PHILOSOPHY:

Lookin’ for some "guru" to tell you what to think? Fuck that! Read a book instead, and form your own conclusions!

The Kybalion, by "Three Initiates." This text covers the basic premises of Hermetic Philosophy, and is required reading for any serious student of the occult.

Looking into the Invisible, by Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov. Subtitled Intuition, Clairvoyance, Dreams, this excellent book will tell you more about how to develop your psychic gifts than a stack of mass-market paperbacks. Although I disagree with a few of the author’s opinions, I recommend this book very highly.

THE SPIRITS:

The spirits are everywhere, but how do you learn more about them? These three texts will each provide another piece to the puzzle.

Ouija, by Stoker Hunt. This is the basic text on "talking board" communication. Highly recommended.

Drum and Candle, by David St. Clair. A classic text on the sociology of Brazilian spiritism.

The Book of Spirits, by Allen Kardek. Arguably the most influential text on spiritism ever written.

PROJECTION:

I’ve yet to find a book on the subject which I can wholeheartedly recommend, but these are probably the two best.

Flying Without a Broom, by D. J. Conway. Easily the best introductory-level book I’ve seen on the subject matter to date. Highly recommended.

Astral Dynamics, by Robert Bruce. Intermediate-level concepts, like flying, barrier penetration, and energy bolts, are discussed in great detail. Highly recommended.

WITCHCRAFT 101:

Interested in witchcraft? Read these books first.

To Ride a Silver Broomstick, by Silver RavenWolf. An excellent "non-threatening" introduction to the subject matter. Far easier to read than Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft and other so-called "classics" (although she does tend to get a bit flaky at times — but not nearly as bad as most other "New Age" authors). Recommended for neophytes and dilettantes.

Ritual Magic, by Donald Tyson. This introductory text focuses heavily on the history of magic as practiced by different cultures around the world. It also discusses the various "tools of the trade," and how they have commonly been implemented. Definitely worth a look.

Wiccan Warrior, by Kerr Cuhulain. This book was great! Although I disagree with a few statements therein, Mister Cuhulain is one of the few authors with the balls to poke fun at the way contemporary Wiccans conduct themselves, and exposes the "history" of their religion for what it is — an eclectic sampling from a variety of cultural (as well as fictional) sources. Highly recommended.

WITCHCRAFT 102:

Already a practicing witch? Check these books out.

The Spiral Dance, by Starhawk. This well-written, intermediate-level text discusses many aspects of Wicca, and is intended to be read by persons who already have some knowledge of the subject matter. Definitely worth a look.

Real Magic, by Isaac Bonewits. A pragmatic and down-to-earth philosophy pertaining to magickal workings. No silly "New Age" fluff for the Unitarians here! Required reading!

Psychic Self-Defense, by Dion Fortune. This is the classic text on the subject matter, and has recently come back into print. Although I disagree with some of her views, and her techniques are primarily defensive (rather than offensive), this book from an earlier era is far better than the few contemporary books I’ve seen on the subject matter. Highly recommended.

Magical Use Of Thought Forms, by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki and J. H. Brennan. A very well-researched and entertaining book, although I disagree with a few of their statements. This information is intended for serious practitioners only. Definitely worth a look.

THE RUNES:

There is probably more bullshit written about the runes than any other occult subject matter. This is one of the few books actually worth the money.

Rune Magic, by Donald Tyson. Without a doubt, this is the finest commercially-available text on the subject of runes (although I disagree with his concept of "bindrunes"). Required reading!

OCCULT HISTORY:

The "Secret History of the World?" Possibly so . . . or it could be complete bullshit. You be the judge.

Morning of the Magicians by Louis Pauwels & Jacques Bergier. This book mostly covers the study of alchemy and alleged use of magical forces by both the Axis and Allied powers during WWII. These authors also wrote a book called The Dawn of Magic, which I am unfamiliar with. Although highly entertaining, these Frenchmen have been accused by many of sloppy research.

The Spear of Destiny, by Trevor Ravenscroft. Although I am not in agreement with all of the statements made therein, it is an excellent book which discusses the malevolent workings of the ultra-secretive Thule Gesellschaft during WWII in great detail, as well as Archmage Rudolf Steiner’s efforts to combat them. Highly recommended.

Holy Blood, Holy Grail, by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. This strange book caused quite an uproar when it was first released, due to its "blasphemous" allegations that Jesus was wedded to the Magdalene, sired children, faked his death, and is now buried in France. They further allege that the Merovingian kings were the direct descendants of Jesus, and that their bloodline continues to this day, under the auspices of the Priory of Sion. I have no comment on these allegations — although it is amusing to quote these theories to the Fundies!

MAGICKAL OVERLOAD!:

Damn, these are big books! Kinda hard to read, as well — but there’s some good information here. Feel free to skim through ‘em, if you like.

The Secret Teachings of All Ages (or: An Enyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy) by Manly P. Hall. While you are unlikely to attain "illumination" after poring through this massive tome, it provides a lot of interesting trivia about symbolism and allegorical lessons — besides, it looks impressive on your bookshelf.

Zolar’s Encyclopedia of Ancient and Forbidden Knowledge, by "Zolar." This is a mass market softcover that I bought at a used book store for three dollars just because I liked the title. It contains a lot of fluff and filler material, but I was able to pull a number of significant quotes from it nonetheless. Very heavy on astrology, numerology, and Qabalah (all of which I find rather dull).

An Outline of Occult Science, by Rudolf Steiner, Ph.D. This book is nearly a century old, and was writ by one of the most widely respected clairvoyants (as well as "remote viewer") of all time. However, it is rather heavy on Rosicrucian philosophy, and the archaic prose is redundant and somewhat tiresome, but the concepts are sound (although this "introductory" text really isn’t intended for beginners).

ENTERTAINMENT:

The following works are a lot of fun to read (as well as surprisingly accurate — I’ve heard several folks refer to these books as "creepy"), and they’re guaranteed to make you popular at gatherings (or you could simply elicit the required personal information from folks and come back later with their "psychic reading"— just as long as you don’t charge them for it!). No commentary for individual titles.

The Secret Language of Birthdays (Personology Profiles for Each Day of the Year), by Gary Goldschneider. (Definitely worth a look.)

The Secret Language of Relationships (Your Complete Personology Guide to Any Relationship with Anyone), by Gary Goldschneider.

The Secret Language of Destiny (a Personology Guide to Finding Your Life Purpose), by Gary Goldschneider. (Highly recommended.)

The Hidden Truth in Your Name (a Complete Guide to First Names and What They Say About the Real You), by "The Nomonology Project." (Highly recommended.)

FICTION:

Sometimes, there’s a lot of Truth in fiction . . .

JOB: A Comedy of Justice, by Robert A. Heinlein. Hilarious! The Fundies burned lots of copies (always a good sign).

Beauty, by Sheri S. Tepper. An excellent book which deals with conceptual constructs. Highly recommended.

The Listening Ones, by Naomi M. Stokes. A great book, and probably the only novel about contemporary shamanism worth reading.

Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury. Really more of an "epic poem" than a book, but is widely considered to be Bradbury’s finest work (see also, Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and The Halloween Tree).

Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson. This is a Science Fiction book about the future of the Internet, and its dystopian effect on society. Interesting twist on hypnotic subliminals (as well as psychotropics and "Words of Power"). The digitalized "Metaverse" is similar to the astral plane in many ways. A fucking masterpiece!

CHILDREN’S BOOKS:

Because it’s important to build a strong foundation for future lessons — and they’re fun for adults to read too!

The Golden Compass, by Phillip Pullman, as well as the following two books in his "Dark Materials" trilogy;

Juniper, by Monica Furlong, as well as the "sequel" (which was written first), Wise Child;

The Face in the Frost, by John Bellairs;

A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuinn; and, of course,

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle.

These are some of the best occult-type stories available for young readers (as well as the standard fare of folklore and "true" ghost stories — Strangely Enough, by C. B. Colby has always been a popular favorite), although there are many others which are not quite as well known. Oh, did I forget to mention the "Harry Potter" books? They were entertaining, but unfortunately weren’t very accurate when it came to magickal procedures (otherwise they probably wouldn’t be making movies out of them!).

NOT RECOMMENDED:

These books really suck. They hide their lies well, and have duped legions of naive "New-Age" dumbasses. Even a few serious occultists have vouched for their credibility — probably out of fear that others would know that they’d somehow missed the "hidden message between the lines." A few of these books would literally take you a month to pore through — even if you spent several hours a day reading! (Yes, they are really that hard to read — as was their authors’ deliberate intent — I guess they figured that if some dumbass ever tracked them down to "learn more," they’d have an easy "mark.") And the ones that are "reader friendly" invariably prove to be mass-market fluff of no value whatsoever. Lies! All lies!

The Secret Doctrine, by H. P. Blavatsky. This thick book relies heavily upon Tibetan and Hindu terminology — and even if you’re familiar with the jargon, it still remains unreadable! Although Madame Blavatsky helped to found the Theosophy movement, and actually seemed to wield significant power, she was later exposed as a fraud. Don’t even waste your time flipping through this travesty at your local New-Age bookstore!

Beelzebub’s Tales To His Grandson, by G. I. Gurdjieff. This waste of wood pulp was supposed to hold all sorts of "hidden messages" for those who were "worthy of becoming initiates," and was the first text in a four-volume set. Although Mister Gurdjieff certainly did have some keen insights into the nature of the human psyche, he was later exposed as a money-grubbing charlatan. This book is utterly worthless to the serious occult scholar.

Morals and Dogma, by Albert Pike. This ponderous tome is considered the Bible of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, and is an interesting historical document. Very difficult and tedious reading, with disturbing misogynist and racist undertones. Most occult scholars have simply referred to it as "crap."

Communion, by Whitley Strieber. Admittedly, this book (as well as the ones which followed) was marketed as "fiction" — however, the information within is presented as "true," and Strieber actively encourages dumbasses who "think they might’ve been abducted" to contact his associate, Budd Hopkins, for "hypnotic regression therapy." Both Strieber and Hopkins have long been suspected of being CIA assets.

Black Elk: Sacred Ways of a Lakota, by Wallace Black Elk. I have to admit that I actually kinda liked this book, although I remained highly skeptical of several claims made by the author, and decided to withhold judgement until I actually got around to meeting him. However, about a year later I read a statement by AIM denouncing a list of "plastic medicine men" as unscrupulous hucksters, and Wallace Black Elk was almost at the top of their list! Others included: Sun Bear, Lynn Andrews, Hyemeyohsts Storm, Carlos Castaneda, and a few others I never heard of.

The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, by Carlos Castaneda. It is widely acknowledged that all of "Castaneda’s" books are utter fabrications with no basis whatsoever upon the Yaqui religion. He has been caught in many lies over the years (one of which being that his name is actually "Carlos Cesar Salvadore Arana"), and has steadfastly refused to provide any field notes, photographs, or other evidence of his alleged "apprenticeship." Unlike his other books (which are at least passable fiction), this travesty attempts to analyze his fictitious "lessons" in a pseudo-academic style. Boring as well as worthless.

Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman. I kinda liked this book too, but like Castaneda (and so many others), Millman is nothing more than a money-grubbing huckster who wrongfully portrays fantasy as true mystical experience — for a profit (and, unlike the reclusive Castaneda, he gives workshops as well!).

Nothing In This Book Is True, But It’s Exactly How Things Are, by Bob Frissell. Another self-styled "guru" who attempts to befuddle the reader with big words and a lotta impressive-lookin’ diagrams. Roughly 10% truth and 90% bullshit — oh, this guy gives workshops too!

Necronomicon, by Abdul Alhazred (pseudonym). This paperback occult bestseller supposedly provides a number of sigils and evocations intended to summon the "Elder Gods" of H. P. Lovecraft’s fictional "Cthulhu" mythos. Every occult scholar recognizes this rubbish as unadulterated bullshit.

Malleus Maleficarum, by Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger (Montague Summers translation). This disgusting atrocity was originally intended as a "witch-hunter’s manual," and was rife with falsehoods intended to serve as "accusations" versus midwives, herbalists, and wealthy landowners who happened to miss a day at church (the church would then seize their assets, with the "witch-hunter" receiving a hefty percentage). An interesting historical document, nonetheless.

Demonolatry, by Nicolas Remi (E. A. Ashwin translation). Very similar in content to the abovementioned Malleus Maleficarum, but slightly better written. Focuses primarily on the fictitious "crimes" of accused witches, and the grotesque tortures meted out as their "punishment." Never again the burning times!!!

Magick in Theory and Practice, by Aleister Crowley. Oh, am I gonna piss off the Thelemists for daring to speak ill of the "Beast!" But the fact remains that, although the brilliant Mister Crowley was a man of great power, it has been established beyond a reasonable doubt that he was a fraud and a charlatan. He dabbled with forces he could not control, which inevitably consumed him, extinguishing any spark of genius he might’ve had through degeneracy and drugs. Although, admittedly, some of his earlier writings were amusing, this travesty was boring as well as worthless.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING:

Did you hurt your widdle head readin’ all those books? Sometimes you just gotta take a break from reading, and one of the best ways is simply to pop a tape in the VCR, sit back, and give your brain time to mellow out. Besides, you can actually learn a few things from some of these flicks!

The Matrix (astral kung-fu);

Dreamscape (astral weaponry and shapeshifting);

Nightmare on Elm Street III, "Dream Warriors" (astral combat and weaponry);

From Beyond (hostile etheric fauna and a really nasty boogyman);

Spawn (astral shielding);

Hellraiser (dumbasses accessing the lower astral — and getting stuck there!);

The Serpent and the Rainbow (loa possession and dreamwarping — a true story);

The Entity (disturbing depiction of an incubus manifestation — allegedly based on fact);

Season of the Witch (why neurotics shouldn’t dabble in the occult);

Martin (very fucked up movie about physical vampirism as it truly is);

The Haunting of Hell House (the boogyman gets too big fer his britches);

Dogma (amusing and sacrilegious — probably made Jerry Falwell shit his pants!);

The Prophesy (angels beatin’ hell outta one another — a good flick);

The Prophesy II (more of the same, but better — be advised: don’t watch part 3!);

Harvey (classic film about a "pooka" — which seems remarkably similar to a tulpa).

There are probably a few other good flicks you could, conceivably, learn a thing or two from (unlike Poltergeist, Ghostbusters, Thir13een Ghosts, or The Craft), but I couldn’t think of ‘em before this book went to press.