Ibis

This book explains Frederick Carter's wholly original interpretation of the dragon as a central force in St. John's apocalyptic vision in the Book of Revelation. Weaving the biblical story together with zodiacal and astrological references and their ancient meanings, this book reexamines the vision from a new point of view and asks: Was it prophetic, an allegorical teaching, or an account of a m

An investigation of the Eleusinian mysteries, supposed by some to be the predecessors of Masonic rites. Contents: Eleusinian legend; Ritual of the mysteries; Program of the greater mysteries; Initiatory rites; Their mystical significance; Bibliography.

During the 1920s,Willis Whitehead was Supreme Grand Vizier of the Ancient Order of Oriental Magic. In The Mystic Thesaurus he shares the secrets and tools he worked with in a lifetime of practicing magic. Readers will learn the hidden meaning of the symbols of the zodiac, the significance of alphabets and tarot cards, and the mystery of numbers and numerology. The Mystic Thesaurus also contains

Hazrat Inayat Khan's books were among the first to bring Sufism to the West. They remain among the most important introductions Westerners have to the concepts of the ancient religious tradition. In Rassa Shastra, Khan shares his teachings on Sufi ideas about the spiritual and sacred purpose of sex and relationships and stresses 'true union', one of the Sufi keys to perfection.

First published in 1912, William Gemmell's translation of The Diamond Sutra was one of the first books to introduce general readers in the West to Buddhism. It still stands as a refreshing, easy-to-understand look at an ancient and enduring tradition. The Diamond Sutra, a sacred Buddhist text, recounts the Buddha's discourse to one of his disciples. It discusses fundamental Buddhist practices,

Important Symbols presents an extensive compilation of the symbols of ancient cultures, describing the context and usage of each symbol around the world and throughout time. Adelaide Hall groups the symbols into categories, each comprising a chapter of the book. Chapters including "The Halo and the Crown," "Fabulous Creatures," "Architectural Forms," "Military Emblems," "Plants and Blossoms," "A

A useful source book for Pagan spiritualists. Elisabeth Goldsmith examines symbols found in the art and artefacts from across cultures and throughout history. Explanations reveal the symbolism of the Elements, the Lotus, the Tree of Life, the Cross, the Swastika, and many more.Elisabeth Goldsmith begins Ancient Pagan Symbols with a poetic description of the creative forces of life and the metaphys

Escaping to the magnificence of the Tyrolean Alps for a much-needed respite from the angst of his life the narrator of this delightful and instructive tale encounters a mysterious dwarf who seems to understand the dilemmas that cloud his mind. The dwarf leads him to the Brothers of the Golden and Rosy Cross where the narrator begins his adventure among adepts of the Order. Franz Hartmann writes po

Count Michael Maier (1568-1622) is among the giants of the Alchemical Renaissance of the early 17th century. Atalanta Fugiens and Themis Aurea transcend their era and continue to inspire alchemical students today. But Maier's many other works remain virtually unknown--to our loss, for he was a champion of Rosicrucianism as well as a spiritual alchemist of the highest caliber. Reverend J.B. Crave

William Greene was unique among his fellow Christian writers on the Kabbalah in that he saw clearly both its significance for Freemasonry and its application to radical thought. He prefaced his study, first published in 1872, with a stirring account of the significant Masonic symbol of the Blazing Star - a symbol also of liberty of conscience and political freedom, goals that must still be sought

The continuing fascination with Gnostic Christianity has stimulated the translation of a vast range of Gnostic texts with both popular and critical commentaries. But the later texts of the Coptic Church remain virtually unknown outside a small circle of scholars, even more so in their Ethiopic versions. One exception is The Book of Enoch, but Enoch does not stand alone. Associated with it is an

In ancient Pompeii, just before the fateful eruption of Vesuvius, a proud Roman tribune, Ombricius, is attending a friend's wedding celebration. No sooner does he finish telling another wedding guest about his doubt that he will ever find a woman who will stir his soul, than a patrician woman, Hedonia Metella, passes by and drops a flower at his feet engaging him with a provocative look. He is i

Theurgy means "the science or art of divine works." In alchemy, this process is called the "Great Work," which is the purification and exaltation of our "lower" nature by the proper application of esoteric principles, so that it may become united with its higher counterparts, whereby we may attain spiritual, and ultimately divine, consciousness. Drawing on the teachings of the Egyptian, Greek,

In The House of the Hidden Places, first published in 1895, Adams clearly lays out evidence that the Great Pyramid at Giza corresponds architecturally to the initiation ritual detailed in the Egyptian Book of the Dead (which Adams preferred to call what he felt was its rightful title, The Book of the Maste). The House of the Hidden Places was the first book to go beyond the current speculations

The Divine Names and The Mystical Theology were written by a theologian who professed to be St. Paul's Athenian convert, Dionysius. Rolt, however, places him in the time of Proclus, in the 5th century a.d. These works of Neo-Platonic Christian mysticism had an important influence on the early church and other Western esoteric orders and continue to be essential in the serious study of theology.

The Sepher Yetzirah, or Book of Formation, although very short, is probably the most important of the Kabalistic texts. Its secrets were passed on in the Hebrew oral tradition until it was written down in the 2nd century b.c.e. It lays out the principles of Kabalistic cosmology and the Tree of Life, how humankind (the microcosm) reflects the Divine (the macrocosm). It also sets forth the Hebrew

This down-to-earth exploration of natal chart interpretation shows the familial, male-female patterns in the zodiacal signs and the potentials they hold in combination with planetary energies and house symbolism. Our personalities are strongly influenced by what was happening around us when we were infants and whether our needs were met. Lundsted explains that our natal chart is our parent's trans

This is a source work of medieval magic that gives complete sets of zodiacal lames, characters, and planetary sigils, with full details for their manufacture and consecration, often omitted by later writers. Paracelsus is essentially concerned with the practical applications of magic, especially with regard to healing, rather than the extravagant fantasies of theorists. His sections on alchemy i

There is an old saying: when the student is ready, the master will come. In Naina's case, her master -- or mistress, in this case -- was a black-and-white stray cat she called Sweetie, who crawled through a tiny opening in her sixth floor kitchen window in her rooms at the Prasanthi Nilayam Ashram in India, and gave birth to kittens. But this experience did not adequately prepare her for the whi