culture.In the image of the black sun, Marlan finds the hint of a darkness that shines. He draws upon his clinical experiences and on a wide range of literature and art to explore the influence of light and shadow on the fundamental structures of modern thought as well as the contemporary practice of analysis.An important contribution to the understanding of alchemical psychology, this book draws on a postmodern sensibility to offer insight into modernity, the act of imagination, and the work of analysis in understanding depression, trauma, and transformation of the soul.Trade ReviewIn The Black Sun, Stan Marlan takes us on an unflinching and ultimately healing journey through the shadowed land of despair where most abandon all hope. There, we find, a strange light shines, and in that light we can discern what is otherwise invisible. Marlan teaches us how to see in the dark. - Murray Stein

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Book SynopsisThe Book of Hermetica is the definitive collection of the most pivotal texts of hermetic wisdom. It includes the three most critical books in the cannon Corpus Hermeticum, The Emerald Tablet, and The Kybalion.Corpus Hermeticum and The Emerald Tablet are both attributed to Hermes Trismegistus and were written between 100-300 BCE. These works form the foundation of hermetic wisdom, expounding on philosophy, religion, magic, and alchemy. The Kybalion was written much later, in the 20th century, and explores the seven basic hermetic principles. Faithfully reproduced in The Book of Hermetica, these esoteric writings have inspired great minds throughout the ageseveryone from Newton and Milton to Leonardo da Vinci and Jungand modern readers will find their pages equally fascinating.The Book of Hermetica is the perfect introduction to the mysteries of hermeticism and essential reading for anyone interested in und

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Book SynopsisTrade Review'Lawrence-Mathers's book dispels any belief that the figure of Merlin is of interest only within the realm of literary history. Instead the book paints a remarkable picture of a figure whose political and social influence has been so extensive that we should consider him a central figure in the shaping of British identity and history.' - Philip Carr-Gomm, author of The Book of English Magic'This highly readable and erudite book places the histories of Merlin, derived from the tweifth-century writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth, in their literary and cultural context. The story of how the image of Merlin as political prophet, magician and half-demon evolved in the Middle Ages is as fascinating as any romance.' - Euan Cameron, author of Enchanted Europe: Superstition, Reason, and Religion, 1250-1750'Anne Lawrence-Mathers has given us a fascinating portrait of Merlin firmly set in history and free from the usual methologising theories. As such it is to be warmly recommended.' - Peter Maxwell-Stuart, author of Wizards: A History"This book is more informative on the subject as a whole than any other I’ve seen. Merlin, though inseparable from Arthur, is a major character in his own right, and he fits in with magical and mystical interests that are still active."—Geoffrey Ashe, author of The Discovery of King Arthur

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Book SynopsisAt age 18, Damien Echols was sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit. “I spent my years in prison training to be a true magician,” he recalls. “I used magick - the practice of reshaping reality through our intention and will - to stave off incredible pain, despair, and isolation. But the most amazing feat of all that practice and study was to manifest my freedom.” With High Magick, this bestselling author shares his first instructional book on the powerful spiritual practice that helped him overcome his struggles - so you can learn how to transform your own reality. What is High Magick? The tradition Damien teaches is not about stage tricks or illusions - it is an ancient discipline of spiritual realisation kept alive for thousands of years. Here he offers clear training for modern audiences on meditations and practices such as the Four-Fold Breath, the Qabalistic Cross, the Lesser Rituals of the Pentagram, using sigils and talismans, and working with angelic forces of creation. “Magick is a journey,” teaches Damien. “It’s a continuously unfolding path that has no end - meant for questioners, seekers, and those who desire to peel away the surface of reality to see what lies beneath.” If you’re ready to discover your untapped potential for co-creating your reality with the energy of the divine, then join this extraordinary teacher to begin your training in High Magick.

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Book SynopsisAn investigation of The Eye of Revelation, a system of inner alchemy meant to awaken the subtle powers of the human body and mind. This book examines in detail a short book, often referred to as The Five Tibetans that was published in 1939 teaching a simple yet effective set of five exercises for health and longevity, the Five Rites. Certain dietary rules and lifestyle principles accompanied the Rites, so did a Sixth Rite that worked the diaphragm muscles and redirected sexual energies, and also a set of teachings about seven energy centers or vortices in the body, though not the same as the well-known seven chakras along the spine. These vortices are among the most distinctive things about the system, and are found in only a scattered handful of sources elsewhere. It is by awakening the vortices to their normal rate of spin, the book claims, that the Rites achieve their effects. John Michael Greer follows each of these threads back as far as possible, to reveal something of the landscape of ideas and practices that gave rise to these remarkable exercises. He then spins the threads back together, putting the Five Rites in as much of their original context as he can, and describing in detail the practice of the broader system in which the Rites have their place—a system of inner alchemy meant to awaken certain subtle powers of the human body and mind. The book also includes the complete original text of The Eye of Revelation.Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION 1. The Teacher 2. The Exercises 3. The Currents 4. The Waters 5. The Vortices 6. The Glands 7. The Chakras 8. The Inner Sun 9. The Third Eye 10. The Secret Preliminaries Stage One Stage Two Stage Three The Eye of Revelation by Peter Kelder (1939) Foreword Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Appendix 1: The Simplified Method Stage One Stage Two Stage Three Additional Practices Appendix 2: The Carey Protocol Bibliography Peter Kelder’s Text Other Source Material Online Archives INDEX

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Book Synopsis“David Brafman, just like the alchemists did, mixes ingredients to make gold.” -- The New Scientist Alchemists are notorious for attempting to synthesize gold. Their goals, however, were far more ambitious: to transform and bend nature to the will of an industrious human imagination. For scientists, philosophers, and artists alike, alchemy seemed to hold the key to unlocking the secrets of creation. Alchemists' efforts to discover the way the world is made have had an enduring impact on global artistic practice and expression. Brafman’s book is the first to explore how the art of alchemy globally transformed human creative culture from the ancient world to the modern scientific age, and displays the ways its legacy still permeates the world we make today.

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Book SynopsisExamines legal documents and magic texts relevant to common forms of magic practiced in Tudor England. Trade Review“The provision of these original sources is a gift to historians and their students but also to modern magicians seeking working materials, and the authors’ analyses provide genuinely new insights into the nature of late medieval and early modern English magical practice.”—Ronald Hutton,author of The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present

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Book SynopsisThe legends of the Norse and Germanic regions of Europe--spanning from Germany and Austria across Scandinavia to Iceland and England--include a broad range of mythical characters and places, from Odin and Thor, to berserkers and Valhalla, to the Valkyries and Krampus. In this encyclopedia, Claude Lecouteux explores the origins, connections, and tales behind many gods, goddesses, magical beings, rituals, folk customs, and mythical places of Norse and Germanic tradition. More than a reference to the Aesir and the Vanir pantheons, this encyclopedia draws upon a wealth of well-known and rare sources, such as the Poetic Edda, the Saga of Ynglingar by Snorri Sturluson, and The Deeds of the Danes by Saxo Grammaticus. The author describes the worship of the elements and trees, details many magical rituals, and shares wild folktales from ancient Europe, such as the strange adventure of Peter Schlemihl and the tale of the Cursed Huntsman. He also dispels the false beliefs that have arisen from the Nazi hijacking of Germanic mythology and from its longtime suppression by Christianity. Complete with rare illustrations and information from obscure sources appearing for the first time in English, this detailed reference work represents an excellent resource for scholars and those seeking to reconnect to their pagan pasts and restore the old religion.Trade Review“For libraries with specialized collections in anthropology, folklore, and mythology.” * Library Journal, Patricia D. Lothrop, May 2016 *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments EDITOR'S NOTE How to Use this Encyclopedia INTRODUCTION Norse and Germanic Mythology and Folklore: Traditions of Considerable Influence Encyclopedia of Norse and Germanic Folklore, Mythology, and Magic From Aage to Zwiesauger Bibliography

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Book SynopsisConnect to the magic of the world around you for healing, empowerment and self-careNature is filled with hidden, elusive energies: the growth spirals of sunflowers, the electromagnetic spectrum of rainbows, the bio-energy of trees and the sound waves of thunder. Working with the potent energy of nature''s bounty, you will learn to nurture and embrace your inner guardian witch through spell work.Brimming with rituals, wishes and enchantments to encourage spiritual growth, abundance and prosperity, and featuring beautiful illustrations from the author, this book is an illuminating guide to harnessing the earth''s power for personal reflection. It reveals how magic can be used as a reciprocal force for good that protects and promotes our well-being, as well as that of our planet.The Little Book of Earth Magic is for those who seek to form a meaningful connection with nature and take their spiritual practice to a new level.

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Book SynopsisA complete guide to the theory, practice, and history of Mazdan magic, the first organized system of magic • Provides a complete curriculum of magical study and initiation centered on exercises keyed to the sacred Zoroastrian calendar • Details advanced magical rituals and practices based on archaic Persian formulas, including fire rituals and divine invocations Stephen Flowers explores the history, theory, practice, rituals, and initiations of the Mazdan magical system practiced by the Magi of ancient Persia, who were so skilled and famed for their effectiveness that their name came to mean what we today call “magic.” The author explains how the religious branch of the Mazdan magical system, founded by the Prophet Zarathustra, is known in the West under the name Zoroastrianism. The author reveals how all other known systems of magic have borrowed from this tradition, providing the clues that enabled him to reformulate the original Mazdan system. He reviews what the Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, Christians, and Chinese said about the Iranian-Persian tradition of the Mazdans and their invention of a magical technology. He explains how the ultimate aim of the original form of magic was not only individual wisdom, self-development, and empowerment, but also the overall betterment of the world. The author details a complete curriculum of magical study and initiation based on a series of graded exercises keyed to the sacred Zoroastrian calendar. Providing a manual for the original magical system used by the members of the Great Fellowship, this book guides you toward the comprehensive practice of the Mazdan philosophy, the ultimate outcome of which is ushta: Happiness.Trade Review“A superbly written and detailed book providing an excellent practical guide and framework for modern practice. The book is divided into four distinctive and easy-to-follow sections, covering history, theory, initiation, and practices of the Persian Magi, making it a highly recommended read. The Bible tells the story of the three Persian Magi following a star and bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh for the baby Jesus, but who were they, and what made them ‘wise men’? Stephen Flowers, Ph.D., explains the history of the Persian Magi and provides ample examples of the sources of their wisdom.” * Payam Nabarz, author of The Mysteries of Mithras and Stellar Magic *“Since the very word ‘magic’ comes from ancient Persia, it is remarkable how much that tradition has been ignored by modern magicians and pagans. In this book, Stephen Flowers, Ph.D., fills that gap, using both his academic prowess and his magical experience to provide a workable system of magical initiation and training based on both the original sources and what can be reconstructed from modern Iranian practice. The result is a system that will bring about deep spiritual change in its practitioners.” * Ceisiwr Serith, author of The Pagan Family and Deep Ancestors *“Unlike works on esoteric praxis that seek to cultivate an air of mystification, Stephen Flowers’s Original Magic allows the ancient and genuine tradition of Mazdan spirituality to reveal itself in radiant clarity. The result is a challenging but thoroughly workable curriculum for self-initiation into one of our oldest living religious and philosophical currents. Although it shares Indo-European roots with the more familiar pagan traditions of the West, the flame that fuels the Mazdan way has never been stifled or snuffed out by the vicissitudes of history. And in stark contrast to systems of sorcery based in a cynical paradigm, Original Magic offers more than just a path toward wisdom and betterment for the individual--its goal is a truly enlightened world.” * Michael Moynihan, Ph.D., coeditor of the journal TYR: Myth--Culture--Tradition *“Stephen Flowers changed magical research and practice by bringing scholarship and actual practice into a complementary whole. Original Magic will be a game-changer in the esoteric and scholarly worlds. It returns magic to its roots and restores the original symbol of the mind as a flame. It is a most powerful work.” * Don Webb, coauthor of SET: The Outsider and author of Overthrowing the Old Gods *“The foremost authority of rune magi is Stephen Flowers, both as a practitioner and as scholar. As in all of Flowers's books, Original Magic contains both pioneering perspectives as well as roots in historical sources and solid academic research.” * Professor Thomas Karlsson, Ph.D., author of Uthark: Nightside of the Runes *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Abbreviations Preface Introduction The Time Has Come to Lift the Ban A Note on the Languages and Texts of the Mazdan Tradition1 Iranian Magic as the Ancients Saw It 2 The History of Iranian Magic 3 Theories of Mazdan Magic 4 Initiation into Magic 5 Rituals of Mazdan Magic Appendix A A Brief History of Eranshahr Appendix B Guide to Pronunciation of Avestan Appendix C The Analysis of Three Major Avestan Manthras Appendix D The One Hundred and One Names of God Appendix E Basic Mazdan Astrological Lore Appendix F Resources Glossary Notes Bibliography and Reading List Index

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Book SynopsisIn 16th century Italy, in the midst of the Renaissance, two powerful movements took hold. The first, the Hermetic Movement, was inspired by an ancient set of books housed in the library of Cosimo de' Medici and written by the Egyptian sage Hermes Trismegistus. The movement expounded the return of the "true religion of the world" based on a form of natural magic that could draw down the powers of the heavens and incorporate them into statues and physical structures. The other movement, the Heliocentric Movement launched by Copernicus, was a direct challenge to the Vatican's biblical interpretation of a geocentric world system. Declared a heresy by the Pope, those who promoted it risked the full force of the Inquisition. Exploring the meeting point of these two movements, authors Robert Bauval and Chiara Hohenzollern reveal how the most outspoken and famous philosophers, alchemists, and scientists of the Renaissance, such as Giordano Bruno and Marsilio Ficino, called for a Hermetic reformation of the Christian religion by building a magical utopic city, an architectural version of the heliocentric system. Using contemporary documents and the latest cutting-edge theses, the authors show that this Temple of the Sun was built in Rome, directly in front of the Vatican's Basilica of St. Peter. They explain how the Vatican architect Bernini designed St. Peter's Square to reflect the esoteric principles of the Hermetica and how the square is a detailed representation of the heliocentric system. Revealing the magical architectural plan masterminded by the Renaissance's greatest minds, including Bernini, Jesuit scholars, Queen Christine of Sweden, and several popes, the authors expose the ultimate heresy of all time blessed by the Vatican itself.Trade Review“Robert Bauval is a brilliant investigator of the hidden corners of history, and he has surpassed himself with The Vatican Heresy. It is a true time bomb of a book revealing stunning intrigues that have shaped the modern world and that call into question our most fundamental perceptions of the role of the Church of Rome.” * Graham Hancock, author of War God and Fingerprints of the Gods *“With his usual care and attention to detail, Robert Bauval spins out the thread that joins the solar religion of pharaonic Egypt to the utopian hopes of the fading Renaissance. His theory climaxes with the dramatic and dangerous project of a pope (Urban VIII), a polymath (Kircher), an architect (Bernini), and an exiled queen (Christina). Their dream was of a united Christendom orbiting around Rome; their method, the marriage of Hermetic philosophy with the new astronomy, through symbolic architecture. Like Bauval’s other books about times and places when science and magic were one, The Vatican Heresy arouses curiosity, disbelief, nostalgia, and finally hope.” * Joscelyn Godwin, Ph.D., author of The Pagan Dream of the Renaissance and Athanasius Kircher’s *“In this enchanting book, Robert Bauval and Chiara Hohenzollern reveal an astonishing fact hiding in plain sight. Surely thousands of visitors to the Vatican’s Saint Peter’s Square over the past three centuries have been puzzled by the gigantic ancient Egyptian obelisk featured in its center. Through meticulous research, The Vatican Heresy illuminates the profoundly evolutionary adventurers who employed deep symbolic insights and astute political maneuvering to construct a talismanic Hermetic City of the Sun in the heart of the citadel of Christendom. Read The Vatican Heresy. . . . I couldn’t put it down.” * Thomas Brophy, Ph.D., coauthor of Black Genesis: The Prehistoric Origins of Ancient Egypt and Imhote *“It looks like Robert Bauval (now with coauthor Chiara Hohenzollern) has done it again, revealing that not just the pyramids but the Vatican itself is a celebration of sacred architecture. A fascinating theory and very timely.” * Adrian G. Gilbert, coauthor of The Orion Mystery and author of Secrets of the Stone of Destiny *Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction: Hiding the Truth in Plain Sight 1 The True Religion of the World 2 The Hermetic Movement, Part I 3 The Hermetic Movement, Part II 4 The City of the Sun 5 Urbiet Orbi: To the City and to the World Postscript The Jesuit Pope Appendix 1 Campanella, the Rosicrucians, and the Miraculous Birth of the Sun King Appendix 2 The Ellipse of St. Peter’s Square by Sandro Zicari, Ph.D. Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe stark immediacy of what happened in 1692 has obscured the complex web of human passion which had been growing for more than a generation before building toward the climactic witch trials. Salem Possessed explores the lives of the men and women who helped spin that web and who in the end found themselves entangled in it.Trade ReviewAn illuminating and imaginative interpretation…of the social and moral state of Salem village in 1692. Provides an admirable illustration of the general rule that, in Old and New England alike, much of the best sociological history of the twentieth century has only been made possible by the antiquarian and genealogical interests of the nineteenth… This sensitive, intelligent, and well-written book will certainly revive interest in the terrible happenings at Salem. -- Keith Thomas * New York Review of Books *A provocative book. Drawing upon an impressive range of unpublished local sources, Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum provide a challenging new interpretation of the outbreak of witchcraft in Salem Village. They argue that previous historians erroneously divorced the tragic events of 1692 from the long-term development of the village and therefore failed to realize that the witch trials were simply one particularly violent chapter in a series of local controversies dating back to the 1660s. In their reconstruction of the socio-economic conditions that contributed to the intense factionalism in Salem Village, Boyer and Nissenbaum have made a major contribution to the social history of colonial New England… [They] have provided us with a first-rate discussion of factionalism in a seventeenth-century New England community. Their handling of economic, familial, and spatial relationships within Salem Village is both sophisticated and imaginative. -- T. H. Breen * William and Mary Quarterly *This is an ‘inner history’ of Salem Village that aims to raise the events of 1692 from melodrama to tragedy… It is a large achievement. This book is progressive history at its best, with brilliant insights, well-organized evidence, maps, and footnotes at the bottom of the page. -- Cedric B. Cowing * American Historical Review *The authors’ whole approach to the Salem disaster is canny, rewarding, and sure to fascinate readers interested in that aberrant affair. * The Atlantic *This short book is a solid contribution to the understanding of the 1692 witch trials. The authors use impressively rich demographic detail to support the thesis that the witch trials are best explained as symptoms of typical social tensions in provincial towns at the time. According to Boyer and Nissenbaum, Salem villagers played roles determined by economic, geographic, and status interests. -- Richard Ekman * Canadian Historical Review *An important, imaginative book that brings new insights to the study of the 1692 witchcraft outbreak in Massachusetts. Building on Charles Upham’s Salem Witchcraft (1867), Boyer and Nissenbaum explore decades of community tension and conflict in order to explain why Salem was the focus of this episode. The authors reveal a complex set of relationships between persons allied with the growing mercantile interests of Salem Town and those linked to the subsistence-based economy of outlying Salem Village. -- Carol Karlsen * Journal of Women in Culture and Society *Table of ContentsPreface Salem Village in the Seventeenth Century: A Chronology Abbreviations Used in the Notes Prologue: What Happened in 1692 1. 1692: Some New Perspectives 2. In Quest of Community, 1639-1687 3. Afflicted Village, 1688-1697 4. Salem Town and Salem Village: The Dynamics

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Book SynopsisA full-color guide to protection, cleansing, and countermagick with crystals

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsPreface 1: Approaching Others (Thoughts before Writing) Anthropology and Its Discontents. Occult Thought and Hegemonic Histories. The Hermeneutic Recognition of Others. The Rehabilitation of Hermeneutic Dialogue. Archaeology, Genealogy, and Hermeneutic History. 2: The Scope of Renaissance Magic The New Magic. The World of the Renaissance Magus. Agrippa versus Foucault. Locating Occult Musics. 3: Modes and Planetary Song: The Musical Alliance of Ethics and Cosmology Structures and Their Reproduction. Structural Transformations circa 1500. Structure and Event. 4: Ficino's Magical Songs Spirit, Soul, Music. Word, Image, Music. Phantasmic and Demonic Song. Substance, Figure, Sound. Seeing and Hearing in the Renaissance. 5: Musical Possession and Musical Soul Loss Possession, Shamanism, and Soul Loss. Musical Soul Loss and Possession: Examples from Nonelite Culture. Possession and Soul Loss in Ficino's Furors. Thoughts on the Politics of Early-Modern Mysticism. 6: An Archaeology of Poetic Furor, 1500-1650 Foucault's Epistemes. Magical Furor. Analytic Furor. Poetic Furor and Archaeological Ambivalence circa 1600. 7: Archaeology and Music: Apropos of Monteverdi's Musical Magic 8: Believing Others (Thoughts upon Writing) Appendix: Passages Translated in the Text Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisStephen Skinner has been interested in magic for as long as he can remember. He wrote, with Francis King, the classic Techniques of High Magic in 1976. He followed that with Oracle of Geomancy and Terrestrial Astrology which has become the standard work on Western divinatory geomancy. Books on Nostradamus and Millennium Prophecies followed in highly illustrated editions. Stephen is also the author of eight books on feng shui, including the first one written in English in the 20th century. In the 1970s he was responsible for stimulating interest in John Dee and Enochian magic by publishing the first reprint of Casaubon''s True and Faithful Relation of What Passed for Many Yeers between Dr John Dee and some Spirits. and Dr Donald Laycock''s key reference book on the angelic language The Complete Enochian Dictionary. With David Rankine, he discovered what happened to Dee''s most important manuscript, his personal book of angelic invocations which he kept in Latin, and how it was preserved

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Book SynopsisIsaac Newton was a dedicated alchemist, a fact usually obscured as unsuited to his stature as a leader of the scientific revolution. Author Philip Ashley Fanning has diligently examined the evidence and concludes that the two major aspects of Newton’s research—conventional science and alchemy—were actually inseparable. In Isaac Newton and the Transmutation of Alchemy, Fanning reveals the surprisingly profound influence that Newton’s study of this hermetic art had in shaping his widely adopted scientific concepts.Alchemy was an ancient tradition of speculative philosophy that promised miraculous powers, such as the ability to change base metals into gold and the possibility of a universal solvent or elixir of life. Fanning compellingly describes this carefully tended esoteric institution, which may have found its greatest advocate in the career of the father of modern science. Relegated to the fringes of discourse until its twentieth-century revival by innovative thinkers such as psychiatrist Carl Jung, alchemy offers a key to understanding both the foundations of modern knowledge and important avenues in which we may yet discover wisdom.

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Book SynopsisWhat is a grimoire? The word has a familiar ring to many people, particularly as a consequence of such popular television dramas as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed. But few people are sure exactly what it means. Put simply, grimoires are books of spells that were first recorded in the Ancient Middle East and which have developed and spread across much of the Western Hemisphere and beyond over the ensuing millennia. At their most benign, they contain charms and remedies for natural and supernatural ailments and advice on contacting spirits to help find treasures and protect from evil. But at their most sinister they provide instructions on how to manipulate people for corrupt purposes and, worst of all, to call up and make a pact with the Devil. Both types have proven remarkably resilient and adaptable and retain much of their relevance and fascination to this day. But the grimoire represents much more than just magic. To understand the history of grimoires is to understand the spread of Christianity, the development of early science, the cultural influence of the print revolution, the growth of literacy, the impact of colonialism, and the expansion of western cultures across the oceans. As this book richly demonstrates, the history of grimoires illuminates many of the most important developments in European history over the last two thousand years.Trade ReviewFor anyone interested in magical writing and publication, it's essential. * Steven Moore, Fortean Times *Undoubtedly an important contribution to the field...The range of research here is, frankly astonishing. * Steven Moore, Fortean Times *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Ancient and Medieval Grimoires ; 2. The War against Magic ; 3. Enlightenment and Treasure ; 4. Across the Oceans ; 5. Rediscovering Ancient Magic ; 6. Grimoires USA ; 7. Pulp Magic ; 8. Lovecraft, Satan, and Shadows ; 9. Epilogue ; Further Reading ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisOften alchemy is seen as an example of medieval gullibility and the alchemists as a collection of eccentrics and superstitious fools. Sean Martin shows that nothing could be further from the truth. It is important to see the search for the philosopher's stone and the attempts to turn base metal into gold as metaphors for the relation of man to nature and man to God as much as seriously held beliefs. Alchemy had a self-consistent outlook on the natural world and man's place in it. Alchemists like Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus were amongst the greatest minds of their time and the history of alchemy is both the history of a spiritual search and the history of a slowly developing scientific method. Sir Isaac Newton devoted as much time to his alchemical studies as he did to his mathematical ones. This book traces the history of alchemy from ancient times to the 20th century, highlighting the interest of modern thinkers like Jung in the subject, and in the process covers a major, if neglected area of Western thought.Trade ReviewAlchemists - they were just idiots, weren't they? Crazy hermetic wizard types blinded by greed. Well, not according to this brief history -- Steven Poole * Guardian Unlimited *Packed with facts as well as opinions, the book has all the key information you need to know about alchemy and alchemists * Alchemy Journal *

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Book SynopsisEmpedocles played a crucial role in the development of western culture; yet little is known or understood about this man, who lived in Sicily in the fifth-century BC. This is mainly becuase his teaching has been reconstructed by modern shcolars first and formost on the basis of Aristotle''s hostile reports - producing a picture which is disconnected and lacking in depth. Using material never exploited before, Peter Kingsley presents the first full-scale study of Empedocles to situate his fragmentary writings in their original context of philosophy as a way of life, mystery religion and magic, and of the struggle to realize one''s own divinity. This study also explores fresh evidence which proves Empedocles was not an isolated figure and reveals new links between his work and ancient Pythagoreanism. The process of establishing these links now makes it possible to demonstrate, in detail, the Pythagorean origin of Plato''s myths. Kingsley re-examines problems regarding the connections betTrade ReviewHighly polemical new book ... The thesis is argued with immense learning. * Times Higher Education Supplement *An original, lucid and intriguing narrative on Empedocles. * Phronesis *a remarkable, indeed pioneering, book which will compel scholars not only to re-examine the paradigms and traditional sources of evidence upon which they have hitherto relied, but also perhaps to question the category of philosophy itself as a viable notion outside the orbit of mystery, magic and myth ... Kingley's Ancient Philosophy is a brilliant, provocative, occasionally quirky, but gripping, urgent and important story which is bound to delight some and offend others. On these terms, it is a unique pioneering work which has all the ingredients to fall under Meyerhold's definition of a masterpiece. * Kevin Corrigan, University of Saskatchewan, European Review of History *a remarkable achievement: challenging, learned, and at the same time enthralling to read ... A consequence of K.'s approach, and one of the impressive things about his book, is that it is not just a book for the specialist in ancient philosophy. K.'s work will also be important for students of ancient religion and magic and for anyone interested in what made Sicilian and Western Greek culture distinctive in the fifth century. K. writes with elegance and vigour ... anyone with a serious interest in early Greek philosophy should read this book. * Anne Sheppard, Royal Holloway, University of London, The Classical Review, Vol. XLVI, No. 2, '96 *an original, lucid and intriguing narrative on Empedocles ... he has put forward a powerful, wide-ranging and coherent case that deserves a hearing, and at the least, a reassessment of the role of the western Presocratics in the history of philosophy. * Phonesis: A Journal for Ancient Philosophy, Vol. XLI, No. 1 1996 *Reading Kingsley's Ancient Philosophy, Mystery, and Magic is like walking into the middle of a rarefied discussion that has been going on for thousands of years. * Bruce Nelson, Parabola *a remarkable achievement: challenging, learned, and at the same time enthralling to read. ... A consequence of K.'s approach, and one of the impressive things about his book, is that it is not just a book for the specialist in ancient philosophy. K.'s work will also be important for students of ancient religion and magic and for anyone interested in what made Sicilian and Western Greek culture distinctive in the fifth century. ... Despite its learning, the book is one of the most readable academic works I have encountered. K. writes with elegance and vigour. ... anyone with a serious interest in early Greek philosophy should read this book. * The Classical Review *a remarkable, indeed pioneering, book which will compel scholars not only to re-examine the paradigms and traditional sources of evidence upon which they have hitherto relied, but also perhaps to question the category of philosophy itself as a viable notion outside the orbit of mystery, magic and myth. The work amasses, for the first time in this form, a truly impressive array of textual, archaeological, and papyrological evidence. ... Kingsley contrives to do this in such an interesting way that the reader is drawn artfully into the process of detection itself as into the unravelling of an urgent mystery. ... it is a unique pioneering work which has all the ingredients to fall under Meyerhold's definition of a masterpiece. * European Review of History, vol.3, no.2 *In this work Kingsley has brought a vast amount of scholarship to bear on the subject. ... Kingsley's work, while firmly rooted in the academic tradition, is unique in teasing out new insights from texts that have been studied but misunderstood for decades. Kingsley's scholarship is wide-ranging and impeccable ... provides a storehouse of new insights and expands our understanding of the complex background of Greek philosophical thought. Without doubt, its central arguments are compelling and backed up with an intimidatingly vast scholarly apparatus. ... this is without question an important volume that will stimulate discussion for many years to come. * Gnosis Magazine, Winter 1997 *This work is without doubt the most important book on Empedocles in recent years and one of the most significant in early Greek thought since the writings of F. Cornford saw the light of day. This book is of great significance for the study of early Greek thought and presents a major transformation of view as far as Empedocles and Pythagoras as well as the relation of Pythagoreanism to Plato are concerned ... the book of Kingsley is of singular importance in the study of the Islamic intellectual tradition, while being of an even greater singificance for the field of Greek and Western philosophy, since it challenges the commonly held view of the whole foundation of Western philosophical thought. * Seyyed Hossein Masr, George Washington University, The Journal of Islamic Studies, Vol. 8, No. 2 '97 *Dramatic and provocative. He presents a stimulating, learned, and wide-ranging interpretation of Empedocles and Pythagoreanism ... this book provides a great deal of information in a thoroughly original package. * Religious Studies Review *The author has successfully accumulated fairly extensive material and convincing arguements to make his point! * The Journal of Indo-European Studies *Remarkable book...it is good to have his researches gathered in one volume...there can be no doubt that Kingsley's book, precisely in cutting across the narrow boundries of classical studies and departing from the well-worn avenues by which we approach the history of ancient philosophy, poses a serious challenge for most future work in the field...Kingsley's book will be a hard act to follow...I cannot think of many scholars in ancient philosophy who could afford to ignore this book without peril; it is not recommended but required reading! * Ancient Philosophy *In this work Kingsley has brought a vast amount of scholarship to bear on the subject...Kingsley's work...is unique in teasing out new insights from texts that have been studied but misunderstood for decades. Kingsley's scholarship is wide-ranging and impeccable...provides a storehouse of new insights and expands our understanding of the complex background of Greek philosopical thought. Without doubt, its central arguements are compelling, and backed up with an intimidatingly vast scholarly apparatus...this is without question an important volume that will stimulate discussion for many years to come. * Gnosis Magazine *This is a most remarkable book, learned, discursive, but yet sharply focussed, on a subject which might seem to lend itself readily to various sorts of intemperate speculation ... this is splendid book, and one that should generate much discussion. * John Dillon, Trinity College, Dublin, Hermathena, no 164, summer 98 *

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