Magical Ritual Methods


Book Description

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 intentionalhow 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.




Introduction to Magic


Book Description

The rites, practices, and texts collected by the mysterious UR group for the use of aspiring mages. • Rare Hermetic texts published in English for the first time. • Includes instructions for developing psychic and magical powers. In 1927 Julius Evola and other leading Italian intellectuals formed the mysterious UR group. Their goal: to bring their individual egos into a state of superhuman power and awareness in which they could act "magically" on the world. Their methods: the practice of ancient Tantric and Buddhist rituals and the study of rare Hermetic texts. So successful were they that rumors spread throughout Italy of the group's power, and Mussolini himself became quite fearful of them. Now for the first time in English Introduction to Magic collects the rites, practices, and knowledge of the UR group for the use of aspiring mages. Included in Introduction to Magic are instructions for creating an etheric double, speaking words of power, using fragrances, interacting with entities, and creating a "magical chain." Among the arcane texts translated are 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. Anyone who has exhausted the possibilities of the mundane world and is ready to take the steps necessary to purify the soul in the light of knowledge and the fire of dedication will find a number of expert mentors here.




Practical Magic for Beginners


Book Description

Anyone can practice magic to improve their everyday lives. Practical Magic for Beginners is a straightforward introduction to magical practice for Christians, Pagans, Jews, atheists, and people of all religious traditions. This comprehensive training course presents the foundations of spellcraft and ritual magic through short, simple exercises. Readers explore their energy and senses, and then move on to developing skills in extrasensory perception, divination, and introspection. Magical timing, magical processes, ritual space and tools, journaling, and dreamwork are explained and discussed in depth. This nondenominational guidebook also includes twenty rituals related to friendship, love, prosperity, health, and other common concerns.




The Oxford Handbook of Cuneiform Culture


Book Description

The cuneiform script, the writing system of ancient Mesopotamia, was witness to one of the world's oldest literate cultures. For over three millennia, it was the vehicle of communication from (at its greatest extent) Iran to the Mediterranean, Anatolia to Egypt. The Oxford Handbook of Cuneiform Culture examines the Ancient Middle East through the lens of cuneiform writing. The contributors, a mix of scholars from across the disciplines, explore, define, and to some extent look beyond the boundaries of the written word, using Mesopotamia's clay tablets and stone inscriptions not just as 'texts' but also as material artefacts that offer much additional information about their creators, readers, users and owners.




The Rollright Ritual


Book Description

In the early 1970s the redoubtable old occultist William G. Gray bicycled from his Gloucestershire home to the Rollright stone circle in Oxfordshire on a clear and full-mooned summer night. The visionary experiences he encountered on that night and in other similar visits resulted in the writing of this book, originally published by Helios Books in 1975 and now a classic among pagan and craft traditions. The text of the ritual is given in full, along with a discussion of its pattern and purpose. The Rollright Ritual is a powerful initiatory rite for attuning oneself to a personal and communal path of spiritual growth, presented here with an explanatory text and a discussion of the spiritual lives and practices of the stone circle builders of Great Britain. "Somehow, we ought to get away from ideas that a Standing Stone is only an outworn sign of our past, and see it as an upraised Finger of Fate beckoning us ahead toward our future. The Stone is not merely a memorial of bygone beliefs, but a pointer that should raise our highest hopes of finding faith in all the Life that lies ahead of us."




Invoking Angels


Book Description

"A collection of essays examining medieval and early modern texts aimed at performing magic or receiving illumination via the mediation of angels. Includes discussion of Jewish, Christian and Muslim texts"--Provided by publisher.




Working with Inner Light


Book Description

1965-1967 ... As the New Age seemed to explode into being, everything spiritual had to be Eastern. Psychedelic artwork showed Glastonbury Tor overshadowed by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, or Stonehenge sending its energies up to Lord Krishna - imagery which William G. Gray summed up quite simply as "Balls." He was working hard to make sure that our weakened (or slumbering) Western Traditions would survive. Among his endeavours at the time was this guide to the inner and outer practicalities of ritual magic, which includes instruction on god-forms, words of power, magic circles, initiation, extension of consciousness and raising power through ritual. Previously unpublished, Working with Inner Light is the first new book by William G. Gray since the author's death in 1992. Written in the form of a journal or magical diary, it includes his original sketches, and forms a detailed course in modern Qabalistic magic which will be of immense value to esoteric students and practitioners working within the Western Mysteries today.




Seasonal Occult Rituals


Book Description

Seasonal rites are as old as the hills on which they were once practised by most of humanity. Periodically, in accordance with the natural tides of nature and the times indicated by the sun and moon, people came together to make dedicated representations of the things that bound them closest to the cosmic wheel of life. In this absorbing work, William G. Gray demonstrates the continuing relevance of such practices in modern society. The actions of the rites are performed in a circle which symbolises the cosmic course, the magical practices consisting of music, movement, meditation and meaning. Detailed scripts are given for conducting the quarterly rites of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, with complete texts of the chants, songs and invocations for each season. Seasonal Occult Rituals was originally published in 1970, now available again for the first time in forty years. "A welcome and valuable addition to the literature of Western occultism ... clear and without pretentiousness." - Doreen Valiente




Magic: A Very Short Introduction


Book Description

A wide-ranging overview of how magic has been defined, understood and practiced over the millennia introduces it in today's world as a real force that helps people overcome misfortune, poverty and illness. By the author of Grimoires: A History of Magic Books. Original.




Everyday Magic


Book Description

A Wiccan High Priestess offers more than 300 spells and rituals that cover the everyday concerns of the modern practitioner. Includes information on how to set spells into motion and perform ancient arts with modern tools.