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Book SynopsisAs the students begin to rehearse, events become increasingly dark and strange, and they lead Greer back to where she never thought she would return - Longcross Hall. There she discovers that not only is the Order of the Stag alive and well, but that a ghost from the past might be too .Trade ReviewA very readable story in the hands of an experienced writer. Recommended * Thornton Rigg *the book delivered much more than I even anticipated * Book Mad Blog *The pacing and plot development is brilliantly executed and will have you on the edge of your seat, desperate to find out what happens next until the very last page, I couldn't put it down once I'd started. There's a brilliant twist at the end, I won't spoil it but trust me, It's a good one! I can't recommend this book enough, it's definitely in my top ten 2017 reads and I'll definitely be buying a finished copy when it's out. * Fantastic Book Dragon *STAGS is a pacey and well-plotted young adult story that champions outsiders and questions out-dated viewpoints in a constantly evolving world. It makes for an entertaining standalone novel but a sequel wouldn't be unwelcome. * Culture Fly *MA Bennett is brilliant at keeping the reader in suspense. * Book Murmuration *Students will love this as it also has a hint of romance without being intrusive for boy readers. Hailed as the new Hunger Games, it reminded me more of The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. A good read. * Reading Zone *I read and finished this book in just a day only putting it down for food. It was absolutely gripping and interesting, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and I didn't want to put it down whatsoever and I wasn't let down by my anticipation for it which was good! * Niffler Reads *Part traditional, part modern, thriller and boarding school drama, with echoes of everything from Agatha Christie to The Hunger Games, this really is a wonderful mosaic of a novel. * Nudge-Book *MA Bennett reinvigorates the boarding-school thriller... This is a darkly compelling examination of the allure of privilege, and the unscrupulous means by which it preserves itself. * The Guardian *S.T.A.G.S is a thrilling and thoroughly enjoyable YA novel with dark undertones. A fun mystery thriller that sheds light on issues surrounding class and society. Highly recommend. * The Book Bag *a gorgeous and compelling romp * Irish Times *Good and twisty and definitely unique... if you're looking for something creepy and autumnal to read, I'd recommend S.T.A.G.S. * The Cosy Reader *The book is laid out in five acts and the chapters are the scenes. These are very short which makes this fast paced novel an easy read. Scene 1 goes straight into the action and by the end the reader is left wanting more. -- Gary Kenworthy * Armadillo Magazine *The endings of both S.T.A.G.S. and D.O.G.S. left me open-mouthed and desperately needing more, so I know that I've fallen hook, line and sinker for these books. Bennett has crafted a brilliant, thought-provoking series that I know I will continue to read. -- Emily Mitchell * Suffolk Libraries *The best sequels offer up something of the original and something completely new . . . Wonderful fun * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisThe hitman with a conscience is back in a thriller that opens with an explosive terrorist attack on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.Trade ReviewExplosive and timely...Holm expertly balances weighty issues of national security with more intimate personal losses, and makes it clear that the best stories happen in the gray area between good and evil * Publishers Weekly *Fast-paced, full of twists that ingeniously come together for a thunderous finale, this is commercial thriller writing at its best and grand entertainment. * Maxim Jabukowski, LoveReading *Praise for THE KILLING KIND -- :A ripping, twisting yarn you can read in one sitting -- Simon Kernick, author of The Final MinuteA story of rare, compelling brilliance, with a concept so high you'll need oxygen to finish it...This is a one-sitting, extravagant, mind-blowing reading pleasure -- David BaldacciRoaring tough-guy fun * The Sunday Times *Lean, brutal and riveting, THE KILLING KIND is the kind of novel you can't put down but also want to savour. With sharply etched characters, knifelike twists and hardboiled energy to burn, it's an utter winner, beginning to end. -- Megan Abbott, bestselling author of THE END OF EVERYTHINGA fast-moving thriller with a clever premise...Who will best whom is by no means obvious in this fast-moving, witty tale of good guy versus bad guy versus worse guy. * Kirkus starred review *I love Chris Holm. He can evoke a landslide of character in a single detail. THE KILLING KIND crackles with muscle and moxie and wit. I will read it again and again. -- Chelsea Cain, author of HeartsickPure joy...so fast-moving, so expertly arranged, every piece fitting together with a well-oiled snap, that it feels weaponized. Read it. Or else. -- Benjamin Percy * New York Times Book Review *Holm is terrific at rendering characters with empathy and humour...you'll want to go along for the ride - but keep that seat belt fastened * Boston Globe *

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Book Synopsis''Convincingly researched and thoroughly entertaining'' - Wall Street JournalTHE TIMES BEST BOOKS OF 2020''This book shows that, despite rumours of demon dwarfs, piano-playing crocodiles and world domination, the real story of the Freemasons is one of male eccentricity.''''The Craft is a superb book that often reads like an adventure novel. It''s informative, fascinating and often very funny. The depth of research is awe-inspiring, but what really makes this book is the author''s visceral understanding of what constitutes a good story.'' - The Times Book of the Week''[John Dickie] takes on this sensational subject with a wry turn of phrase and the cool judgment of a fine historian... I enjoyed this book enormously. Dickie''s gaze is both wide and penetrating. He makes a persuasive case for masonry''s historic importance.'' - Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times''The CrafTrade ReviewThis eye-opening account... is an epic, continent-spanning story that reaches right into the present. * History Revealed *'Dickie's book acts as a soothing balm for these irritated, irritating and irritable times... startling... distinctly refreshing... astonishing... Dickie laces his text with enough bizarre characters to pull the reader through, and his no-nonsense tone is a tonic.' * Standpoint magazine *'A work that is sweeping, synthetic, finely crafted and freshly conceived.' * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisThis volume traces the history of theEdinburgh Incorporation of Mary's Chapel, which sought to control the capital's building trades and defend their privileges. By utilising a range of previously missing charters and archival documents, the author offers a new perspective on the prestigious craft guild in its 542 years of existence.

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Book SynopsisFreemasonry has played a significant role in the history of Native Americans since the colonial era—a role whose extent and meaning are fully explored for the first time in this book. The overarching concern of Native American Freemasonry is with how Masonry met specific social and personal needs of Native Americans, a theme developed across three periods: the revolutionary era, the last third of the nineteenth century, and the years following the First World War. Joy Porter positions Freemasonry within its historical context, examining its social and political impact as a transatlantic phenomenon at the heart of the colonizing process. She then explores its meaning for many key Native leaders, for ethnic groups that sought to make connections through it, and for the bulk of its American membership—the white Anglo-Saxon Protestant middle class. Through research gleaned from archives in New York, Philadelphia, Oklahoma, California, and London, Porter Trade Review"This elegantly written book has much to recommend it. It is meticulously documented and is based on archival and secondary sources housed in major Masonic libraries in cities on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. The book serves as a metric for studies of Native Americans and of other minority groups who have participated in Freemasonry. . . . [Native American Freemasonry] breaks new ground and should be read by both historians and general readers."—R. William Weisberger, Journal of American History “Thoughtful and sophisticated.”—Alan Garrison, Pacific Historical Review “Offers many clarifications and revelations about a previously unexplored aspect of Native American history and Freemasonry. It belongs in all university and public libraries.”—Emily E. Auger, Canadian Journal of Native Studies "Joy Porter's book on freemasonry among American Indians deepens our understanding of how an institution once seen solely as elitist and secret could be used to give meaning to native American spiritual beliefs and social activism. It joins a growing scholarly literature that is changing the way we view freemasonry as well as our understanding of Indian Americans. A triumph of scholarship!"—Margaret C. Jacob, distinguished professor of history, UCLA "Native American Freemasonry provides an important insight into how Native and European Americans made use of Masonic space for mutual recognition, acceptance, and cultural exchange and how popular notions of "Nativeness" were exploited within the context of American fraternalism."—Bro. Robert Blackburn, Rising PointTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction A Note on Terms 1. Approaching Native American Freemasonry, Part One 2. Approaching Native American Freemasonry, Part Two 3. A History of Freemasonry: From Europe to the United States 4. Freemasonry as Ornamentalism: Class, Race, and Social Hierarchy 5. The Attractions of Freemasonry to Indians and Others, Part One 6. The Attractions of Freemasonry to Indians and Others, Part Two 7. Native American Freemasons: The Revolutionary Era 8. Native American Freemasons: The "Settlement" of the West and the Civil War Era 9. Native American Freemasons: The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries 10. On Television's Deathblow to Fraternalism: Understanding Associationalism and the Declining Role of Fraternalism in American Life Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn 1939, residents of a rural village near Chengdu watched as Lei Mingyuan, a member of a violent secret society known as the Gowned Brothers, executed his teenage daughter. Six years later, Shen Baoyuan, a sociology student at Yenching University, arrived in the town to conduct fieldwork on the society that once held sway over local matters. She got to know Lei Mingyuan and his family, recording many rare insights about the murder and the Gowned Brothers' inner workings. Using the filicide as a starting point to examine the history, culture, and organization of the Gowned Brothers, Di Wang offers nuanced insights into the structures of local power in 1940s rural Sichuan. Moreover, he examines the influence of Western sociology and anthropology on the way intellectuals in the Republic of China perceived rural communities. By studying the complex relationship between the Gowned Brothers and the Chinese Communist Party, he offers a unique perspective on China's transition to socialism. In so doing, Wang persuasively connects a family in a rural community, with little overt influence on national destiny, to the movements and ideologies that helped shape contemporary China.Trade Review"Di Wang's rich volume on the Sichuan Paoge offers a major contribution to the history of Chinese secret societies. Based in part on the fascinating thesis of a sociology student at Yenching University, the study brilliantly illuminates the complex linkages between rural society and culture, the limits of local government, and Western-inspired intellectual efforts to arrive at a new understanding of peasant life." -- David Ownby * author of Brotherhoods and Secret Societies in Early and Mid-Qing China *"Violence and Order on the Chengdu Plain is the first monograph in English that is solely dedicated to the study of paoge, one of the most influential secret societies in the upper- and middle-Yangzi regions in pre-1949 China. An elegant microhistory, this work weaves an intimate study with larger social and political contexts involving rebellions, revolutions, foreign invasion, state penetration, and peasant resistance that characterized twentieth-century China." -- Huaiyin Li * University of Texas at Austin *"Without doubt, Di Wang's new book represents an excellent example of a microhistory writing in the field of modern Chinese history." -- Shaofan An * Frontiers of History in China *"Every once in a blue moon, this reviewer finishes a book and thinks: 'Now this is the kind of book I aspire to write.' Di Wang's Violence and Order on the Chengdu Plain is one of those rare books....Full of pathos and interwoven with complex narratives, Violence and Order is rich in anthropological and sociological data collected in the 1930s and 1940s, and complete with entertaining and humanizing historical anecdotes." -- Kelly Hammond * China Review International *"Violence and Order on the Chengdu Plain is an illuminating study of how secret societies operated in early twentieth-century Sichuan and how they have been understood....[The book] adds to the recent flourishing of studies of Sichuan in the Republican period." -- Henrietta Harrison * Journal of Asian Studies *"Violence and Order on the Chengdu Plain is a far-reaching contribution to scholarship on secret societies, local governance, popular culture, and rural society in the first half of China's twentieth century that deserves to be widely read, by both specialists and nonspecialists alike." -- Benno R. Weiner * Twentieth-Century China *"Wang has made an impressive contribution to our understanding of Chinese secret societies, specifically the Paoge....this book is highly readable and is a welcome addition to the historiography of modern China." -- Hongyan Xiang * Pacific Affairs *Table of ContentsContents and AbstractsIntroduction: Two Voices Joined in the Chengdu Plain chapter abstractThe academic disciplines of sociology and anthropology took root in 1920s China under the influence of American scholars and missionaries. Among these pioneers were Shen Baoyuan's teachers in the Department of Sociology at Yenching University in Beijing. Under their influence, Shen aspired to become a "rural activist" and went to the countryside to learn about rural issues from peasants. In the summer of 1945 she traveled to the village she called Hope Township in the Chengdu Plain, Sichuan Province, to investigate the Gowned Brothers. This introduction discusses past scholarship of secret societies and traces the intellectual origins of Shen's investigation that built the academic foundation for her fieldwork. 1A Public Execution chapter abstractShen Baoyuan created the pseudonym Hope Township to protect the privacy of the people she investigated. However, based on the information in her report as well as other historical sources, this chapter confirms that Hope Township is in fact Chongyiqiao, a northern suburb of Chengdu. Lei Mingyuan, the central personality in Shen's report and head of the local branch of the Gowned Brothers, publicly lynched his daughter and the young tailor who worked for the family in response to rumors that the two were engaged in an affair. Despite the brutal and brazen nature of his crimes, however, Lei did not face any charges. This chapter details the horrific crime and its ramifications, looking at the problematic prevalence of lynching and the rule of law at the time. 2A Local Band of the Gowned Brothers chapter abstractThe Chengdu Plain, in rural western Sichuan, was one of the most affluent areas in all of inland China. All aspects of geography, ecology, economy, lifestyle, and local culture and customs enhanced the development and survival of the Gowned Brothers, who thrived here. This chapter describes these factors as well as the growth of the secret society. The organization was founded in the early Qing period with the goal of "overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming." In its long struggle against the Qing government, the Gowned Brothers developed a solid organizational structure and extensive power network. A large proportion of Sichuan's male population were members and played an active role in local control and security. This chapter documents how this secret society assumed and enforced dominance of local communities. 3Spirituality and Customs chapter abstractThis chapter explores the spiritual beliefs and actions of the Gowned Brothers and looks at how these reinforced the secret society's power structure. Paoge members took what was traditional and fashioned a variety of specialized rites and customs for themselves. Over the past forty or so years, historians and students of Chinese society have taken a much-needed neutral, in some sense anthropological, stance toward China's broad landscape of rites, beliefs, and religious and ceremonial practices. This chapter turns to the unique observations of Shen Baoyuan, who was fascinated with what many in academe of her time thought of as arcane and superstitious ploys. It begins with a short sketch of how traditional rites and beliefs were acted out in the Paoge's own local areas. Popular religions were closely tied to local culture, and the Gowned Brothers worshipped Guandi, which brought members together to fight for a common goal. 4Secret Codes and Language chapter abstractIn her investigation, Shen Baoyuan documented unique words used by Paoge members in everyday life, rituals, and communication, often referred to as "black words" or "hidden lingo." Her 1946 report explained pointed out that the very name of the Paoge originates from an agenda of "national spirit" and "revolutionary ideas," which was a way to refer to the anti-Manchu revolution. Haidi, documenting the organization's history, language, structure, and other information, was the organization's canonical text. The Gowned Brothers created their own language, which reflected their unique political ideas, identity, and historical narratives and provided a covert means of communication. This chapter analyzes the development and role of their secret language as well as the political implications. 5Disciplines and Dominance chapter abstractMembers of the Gowned Brothers reinforced their solidarity and internal stability through strict regulations, codes of conduct, and rituals for meetings and other activities. Any member who violated them would be harshly punished or even executed. This chapter examines these regulations and their chilling effect on nearly every type of behavior. Paoge members actively participated in stabilizing local order. The parties involved in a dispute usually did not pursue justice through a formal, forensic process, but instead went to a teahouse for "negotiation tea." This practice was an important means through which Paoge members learned about current events and kept order in even the smallest of neighborhoods. As prominent members of the community, the brothers challenged official judicial power in this role. This chapter describes the Paoge's mediation process and its effect on local jurisprudence. 6A Tenant Farmer and Paoge Master chapter abstractThis chapter examines Lei Mingyuan's economic situation as his leadership in the Gowned Brothers grew. Scholars generally believed that a tenant belonged to the economic class of poor peasants, but Lei, as a tenant farmer, did not actually do fieldwork. Instead, he hired four short-term laborers, whom he paid on a daily basis. Contrary to the assumption that a leader of the secret society would at least be economically well-to-do, Lei did not fit any category of the rural class division established by the Chinese Communist Party during the Land Revolution in the early 1950s. He rose to power primarily through success in fighting bandits. 7Entering the Paoge chapter abstractThis chapter describes the dynamics that led the Paoge worldview and policies that took hold in the Lei family. Although Lei Mingyuan was a Paoge leader, he was not omnipotent, according to Shen Baoyuan's observations in her 1946 report. He was imperceptibly influenced by social constraints, but he had to support his family and fulfill family obligations. Rice cultivation was the primary focus of those who lived in Hope Township, and the home Lei shared with his second wife, Woman Lei, was surrounded by bamboo groves and paddies. Woman Lei was literate and stern, the survivor of a great tragedy in her first marriage. Her demeanor and shrewdness enhanced the family's ability to establish Lei's reputation as a leader in the organization. 8The Decline of Power chapter abstractThis chapter describes the events that sealed Lei Mingyuan's grim demise, through the lens of the larger framework of leadership in the Gowned Brothers. Given his apparent lifestyle and role in his village from about 1939 to 1945, Lei was incapable of maintaining his responsibilities. Covering up his growing financial and leadership problems, Lei lost his economic freedom when his paddy fields of about seven acres were transferred to another tenant as a result of his failure to pay rent. One might assume that a landlord would not dare enforce the rules against a man as powerful as Lei, but in reality all landholders, despite their status, were subject to the same standards. As Lei's personal economic situation weakened, the financial support he had provided his subordinates diminished, thus causing his political power to wane as well. 9A Family Crisis and a Rural Woman's Fate chapter abstractLei Mingyuan understood that his leadership position in the Gowned Brothers depended on the strength of his reputation. His need to "save face" had driven him to carry out the public execution of his daughter and her presumed lover. This chapter weaves together other stories and details of community life revealing that the women in Lei's family suffered under his tyranny. Lei's economic and political instability drew him into a life of decadence: he began taking opium, further escalating his personal financial crisis. Notoriety resulted for Lei family when their servant girl ran away, further diminishing Lei's reputation and authority. Lei was indifferent to his family's suffering and sought a concubine. Woman Lei resisted, however, and garnered the support from other Gowned Brothers, leading Lei Mingyuan to abort his plan. Eventually, the couple reconciled and the Lei family moved to a shabby house in a neighborhood of coolies. 10Fall of the Paoge chapter abstractThis chapter explores how the Communists established their control in rural China. Knowledge of the transition from the Nationalist regime to the socialist state has centered on major cities, and there has been little understanding of how the CCP extended its power into the countryside. This chapter reveals that the Paoge did not confront the CCP upon its arrival on the Chengdu Plain; rather, the organization quietly watched the situation unfold. When the new regime imposed a grain tax, however, the group led resistance in what the Communist discourse called the "bandit riots." Although the Paoge had many connections with the Communist revolution, the CCP could not tolerate its antiestablishment tradition and was determined to destroy the organization entirely. 11Looking for the Storyteller chapter abstractThis book is primarily concerned with two people: Paoge leader Lei Mingyuan (and his family) and Shen Baoyuan, the storyteller. This chapter provides important, new information on Shen and her 1946 report. Lei and Shen lived in two completely different worlds, with different geographical, educational, social, and economic backgrounds, but they intersected in the summer of 1945. One was investigated and described; the other was the investigator and narrator. Both played a role in retelling an untold, powerful piece of human history. The book is also a three-way narrative: in addition to Lei and Shen, there is the author, who engages the dialogue and attempts to understand the Paoge leader Lei Mingyuan through Shen Baoyuan's perspective. 12Untangling Paoge Myth chapter abstractThis chapter's comprehensive examination of texts and narratives aids the understanding of how the public's perception of the Gowned Brothers was constructed over the centuries. These materials reveal the complex relationship between the Chinese Communist Party and the Paoge. In her report Shen Baoyuan harshly criticized the Paoge in Hope Township, but she found a reason to be hopeful by the fresh ideas presented in Righteous Monthly, a journal published by the organization in Chengdu. At the time, however, Shen did not realize that the journal actually was controlled by the CCP. More than six decades have passed since the Paoge was obliterated. However, during the post-Mao reform the CCP gradually loosened its control, leaving a prime opportunity for the revival of at least some secret societies in China.

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Book SynopsisThe apparent parallels between Mormon ritual and doctrine and those of Freemasonry have long been recognised. That Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other early church leaders were Masons, at least for a time, is common knowledge. Yet while early historians of the LDS Church openly acknowledged this connection, the question of influence was later dismissed and almost became taboo among faithful church members. Just as Mormons have tried to downplay any ties to Freemasonry, Masons have sought to distance themselves from Mormonism. In Joseph’s Temples, Michael Homer reveals how deeply the currents of Freemasonry and Mormonism entwined in the early nineteenth century. He goes on to lay out the declining course of relations between the two movements, until a détente in recent years.There are indications that Freemasonry was a pervasive foundational element in Mormonism and that its rituals and origin legends influenced not just the secret ceremonies of the LDS temples but also such important matters as the organisation of the Mormon priesthood, the foundation of the women’s Relief Society, the introduction and concealment of polygamy, and the church’s position on African Americans’ full membership. Freemasonry was also an important facet of Mormons’ relations with broader American society.The two movements intertwined within a historical context of early American intellectual, social, and religious ferment, which influenced each of them and in varying times and situations placed them either in the current or against the flow of mainstream American culture and politics. Joseph’s Temples provides a comprehensive examination of a dynamic relationship and makes a significant contribution to the history of Mormonism, Freemasonry, and their places in American history.Trade Review"The significance of Michael Homer's work cannot be overstated. He has accomplished what no other author has done on this topic. Mormon Studies has been waiting for a work like this." —Michael G. Reed, author of Banishing the Cross: The Emergence of a Mormon Taboo "The definitive treatment by the acknowledged authority in this field—long awaited, and needed since the 1820s. Homer skips the nonsense but not the details in this masterful perspective on the many meanings of Masonry in the Mormon world." —Rick Grunder, editor of Mormon Parallels: A Bibliographic Source "The scholarship is perfect. The thousands of references in the footnotes, the wealth of data offered is often mind boggling: the book's thesis is buttressed by hundreds of primary sources. Because it is so well written with a clever sense of suspense and progression, the reader has the feeling that he is reading a detective story. Homer's style is limpid, didactical, and always understandable." —Bernadette Rigal-Cellard, author of La Religion des Mormons "Michael Homer's early articles basically created the new field of the global study of the interactions between Mormonism and Freemasonry. With this book, for many years in the making, we finally have the definitive treatment of this important and controversial issue." —Massimo Introvigne, author of Les Mormons “Takes a topic that has been the subject of endless fantasy and vituperation, and discusses it in a clear, sensible and scholarly way.”—www.patheos.com “What makes this book particularly excellent is the care Homer takes in drawing together the intellectual and cultural traditions of Mormonism and Freemasonry to explain past and current trends in both organizations….You are missing an important contribution to the field of Mormon history if this book is not on your bookshelf.”—Association of Mormon Letters “This is a very important book. Homer has been working for many years on the impressive research underpinning Joseph’s Temples, and has presented it in a careful restrained exposition. It will stand for decades as the essential guide to a hotly debated topic. ”—The Journal of Mormon History “An excellent piece of scholarship…. The comprehensive, descriptive nature of the text provides a solid starting point for future studies on the topic. For those interested in researching and writing about Freemasonry and Mormonism, Joseph’s Temples will be the foundation for any serious inquiry for a long time to come.”—Utah Historical Quarterly

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Book Synopsis Discover the “convincingly researched and thoroughly entertaining” (The Wall Street Journal) history of the world’s oldest and most influential fraternity Founded in London in 1717 as a way of binding men in fellowship, Freemasonry proved so addictive that within two decades it had spread across the globe. Masonic influence became pervasive. Under George Washington, the Craft became a creed for the new American nation. Masonic networks held the British empire together. Under Napoleon, the Craft became a tool of authoritarianism and then a cover for revolutionary conspiracy. Both the Mormon Church and the Sicilian mafia owe their origins to Freemasonry. Yet the Masons were as feared as they were influential. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, Freemasonry has always been a den of devil-worshippers. For Hitler, Mussolini and Franco, the Lodges spread the diseases of pacifism, socialism and Jewish influence, so had to be crushed. Freemasonry's story yokes together Winston Churchill and Walt Disney; Wolfgang Mozart and Shaquille O'Neal; Benjamin Franklin and Buzz Aldrin; Rudyard Kipling and 'Buffalo Bill' Cody; Duke Ellington and the Duke of Wellington. John Dickie's The Craft is an enthralling exploration of a the world's most famous and misunderstood secret brotherhood, a movement that not only helped to forge modern society, but has substantial contemporary influence, with 400,000 members in Britain, over a million in the USA, and around six million across the world.

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Book SynopsisA practical guide to the symbols and rituals of Freemasonry as a path of spiritual development and self-realization• Shares the history and meaning of Freemasonry and its symbols • Offers thoughtful explorations of different areas of Masonic experience, drawing on esoteric doctrines and paralleling them with experiences found in daily life • Provides simple exercises and practices to help internalize and personalize the lessons presented, including dreamwork, journaling, meditation, and prayer In this practical guide, Mark Stavish details the spiritual lessons and rituals of Freemasonry as a step-by-step path of spiritual development and self-improvement for both Masons and non-Masons, men and women, alike. He explores the history and meaning of Freemasonry and its symbols--from its origins in the Temple of Solomon to the Medieval craft guilds to the Renaissance--and explains how the Craft promotes personal growth through the symbolic building of self and an inner Temple of Wisdom in much the same way that Masonry’s rituals symbolize the building of Solomon’s Temple in accordance with the mystical architectural instructions of Hiram. Drawing on esoteric doctrines, including the Qabala, alchemy, sacred geometry, John Dee’s angelic magic, and the secrets of the Gothic cathedral builders, each chapter addresses an area of the Masonic experience, paralleling them with experiences each of us finds in our own lives. The author provides simple practices to help internalize and personalize the lessons presented, including dreamwork, journaling, meditation, prayer, and understanding sacred architecture. The author also examines the crafting and use of the spiritual and symbolic tools of Freemasonry, such as the trestle or tracing board and the Chamber of Reflection. Providing the tools to make the Craft an initiatic experience of self-improvement, the author shows that, ultimately, the Masonic experience is the human quest for self-realization and self-expression, so that we each may find our place in the Temple of Wisdom.Trade Review“Like a drowsy lion, Freemasonry arouses in the outsider both curiosity and mistrust. This landmark book anatomizes the creature without apology or mystification. At the same time, it summons insiders to revive their moribund craft in all the grandeur of its original mission to humanity. Mark Stavish, whose work is informed by a profound knowledge of esoteric traditions, has earned gratitude from both sides.” * Joscelyn Godwin, professor of Music Emeritus, Colgate University and coauthor of Symbols in the Wild *“An ideal guide for those beginning their Masonic journey or who have already begun their journey to the East. If you want to build a better life for yourself, to become a ‘Renaissance’ person, then this book will help get you on your way.” * TJ Bell, 32°, guitarist for Escape the Fate and founder of Black Earth Spagyrics *“Mark Stavish’s The Path of Freemasonry provides a comprehensive introduction to the Craft--its history, inner structure, beliefs, objectives, rites, and even its symbolically rich language. Unusually, however, it goes far beyond this brief to encompass the broader social and cultural issues surrounding the tradition; and in particular its relationship with, and profound connections to, the occult societies and esoteric currents toward which some of its most respected members have contributed their energy and organizational and ritual know-how. Indeed but for the disciplinary bedrock provided by Freemasonry it is arguable whether there would be a Western esoteric tradition worth talking of. This commendable work provides the reader with an accessible and engaging overview of this subject.” * Peter Mark Adams, author of The Game of Saturn, Mystai, and The Power of the Healing Field *“Mark Stavish has written a must-read for anyone considering Freemasonry and the esoteric path within it . . . This book will take you on a journey through its unique history, touching upon rituals, symbolism, and diving into the philosophies of its uncharted beginnings and into the modern era. Get ready for a journey and an exciting read into the world’s most venerable fraternity.” * Erik W. Krogstad 33°, master Masonic scholar, lecturer, and blogger *Table of ContentsDeeper into the Wonderful Mystery Foreword to the 2021 Edition by Arturo de Hoyos, 33° Foreword to the First Edition by Lon Milo DuQuette, 32°How to Use This BookINTRODUCTION What Is the Secret of Freemasonry? CHAPTER 1 What Is Freemasonry? CHAPTER 2 The Temple of Solomon and the Legend of Hiram Abiff CHAPTER 3 Masonic Initiation and the Blue Lodge CHAPTER 4 The Worldview of the Renaissance The World Is Alive, and Magic Is Afoot CHAPTER 5Sacred Geometry, Gothic Cathedrals, and the Hermetic Arts in Stone CHAPTER 6 The Lost Word and the Masonic Quest CHAPTER 7Scottish Rite and the Rise of Esoteric Masonry CHAPTER 8 Occult Masonry in the Eighteenth CenturyCHAPTER 9York Rite and the Survival of the Knights TemplarCHAPTER 10 Freemasonry and the European Occult Revival CONCLUSION Modern Masonry Much Ado about Nothing, or the Revival of the Lost Word? Afterword by Charles S. Canning, 33° APPENDIX A Sacred Geometry and the Masonic Tradition by John Michael Greer APPENDIX B Symbols of the Tracing Boards and the DegreesAPPENDIX C Excerpts from Morals and Dogma on the Three Degrees of MasonryNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThe definitive history of the Bavarian Order of the Illuminati and their founder, Adam Weishaupt The Bavarian Order of the Illuminati is the most celebrated secret society in the world. Though officially lasting only 11 years, the powerful spell and shadow cast by the Illuminati still looms in the present day, where its influence can be seen in current conspiracy beliefs and actions by powerful individuals working in the shadows. The original Order of the Illuminati was founded by Bavarian professor Adam Weishaupt in 1776. Although the order was banned and brought down by the Bavarian Elector in 1787--when he became aware of the extent to which it had infiltrated the courts, schools, and his own administration--its legend and deep influence lives on to this day. Charting the rise and fall of this infamous order, this book--first published in French in 1915 and never before available in English--remains the definitive history of the Order of the Bavarian Illuminati. It also offers a revealing look at the world that spawned and shaped it: a ceaseless ferment of revolutionary and occult ideas and the ceaseless attempts by crown and church to suppress them. Other secret societies that shared the stage with the Illuminati during these years include the Templar Strict Observance, von Hund’s Templar Freemasonry, and other Masonic lodges the Illuminati targeted to subvert for their own purposes. Many of the documents the author consulted for the writing of this book were destroyed during the two World Wars, making this book the only surviving record of many of the order’s secrets. The author explains the Bavarian Illuminati’s grades, rituals, and ceremonies as well as its fundamental philosophies. He paints vivid portraits of the leaders of the order, including Weishaupt, Baron Knigge, and Xavier von Zwack. He reveals how Weishaupt early on decided to subvert the existing German Freemason Lodge as a shortcut to gain esoteric hegemony over the occult world, all in order to extend Illuminati influence into the society at large and the government. The author also provides extensive detail of the order’s eventual destruction by the Bavarian government. In addition to its revelation of little-known secrets of the Illuminati Order, the author also sheds new light on much of the occult life of this time, including the activities of figures such as Cagliostro and Mirabeau and other active groups such as Freemason chapters, the Rosicrucians, and the Martinists.Trade Review“In a world where the term ‘Illuminati’ is ubiquitous yet clouded by fantasy, Jon E. Graham’s new translation of this classic study brings rigor, clarity, and an exquisitely rare dose of real historicism to our understanding of these esoteric and social renegades. In a culture suffused with paranoia-for-sale, René Le Forestier’s work forms a revolutionary countercurrent.” * MITCH HOROWITZ, PEN Award-winning author of Occult America and The Miracle Club *“In the annals of secret societies, the Bavarian Illuminati holds a special place in both history and legend. This book, better than any other, provides solid documentation on the order based on primary evidence and is therefore an indispensable source for any rational investigation of the subject.” * STEPHEN E. FLOWERS, PH.D., author of The Fraternitas Saturni *“The legend of the Illuminati has cast a long shadow over world history--inspiring mystics, artists, and musicians. Now, at last, Jon Graham’s masterful translation of René Le Forestier’s exposé of the world’s mostarcane secret society opens the vault of the mysteries of the true Illuminati--for those brave enough to step through.” * JASON LOUV, author of John Dee and the Empire of Angels *“The ‘Illuminati’ concept can be found on the lips of practically every conspiracy theorist today. It is therefore both timely and salutary that the world’s greatest study of the real, not speculative, Illuminati has, after more than a century, finally appeared in English thanks to Jon E. Graham’s superb translation of the original work by French historian René Le Forestier (1868-951). A vast work, evincing painstaking scholarship, Le Forestier provides certain evidence for every aspect of Adam Weishaupt’s creation of genius: a radical form of Freemasonry dedicated to establishing an egalitarian social order and philosophical principle. Now that Graham has given us the definitive English version of this classic, which includes an excellent history of early German Masonry, none but the willfully ignorant need loosely bandy about the term ‘Illuminati’ again; this vital text demythologizes the word itself.” * TOBIAS CHURTON, author of The Magus of Freemasonry *“An impressive and informative study of how Adam Weishaupt’s original, magical, and humanist idealism bloomed into a powerful force that still affects many layers of Western culture today.” * CARL ABRAHAMSSON, author of Occulture *Table of ContentsNote to the Reader on Source Material and Abbreviations Book One The Order of the Illuminati ONE The Founding of the Order and the Man Who Founded It TWO Recruiting for the Order Until 1780THREE Organization and Grades FOUR General Features of the SocietyFIVE The Order’s Weakness Book TwoGerman Freemasonry from Its Origins to 1780 ONE The Beginnings of Freemasonry in Germany TWO The Strict Observance from 1751 to 1772 THREE Greatness and Decline of the Strict Observance (1772-1780) Book ThreeThe Illuminated Freemasonry ONE The Initial Relations of the Illuminati Order with Freemasonry TWO Adolph Baron von Knigge THREE The Reform of the Illuminati Order FOUR The Grades and Organization of Illuminated Freemasonry FIVE Political and Religious Doctrines Book Four History of the Illuminati System ONE Effect on the German Lodges TWO The Zenith THREE The Legal Proceedings in Bavaria to October 10, 1786 FOUR The End of the OrderBook Five Weishaupt’s Philosophical Testament ONE Draft of a Moral Praxis: The PrinciplesTWO Draft of a Moral Praxis: Critical Theory THREE Theory of the Secret Society Book SixThe Illuminati Legend ONE Formation of the LegendTWO Illuminism and the French Revolution THREE The Great Epics: The Legend in History and Fiction FOUR The Police Legend and the Resurrection of the Order Sources and Abbreviations Index

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Book SynopsisMost Americans believe the United States was founded by pious Christians. However, as Ronnie Pontiac reveals, from the very beginning America was a vibrant blend of beliefs from all four corners of the world. Based on the latest research, with the assistance of leading scholars, this in-depth exploration of four centuries of American occult and spiritual history looks at everything from colonial-era alchemists, astrologers, and early spiritual collectives to Edgar Cayce, the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, and St. Germain on Mount Shasta. Pontiac shows that Rosicrucians were among the first settlers from England and explores how young women of the Shaker community fell into trances and gave messages from the dead. He details the spiritual influence of African slaves, the work of mystical abolitionists, and how Native Americans and Latinx people played a large role in the shaping of contemporary spirituality and healing practices. The author looks at well-known figures such as Manly P. Hall and lesser known esoteric luminaries such as the Pagan Pilgrim, Tom Morton. He examines the Aquarian Gospel, the Sekhmet Revival, A Course in Miracles, the School of Ageless Wisdom, and mediumship in the early 20th century. He explores the profound influence of the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in Los Angeles and looks at the evolution of female roles in spirituality across the centuries. He also examines the right wing of American metaphysics from the Silver Legion to QAnon. Revealing the diverse streams that run through America’s metaphysical landscape, Pontiac offers an encyclopedic examination of occult teachers, esotericists, and spiritual collectives almost no one has heard of, but who were profoundly influential.Trade Review“Ronnie Pontiac has produced one of the finest, most comprehensive works of independent scholarship that we possess on the mystical currents of American religion. Like a journey down a wild, winding, and uncharted river, this book takes us through byways and inlets that few historians know. Surprises emerge on nearly every page.” * Mitch Horowitz, PEN Award–winning author of Uncertain Places *“A lucid tour through the Wild West of American-style spirituality. Pontiac drives us through landscapes peopled by odd characters that some have deemed ‘mad, bad, and dangerous to know’ but whose burning arrows have ignited things in our psyches whether we knew it or not. I was constantly delighted by the new, luminous insights into characters and events that I thought I knew everything about but clearly didn’t.” * Alan Richardson, author of Aleister Crowley and Dion Fortune *“Scholarly yet eminently readable, this is a must for the bookshelf of any reader interested in the sociology of religion, the history of psychical development, and the psychology of sacred feeling. Highly recommended.” * Tod Davies, author of The History of Arcadia visionary fiction series *“Ronnie Pontiac does his readers an inestimable service, surveying and summarizing an immense amount of academic material. Pontiac makes a strong argument that America has always had a religious consciousness, separation of church and state notwithstanding. Thomas Edison, William James, Timothy Leary, Carlos Castaneda, and Terence McKenna are only some of the figures Pontiac takes on in this detailed, thorough, and readable account of the often wildly disparate beliefs held by that ‘one nation under God.’” * Gary Lachman, author of The Return of Holy Russia *“Ronnie Pontiac’s book is a full engagement with these deep currents and a wild map of the ocean they form. The reader sets the book down with a sense of the endless nature of those waters but also with the conviction that, below the waves, ‘America’ is fundamentally an esoteric idea and a mystical ideal and always has been.” * Jeffrey J. Kripal, author of The Superhumanities: Historical Precedents, Moral Objections, New Reali *“The most fascinating book I have read in decades. Hollywood may have written its own history of cowboys and cattle, but kindly allow Ronnie Pontiac to enchant you with a different story. This is an especially long book, over 600 pages, but the work never loses pace, not a word is wasted, every sentence is packed with information. An illuminating journey into the eternal spiritual quest of human nature set free in a new land.” * Naomi Ozaniec, author of Becoming a Garment of Isis *“This book is much closer to the mainstream psyche than academics would have us believe. Ronnie Pontiac’s book is a lively, engaging, thoughtful, and insightful introduction to this dazzling world.” * Richard Smoley, author of A Theology of Love *“Pontiac’s ambitious and inclusive book is an important contribution to our understanding of the culturally and philosophically diverse influences that have, from the very beginning, impacted the character of American spiritual thought and experience. This book is a critical project that shows us the contours and multitudes of cultural and historical influence that converge to produce a uniquely American esotericism.” * Amy Hale, author of Ithell Colquhoun *“I couldn’t put this book down. It’s a storybook concerning a multi-formed religion that lies just below the surface of American awareness yet plays a significant part in the beliefs and inspirations that characterize our psyche. Its ‘metaphysical’ ideas reach everyone, from presidents to heads of corporations as well as major figures in the arts and sciences and the average citizen. We can see them as people struggling to make sense of life, the world, and other realities. Prepare to be amazed.” * Mary K. Greer, author of Women of the Golden Dawn *“Permanently unseats the lingering myth that the United States is (or was) an exclusively Christian nation. Read this book: I guarantee you will encounter a character who helps you locate your own lineage in the tangled skein of American metaphysical religion.” * Thea Wirsching, author of The American Renaissance Tarot *“Especially valuable for me is the groundbreaking discussion of the Platonic enthusiasts Thomas Moore Johnson, Alexander Wilder, and Hiram K. Jones. Well researched, relevant, and revelatory.” * K. Paul Johnson, author of Edgar Cayce in Context *“It’s a wild ride filled with so many familiar metaphysical names and intriguing connections and events to follow up on. Gems on every page. I didn’t want to put it down.” * Normandi Ellis, author of The Ancient Tradition of Angels *“A never-ending gold-hearted gossip column and a vast erudite history of American arcana. Every page is filled with illuminating morsels—manna for the seeker, a feast for all.” * Matt Marble, author of Buddhist Bubblegum *“Ronnie Pontiac has written a most useful and readable overview of American Metaphysical Religion from Colonial times to the present, including contributions of European immigrants; from the 18th century Enlightenment’s occult underground through the 19th century’s ‘occult explosion’ and right up to the present. He has consulted all the sources and scholarship. His own personal experiences and friendships with significant practitioners add a hands-on touch.” * Jay Bregman, coeditor of Platonic Traditions in American Thought *“From the margins and the deeper streams of mainstream culture Pontiac pulls threads of history that are often left obscure. An able guide, this book opens the readers to the potentials that still lie waiting for those who seek more than a mega church initiation.” * David Metcalfe, scholar in virtual residence at the Windbridge Institute *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsINTRODUCTIONA Heritage We Didn’t Know We Had 1 Ingredients for the Melting Pot2 A Map of the Tour3 When East Meets West 4 American Metaphysical Christianity5 Turtle Island 6 Thomas Harriot: America’s First “Evil” Genius7 The Pagan Pilgrim8 The Intelligencers and the Fifth Moon of Jupiter9 The Red Harlot10 The Uncivil War 11 The Platonist on the Sunset Strip 12 Secrets of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor 13 Willy Reichel’s Psychic Adventure Tour 14 Pagan Christianity of the Early Twentieth Century 15 Scandalous Psychic Adventures of the Roaring Twenties 16 American Metaphysical Religion in the Twentieth Century17 Prayer Wheel for the Bodhi Tree Bookstore 18 American Metaphysical Religion in the Early Twenty-First Century APPENDIX Esoteric Architecture of Washington, D.C. BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAn in-depth guide to attaining the enlightenment of the Philosopher’s Stone. Inspired by alchemists of the past, R. E. Kretz explores the mechanics of the Philosopher’s Stone, the Pythagorean transmigration of the soul, and the alchemical path for attaining enlightenment. After offering a brief historical overview of alchemy and historical etiologies of the three alchemical states of primal matter, the author details an illustrative geometric approach for the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone using an “oblong square” (created by three overlapping circles with the center circle squared), the same shape described in Freemasonry as the form of a Masonic Lodge. He compares this diagram to depictions of the Stone in Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Hindu cultures as well as floorplans for European cathedrals. He shows how the form of the oblong square contains Masonic working tools and how its sacred geometry elucidates Man as mind, body, and spirit encapsulating a soul. Describing the relationship between the alchemical oblong square diagram and the electrical circuit of the brain, the author then details the operative process of the Philosopher’s Stone, likening it to the “servomechanism” of the Third Eye—comprised of the thalamus, pineal gland, and pituitary gland located between the twin pillars of the cerebral hemispheres. He explores how to navigate the twin pillars of the brain to find equilibrium, the third pillar. The author explains that we attain enlightenment when the energies of our Third Eye are balanced (in equilibrium), enabling it to resonate as a harmonic waveform generator. He shows how this can be achieved through meditation and the synchronizing vibration of vocal mantras. Drawing on Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, Hermeticism, sacred geometry, and Native American shamanism, this book presents an allegorical quest for the Philosopher’s Stone and a practical path for attaining it.Trade Review“As an initiate of both Sufism and Freemasonry, this book answered many questions that the modern lodge did not give me. The purpose of life and the alchemical transformation of man are the questions that are answered here. I’m truly grateful for R. E. Kretz and this great work.” * Salman Sheikh, Freemason, Masonic lecturer, and author of The Spiritual Reflections of the Sufi Free *"Enlightenment, meditation, and the powers of the human body and mind have never been so clearly described, illustrated, and made accessible to everyone, until now with the publication of The Alchemical Search for the Unified Field." * Feathered Quill Book Reviews *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments PROLOGUE The Bell, the Book, the Candle INTRODUCTIONMy Curiosity for Truth PART 1 Bell 1 The Order of Ophiuchus 2 Thoughtful Morsels3 The Kingdom of Heaven PART 2 Book 4 The Philosophers’ Stone 5 An Oblong Square 6 Elements of the Stone 7 Life and Death 8 The Stairway to Heaven9 Regeneration PART 3 Candle 10 The Making of a Shaman 11 Finding the Grail EPILOGUE The Hermit’s Lantern Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisConnects the magical practice of theurgy to the time of Homer. First defined by the second century Chaldean Oracles, theurgy is an ancient magic practice whereby practitioners divinized the soul and achieved mystical union with a deity, the Demiurge, or the One. In this detailed study, P. D. Newman pushes the roots of theurgy all the way back before the time of Homer. He shows how the Chaldean Oracles were not only written in Homeric Greek but also in dactylic hexameter, the same meter as the epics of Homer. Linking the Greek shamanic practices of the late Archaic period with the theurgic rites of late antiquity, the author explains how both anabasis, soul ascent, and katabasis, soul descent, can be considered varieties of shamanic soul flight and how these practices existed in ancient Greek culture prior to the influx of shamanic influence from Thrace and the Hyperborean North. The author explores the many theurgic themes and symbolic events in the Odyssey and the Iliad, including the famous journey of Odysseus to Hades and the incident of the funeral pyre of Patroclus. He presents a close analysis of On the Cave of the Nymphs, Porphyry’s commentary on Homer’s Odyssey, as well as a detailed look at Proclus’s symbolic reading of Homer’s Iliad, showing how both of these Neoplatonists describe the philosophical theory and the technical ritual praxis of theurgy. Using the Chaldean Oracles as a case study, Newman examines in detail the methods of telestikē, a form of theurgic statue animation, linking this practice to ancient Egyptian and Greek traditions as well as theurgic techniques to divinize the soul. Revealing how the theurgic arts are far older than the second century, Newman’s study not only examines the philosophical theory of theurgy but also the actual ritual practices of the theurgists, as described in their own words.Trade Review“P.D. Newman’s new book Theurgy: Theory and Practice, is one of the best and most important books I have read in a long time. He does for theurgy what Jake Stratton-Kent did for goetia, taking it back to its archaic roots, showing the development, providing excellent scholarship, and workable material. This is a great book.” * David Rankine, author of The Grimoire Encyclopaedia *“P. D. Newman’s Theurgy: Theory and Practice is a wonderfully informed book on practical theurgy, with special emphasis on its relation to what is generally referred to as ‘shamanism.’ The text is well-referenced, making it useful for scholars, as well as very readable, making it of value to the lay reader and practitioner. Theurgy is a wonderful addition to anyone’s library, as there is ample material here for literally everyone.” * MARK STAVISH, author of Egregores *“Theurgy is commonly thought of as a spiritual practice that began with Julian the Chaldæan in the second century CE and blended Eastern practices with rational Greek thought, primarily Neoplatonism. However, Neoplatonists such as Porphyry and Proclus pointed to theurgic elements in the archaic Homeric epics. While Eastern influences are not disputed, the author convincingly argues that they are a mere sprinkling and that the roots of theurgy are predominantly Greek, having begun at the time of Homer and practiced continuously thereafter. Readers thirsty for more knowledge about the path of theurgy will not be disappointed.” * TONY MIERZWICKI, author of Hellenismos *“P. D. Newman tells a compelling story of the origins and development of theurgy, a fundamental spiritual practice in ancient Mediterranean religion. His argument is supported by the best contemporary scholarship on theurgy and on classical religion and philosophy. Newman has also assembled and organized a wealth of source material (in translation), which would otherwise be difficult to collect. Read this book for a fascinating exploration of theurgy over more than a millennium, from Homer to Proclus.” * BRUCE J. MacLENNAN, PH.D., author of The Wisdom of Hypatia *“A must for those interested in ancient Greek thought about souls and soul flight. According to Newman, theurgy can be traced as early as Porphyry’s and Proclus’s para-Homeric sources that describe iatromanteia, which translates to ‘healer-seer’ who took soul flights. Tying these types of experiences to early shamanic themes reflected in works such as the Odyssey, the author weaves a compelling narrative of the early history and practical importance of theurgy. Newman’s analyses are thought-provoking and demand attention as he outlines a good case for how souls and the shamanic craft have shifted in antiquity from the early writings of authors such as Parmenides and Empedocles to the later Neoplatonists. The ideas contained in this book are sure to form a new starting point for many future analyses on how shamanic themes developed among the Greeks.” * CHRISTINE S. VanPOOL, Ph.D., coauthor of An Anthropological Study of Spirits *“P. D. Newman’s impressive book on theurgy and Homer covers the interpretation of myth and ritual theurgy by the Neoplatonists. With references to the Pre-Socratics, Pythagoras, Plato, and even Egyptian and Mesopotamian texts, Newman correctly understands theurgy to be distinguished from other forms of magic as initiatory and anagogic. He presents detailed and critical accounts of ancient astrological and cosmological phenomena and follows the best scholarship in developing his rather original conclusion: that Proclus and company were indeed justified in seeing in Homer the esoteric meanings they teased out of his texts. The work reveals a new angle and a new dimension of the still emerging landscape of late antique thought. It will be of interest to scholars in the field and to the general reader interested in philosophical, religious and mystical ideas.” * JAY BREGMAN, author of Synesius of Cyrene *Table of ContentsForeword by Ioannis Marathakis Introduction PART I Porphyry and Proclus’s Para-Homeric Sources1. Katabasis and the Presocratics A Survey of Underworld Descents in Philosophy Prior to Plato 2. Platonic Allegories and Myths A Discussion on Plato’s Reorientation of Soul Flight with Reference to His Influence on the Development of Theurgy 3. The Chaldæan Oracles and Theurgy A Discussion on the Official Emergence of Theurgy from Platonic Metaphysics4. Plotinus and the Platonizing S ethian Gnostics A Look at the Father of Neoplatonism and His Precarious Relationship with the Sethian School of Gnosticism 5. Hermetica and Theurgy A Discussion on the Emergence of Hermetism with Reference to Its Close Parallels with the Art of Theurgy PART II The Odyssey and the Iliad 6. Porphyry’s On the Cave of the Nymphs An Exploration of Theurgic Theory with Reference to Porphyry’s Reading of the Odyssey 7. Proclus’s Commentary on Plato’s Republic A Breakdown of Theurgic Praxis with Reference to Proclus’s Reading of the Iliad PART III Theurgic Telestikē8. Animated Agalmata A Discussion on the Process of Statue Animation and Its Vital Role in Practical Theurgy Conclusion Appendix Homeromanteion A Method of Bibliomancy from the Greek Magical Papyri Involving the Iliad, the Odyssey, and Astragaloi or Kuboi NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAll three volumes of the occult classic available together as a deluxe boxed set for the first time. In 1927 Julius Evola and other leading Italian esotericists formed the mysterious UR group. The purpose of this group was to study and practice ancient rituals from the mystery traditions of the world, both East and West, in order to attain a state of superhuman consciousness and power to allow them to act magically on the world. They produced a monthly journal containing techniques for spiritual realization, accounts of personal experiences, translations of ancient texts, and original essays on the occult. Many years later, in 1971, Evola gathered these essays into three volumes. Volume I collects rites, practices, and magical knowledge, including instructions for creating an etheric double, speaking words of power, using fragrances, interacting with entities, and creating a “magical chain.” It also includes translations of rare texts such as the Tibetan teachings of the Thunderbolt Diamond Path, the Mithraic mystery cult’s “Grand Papyrus of Paris,” and the Greco-Egyptian magical text De Mysteriis. Volume II shares authentic initiatic wisdom and a rigorous selection of initiatory exercises, including instructions for creating the diaphanous body of the Opus magicum, and establishing initiatic consciousness after death. It also offers studies of mystery traditions throughout history. Volume III, more than the others, bears the personal stamp of Julius Evola. It explores esoteric practices for individual development, handed down from a primordial tradition and discernable in alchemy, Hermetism, religious doctrines, Tantra, Taoism, Buddhism, Vedanta, and the pagan mysteries of the West. Available together as a deluxe boxed set for the first time in English, these volumes present the steps necessary to purify the soul with the light of knowledge and the fire of dedication, as well as allowing the reader to be liberated from conventional dogmas—religious, political, scientific, and psychological—and see with the clearer eye of realisation.Trade Review“The essays of the UR Group constitute the most complete and the highest magical teaching ever set before the public. . . . The ultimate goal is the identification of the individual with the Absolute. This is a powerful and disturbing book, and a classic. One can be quite certain that it will still have readers centuries from now.” * Joscelyn Godwin, author of Harmonies of Heaven and Earth *“Introduction to Magic, vol. I, should be standard reading for any serious academic or practical student of occultism. . . . Experienced occultists will welcome it as a breath of fresh air and a journey into little discussed territories.” * Mark Stavish, author of Egregores and founder of the Institute for Hermetic Studies *“The collection of essays in Introduction to Magic, vol. I . . . cover the practical, the theoretical, and the unclassifiable, such as the Mithraic Ritual of the Great Magical Papyrus of Paris, the only ritual from the ancient Mysteries to have survived intact.” * The Watkins Review *“The formulas that Evola transmits, and the complex listing of the causes and effects that accompany them, seem to me so important, not only for spiritual life but for the use of all the faculties, that I know of no human condition that they cannot improve, whether in the case of the man of action, of the writer, or simply the person in the toils of life.” * Marguerite Yourcenar (1903–1987), author of Memoirs of Hadrian *“A dazzling and interesting, but very dangerous, author . . .” * Hermann Hesse, author of Siddhartha *“One of the most difficult and ambiguous figures in modern esotericism.” * Richard Smoley, author of The Deal: A Guide to Radical and Complete Forgiveness *“Evola . . . had a clarity of mind and a gift for explaining tremendously difficult concepts in nonacademic language. . . . His descriptions of subtle states and the practices that lead to them are as lucid as these difficult subjects allow.” * Gnosis: A Journal of the Western Inner Traditions *“Eros and the Mysteries of Love invokes the rich sexual symbolism of religious myths and mysteries throughout history, from the I Ching to the Kabbalah, to illustrate the redemptive power of the sexual act.” * Los Angeles Times *“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, coauthor of Lords of Chaos *“Disgusted by the cruelty and artificiality of communism, scorning the dogmatic, self-centered fascism of his age, Evola looks beyond man-made systems in Men Among the Ruins to the eternal principles in creation and human society. The truth, as he sees it, is so totally at odds with the present way of thinking that it shocks the modern mind. Evola was no politician, trying to make the best of things, but an idealist, uncompromising in the pursuit of the best itself.” * John Michell, author of The Dimensions of Paradise *“Men Among the Ruins is Julius Evola’s most notorious work: an unsparing indictment of modern society and politics. This book is not a work for complacent, self-satisfied minds . . . it is a shocking and humbling text that will be either loved or hated. Evola’s enemies cannot refute him; they can only ignore him. They do so at their peril.” * Glenn A. Magee, author of Hegel and the Hermetic Tradition *“In Ride the Tiger Evola shows, unintentionally but with passion, why European Tradition may not be able to match East Asia in riding the tiger in today’s world. It lacks a spirituality for today’s mundane world, tempered by the harsh realism of Daoism and the practical disciplines of Confucianism.” * New Dawn Magazine *“Those who look to Julius Evola’s work for guidance have often wondered what practices Evola himself used to get in contact with Tradition. The answer lies in Introduction to Magic, which represents the records left behind by the UR Group, the mysterious occult order that was the medium through which Evola first experienced the reality of Tradition and grasped its essence. Many of the themes and concepts which were to recur in Evola’s later work are already present in these documents. The great importance Evola attached to these volumes is attested by the belief of Evola’s biographer that the original manuscripts were the only belongings he took with him when he was forced to flee Rome in 1944. The fact that this work is finally available in its entirety to Anglophone readers, masterfully translated by Joscelyn Godwin, is therefore a great service to genuine spiritual seekers everywhere.” * John Morgan, former editor in chief of Arktos Media *“I am impressed by this fine translation of some of my old mentor Julius Evola’s works. I find that ‘Aristocracy and the Initiatic Ideal’ conveys very well the baron’s own beliefs and sentiments as to what it means today to be a true aristocrat among the ruins. Exceedingly insightful comments, as one would indeed expect. A truly excellent publication.” * Father Frank Gelli, author of Julius Evola: The Sufi of Rome *Table of ContentsBOOK I Editor’s Note ix Foreword: Julius Evola and the UR Group by Renato Del Ponte Introduction PART I I.1 PIETRO NEGRI • Sub Specie Interioritatis I.2 LEO • Barriers I.3 ABRAXA • Knowledge of the Waters I.4 LUCE • Opus Magicum: Concentration and Silence I.5 EA • The Nature of Initiatic Knowledge PART II II.1 The Path of Awakening according to Gustav Meyrink II.2 LUCE • Opus Magicum: Fire II.3 ABRAXA • Three Ways II.4 LEO • Attitudes II.5 Commentaries on the Opus Magicum PART III III.1 LEO • First Steps toward the Experience of the “Subtle Body”III.2 Knowledge as LiberationIII.3 ABRAXA • The Hermetic Caduceus and the MirrorIII.4 LUCE • Opus Magicum: The “Words of Power” and the Characters of BeingsIII.5 PIETRO NEGRI • Knowledge of the Symbol PART IVIV.1 Apathanatismos: Mithraic Ritual of the Great Magical Papyrus of Paris PART V V.1 SummaryV.2 ABRAXA • Instructions for the “Awareness of Breath”V.3 OSO • Notes on the Logos V.4 AROM • First Experiences V.5 EA • The Problem of Immortality PART VI VI.1 LEO • Beyond the Threshold of Sleep VI.2 EA • On the Magical View of Life VI.3 ABRAXA • The Second Preparation of the Hermetic Caduceus VI.4 IAGLA • Experiences: The Law of Beings VI.5 The Path of Realization according to Buddha VI.6 Various Commentaries PART VII VII.1 LUCE • Instructions for Ceremonial MagicVII.2 EA • The Doctrine of the “Immortal Body” VII.3 De Pharmaco Catholico PART VIII VIII.1 ABRAXA • Magical Operations with “Two Vessels”—Reduplication VIII.2 Tibetan Initiatic Teachings: The “Void” and the “Diamond-Thunderbolt”VIII.3 ARVO • On the Counter-Initiation VIII.4 LUCE • Opus Magicum: Perfumes PART IXIX.1 ARVO • Conscious Thought—Relaxation—Silence IX.2 EA • Considerations on Magic and Its Powers IX.3 ABRAXA • Magic of the ImageIX.4 PIETRO NEGRI • An Italian Alchemical Text on Lead Tablets PART X X.1 LUCE • Opus Magicum: Chains X.2 LEO • The Attitude toward Initiatic TeachingX.3 EA • Freedom, Precognition, and the Relativity of Time X.4 Commentary on the Opus Magicum PART XI XI.1 IAGLA • Serpentine Wisdom XI.2 LUCE • Invocations XI.3 Excerpts from De Mysteriis XI.4 The Message of the Polar Star XI.5 SIRIUS • Mist and Symbols XI.6 EA • On the General Doctrine of Mantras PART XII XII.1 ALBA • De Naturae Sensu XII.2 LEO • Aphorisms XII.3 PIETRO NEGRI • Adventures and Misadventures in MagicXII.4 Various Commentaries BOOK II Foreword: The “Magical” Gruppo di UR in Its Historical and Esoteric Context by Hans Thomas Hakl Introduction to the Second VolumePART I I.1 PYTHAGORAS • The Golden Verses I.2 ARVO AND EA • The Esoteric Doctrine of the “Centers” in a Christian Mystic I.3 ABRAXA • Ritual Magic PART II II.1 Instructions for Magical ChainsIndividual Instructions for Preparation First Instructions for the Chain Instructions for a Later PhaseII.2 IAGLA • Subterranean LogicII.3 PIETRO NEGRI • On the Western Tradition1. Devaluation of the Pagan Tradition 2. East, West, and Christianity 3. The Initiatic Tradition in the West4. The Roman Tradition5. Roman Initiatic Wisdom6. The Legend of Saturnus 7. Etymology of Saturn8. Addenda9. Agricultural Symbolism in RomePART III III.1 HAVISMAT • Tradition and Realization III.2 OSO • A Solar Will III.3 PIETRO NEGRI • The Secret Language of the Fedeli d’Amore III.4 ABRAXA • Solutions of Rhythm and Liberation III.5 LUCE • Opus Magicum: The Diaphanous Body PART IV IV.1 ARVO • Vitalizing the “Signs” and “Grips” IV.2 EA • Initiatic Consciousness beyond the Grave IV.3 Various Commentaries The Magic, The Master, The Song PART V V.1 IAGLA • On the “Corrosive Waters”V.2 ARVO • Ethnology and the “Perils of the Soul” V.3 On the Art of the Hermetic PhilosophersV.4 Various Commentaries Desire in Magic — Meaning of the Ritual —Feeling and Realization — Anticipations of Physical Alchemy —On Shamanic Initiation PART VI VI.1 Experiences: The “Double” and Solar Consciousness VI.2 EA • On the Metaphysics of Pain and Illness VI.3 LEO • Notes for the Animation of the “Centers”VI.4 ARVO • Kirillov and InitiationPART VIIVII.1 HAVISMAT • Notes on Ascesis and on Anti-Europe VII.2 MILAREPA • Excerpts from the Life of Milarepa The Demon of the Snows —The Song of Joy — The Song of the Essence of ThingsVII.3 ARVO • The Magic of Effigies PART VIII VIII.1 EA • Esotericism and Morality VIII.2 NILIUS • Medicine and PoisonVIII.3 Turba Philosophorum: The Assembly of the WiseVIII.4 Various Commentaries Corporealizing Consciousness —On “Mortification” — On Power PART IX IX.1 ABRAXA • The Magic of CreationIX.2 PIETRO NEGRI • On the Opposition Contingent on Spiritual Development IX.3 Some Effects of Magical Discipline: The “Dissociation of the Mixed” PART X X.1 The Contrast between Positive Science and Magic: Positions and Solutions X.2 ABRAXA • The Magic of Conjunctions X.3 OTAKAR BŘEZINA • Perspectives X.4 Various Commentaries Prodigies and Former Times — Sexual Magic PART XI XI.1 BRENO • Notes on Occult Morphology and Spiritual Corporeality XI.2 ZAM • A Pagan Magical Spell XI.3 ARVO • On the Hyperborean Tradition XI.4 The Golden Flower of the Great One XI.5 Various Commentaries Woman and Initiation — Ex Oriente lux Index Book III Introduction to the Third VolumePART I I.1 Paths of the Western Spirit I.2 ABRAXA • The Cloud and the Stone I.3 BRENO • Modern Initiation and Eastern Initiation I.4 HAVISMAT • The Zone of Shadow I.5 EA • Poetry and Initiatic Realization PART II II.1 EA • Aristocracy and the Initiatic Ideal II.2 BŘEZINA • Canticle of the Fire 5II.3 ARVO • About an “Arithmetical Oracle” and the Backstage of Consciousness II.4 AROM • Experiences: The Crown of Light II.5 GERHARD DORN • Clavis Philosophiae Chemisticae (The Key of Alchemical Philosophy)Edited by Tikaipôs II.6 Various Commentaries Difficulties of Belief He Who “Saw” the Gods Men and Gods PART III III.1 EA • The Legend of the Grail and the “Mystery” of the Empire III.2 HAVISMAT • The Instant and Eternity III.3 ABRAXA • Communications III.4 PICO DELLA MIRANDOLA • The Dignity of Man III.5 Commentaries PART IV IV.1 APRO • The Cycles of ConsciousnessIV.2 TAURULUS • Experiences IV.3 EA • What Is “Metaphysical Reality”? IV.4 IAGLA • On the “Law of Beings” IV.5 Various Commentaries PART VV.1 PLOTINUS • Maxims of Pagan Wisdom V.2 LEO • Human Rhythms and Cosmic Rhythms V.3 Experiences of a ChainV.4 EA • On the Limits of Initiatic “Regularity” PART VI VI.1 C. S. NARAYANA SWAMI AIYAR •Transmutation of Man and Metals VI.2 EA • On the Symbolism of the YearVI.3 ABRAXA • The Magic of VictoryVI.4 ARVO • The “Origin of Species,” According to EsotericismPART VII VII.1 Various Commentaries More on Survival • On Pacts, Fear, and More VII.2 EA • On the “Sacred” in the Roman Tradition VII.3 Liberation of the FacultiesPART VIII VIII.1 Starting Magic, According to Giuliano KremmerzVIII.2 RUD • First Ascent VIII.3 ABRAXA • Knowledge of the Sacrificial Act VIII.4 Various Commentaries On Sacrifice PART IX IX.1 SIRIO • Noise IX.2 PAUL MASSON-OURSEL • On the Role of Magic in Hindu Speculation IX.3 EA • Esotericism and Christian Mysticism IX.4 GIC • From “The Song of Time and the Seed” IX.5 Metapsychology and Magical Phenomena IX.6 LEO • The “Plumed Serpent” PART XX.1 AGARDA • Remarks on Action in the Passions X.2 SAGITTARIO • Awakening X.3 ARVO • The “Primitives” and Magical ScienceX.4 AGNOSTUS • Two Hyperborean Symbols X.5 GALLUS • Experiences among the Arabs X.6 Various Commentaries PART XIXI.1 MAXIMUS • Notes on “Detachment” XI.2 The Ascetic, Fire, Rock, Space • From the Milindapañha XI.3 EA • Spiritual Authority and Temporal Power XI.4 About Drugs XI.5 Various Commentaries Seeing Without Wanting to See Ways to the “Void”PART XII XII.1 EKATLOS • The “Great Sign”:On Stage and in the Wings XII.2 EA • Esotericism, the Unconscious, PsychoanalysisXII.3 ANAGARIKA GOVINDA • The Double Mask XII.4 Magical Perspectives, According to Aleister Crowley XII.5 EnvoiIndex

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Book SynopsisFrom supreme president to forgotten enemy, John W. Talbot lived a remarkable life. Charismatic, energetic, and powerful, he founded a national fraternal organization, the Order of Owls, and counted senators, congressmen, and business leaders among his friends. He wielded his influence to help causes close to his heart but also to bring down those who stood against him.In So Much Bad in the Best of Us, Greta Fisher's careful research reveals that Talbot was capable of great evil, causing one woman to describe him as "the Devil Incarnate." His string of very public affairs revealed his strange sexual preferences and violent tendencies, and charges leveled against him included perjury, blackmail, jury tampering, slander, libel, misuse of the mail, assault with intent to kill, and White slavery. Ultimately convicted on the slavery charge, he spent several years in Leavenworth penitentiary and eventually lost everything, including control of the Order of Owls. His descent into alcoholism and death by fire was a fitting end to a tumultuous and dramatic life. After 50 years of newspaper headlines and court battles, Talbot's death made national news, but with more enemies than friends and estranged from his family, he was ultimately forgotten.A gripping true crime story, So Much Bad in the Best of Us offers a mesmerizing account of the life of John W. Talbot, the Order of Owls, and how quickly the powerful can fall.Trade ReviewGreta Fisher cooly travels us through "So Much Bad in the Best of Us: The Salacious and Audacious Life of John W. Talbot." No one can make up the kind of ordinary citizen gullibility that ran rampant around South Bend, Indiana, starting as early as 1872 and continuing to lope along the echelons of society for the next sixty-five years and counting. . . . The enduring scheming legacy of Talbot resides within the Order of Owls. Never heard of it? Neither did I, and now I am amazed and saddened. Owls deserve a better rap. -- Rita Kohn * Nuvo *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionAn Auspicious BeginningA Budding Career and a Blossoming CriminalDiversification: Social Networks, Political Influence, and the Importance of FamilyThe Founding of the Order of OwlsLegal Trouble: The Talbot Brothers on the DefensiveLeona Mason Tries to Put Him DownDeath and ResurrectionUnwanted OwlsA Profit in SyphilisAn Owl Rebellion and the Charitable Institutions that Weren'tCan't Keep Out of Trouble and Other Odd BehaviorNot Just Owls: Talbot Cultivates an Interest in Exotic Birds (the Kind with Feathers)"She Is Certainly Having a Fine Time""Guilty as Sin": Talbot Is Sent to LeavenworthThe Ex-Convict: Talbot Is No Longer SupremeA Quieter LifeA Fiery DeathThe Fate of the Order of OwlsTalbot's LegacyPostscriptAppendix A: Order of the Owls HandbookAppendix B: The Character and Life of John W. Talbot Exposed by an Outraged WomanAppendix C: The QuestionNotesBibliography

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Book SynopsisFrom supreme president to forgotten enemy, John W. Talbot lived a remarkable life. Charismatic, energetic, and powerful, he founded a national fraternal organization, the Order of Owls, and counted senators, congressmen, and business leaders among his friends. He wielded his influence to help causes close to his heart but also to bring down those who stood against him.In So Much Bad in the Best of Us, Greta Fisher's careful research reveals that Talbot was capable of great evil, causing one woman to describe him as "the Devil Incarnate." His string of very public affairs revealed his strange sexual preferences and violent tendencies, and charges leveled against him included perjury, blackmail, jury tampering, slander, libel, misuse of the mail, assault with intent to kill, and White slavery. Ultimately convicted on the slavery charge, he spent several years in Leavenworth penitentiary and eventually lost everything, including control of the Order of Owls. His descent into alcoholism and death by fire was a fitting end to a tumultuous and dramatic life. After 50 years of newspaper headlines and court battles, Talbot's death made national news, but with more enemies than friends and estranged from his family, he was ultimately forgotten.A gripping true crime story, So Much Bad in the Best of Us offers a mesmerizing account of the life of John W. Talbot, the Order of Owls, and how quickly the powerful can fall.Trade ReviewGreta Fisher cooly travels us through "So Much Bad in the Best of Us: The Salacious and Audacious Life of John W. Talbot." No one can make up the kind of ordinary citizen gullibility that ran rampant around South Bend, Indiana, starting as early as 1872 and continuing to lope along the echelons of society for the next sixty-five years and counting. . . . The enduring scheming legacy of Talbot resides within the Order of Owls. Never heard of it? Neither did I, and now I am amazed and saddened. Owls deserve a better rap. -- Rita Kohn * Nuvo *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionAn Auspicious BeginningA Budding Career and a Blossoming CriminalDiversification: Social Networks, Political Influence, and the Importance of FamilyThe Founding of the Order of OwlsLegal Trouble: The Talbot Brothers on the DefensiveLeona Mason Tries to Put Him DownDeath and ResurrectionUnwanted OwlsA Profit in SyphilisAn Owl Rebellion and the Charitable Institutions that Weren'tCan't Keep Out of Trouble and Other Odd BehaviorNot Just Owls: Talbot Cultivates an Interest in Exotic Birds (the Kind with Feathers)"She Is Certainly Having a Fine Time""Guilty as Sin": Talbot Is Sent to LeavenworthThe Ex-Convict: Talbot Is No Longer SupremeA Quieter LifeA Fiery DeathThe Fate of the Order of OwlsTalbot's LegacyPostscriptAppendix A: Order of the Owls HandbookAppendix B: The Character and Life of John W. Talbot Exposed by an Outraged WomanAppendix C: The QuestionNotesBibliography

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Book SynopsisMany Freemasons have made the world a better place, while some have been villainous criminals. Members of the Craft have developed forensic science, solved famous crimes and invented all manner of things. Several members of the Royal Family have also been members. Masons have been very active in the criminal justice system, both as 'goodies' and 'baddies': it was a mason who formed the Special Branch to fight terrorism and another who brought the Moors Murders to an end. In some cases, such as the Cleveland Street Scandal, masons found themselves on both sides of the law. The medical profession is also well represented in lodges. Happily, it was a member of the Craft who rescued the Elephant Man, while another masonic doctor was the first to identify an occupational cancer. On the other side of the coin, there have been several evil masonic doctors who committed murder, and one masonic surgeon may have committed regicide, although his motives were merciful. This tells the stories of weird and wonderful masons too - celebrities, film makers, soldiers, explorers, world-famous businessmen, politicians, forgers and scoundrels. There are masons of every character, and all are covered in this book.Table of ContentsIntroduction; The Bloody Code: Dreadful Punishments for Crime; A Deadly Grand Master and Masonic Schisms; A Masonic Doctor and the Fight Against Cancer; Brother Deacon Brodie: The Inspiration for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; The Dead Man's Hand: How the Ace of Spades Killed a Mason; The Mad Masonic Marquess who Painted the Town Red; The Murdering Quaker: Captured by a Masonic Invention; Murderous Masonic Medical Men; The Policeman and Mason who Inspired Charles Dickens; Masonic Conveniences: The Craft's Contribution to Public Hygiene; The First Whitechapel Murderer: Brother Wainwright; Special Branch: Masons and the Fight Against Terrorism and Treachery; Masons on Ripper Street; The Cleveland Street Scandal: Masons Good and Bad!; The Mysterious Murders of Multi-Millionaire Masons; Kings and the Craft: Freemasons in the House of Windsor; The Mason who Saved the King and the Elephant Man; Masons and Forensic Science: The Development of Fingerprint Evidence; Masons Snare a Serial Killer: The Camberwell Murders; Brethren Beware! 'Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned'; The Siege of Sidney Street: A Masonic Victim, Detective and Home Secretary; John McDowell: The Forgotten Masonic Movie Man; The City of Z: The Mystery of the Missing Mason; Masonic Judges and the Jigsaw Murders; The Masons who Sent Ruth Ellis to the Gallows; Masonic Sexual Intrigue with 'A Very British Scandal'!; The Moors Murders and Two Very Different Masons; Who Killed Brother Freddie Mills?; Lord Ernie Marples: Sex and Scandal with the Mason in the Mask; KFC: The Fighting Masonic Lawyer and his Fast-Food Empire; Conclusions; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisThis is the first full-length study of Irish Ribbonism, tracing the development of the movement from its origins in the Defender movement of the 1790s to the latter part of the century when the remnants of the Ribbon tradition found solace in a new movement: the quasi-constitutional affinities of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Placing Ribbonism firmly within Ireland’s long tradition of secret societies, this book shows that, due to its diversity and adaptability, it stood apart from other similar bodies and showed remarkable longevity not matched by its contemporaries. The book describes the wider context of Catholic struggles for improved standing, explores traditions and networks for association, and it describes external impressions. Drawing on rich archives in the form of state surveillance records, `show trial’ proceedings and press reportage, the book shows that Ribbonism was a sophisticated and durable underground network drawing together various strands of the rural and urban Catholic populace in Ireland and Britain. Ribbon Societies in Nineteenth-Century Ireland and Britain is a fascinating study that demonstrates Ribbonism operated more widely than previous studies have revealed.Trade ReviewReviews'An important contribution to the corpus of scholarship on secret societies, violence and politics in nineteenth-century Ireland.'Jay R. Roszman, Irish Historical Studies 'This is an excellent study, meticulously researched and lucidly written. The considerable detail adds to the interest and value of the work by opening up avenues for further research into this elusive and yet very real world of Irish subversives transnationally in the nineteenth century.'Maura Cronin, Studia Hibernica'A thorough excavation of not just the perceptions of Ribbonism but also the workings of the “official mind” in Dublin Castle during the first few decades of the nineteenth century.'John O’Donovan, Irish Studies Review'Hughes and MacRaild’s study on Ribbonism is to be commended for recalibrating our gaze towards these too often neglected decades, and years, and the lower class voices which filled them.'Kerron Ó Luain, Dublin Review of Books'An outstanding work of scholarship, one that is authoritative, substantial and carefully constructed...The work makes a substantial contribution to our knowledge and understanding of Irish secret societies, specifically Ribbonism, and to a whole range of characters and forces associated with such bodies... Stylish and engaging, Ribbon Societies in Nineteenth‐Century Ireland and its Diaspora is strongly recommended.'Laurence Geary, History: The Journal of the Historical AssociationTable of ContentsIntroduction: Defining and Refining Ribbonism1. Out of Defenderism: Ribbonism in the Early Nineteenth Century2. Ribbon Networks in the 1820s: A Revolutionary Moment3. Ribbonism, O’Connellism and Catholicism in the 1820s and 1830s4. The Transnational World of Richard Jones, 1835-425. Catholic Collectivism at Home and Abroad during the Famine Period6. Ribbonmen in their Urban Communities during the 1850s7. From Ribbonism to Hibernianism in the Post-Famine Diaspora8. Ribbonmen, Fenians and Hibernians: Clashes and Convergences from the 1870sConclusion: Ribbonism: ‘An Accretion of Mythical Subject Matter’?

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Book SynopsisThis is the first full-length study of Irish Ribbonism. It traces the development of Ribbonism from its origins in the Defender movement of the 1790s until the latter part of the century when the remnants of the Ribbon tradition found solace in the quasi-constitutional affinities of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Placing Ribbonism firmly within Ireland’s long tradition of collective action and protest, this book shows that, owing to its diversity and adaptability, it shared similarities, but also stood apart from, the many rural redresser groups of the period and showed remarkable longevity not matched by its contemporaries. The book describes the wider context of Catholic struggles for improved standing, explores traditions and networks for association, and it describes external impressions. Drawing on rich archives in the form of state surveillance records, ‘show trial’ proceedings and press reportage, the book shows that Ribbonism was a sophisticated and durable underground network drawing together various strands of the rural and urban Catholic populace in Ireland and Britain. Ribbon Societies in Nineteenth-Century Ireland and Its Diaspora is a fascinating study that demonstrates Ribbonism operated more widely than previous studies have revealed.Trade ReviewReviews'An important contribution to the corpus of scholarship on secret societies, violence and politics in nineteenth-century Ireland.'Jay R. Roszman, Irish Historical Studies 'This is an excellent study, meticulously researched and lucidly written. The considerable detail adds to the interest and value of the work by opening up avenues for further research into this elusive and yet very real world of Irish subversives transnationally in the nineteenth century.'Maura Cronin, Studia Hibernica'A thorough excavation of not just the perceptions of Ribbonism but also the workings of the “official mind” in Dublin Castle during the first few decades of the nineteenth century.'John O’Donovan, Irish Studies Review'Hughes and MacRaild’s study on Ribbonism is to be commended for recalibrating our gaze towards these too often neglected decades, and years, and the lower class voices which filled them.'Kerron Ó Luain, Dublin Review of Books'An outstanding work of scholarship, one that is authoritative, substantial and carefully constructed...The work makes a substantial contribution to our knowledge and understanding of Irish secret societies, specifically Ribbonism, and to a whole range of characters and forces associated with such bodies... Stylish and engaging, Ribbon Societies in Nineteenth‐Century Ireland and its Diaspora is strongly recommended.'Laurence Geary, History: The Journal of the Historical AssociationTable of ContentsIntroduction: Defining and Refining Ribbonism1. Out of Defenderism: Ribbonism in the Early Nineteenth Century2. Ribbon Networks in the 1820s: A Revolutionary Moment3. Ribbonism, O’Connellism and Catholicism in the 1820s and 1830s4. The Transnational World of Richard Jones, 1835-425. Catholic Collectivism at Home and Abroad during the Famine Period6. Ribbonmen in their Urban Communities during the 1850s7. From Ribbonism to Hibernianism in the Post-Famine Diaspora8. Ribbonmen, Fenians and Hibernians: Clashes and Convergences from the 1870sConclusion: Ribbonism: ‘An Accretion of Mythical Subject Matter’?

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Book SynopsisThe world of Freemasonry exerts a powerful influence on the modern imagination. In an age when perceived notions of history are being increasingly questioned and re-examined it is perhaps inevitable that secretive societies such as the Freemasons find themselves at the centre of considerable speculation and conjecture. To some they represent a powerful and shadowy elite who have manipulated world history throughout the ages, whilst to others they are an altogether more mundane and benign fraternal organisation. Giles Morgan begins by exploring the obscure and uncertain origins of Freemasonry. It has been variously argued that it derives from the practices of medieval stonemasons, that it dates to events surrounding the construction of the Temple of Solomon and that it is connected to ancient Mystery Cults. One of the major and often disputed claims made for Freemasonry is that it is directly attributable to the Knights Templar, generating a wealth of best-selling publications such as 'The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail' and more recently Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code', linking Freemasonry to a supposed secret order known as the Priory of Sion who are the guardians of the true nature of the Holy Grail. Freemasonry today is a worldwide phenomenon that accepts membership from a diverse ethnic and religious range of backgrounds. Entry to Freemasonry requires a belief in a Supreme Being although it insists it does not constitute a religion in itself. The rituals and practices of Freemasonry have been viewed as variously obscure, pointless, baffling, sinister and frightening. An intensely stratified and hierarchical structure underpins most Masonic orders whose activities are focussed within meeting points usually termed as Lodges. Giles Morgan examines its historical significance (George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were both Masons) and its position and role in contemporary society.

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Book SynopsisFollowing the appointment of its first aristocratic Grand Masters in the 1720s and in the wake of its connections to the scientific Enlightenment, 'Free and Accepted' Masonry became part of Britain's national profile and the largest and most influential of Britain's extensive clubs and societies. The organisation did not evolve naturally from the mediaeval guilds and religious orders that pre-dated it but was reconfigured radically by a largely self-appointed inner core at London's most influential lodge, the Horn Tavern. Freemasonry became a vehicle for the expression of their philosophical and political views, and the 'Craft' attracted an aspirational membership across the upper middling and gentry. Through an examination of previously unexplored primary documentation, Foundations contributes to an understanding of contemporary English political and social culture and explores how Freemasonry became a mechanism that promoted the interests of the Hanoverian establishment and connected the metropolitan and provincial elites. The book explores social networks centred on the aristocracy, parliament, the learned and professional societies, and the magistracy, and provides pen portraits of the key individuals who spread the Masonic message. Foundations and Schism (Sussex Academic, 2013), have been described as 'the most important books on English Freemasonry published in recent times', providing 'a precise, social context for the invention of English Freemasonry'. Berman's analysis throws a new and original light on the formation and development of what rapidly became a national and international phenomenon.Table of ContentsPreface; Introduction; English Freemasonry Before the Formation of Grand Lodge; John Theophilus Desaguliers: Homo Masonicus; Grand Lodge: The Inner Workings; The Professional Nexus; The Rise of the First Noble Grand Masters; 'Through the Paths of Heavenly Science'; Conclusion; Appendices; Abbreviations; Electronic Reading & Research; Selected Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the creation of the Antients Grand Lodge and traces the influence of Ireland and the London Irish, and most especially that of Laurence Dermott, the Antients' Grand Secretary, in the development of freemasonry in the second half of the eighteenth century. The book demonstrates the relative accessibility of the Antients and contrasts this with the exclusivity of the 'Moderns' -- the original Grand Lodge of England. The Antients instigated what became a six decades long rivalry with the Moderns and pioneered fundamental changes to the social composition of freemasonry, extending formal sociability to the lower middling and working classes and creating one of the first modern friendly societies. Schism does not stand solely as an academic work but introduces the subject to a wider Masonic and non-Masonic audience and, most particularly, supplements dated historical works. The book contributes to the history of London and the London Irish in the long eighteenth century and examines the social and trade networks of the urban lower middling and working class, subjects that remains substantially unexplored. It also offers a prism through which Britain's calamitous relationship with Ireland can be examined.Trade Review"Understanding the past and the conditions that existed during the formation of Freemasonry provides a lens by which to view the Craft and understand its relationship with the world today. Schism: The Battle that Forged Freemasonry provides such a lens and is an excellent addition to Bermans The Foundations of Modern Freemasonry." - John R. Bo Cline, The Journal of The Masonic Society, 2014

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Book SynopsisFollowing the appointment of its first aristocratic Grand Masters in the 1720s and in the wake of its connections to the scientific Enlightenment, 'Free and Accepted' Masonry became part of Britain's national profile and the largest and most influential of Britain's extensive clubs and societies. The organisation did not evolve naturally from the mediaeval guilds and religious orders that pre-dated it but was reconfigured radically by a largely self-appointed inner core at London's most influential lodge, the Horn Tavern. Freemasonry became a vehicle for the expression of their philosophical and political views, and the 'Craft' attracted an aspirational membership across the upper middling and gentry. Through an examination of previously unexplored primary documentation, Foundations contributes to an understanding of contemporary English political and social culture and explores how Freemasonry became a mechanism that promoted the interests of the Hanoverian establishment and connected the metropolitan and provincial elites. The book explores social networks centred on the aristocracy, parliament, the learned and professional societies, and the magistracy, and provides pen portraits of the key individuals who spread the Masonic message. Foundations and Schism (Sussex Academic, 2013), have been described as 'the most important books on English Freemasonry published in recent times', providing 'a precise, social context for the invention of English Freemasonry'. Berman's analysis throws a new and original light on the formation and development of what rapidly became a national and international phenomenon.

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Book SynopsisOver the past 200 years, many thousands of undergraduates have been initiated into membership of Apollo – the Masonic lodge of the University of Oxford. These have included such diverse figures as Oscar Wilde, Osbert Lancaster, Samuel Reynolds Hole, Cecil Rhodes, Edward, Prince of Wales and his brother Leopold, Charles Canning, Hugh Trevor-Roper, Godfrey Elton and Roger Makins. Drawing on archives held in the Bodleian Library, this book is the first serious attempt to set the story of Apollo in the context of Oxford life and learning as well as its wider social and political diaspora. From the devastating numbers lost in the First and Second World Wars, as well as those decorated for bravery, to the significant number of Olympians who were members of the lodge, it also charts the lodge’s charitable work, its changes of location, social events and adaptation to twenty-first-century life in Oxford. Illustrated with archival material, portraits and Masonic treasures, this is history in a minor key, but a minor narrative with major implications, documenting the remarkable numbers of Oxford freemasons with distinguished careers in government, law, the army and the Church.

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Book SynopsisThis volume is an investigation into secret groups with hidden agendas.

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