Good books on occultism for beginners
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 2:24 am
Greetings,
I'm curious to know if there are any really good books that members here might recommend as essential reading for anyone relatively new to occult concepts.
Some things I have on my shelf and have found useful so far:
The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P Hall: a treasure trove of information, I find this good to read in small sections and is excellent to have as a reference.
The Black Arts by Richard Cavendish: This seems to be widely available. I found it to be a decent introduction to some concepts like numerology, astrology, alchemy, and magic. It definitely has a bit of condescending outsider looking in tone, but it was informative to me anyways.
On a less general note, I really enjoyed The Order of the Skeleton Key (containing Kosmology and Lanterns of Wisdom From The Firmament) by Jeremy Christner. This was an easy to understand and poetic intro to Gnostic Luciferian thought for me, which had much more depth than the Michael Ford and Lavey type Satanism which is very common here in the west. I would recommend this book. As for Ford etc. these types of books were interesting to me for a brief period, but the focus on ego and lack of real spirituality quickly grew stale (not to mention the horrendous editing).
Has anyone read the Pillars of Tubal Cain by Nigel Jackson and Michael Howard? It seems like this might be up my alley.
I've managed to receive all the writings of the SoA that I'm aware of so far which are in English (Catechism of Lucifer, Fosforos, Argarizim and Unseen Fire) and would consider these essential reading although far from the beginner level.
I've recently acquired a copy of Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine and can tell that it is going to be a rewarding, but large undertaking. So any recommendations of things on a smaller, more beginner scale are what I am hoping for at this time, although all recommendations are appreciated for the future as well. What books have been most influential and most useful in your path? Discussion encouraged, rather than just lists.
Thanks,
I'm curious to know if there are any really good books that members here might recommend as essential reading for anyone relatively new to occult concepts.
Some things I have on my shelf and have found useful so far:
The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P Hall: a treasure trove of information, I find this good to read in small sections and is excellent to have as a reference.
The Black Arts by Richard Cavendish: This seems to be widely available. I found it to be a decent introduction to some concepts like numerology, astrology, alchemy, and magic. It definitely has a bit of condescending outsider looking in tone, but it was informative to me anyways.
On a less general note, I really enjoyed The Order of the Skeleton Key (containing Kosmology and Lanterns of Wisdom From The Firmament) by Jeremy Christner. This was an easy to understand and poetic intro to Gnostic Luciferian thought for me, which had much more depth than the Michael Ford and Lavey type Satanism which is very common here in the west. I would recommend this book. As for Ford etc. these types of books were interesting to me for a brief period, but the focus on ego and lack of real spirituality quickly grew stale (not to mention the horrendous editing).
Has anyone read the Pillars of Tubal Cain by Nigel Jackson and Michael Howard? It seems like this might be up my alley.
I've managed to receive all the writings of the SoA that I'm aware of so far which are in English (Catechism of Lucifer, Fosforos, Argarizim and Unseen Fire) and would consider these essential reading although far from the beginner level.
I've recently acquired a copy of Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine and can tell that it is going to be a rewarding, but large undertaking. So any recommendations of things on a smaller, more beginner scale are what I am hoping for at this time, although all recommendations are appreciated for the future as well. What books have been most influential and most useful in your path? Discussion encouraged, rather than just lists.
Thanks,