21.06.2021

“The Esoteric Secrets of Surrealism: Origins, Magic, and Secret Societies” by Patrick Lepetit

Magick Matters
"The Esoteric Secrets of Surrealism: Origins, Magic, and Secret Societies" by Patrick Lepetit
"A profound understanding of the surrealists’ connections with alchemists and secret societies and the hermetic aspirations revealed in their works: • Explains how surrealist paintings and poems employed mythology, gnostic principles, tarot, voodoo, alchemy, and other hermetic sciences to seek out unexplored regions of the mind and recover lost “psychic” and magical powers • Provides many examples of esoteric influence in surrealism, such as how Picasso’s Demoiselles d’Avignon was originally titled The Bath of the Philosophers Not merely an artistic or literary movement as many believe, the surrealists rejected the labels of artist and author bestowed upon them by outsiders, accepting instead the titles of magician, alchemist, or—in the case of Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo—witch. Their...>>
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21.06.2021

“The Chemical Choir: A History of Alchemy” by P.G. Maxwell-Stuart

Magick Matters
"The Chemical Choir: A History of Alchemy" by P.G. Maxwell-Stuart
"A pre-cursor to contemporary chemistry and physics, alchemy began as the pursuit of knowledge, initially in China as a search for the secret of immortality, and appearing independently in Egypt as an attempt to produce gold through the arts of smelting and alloying metals. In The Chemical Choir, P.G. Maxwell-Stewart authoritatively traces the fascinating history of alchemy from its earliest incarnations right up to its legacy in modern science as we know it today. Continuing from its roots in China and Egypt, alchemy received a great boost in Europe from work done by Islamic and Jewish alchemists, whose written accounts were translated into Latin and combined with what was known of Greek natural science to...>>
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21.06.2021

“The Ritual Magic Workbook: A Practical Course of Self-Initiation” by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki (ebook version)

Magick Matters
"The Ritual Magic Workbook: A Practical Course of Self-Initiation" by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki (ebook version)
"This is a carefully conceived course of instruction for anyone who wants to practice ceremonial magic, and has been written for students who are not part of a working group. Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki takes the student, month-by-month, through a full year of magical training. She imparts her years of hard-earned experience in the clear, accessible, and often humorous style for which she is internationally known. Each month's work is concluded with practical exercises designed to give the student a sound working knowledge of ritual magic. Among the many topics covered are: Constructing and consecrating a temple Meditation and visualization techniques Working in an elemental temple Exploring the...>>
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21.06.2021

“Kabbalah in Print: The Study and Popularization of Jewish Mysticism in Early Modernity” by Andrea Gondos

Magick Matters
"Kabbalah in Print: The Study and Popularization of Jewish Mysticism in Early Modernity" by Andrea Gondos
"How did Jewish mysticism go from arcane knowledge to popular spirituality? Kabbalah in Print examines the cultural impact of printing on the popularization, circulation, and transmission of Kabbalah in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The Zohar, in particular, generated a large secondary literature of study guides and reference works that aimed to ease the linguistic and conceptual challenges of the text. The arrival of printed classics of Kabbalah was soon followed by the appearance of new literary genres—anthologies, digests, lexicons, and other learning aids—that mediated mystical primary sources to a community of readers not versed in this lore. A detailed investigation of the four works by R. Yissakhar Baer (ca.1580–ca.1629) of Prague...>>
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21.06.2021

“Animal Spirit Wisdom: A Pocket Reference to 45 Power Animals” by Phillip Kansa and Elke Kirchner-Young

Magick Matters
"Animal Spirit Wisdom: A Pocket Reference to 45 Power Animals" by Phillip Kansa and Elke Kirchner-Young
"• Offers practices--such as observing your dreams, carving or drawing your animal guide, or opening the book to a random page--to intuitively find the right power animal for a given situation or for support and protection in a difficult period Since the beginning of time, animals have played an important role in each of our lives. Early humans were almost entirely dependent on the animal kingdom for survival. Shamans both ancient and modern merged in trance with their animal allies for spiritual guidance. Native Americans learned their personal totem animal in childhood and viewed them as life-long companions. And today we can still call on our power animals for strength, serenity, inspiration, and support. In this...>>
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