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Old 06-24-2009, 09:28 AM   #10
MoV
Avalon Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Romania - Cluj Napoca
Posts: 55
Post Re: Some books you may wanna take a look @

Israel Regardie - The Tree of Life



The most comprehensive introduction available to the Golden Dawn system of initiation, and the numerous, complex and sometimes obscure mystical writings of Aleister Crowley.

Over fifty years ago Israel Regardie set himself the gigantic task of making accessible to the intelligent layman the root principles upon which Magic is built--principles which Aleister Crowley devoted his life to exploring and revealing. Drawing on his experience as personal secretary to Crowley and his involvement with the Golden Dawn system, Regardie skillfully unifies a wealth of diverse material into a marvelously coherent whole. The result is The Tree Of Life, a book which has become the definitive overview of the Western Mystery Tradition.

Israel Regardie (1907-1985) was credited with removing the excessive secrecy surrounding modern occultism and for making the techniques of high magic available to all interested students.

282 pages, 10.3 MB, PDF. Scan.

http://rapidshare.com/files/16463608...ee_of_Life.pdf

William G. Gray - Magical Ritual Methods





Throughout the ages, the workings of magical ritual have been shrouded in more secrecy than probably any other subject. The peculiar secrecy surrounding magical practices is not altogether intentional--how can mere description of the purely physical aspects of ritualism possibly convey its deep significance? Knowing this conciously or instinctively, practitioners of magical rites have maintained silence or given such vague descriptions of their activities that little practical use can be made of them. Now there is a guidebook, intended for the Western student on the path of spiritual consciousness. William Gray pulls all the "hows's" and "why's" of ceremonial magic together in one volume and provides the student with practical means for its proper operation and study. People are drawn toward ritual practice because it fulfills a need on a deep spiritual level that nothing else will fill. Gray shows us how to arrange and direct our own studies, and gives us the basics to make magical ritual work for us, to extend our human consciousness toward Truth and Light.

302 pages, 4.82 MB, PDF. Scan.

http://rapidshare.com/files/16659679...al_Methods.pdf



Lynn F. Perkins - The Meaning of Masonry





186 pages, 18 MB, PDF. Scan.

http://rapidshare.com/files/16660588...of_Masonry.pdf



Oliver Day Street - Symbolism of the Three Degrees I-III

Symbolism of the Three Degrees is a discussion of the symbols, legends, and allegories of Freemasonry. It began as a collection of research material for a series of lectures, which were later published in The Builder, a journal of the National Masonic Research Society. Due to their great popularity, they were eventually assembled in book form.

In approaching each symbol of the degrees, the author endeavors to go beyond those explanations provided in the lectures and found within the monitors of Freemasonry. He sought to illuminate each in both practical and historic terms. The topics are arranged by degree and indexed at the back of the book. Originally published in 1922, this work remains a great resource for newly raised Master Masons and anyone seeking more information about the symbolism of Freemasonry. As stated in the forward to the book:

"Masters and wardens and all others entrusted with the exemplification of our marvelous Masonic ritual will find in it such light on all the important symbols of the Three Degrees as will give them and their audience a new interest in the work, and a new appreciation of the inexhaustible wealth hidden away within the heart of Ancient Craft Masonry."

H. L. Haywood (Editor of The Builder, 1922)

Contents:

* Volume I: The Entered Apprentice Degree
* Volume II: The Fellow Craft Degree
* Volume III: The Master Mason Degree

3 volumes, 17.8 MB, PDF. Scan.

http://rapidshare.com/files/16660988...rees_I-III.rar

A.E. Waite - The Hidden Church of the Holy Graal: Its Legends and Symbolism Considered in their Affinity with Certain Mysteries of Initiation and other Traces of a Secret Tradition in Christian Times

It is at the core of all Western culture: the story of the Holy Grail, the secret history of Christianity and the grand quest to find it that informs everything from tales steeped in centuries, such as the legend of King Arthur, to the most modern popular fiction, like The Da Vinci Code. In this highly readable but densely informative work, Waite, a preeminent 19th-century expert in esoterica, explores all the literature dedicated to this "legend of the soul" from both an intellectual and a spiritual perspective, seeking out the elemental through-lines of this most fundamental of stories as well as a mystical essence of Christianity itself. Students of folklore, readers of fantasy-quest fiction, and seekers after religious truth will all find this a vital resource. American-born British occultist and author ARTHUR EDWARD WAITE (1857-1942) was cocreator of the famous 1910 Rider-Waite Tarot deck. Among his numerous books are Book of Ceremonial Magic, The Holy Kabbalah, and New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry.

Contents

Book I

The Argument
I. Some Aspects of the Graal Legend
II. Epochs of the Legend
III. The Environment of the Graal Literature
IV. The Literature of the Cycle
V. The Implicits of the Mystery

Book II

The Argument
I. A Preliminary Account of Certain Root-Secrets Included in the Whole Subject
II. The Institution of the Hallows, and in the First Place General Introduction Concerning Them
III. The Institution of the Hallows, and, Secondly, the Variations of the Cup Legend
IV. The Graal Vessel Considered as a Bowl of Plenty
V. The Lesser Hallows of the Legend
§ A.--The Summary of These Matters
§ B.--Legends of the Sacred Lance
§ C.--The Broken Sword
§ D.--The Dish

VI. The Castle of the Holy Graal
VII. The Keepers of the Hallows
VIII. The Pageants in the Quests
IX. The Enchantments of Britain, the Times Called Adventurous and the Wounding of the King
X. The Suppressed Word and the Mystic Question
XI. The Healing of the King
XII. The Removal of the Hallows

Book III

Argument
I. The Antecedents of the Legend in Folk-Lore
II. The Welsh Perceval
III. The English Metrical Romance of Syr Percyvelle
IV. The Conte del Graal
§ A.--Preliminary to the Whole Subject
§ B.--The Poem of Chrétien De Troyes
§ C.--The Extension of Gautier
§ D.--The Conclusion of Manessier
§ E.--The Alternative Sequel of Gerbert
§ F.--In Which Sir Gawain is Considered Briefly as a Companion of the Holy Quest

Book IV

Argument
I. The Metrical Romance of Joseph of Arimathæa
II. The Lesser Holy Graal
III. The Early History of Merlin
IV. The Didot Perceval

Book V

The Argument
I. The Book of the Holy Graal and, in the First Place, the Prologue Thereto Belonging
II. New Consideration Concerning the Branches of the Chronicle
III. The Minor Branches of the Book of the Holy Graal
IV. Some Later Merlin Legends
§ A.--The Vulgate Merlin
§ B.--The Huth Merlin

V. The Great Prose Lancelot
VI. A Preface or Introductory Portion Appertaining to All The Quests
VII. The Longer Prose Perceval
VIII. The Quest of the High Prince
IX. The Welsh Quest of Galahad

Book VI

Argument
I. The Parsifal of Wolfram Von Eschenbach
II. Gleanings Concerning the Lost Quest of Guiot de Provence
III. Sidelights From the Spanish and Portuguese Quests
IV. The Crown of All Adventures
V. The Titurel of Albrecht Von Scharfenberg
VI. The Dutch Lancelot

Book VII

Argument
I. Statement of a Possible Implicit Accounting for All Claims
II. The Formulæ of the Hypothesis Scheduled
III. In What Sense the Plea Must be Held to Fail
IV. The Victory of the Latin Rite

Book VIII

Argument
I. The Introductory Words
II. The Position of the Literature Defined
III. Concerning the Great Experiment
IV. The Mystery of Initiation
V. The Mystery of Faith
VI. The Lost Book of the Graal
VII. The Declared Mystery of Quest

Book IX

The Argument
I. Preliminary to the Whole Subject
II. Some Alleged Secret Schools of the Middle Ages
III. The Latin Literature of Alchemy and the Hermetic Secret in the Light of the Eucharistic Mystery
IV. The Kabalistic Academies
V. The Claim in Respect of Templar Influence
VI. The Graal Formula in the Light of Other Gleanings from the Catholic Sacramentary
VII. The Lapis Exilis
VIII. The Analogies of Masonry
§ A. The Assumption of the Building Guild
§ B. Masonry and Moral Science
§ C. A Theory of Hermetic Interference
§ D. One Key to the Sanctuary

IX. The Hallows of the Graal Mystery Rediscovered in the Talismans of the Tarot

Book X

The Argument
I. The Hermeneutics of the Holy Graal
II. The Good Husbandman
III. The Catholic Secret of the Literature
IV. The Mystery Which Is Within
V. The Secluded and Unknown Sanctuary
VI. The Tradition of St. John the Divine and Other Traces of a Higher Mind of the Church
VII. The Conclusion of This Holy Quest

Appendix: Bibliography
Part I. The Texts
Part II. Some Critical Works
Part III. Phases of Interpretation

Index

448 pages, 3.48 MB, PDF.
http://rapidshare.com/files/16755042...Holy_Graal.pdf



W.L. Wilmshurst - Masonic Initiation





The Masonic Initiation is the powerful sequel to W. L. Wilmshurst's other enduring classic, The Meaning of Masonry. Here, we find the author's most advanced expression as he explores the profound depths of Masonic ritual as a contemplative art, and offers his vision of the future of the Order. Both Freemasons and those who study the Craft from a distance will enjoy these insightful essays. This new edition by Plumbstone has been fully revised and re-set in clear, modern type, and is enriched with extensive notes expanding on Wilmshurst's points, elucidating his sources, and explaining the differences between American and British Freemasonry. Prominent Masonic author Robert G. Davis writes in his Foreword that this edition provides "a new look at a timeless classic which has induced many generations of Masons to feel that, when they are in the sacred space of lodge, they are in the presence of a mystery that goes to the root of their own being."

228 pages, 11.5 MB, PDF. Scan.

http://rapidshare.com/files/16755519...Initiation.pdf



Frances A. Yates - The Rosicrucian Enlightenment



In the early 17th century, a new movement was proclaimed throughout Europe, announcing the universal reform of religion, science, art, and society. The main proponents of this movement were the esoteric Rosicrucians . Europe was a world in transition and Rosicrucianism was but the latest movement to capture the public imagination. Concerned with spiritual illumination and intellectual knowledge the movement continued to have widespread influence long after it was supposedly over, as can be traced in the works of Isaac Newton and Fraof modern science and medicine, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment has had a tremendous impact on our understanding of the western esoteric tradition.

317 pages, 25 MB, PDF. Scan.

http://rapidshare.com/files/16756087...ightenment.pdf



John Yarker - Secret High Degree Rituals of Memphis



The Rite of Memphis aggravated members of "conventional" Freemasonry because it claimed not only to be the true source of Masonic wisdom but to be the ONLY legitimate Masonic system! Its rituals were much more esoteric than those commonly encountered in "regular" Freemasonry. Many colorful personalities allied themselves with this system, including Karl Kellner, Theodore Reuss and Aleister Crowley. In England, the Rite was under the direction of John Yarker, while in the United States, Harvey Spencer Lewis, of AMORC fame, also made use of these degrees. This fascinating book is a reprint of John Yarker's manuscript-"The Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis in 95th Degree-Book Third-Series III Consistory and Grand Council." It includes Yarker's last revision of the 34th through 96th Degree rituals inclusive, plus the "secret work".

85 pages, 20.2 MB, PDF. Scan.

http://rapidshare.com/files/16756481...of_Memphis.pdf

Raymond Buckland - Complete Book of Witchcraft



Here is the most complete self-study course in modern Wicca available, written by the person who first went public with "The Old Religion" in the United States. For group or solitary use, it includes rituals; exercises for developing psychic talents; information on all major "sects" of the Craft; sections on tools, beliefs, dreams, meditations, divination, herbal lore, healing, ritual clothing; and much, much more.

Even those who have practiced Wicca for years find useful information in Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft, and many covens are using it as their textbook. Profusely illustrated and full of music and chants.

CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION

LESSON ONE - The History and Philosophy of Witchcraft

History and Development. Persecutions. Re-emergence. The Philosophy of Witchcraft. Principles of Wiccan Belief. The Power Within. Spells and Charms.

LESSON TWO - Beliefs

Deities; The God and Goddess of Witchcraft; Reincarnation; Retribution; Between Lives. Your Temple. Your Altar and its Furniture. Magick—an Introduction.

LESSON THREE - Tools, Clothing and Names

Working Tools; Knife; Marking in Metal; Sword; Other Tools; Dress; Jewelry; Horned Helmet. Inscriptions. Your Witch Name.

LESSON FOUR - Getting Started

Rites of Passage. Circles. Self-Dedication. Coven Initiation.

LESSON FIVE - Covens and Rituals

Covens and Degrees. Hierarchy and Priesthood. Covensteads and Covendoms. The Book of Rituals. Consecration of Tools. RITUALS—Erecting the Temple; Clearing the Temple; Esbat Rite; Full Moon Rite; New/Dark Moon Rite; Cakes and Ale.

LESSON SIX - Sabbats

Samhain; Beltane; Imbolc; Lughnasadh.

LESSON SEVEN - Meditation, Dreams and the Minor Sabbats

Meditation— How Meditation Works; Technique; Posture; Area; Time of Day: Method. Dreams—The Source; Dream Interpretation and Symbology; Remembering Dreams; Personal Symbols; The Repetitive Dream; Group Dreams; Dreams vs Out-of-Body Experiences. Rituals—Spring Equinox; Summer Solstice; Autumnal Equinox; Winter Solstice.

LESSON EIGHT - Marriage, Birth, Death and Channeling

Handfasting Rite'; Handparting Rite; Birth Rite; Crossing the Bridge. The Intuitive Process-Categories of Channeling; Clearing the Channel; External Focal Points; Interpreting Channeled Information. The Aura. Sensory Deprivation. The Witches' Cradle.

LESSON NINE - Divination

Tarot; Scrying; Saxon Wands; Cheiromancy; Tea-leaf Reading; Numerology; Astrology; Fire Scrying.

LESSON TEN - Herbalism

Herbal Lore; Getting the Most Out of Herbs; Simples, Syrups, Salves, Poultices and Powders; Herb Simples; Definition of Medical Actions; Herbs in Materia Medica. Botanicals—Alteratives, Anthel-mintics, Astringents, Bitter Tonics,
Calmatives, Carminatives and Aromatics, Cathartics, Demulcents, Diaphoretics, Diuretics, Emollients, Expectorants, Nervines, Nerve Stimulants, Refrigerants, Sedatives, Stimulants. Vitamins in Herbs. The Art of Prescribing Medicine. Some Simple Treatments— Medicinal Drinks, Syrups, Decoctions, Teas, Mixtures, Ointments. Witches' Pharmacopoeia. Sources.

LESSON ELEVEN - Magick

Physical Body. Circle. Cone of Power. Dancing and Chanting. Feeling. Drawing Down Power. Releasing the Power. Timing. Cord Magick. Candle Magick. Love Magick. Sex Magick. Binding Spell. Protection. Form of Ritual.

LESSON TWELVE - The Power of the Written Word

Runes. Ogham Bethluisnion. Egyptian Hieroglyphics. Theban. Passing the River. Angelic. Malachim. Pictish. Talismans and Amulets. Power Raising Dance. General Dancing. Music and Song. Sabbat Games. Wine and Ale. Bread and Cakes.

261 pages, 4.16 MB, PDF. Scan.

http://rapidshare.com/files/16915502...Witchcraft.pdf



Antoine Faivre - The Eternal Hermes: From Greek God to Alchemical Magus



Hermes - the fascinating mercurial messenger of the gods eloquent revealer of hidden wisdom and guardian of occult knowledge-has played a central role in the development of esotericism in the West. The enigmatic Hermes Trismegistus legendary author of ancient Gnostic writings was the father of the Hermetic tradition. Drawing upon rare books and manuscripts, this highly illustrated work explores the question of where Hermes Trismegistus came from how he came to be a patron of the esoteric traditions and how the figure of Hermes has remained lively and inspiring to our own day.

204 pages, 22.7 MB, PDF. Scan.

http://rapidshare.com/files/16915964...nal_Hermes.pdf



J.D. Buck - The Symbolism of Freemasonry or Mystic Masonry



This Great Secret, this Master's Word, was know to and preserved in the Mysteries of Antiquity, and is embodied and preserved in the traditions and symbols of Masonry today. This fact has been stated repeatedly in the body of this little book, the real purpose of which was to set students, and particularly masonic students, to searching for the real secret. It is the reward of study and devotion, and has never been obtained on any other terms. It has never been conferred in the ritualistic degrees of the lodge, and never will or can be. It is the establishment of understanding in the soul of man between that higher self in him, and the More, and the Beyond self from which he draws his life, and from which his intuitions spring. This is real Initiation: Becoming: At-one-ment." "There are thousands of Masons, who realize that Masonry contains and implies far more than appears in the ritual and ceremonies of the Lodge. There is a very widespread and growing interest in this direction, and it is this that Mystic Masonry, above all else, is designed to foster, encourage, and help."

Contents: Principles of Education and Ethics; Genius of Freemasonry; The Secret Doctrine, Science and Religion, The Septenary Nature of Man, The Sign of the Master; The Great Lodge, An Outline of Symbolism.

175 pages, 16.4 MB, PDF. Scan.

http://rapidshare.com/files/16916261...ic_Masonry.pdf



Comte De Saint-Germain - La Tres Sainte Trinosophie (Most Holy Trinosophia)







Description written by Manly P. Hall:

The great illuminist, Rosicrucian, and Freemason who termed himself the Comte de St. Germain is one of the most baffling personalities of modern history. His activities are traceable for more than one hundred years between 1710 and 1822, leading Frederick the Great to refer to him as "the man who does not die." An outstanding scholar and linguist, a great musician and painter, as well as a chemist with skill so profound he could change base metals into gold, he was also enormously wealthy and was on intimate terms with the crowned heads of Europe. Nothing is known about the source of St. Germain's occult knowledge; he merely admitted he was obeying the orders of a power higher than himself, saying that his father was the Secret Doctrine and his mother the Mysteries.

Not only is it the only known mystical writing of the Comte de St.-Germain, but it is one of the most extraordinary documents relating to the Hermetic sciences ever compiled. Though the libraries of European Rosicrucians and Cabbalists contain many rare treasures of ancient philosophical lore, it is extremely doubtful if any of them include a treatise of greater value or significance.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION HERE:

http://www.rexresearch.com/germain/germain.htm

The original manuscript is housed in the Bibliotheque de Troyes in France. Written somewhere in 18th century.

100 pages, 8.55 MB, PDF. Scanned from original manuscript.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17107796...rinosophie.pdf



Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism



This is the first comprehensive reference work to cover the entire domain of "Gnosis and Western Esotericism" from the period of Late Antiquity to the present. Containing around 400 articles by over 180 international specialists, it provides critical overviews discussing the nature and historical development of all its important currents and manifestations, from Gnosticism and Hermetism to Astrology, Alchemy and Magic, from the Hermetic Tradition of the Renaissance to Rosicrucianism and Christian Theosophy, and from Freemasonry and Illuminism to 19th-century Occultism and the contemporary New Age movement. Furthermore it contains articles about the life and work of all the major personalities in the history of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, discussing their ideas, significance, and historical influence.

1262 pages, 5.8 MB, PDF.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17109484...sotericism.pdf



Soror A. L. - Western Mandalas of Transformation: Magical Squares - Tattwas - Qabalistic Talismans



This work reveals the uses of astrological and Qabalistic talismans for spiritual use. It shows how the reader can learn the mysteries hidden in the ancient system of magical squares. Step-by-step instructions teach both the beginner and the experienced Qabalist how to: create mandala-talismans; how to acquire a magical Guardian Angel; correct guidelines for obtaining spiritual guides; the traditional Golden Dawn magic seals; and the Tattwa system. The guide contains sections on the meaning of numbers, planetary attributes and many other symbols. Explanations are also given about the secret techniques for awakening these images in the subconscious to energize the chakra system and personal aura. There is also a section on Gematria for the seasoned Qabalist, and a chapter on Daath.

226 pages, 4.44 MB, PDF.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17109702...sformation.pdf




William G. Gray - Inner Traditions of Magic






286 pages, 14.2 MB, PDF. Scan.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17171970...s_of_Magic.pdf



Jean Dubuis - The Experience of Eternity



"Jean Dubuis' long awaited treatise may be the single most important esoteric document of the 21st Century. Densely written with 37 illustrations, Dubuis presents classical esotericism, alchemy, qabala, and natural magic in a way that allows each person to undertake the road of interior initiation without need of a guru, master, or teacher. Extensive discussion of the creation of the universe, our place in it, and reason for being are presented in concise language. Methods given use tools easily available. Among the topics addressed are man's inner structures, how to harmonize them, the role of visualization, dream symbols and their use, astrological timing for specific experiences, and how to anchor our inner work into our daily life. Be careful though, if successful, you may find yourself following the author's advice, pinched from the Polish alchemist Sendivogius, 'Now burn all your books, including mine'." - Mark Stavish, author of "The Path of Alchemy" and "Kabbalah for Health and Wellness".

175 page, 2.52 MB, PDF.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17172110...f_Eternity.pdf



Pat Zalewski - Z5 Book 1 Neophyte



Shows the type of procedure one encounters when he or she joins a Golden Dawn Temple. Focuses on the secret, Inner Order techniques for performing the Neophyte Initiation Ritual.

187 pages, 10.8 MB, PDF. Scan.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17172665...1_Neophyte.pdf

Melvin D. Saunders - The 100% Brain Course

This gigantic 21st Century course manual has a staggering accumulation of 223 mind exercises designed to allow a person to use their complete brain. The exercises involve balancing your emotions, increasing your memory, improving your creativity, enhancing your sensory appreciation and much, much more - time distortion, lightning calculating, speed reading, self-hypnosis, multi-tasking, etc.

410 pages, 1.39 MB, PDF.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17368693...ain_Course.pdf



Charles W. Leadbeater - The Astral Plane: Its Scenery, Inhabitants and Phenomena

Partial Contents: Scenery: seven subdivisions, degrees of materiality, characteristics of astral vision, the aura, etheric double, records of astral light; Inhabitants: human, the adept or chela, psychically developed person, black magician, the dead, ordinary person after death, the shell, the suicide, victim of sudden death, black magician after death; Nature Spirits; Elementals formed consciously; Phenomena: churchyard ghosts; apparitions of the dying, haunted localities, bell ringing, fairies, communicating entities, clairvoyance, precipitation of letters, transmutation, repercussion.

123 pages, 324 KB, PDF.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17369311...tral_Plane.pdf



Charles W. Leadbeater - Man Visible And Invisible (1902)

The clairvoyant author and renowned Theosophist shares his vision of humankind as a spark of the Divine, not merely physical creatures, as shown by the auras we project at different stages of emotional and spiritual growth.

Contents:

I. How These Things Are Known

II. The Planes of Nature

III. Clairvoyant Sight

IV. Man’s Vehicles

V. The Trinity

VI. The Earlier Outpourings

VII. The Animal Group-Soul

VIII. The Upward Curve

IX. Human Consciousness

X. The Third Outpouring

XI. How Man Evolves

XII. What His Bodies Show Us

XIII. Colors and Their Meaning

XIV. The Counterpart

XV. Early Stages of Man's Development

XVI. The Ordinary Person

XVII. Sudden Emotions

XVIII. More Permanent Conditions

XIX. The Developed Man

XX. The Health-Aura

XXI. The Causal Body of the Adept

Appendix

129 pages, 289 KB, PDF.
http://rapidshare.com/files/17369590...ble__1902_.pdf



Karl von Eckartshausen - The Cloud Upon the Sanctuary



Author of Der Wolke vor dem Heiligthume (1802), a classic work of Roman Catholic mysticism, translated into English as The Cloud Upon the Sanctuary. Eckartshausen, by nature and education an intensely religious man, began his writing career with several small books of devotion that had great vogue in France and Germany. He later turned his attention to larger works of a more profound character.

According to Eckartshausen, the requisite faculty of true communion with the "interior church" is the inward conception of things spiritual; this sense makes possible the beginning of regeneration understood as the process of gradually eliminating Original Sin. His consideration of the interior church proceeds at two levels, beginning with an elucidation of his doctrine and moving to a series of assertions derived therefrom.

Isabelle de Steiger's translated The Cloud Upon the Sanctuary, which was first published in 1895 in The Unknown World was edited by Arthur Edward Waite. It was later issued in book form. The English version was soon adopted not only by spiritual seekers but also by many occultists. It had some influence on the development of the modern occult revival, finding some favor among the leadership of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The book also impressed magician Aleister Crowley, who was attracted to its idea of the mystical interior church. Crowley was eventually consecrated into an independent Gnostic tradition, and he wrote a Gnostic mass for the church he founded as an auxiliary organization to the magical order he led.

Eckartshausen's Cloud Over the Sanctuary is an announcement to "those capable of light" that there is still a "Community of Light,:" or a wisdom school, where the sacred mysteries are kept. Rosicrucians, Martinists, Freemasons, and Theosophists-read this essential book!

53 pages, 961 KB, PDF.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17606286..._Sanctuary.pdf



Saint John of Cross - Dark Night of the Soul

Along with Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross remains one of the West's most well-known and beloved mystics. And like Teresa's, his writings are masterpieces of ecstatic poetry, depicting a lover the soul that seeks union with the Beloved, God. Starr, who teaches philosophy and religious studies at the University of New Mexico, offers an engaging and evocative new translation of John's most famous treatise, "Dark Night of the Soul." Composed as a result of his imprisonment, it follows the soul's journey from a state of abandonment and darkness to its profound ecstasy in finding God waiting to receive it. In order for the soul to achieve this rapturous union, John instructs, it must give up its complacent practice of prayer or other spiritual routines that separate it from a full union with God. John's now-classic spiritual commentary urges us to find rest in the emptiness of the dark night and to abandon ourselves to the love that is present at the center of this emptiness. Although John wrote "Dark Night of the Soul" for his Christian brothers and sisters, his rapturous mysticism provides a way to union with the divine for a wide variety of spiritual seekers. As Starr points out in her introduction, John's abandonment of self in order to achieve union with the Other mirrors contemporary spiritual practices of Buddhism and Hinduism. Starr's lyrical translation and her thoughtful introduction bring new life to John's powerful treatise on the life of the soul.

Table of Contents

Chapter I. Sets down the first line and begins to treat of the imperfections of beginners.

Chapter II. Of certain spiritual imperfections which beginners have with respect to the habit of pride.

Chapter III. Of some imperfections which some of these souls are apt to have, with respect to the second capital sin, which is avarice, in the spiritual sense.

Chapter IV. Of other imperfections which these beginners are apt to have with respect to the third sin, which is luxury.

Chapter V. Of the imperfections into which beginners fall with respect to the sin of wrath.

Chapter VI. Of imperfections with respect to spiritual gluttony.

Chapter VII. Of imperfections with respect to spiritual envy and sloth.

Chapter VIII. Wherein is expounded the first line of the first stanza, and a beginning is made of the explanation of this dark night.

Chapter IX. Of the signs by which it will be known that the spiritual person is walking along the way of this night and purgation of sense.

Chapter X. Of the way in which these souls are to conduct themselves in this dark night.

Chapter XI. Wherein are expounded the three lines of the stanza.

Chapter XII. Of the benefits which this night causes in the soul.

Chapter XIII. Of other benefits which this night of sense causes in the soul.

Chapter XIV. Expounds this last line of the first stanza.

Book The Second

Chapter I. Which begins to treat of the dark nights of the spirit and says at what time it begins.

Chapter II. Describes other imperfections which belong to these proficients.

Chapter III. Annotation for that which follows.

Chapter IV. Sets down the first stanza and the exposition thereof.

Chapter V. Sets down the first line and begins to explain how this dark contemplation is not only night for the soul but is also grief and torment.

Chapter VI. Of other kinds of pain that the soul suffers in this night.

Chapter VII. Continues the same matter and considers other afflictions end constraints of the will.

Chapter VIII. Of other pains which afflict the soul in this state.

Chapter IX. How, although this night brings darkness to the spirit, it does so in order to illumine it and give it light.

Chapter X. Explains this purgation fully by a comparison.

Chapter XI. Begins to explain the second line of the first stanza. Describes how, as the fruit of these rigorous constraints, the soul finds itself with the vehement passion of Divine love.

Chapter XII. Shows how this horrible night is purgatory, and how in it the Divine wisdom illumines men on earth with the same illumination that purges and illumines the angels in Heaven.

Chapter XIII. Of other delectable effects which are wrought in the soul by this dark night of contemplation.

Chapter XIV. Wherein are set down and explained the last three lines of the first stanza.

Chapter XV. Sets down the second stanza and its exposition.

Chapter XVI. Explains how, though in darkness, the soul walks securely.

Chapter XVII. Explains how this dark contemplation is secret.

Chapter XVIII. Explains how this secret wisdom is likewise a ladder.

Chapter XIX. Begins to explain the ten steps of the mystic ladder of Divine love, according to Saint Bernard and Saint Thomas. The first five are here treated.

Chapter XX. Wherein are treated the other five steps of love.

Chapter XXI. Which explains the word ‘disguised,’ and describes the colours of the disguise of the soul in this night.

Chapter XXII. Explains the third line of the second stanza.

Chapter XXIII. Expounds the fourth line and describes the wondrous hiding place wherein the soul is set during this night. Shows how, although the devil has an entrance into other places that are very high, he has none into this.

Chapter XXIV. Completes the explanation of the second stanza.

Chapter XXV. Wherein is expounded the third stanza.

96 pages, 255 KB, PDF.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17606523...f_the_Soul.pdf



Albertus Magnus - On Union with God



Albert the Great or Albertus Magnus (1206-1280) was born in Swabia, the son of a military nobleman. He was a Dominican priest who taught theology in Cologne and Paris. His most distinguished student was Saint Thomas Aquinas. Albert was called "Doctor universalis" because his breadth of knowledge spanned not only philosophy and theology but all the natural sciences.

He was a dedicated student of nature, and although he argued that the physical world can only be known reliably through observation and comparison, Albert distinguished between truths, which are naturally knowable, and mysteries, which cannot be known without revelation. People can only reach God through Himself-that is, by leaving behind the entanglements of earthly things and contemplating Him exculsively. The image and reality of God's incarnation in Jesus gives human beings the opportunity to attain a more perfect knowledge of God through contemplation. Albert refers to the teaching of St. Peter, "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5.7).

120 pages, 3.73 MB, PDF. Scanned from 1911 edition.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17606783...n_with_God.pdf



St.Thomas Aquinas - Summa Theologiae

In his Summa Theologiae (1267-73) Saint Thomas Aquinas presented a synthesis of Aristotelian logic and Christian theology that was to become the basis of Roman Catholic doctrine on a wide variety of subjects. Thomas divided his work into three parts, the first dealing with the existence and nature of God and the universe he created, the second with human activity and ethics, and the third with Christ and the sacraments. Each part is made up of a series of open questions, in answer to which he presents his opponents' arguments as well as his own before refuting the former. Demonstrated throughout is Thomas's conviction that there can be no contradiction between the truths of faith, based on divine revelation, and those of human reason.

Thomas Aquinas' best-known work is the Summa Theologica. As the title indicates, the Summa is a "summing up" of all that can be known about Christian theology.

4201 pages, 17.5 MB, PDF.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17607246...Theologiae.pdf



The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola

It is impossible to exaggerate the influence of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius since its completion in 1535. In these exercises, as the editor writes, "St. Ignatius' personal insights into ascetical theology found their clearest expression; in them, too, each new generation of Jesuits is formed according to the spirit of St. Ignatius." A man of great practical genius, Ignatius created the book as the basis for retreats given to priests, lay people, and monastics. Organized according to five major themes (Creation, Mankind, The Kingdom of God, Christ, and the Trinity), the exercises are divided into four "weeks" of meditations--although these weeks may last a few days or a few months. The overall goal is to lead the retreatant through a series of meditations on the life of Christ, beginning with reflections on the disorder and chaos of one's own life and progressing to a series of meditations on Christ's life, inviting the retreatant to a knowledge and love of Christ. The third week of exercises focuses on the crucifixion, and the fourth and final week develops meditations on the resurrection, leading ultimately to "the assimilation of the soul to God... so that one lives one's life exclusively for God in joyous service."

Written in 1533, this masterpiece by St. Ignatius has long been recognized as a brilliant and inspired guide to the development of a deeper spirituality.

89 pages, 272 KB, PDF.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17607269..._of_Loyola.pdf



Emmanuel Swedenborg - Angelic Wisdom about Divine Providence

The reader will find in this book a firm assurance of God's care of mankind as a whole and of each human being. The assurance is rested in God's infinite love and wisdom, the love pure mercy, the wisdom giving love its ways and means. It is further grounded in an interpretation of the universe as a spiritual-natural world, an interpretation fully set forth in the earlier book, Divine Love and Wisdom, on which the present work draws heavily. As there is a world of the spirit, no view of providence can be adequate which does not take that world into account. For in that world must be channels for the outreach of God's care to the human spirit. There also any eternal goals such as a heaven from the human race must exist. A view of providence limited to the horizons of the passing existence can hardly resemble the care which the eternal God takes of men and women who, besides possessing perishable bodies, are themselves creatures of the spirit and immortal. The full title of the book, Angelic Wisdom about Divine Providence, implies that its author, in an other-world experience, had at hand the knowledge which men and women in heaven have of God's care.

Table of Contents:

Translator's Preface

I. Divine Providence Is Government By The Lord's Divine Love And Wisdom

II. The Lord's Divine Providence Has For Its Object A Heaven From The Human Race

III. In All That It Does The Lord's Divine Providence Looks To What Is Infinite And Eternal

IV. There Are Laws Of Providence That Are Unknown To Men

V. It Is A Law Of Divine Providence That Man Shall Act From Freedom According To Reason

VI. It Is A Law Of Divine Providence That Man Shall Remove Evils As Sins In The External Man Of Himself, And Only So Can The Lord Remove The Evils In The Internal Man And At The Same Time In The External

VII. It Is A Law Of Divine Providence That Man Shall Not Be Compelled By External Means To Think And Will, Thus To Believe And Love What Pertains To Religion, But Bring Himself And At Times Compel Himself To Do So

VIII. It Is A Law Of Divine Providence That Man Shall Be Led And Taught By The Lord Out Of Heaven By Means Of The Word And Doctrine And Preaching From It, And This To All Appearance As Of Himself

IX. It Is A Law Of Divine Providence That Man Shall Not Perceive Or Feel Any Of The Activity Of Divine Providence, And Yet Should Know And Acknowledge Providence

X. There Is No Such Thing As One's Own Prudence; There Only Appears To Be And It Should So Appear; But Divine Providence Is Universal By Being In The Least Things

XI. Divine Providence Looks To What Is Eternal, And To The Temporal Only As This Accords With The Eternal

XII. Man Is Not Admitted Inwardly Into Truths Of Faith And Goods Of Charity Except As He Can Be Kept In Them To The Close Of Life

XIII. Laws On Permission Are Also Laws Of Divine Providence

XIV. Evils Are Tolerated In View Of The End, Which Is Salvation

XV. Divine Providence Attends The Evil And The Good Alike

XVI. Divine Providence Appropriates Neither Evil Nor Good To Anyone, But One's Own Prudence Appropriates Both

XVII. Every Man Can Be Reformed, And There Is No Predestination [As Commonly Understood*]

XVIII. The Lord Cannot Act Contrary To The Laws Of Divine Providence Because To Do So Would Be To Act Contrary To His Divine Love And Wisdom, Thus Contrary To Himself

169 pages, 758 KB, PDF.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17607300...Providence.pdf



Michael Molinos - The Spiritual Guide (1675) which disintangles the soul and brings it by the inward way to the fruition of perfect contemplation and the rich treasure of internal peace

So Powerful was its influence on Europe that within 6 years of its release this book had been translated into every language in Western Europe. In Naples, Italy it was said that 20,000 Christians gathered in small groups to practice inward prayer.

Michael Molinos came closer to reforming the Catholic Church than any other single man in history, yet he ended up sealed in a dungeon, his book condemned. A man so controversial that even until today the Vatican will not release the transcript of his (secret) trial. Now for the first time ever, this book appears in modern English. The first English language release in over a hundred years.

118 pages, 714 KB, PDF.
http://rapidshare.com/files/17607474...tual_Guide.pdf



Emanuel Swedenborg - Heaven and Hell

Heaven and Hell is the common English title of a book written by mystic Emanuel Swedenborg in Latin, published in 1758.

This book is a detailed description of the afterlife where people go after the death of the physical body. It deals with God, heaven, hell, angels, spirits, and devils, which the author claimed to have witnessed first hand.

Some of the things he claims to have experienced are that there are Jews, Muslims and people of pre-Christian times ("pagans" such as Romans and Greeks) in Heaven; the fundamental issue that love of self or of the world drives one towards Hell, and love of God and fellow men towards Heaven.

The work proved to be influential. It has been translated into several languages, including Danish, French, Hindi, Russian, Spanish, Icelandic, Swedish and Zulu. Edgar Allan Poe also mentions this book in his work The Fall of the House of Usher. It also plays an important role in Honoré de Balzac's novel Louis Lambert.

368 pages, 1.07 MB, PDF.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17607590...n_and_Hell.pdf



Jakob Böhme - The epistles of Jacob Behmen aliter, Teutonicus philosophus : very usefull and necessary for those that read his writings, and are very full of excellent and plaine instructions how to attaine to the life of Christ : translated out of the German language (1649)



Jacob Boehme (1575-1624), beyond a doubt, is one of the greatest of Christian Gnostics. I am using the word not in the sense of the so-called heretics of the opening centuries of the Christian era, but to indicate a wisdom grounded in revelation and employing myths and symbols rather than concepts - a wisdom much more contemplative than discursive. Such is religous philosophy, or theosophy.

288 pages, 28.6 MB, PDF. Scan.

http://rapidshare.com/files/14910348...cob_Behmen.pdf



A.E.Waite - Saint Martin the French Mystic (1922)





Louis Claude de Saint-Martin was born 1743 in Amboise, France and died in 1803. He was originally a barrister before taking a commission in the army at Bordeaux. Saint-Martin was initiated into the Elus-Cohens in 1768 and was active in it for at least six years. Saint-Martin was initiated into the Reaux-Croix, the highest degree of the Order, and in 1770 became De Pasqually's secretary.

Martinism reflects the philosophy and esoteric Christian mysticism of the French philosopher Louis Claude de Saint-Martin, who was a disciple of the 18th century Freemason and theurgist, Martinez de Pasqually (1727 – 1774). Saint-Martin’s spiritual writings were published under his pseudonym of le Philosophe Inconnu, or the Unknown Philosopher.

98 pages, 10.6 MB, PDF. Scan.

http://rapidshare.com/files/14910570..._Martinism.pdf

Last edited by MoV; 06-24-2009 at 03:37 PM.
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