Aleister Crowley and the 20th Century Synthesis of Magick


Book Description

Both a professional academic researcher and practicing magician, Evans delves into modern history to present a serious, but accessible and fascinating work on British magic, focusing especially on Aleister Crowley.




Magick Without Tears


Book Description

Crowley at his absolute best. An annotated and very personal encyclopedia of magical instruction covering the Qabalah, the major schools and symbols of magick, meditation and astral projection, the tarot, astrology, pentacles, lamens, talismans, and much, much more.




Grimoires


Book Description

Grimoires are books of spells that were first recorded in the Ancient Middle East and which have developed and spread over the ensuing millennia.




Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism


Book Description

Henrik Bogdan and Martin P. Starr offer the first comprehensive examination of one of the twentieth century's most distinctive occult iconoclasts, Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), one of the most influential thinkers in contemporary western esotericism.




Do What Thou Wilt


Book Description

Do What Thou Wilt: An exploration into the life and works of a modern mystic, occultist, poet, mountaineer, and bisexual adventurer known to his contemporaries as "The Great Beast" Aleister Crowley was a groundbreaking poet and an iconoclastic visionary whose literary and cultural legacy extends far beyond the limits of his notoriety as a practitioner of the occult arts. Born in 1875 to devout Christian parents, young Aleister's devotion scarcely outlived his father, who died when the boy was twelve. He reached maturity in the boarding schools and brothels of Victorian England, trained to become a world-class mountain climber, and seldom persisted with any endeavor in which he could be bested. Like many self-styled illuminati of his class and generation, the hedonistic Crowley gravitated toward the occult. An aspiring poet and a pampered wastrel - obsessed with reconciling his quest for spiritual perfection and his inclination do exactly as he liked in the earthly realm - Crowley developed his own school of mysticism. Magick, as he called it, summoned its users to embrace the imagination and to glorify the will. Crowley often explored his spiritual yearnings through drug-saturated vision quests and rampant sexual adventurism, but at other times he embraced Eastern philosophies and sought enlightenment on ascetic sojourns into the wilderness. This controversial individual, a frightening mixture of egomania and self-loathing, has inspired passionate - but seldom fair - assessments from historians. Lawrence Sutin, by treating Crowley as a cultural phenomenon, and not simply a sorcerer or a charlatan, convinces skeptic readers that the self-styled "Beast" remains a fascinating study in how one man devoted his life to the subversion of the dominant moral and religious values of his time.




The Fools Journey


Book Description

Of all the oracle systems in use today, Tarot is arguably one of the better known. 78 Cards - 22 images which could be said to describe a journey through life and a further 56 which add people and textures to the main chapters of that adventure. As someone who has been exploring the Tarot for several decades, I can honestly say that it one of the most visually poetic embodiments of esoteric teachings available to the student of the arcane. It is frequently misrepresented as simply an oracle and given an esoteric history which is firmly in the realms of the fairy tale but when understood it is a symbolic initiatory system which opens a doorway to spiritual exploration. This book represents a way of taking a journey of self-discovery and in the process developing intuition and genuine insight.




Enochian World of Aleister Crowley


Book Description

Many consider Enochiana the most powerful and least understood system of Western Occult practice. This book makes it truly accessible and easy to understand. Crowley's work was the launching pad for all that followed. Originally published in 1912, it rent the veil of the Inner Order of the Golden Dawn and revealed its most precious jewel for all to see. And now, for the first time, the reader is provided with instructions that bridge the gap between the material and spiritual worlds by integrating Enochiana with Sex Magick. Mr DuQuette and Dr Hyatt bring over forty years of practical experience in the field to show you how to start using this powerful system right now. It also includes an Enochian dictionary.




Mysticism & Magick of Aleister Crowley


Book Description

Mysticism & Magick of Aleister Crowley is an intriguing anthology that explores the intricate web of esoteric practices and beliefs as articulated through the varied literary outputs of Aleister Crowley and Mary d'Este Sturges. This collection spans a diverse range of styles, from incisive essays to evocative poetry, all dedicated to unraveling the complexities of mysticism and magick. It serves as an essential compendium for understanding the evolution of occult thought and its influence on modern spiritual movements. Key pieces within the collection highlight the fusion of Eastern and Western mystic traditions, a hallmark of Crowleys work, and its impact on 20th-century occultism. The anthology draws from the works of Crowley, a figure synonymous with the early 20th-century occult revival, and Sturges, a less known but equally significant contributor to the mystic lore. Their backgrounds in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and other esoteric societies provide a rich tapestry of insights and practices that span cultural and spiritual boundaries. This collection does not just offer a historical glimpse into the occult; it situates these works within broader cultural and literary movements, showcasing the enduring relevance of mystic thought. Mysticism & Magick of Aleister Crowley is a must-read for scholars and enthusiasts alike. It offers a unique lens through which to explore a fascinating nexus of mysticism, magick, and literature, inviting readers to delve into a world where spiritual exploration knows no bounds. Through this anthology, one gains not only a deeper understanding of Crowley and Sturgess contributions to mystic literature but also an appreciation for the rich diversity of thought that has shaped contemporary spiritual practices. This collection stands as an indispensable resource for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of the complex interplay between literature, spirituality, and the magickal arts.




Aleister Crowley's Four Books of Magick


Book Description

This is the masterpiece of occultist, magician and philosopher Aleister Crowley, introduced for the first time by one of the world's leading experts on Western esoteric traditions, Stephen Skinner. "Do what thou wilt." Written in the early twentieth century, the four books contained within this collection make up one of the most complete and groundbreaking works on the practice of magick ever written. They are considered to be the masterpiece of occultist, magician and philosopher Aleister Crowley and the core texts for the religion of Thelema. Their influence on alternative western thought and philosophy cannot be exaggerated. Also known as Book Four, or Liber ABA, the four parts bring together many rituals, received texts, theorems and unequalled insights into the practice of magick, culminating in The Book of the Law, the central, sacred text dictated to Crowley by a preternatural entity. Anyone interested in yoga, ceremonial magic, esoteric thought, invocation, divination and beyond, or those looking to delve into the fascinating, playful and illuminating writings of a unique man, will find inspiration. For the first time, one of the world's leading experts on Western esoteric traditions and magic, Dr. Stephen Skinner, introduces the text, sharing his insights into Crowley's take on yoga, ceremonial magick and Thelema. His long involvement with magick, both as an academic and as a practitioner, enabled Dr. Skinner to highlight the differences between the psychological and the spirit-orientated approaches to magick, and to show how that dilemma shaped Crowley's practice and his founding of Thelema, enlightening the reader to many previously unknown connections.




Yoga Traveling


Book Description

This book focuses on yoga’s transcultural dissemination in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In the course of this process, the term “yoga” has been associated with various distinctive blends of mental and physical exercises performed in order to achieve some sort of improvement, whether understood in terms of esotericism, fitness, self-actualization, body aesthetics, or health care. The essays in this volume explore some of the turning points in yoga’s historico-spatial evolution and their relevance to its current appeal. The authors focus on central motivations, sites, and agents in the spread of posture-based yoga as well as on its successive (re-)interpretation and diversification, addressing questions such as: Why has yoga taken its various forms? How do time and place influence its meanings, social roles, and associated experiences? How does the transfer into new settings affect the ways in which yogic practice has been conceptualized as a system, and on what basis is it still identified as (Indian) yoga? The initial section of the volume concentrates on the re-evaluation of yoga in Indian and Western settings in the first half of the twentieth century. The following chapters link global discourses to particular local settings and explore meaning production at the micro-social level, taking Germany as the focal site. The final part of the book focuses on yoga advertising and consumption across national, social, and discursive boundaries, taking a closer look at transnational and deterritorialized yoga markets, as well as at various classes of mobile yoga practitioners.