Magick Matters

25.04.2024

“Spiritual Alchemy: From Jacob Boehme to Mary Anne Atwood” by Mike A. Zuber (alternate rip)

Magick Matters

"Most professional historians see the relationship between pre-modern and modern alchemy as one of discontinuity and contrast. Mike A. Zuber challenges this dominant understanding and explores aspects of alchemy that have been neglected by recent work in the history of science. The predominant focus on the scientific aspect of alchemy, such as laboratory experiment, practical techniques, and material ingredients, argues Zuber, marginalizes the things that render alchemy so fascinating: its rich and vivid imagery, reliance on the medium of manuscript, and complicated relationship with religion. Spiritual Alchemy traces the early-modern antecedents of modern alchemy through generations of followers of Jacob Boehme, the cobbler and theosopher of Görlitz. As Boehme's disciples down the generations — including...>>

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25.04.2024

“Mystifying Kabbalah: Academic Scholarship, National Theology, and New Age Spirituality” by Boaz Huss (alternate rip)

Magick Matters

"Most scholars of Judaism take the term "Jewish mysticism" for granted, and do not engage in a critical discussion of the essentialist perceptions that underlie it. Mystifying Kabbalah studies the evolution of the concept of Jewish mysticism. It examines the major developments in the academic study of Jewish mysticism and its impact on modern Kabbalistic movements in the contexts of Jewish nationalism and New Age spirituality. Boaz Huss argues that Jewish mysticism is a modern discursive construct and that the identification of Kabbalah and Hasidism as forms of mysticism, which appeared for the first time in the nineteenth century and has become prevalent since the early twentieth, shaped the way in which Kabbalah and Hasidism...>>

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24.04.2024

“The Puppet Masters: Spies, Traitors and the Real Forces Behind World Events” by John Hughes-Wilson (revised and updated)

Magick Matters

"From France’s brilliant secret agent transvestite to the infamous Cambridge spy ring, The Puppet Masters offers an entertaining and thought-provoking insight into the work — and treacheries — of the spies who shaped history. From the Old Testament’s honey-traps to WWII’s cryptography, from Elizabeth I to Osama bin Laden, the hidden hand of intelligence is exposed behind every critical decision. In this revised and updated edition, John Hughes-Wilson analyses the threat of the globalisation of terrorism and the role of intelligence in fighting the "War on Terror". The Puppet Masters, written by an ex-intelligence officer, reveals the role of spying and intelligence in the great events of history. Perfect for either curious layman or expert."...>>

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24.04.2024

“The Psychic’s Handbook: Your Essential Guide to Psycho-Spiritual Energies” by Julie Soskin

Magick Matters

"Once the seer, the priestess and the sage were revered by their community. Their roles were considered sacred — the practising of an art, requiring training and experience like any other art. All these individuals tuned into their "psycho-spiritual" powers on our behalf. But each of us has always had the ability to draw upon these powers directly, inside ourselves. This book shows us not only how to exploit our psycho-spiritual potential, it also shows us how to navigate the different realms of inner experience that are our birthright. Psycho-spiritual powers can take time and expertise to discern, especially for the novice. How do we know what we are dealing with? Does the "information"...>>

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24.04.2024

“Alternative Egyptology: Critical Essays on the Relation between Academic and Alternative Interpretations of Ancient Egypt” edited by Ben van den Bercken

Magick Matters

"From a mummy on board the Titanic to the pyramids’ alignment with the stars, from psychoactive mushrooms to the lost realm of Atlantis: alternative interpretations of ancient Egypt, often summarized as "alternative Egyptology", have always focused on subjects that others shunned. Ever since the birth of scholarly Egyptology with the decipherment of the hieroglyphic script two hundred years ago, alternative interpretations and imaginative theories have flourished alongside it. They intertwined with egalitarian and spiritual tendencies in society during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when ancient Egypt inspired countless mediums, artists, and movements from freemasonry to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. More recently alternative interpretations have inspired comic-book authors and nationalist Chinese...>>

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