TEMPLE MAGIC
William G. Gray
Much has been written in the way of instructions and scripts for magical ritual, while giving little explanation of the reason or purpose behind temple practices. William G. Gray, known for such works as The Ladder of Lights, Magical Ritual Methods and Seasonal Occult Rituals, resolves this by looking, in depth, at the way a Western magical temple should look and work, and how the practitioner can arrange their Inner Self to get the best results.
Gray describes not only the outward appearance and function of the various temple trappings but also the importance of their symbolism, from both a metaphysical-occult and a psychological point of view. Everything is covered, from what to wear to how to act, while remembering always that a genuine temple is not a physical place but a clearance in one’s own consciousness that makes it possible to realise an intimate relationship between oneself and a spiritual state of being.
“All aspects of the temple, both material and symbolic, are examined from every possible angle. The instruments, furnishings, structure and use of a modern Western occult temple are laid before the reader and their meanings explained. For anyone wishing to understand how to set up and work an occult temple, or for those merely curious about the environment where magic is made to come alive, the book is invaluable.” — Donald Tyson, author of Rune Magic
ISBN: 978-1-910098-78-7
THE HOUSE OF THE NET
The Magical Symbolism of the Hieroglyphs
Wendy Berg
When Jean-François Champollion rediscovered how to translate the Egyptian hieroglyphs in the early nineteenth century he described them as “….a complex system, a writing that is figurative, symbolic, and phonetic all within the same text, a single sentence, I would even say a single word.” Since then, although his discoveries have led to the translation of most of the ancient Egyptian texts, the emphasis in modern scholarship is to regard the hieroglyphs purely as sounds and to disregard or even deny their symbolic meaning.
This book explores how the hieroglyphs function as a comprehensive system of magical symbolism, the medw neter or Words of the Gods by which the sacred truths of the Inner worlds of creation are conveyed to humanity. Their effect is ‘magical’ because when we study them and ponder their meaning they cause changes in our consciousness, enabling us to reach a deeper understanding of ourselves, of our surroundings and of the universal principles that lie behind all creation. They also incidentally teach us a great deal about the magical beliefs and practices of the ancient Egyptians and their perception of the relationship between the earthly and spiritual worlds.
Using many examples and illustrations, this book demonstrates how the hieroglyphs formed the basis of Egyptian magic and were the means by which it was taught and practiced. It offers an entirely new interpretation of Egyptian magic, and shows how the hieroglyphs can be used as a magical tool that is as transformative today as it was in ancient times.
ISBN: 978-1-908011-91-6
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WALKING THE WESTERN INNER WAY
Articles and Lectures by William G. Gray
edited by Marcus Claridge
William Gray was an extraordinary ceremonial magician who emerged at precisely the right time to bridge the rather closed and secretive magical traditions of the past and the wave of “New Age” spirituality that was released during the 1960s and 70s. A prodigious writer, he published almost a book a year from The Ladder of Lights, or Qabalah Renovata in 1968 until his twenty-first publication in1990. Additionally, he was constantly working up ideas, often as short essay, articles, lectures, or various DIY publications. All were highly labour intensive works of love, and in a sense, the “blogs” of their day. The scope of these writings is wide: The Green Ray, the Abramelin system, sex and the Tree of Life, occult secrecy, Satanism, the Grail, are among the many subjects that get the Bill Gray treatment.
This new dynamic collection presents material for all those with roots in the Western Traditions (Hermeticist, Witch or Mystic) that will break down easily held assumptions, wrestle troubling and complex themes, and perhaps even irritate at times. This is the irritation of the sand in the oyster, the necessary disruption of pattern so vital to changes of consciousness. What is this but initiation? Bill continues, through his writing, to be a great initiator, challenging us to seek the old ways hidden within the new, to “be a living question mark”, and always, to keep questing!
ISBN: 978-1-910098-10-3
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THE RITE OF THE GODGAME
Experimental Fiction and the Persistence of Religion and Magic
Daniel Staniforth
Experimental, fabulist and postmodern fiction is often seen to present an official break with traditional storytelling and Roland Barthes’ famous ‘Death of the Author’ announcement came hard on the heels of Nietzsche’s equally shattering “God is dead and we have killed him…” claim. In a robust study of the most experimental, self-reflexive and deconstructionist fictions of the twentieth century, Daniel Staniforth examines the presence of religious and theological discourses often found in tandem with a stated aversion to them, where authors attempt to break from tradition but get caught up in the trappings. Without confining the twentieth century to a vacuum, or splintering it through myriad separatist ‘isms,’ Staniforth explores the experimental fiction of our time as an extension of the European avant-garde and modernist movements, which in turn are informed by nineteenth century collectives. In a book that willingly sidesteps the boundaries between art, fiction, philosophy, theory and theology, he examines the presence of enduring tropes and how they incorporate appended discourses to provide for an ambient and metaphoric state within fiction. The direct analogue between artistic creations and the foremost creation; between the writer and the traditional god; between the reader and the receiver of ideology provide for a series of mirrored states that become active through language. Included in the ambitious scope of this work are various related commentaries on surrealism, hermeneutics, metatheology, liturgy, dualism, ritual magic, illusion, theatre, dream theory, cathartic theatre, cinema, game theory, ventriloquism, puppetry, labyrinths, automatism, cyberspace, mythology, channelling, poetry and the mysteries.
ISBN: 978-1-908011-97-8
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THE BOOK OF THE BARDIC CHAIR
2nd Edition
Kevan Manwaring (editor)
Foreword by Ronald Hutton
The Bardic Chair is awarded as a prize in competitions of artistic merit, held in a festival of the arts known as an eisteddfod. Born of the Celtic Tradition, initially in Wales, Bardic Chairs are a growing phenomenon – transcending cultural barriers – not just around the British Isles, but around the world. This book explains the background of Bardic Chairs, lists all the current ones on record, and explains how to set one up. This comprehensive guide features the modern Bardic Chairs of England and the Celtic Fringes – Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, Brittany, Isle of Man – and beyond, including Australia, North America, Canada and Argentina.
This all-new expanded edition updates the first edition published by R.J. Stewart books in 2008. It will include special features on the U.S. West Coast Eisteddfod and Gorsedd Ynys Witri – the Bardic Chair of Glastonbury; new profiles on Grand Bard, Tim Hall, and all winners of the Glastonbury Chair; Updated listings of all Gorseddau, the Bards of the Lost Forest in Birmingham, the Bardic Picnic in Northampton and Stony Stratford events; Updated websites, organisations, etc., including mini-profiles on members of the Silver Branch Bardic Network.
‘It’s quite possibly the druidic bargain of the decade’ — The Druid’s Voice
‘It continues to sum up a remarkable achievement, produced by an extraordinary city and community.’ — Ronald Hutton
“It’s a book I know I will be going back to, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it evolves in future editions.” — Bryn Colvin, The Druid Network
ISBN: 978-1-910098-05-9
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LILITH
The Edge of Forever
Filomena Pereira
A Middle Eastern Legend from possible Sumerian origins portrays the essence of evil as a voluptuous woman. In Hebrew lore her name is Lilith, once made infamous as Adam’s first wife and the mate of Lucifer, Archangel of Hell, now immortalized as such in the world of literature, art and music
The Name of Lilith so terrified ancient Israelites and their neighbours that amulets were fashioned to be worn to fend of evil fiends, demons and monsters of the night who sought out the innocent to corrupt them with her peculiar sexual charms. The same fear races in the blood of many today, not only in the lands of the prophets and kings, but throughout the modern world. First published by Ide House in 1998, Lilith: The Edge of Forever provides a fresh history of this archetypal woman, woven skilfully by Filomena Pereira into a web of stunning sensuality, myth and magic for all to see. No longer a cartoonish deviant force, Lilith comes alive in this bold study complete with new insights and sustained connection.
ISBN: 978-1-910098-06-6
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Through the Skylight 