With ovear 3000 cross-referenced entries this is an invaluable reference to the mystical and esoteric traditions. It gives succinct definitions in the fields of magic hermeticism, alchemy, spiritualism, parapsychology, eastern and western mysticism, mind and consciousness research divination, tarot, and a variety of less welll-known subjects. It also features biographies of leading figures in the field with details of their lives, philosophies and writings- from astrologer Evangeline Adams to the prophet Zarathustra.

Students of the Ageless Wisdom brought together for dynamic group work in Twelve Formation. This is their story… A story of hope, frustration and achievement. This is the story of the Twelves Group and I was the Esoteric Apprentice. “The Esoteric Apprentice offers a fascinating look into the world of inner group work and meditation, the challenges involved with group cooperation and working in the subtle realms.” Phillip Lindsay, author ‘Unveiling Genesis’, ‘The Initiations of Krishnamurti’ etc. “The first thing that impressed me reading Steven’s account is that his experience is a confirmation of the ‘externalization’ process itself as well as certain predictions Master D.K. made regarding esoteric groups.” Patrick Chouinard, esotericist, teacher and author “A captivating personal recount of an occult experiment in group work consciously aligned with a group of Masters on the inner planes. Highly recommended” Stephane Chollet, CEO Surya World, teacher and esotericist

That the Tarot originated in ancient Egypt as a divinatory tool is a romantic misconception. Ron Decker’s meticulous scholarship will surprise practitioners and academics alike, revealing the Tarot’s true evolution and meanings as its inventor(s) understood it. The Tarot consists of the Minor Arcana, four suits of cards similar to our modern deck, and the Major Arcana, twenty-two allegorical or “trump” cards. Decker says the four-suit deck was invented in Asia Minor before AD 1000; Italian courtiers added the trumps in the 1400s. But Tarot was first used as a game. Tarot divination was only created in the 1700s by a Parisian fortuneteller who based the trump images on Hermeticism, which merges Greco-Egyptian alchemy, astrology, numerology, magic, and mysticism. Today, the suit-cards are often traced to the ancient Jewish Cabala. But, says Decker, they, too, acquired their meanings only in the 1700s, and he cites a lost numerical system based on Cabala at that time. Decker’s interpretation integrates three whole systems-astrological, arithmological, mystagogical (concerning initiation rites into the Mysteries). His depth of knowledge makes the book a must-have for serious students of Tarot and esotericism.

ANTHROPOGENY – The Esoteric History of Man’s Origin: This book and its contents devolve from four great questions :- Who are we? Where do we come from? Why are we here? Where do we go to from here? In this brilliantly written masterpiece, Dr. Baker has tried as far as possible to avoid a repetition of facts and figures given by The Secret Doctrine except where these are important in elucidating, confirming, contradicting or supporting some point of new detail. When H.P. Blavatsky wrote The Secret Doctrine, the great biological periods which we know so well today were not yet clearly defined in terms of age and extent. Also, by her own admission, many figures given by the Masters to her were inevitably altered in the process of being passed on to others for publication. Instead of loosely referring to time in terms of Rounds and Chains, Root Races and Sub-races, Dr. Baker has endeavoured by correlation, cross-checking and by final resort to questioning the Master Blavatsky directly, to give wherever possible time factors in terms of years, eras and periods. This has not been easy and may not always stand the closest of inspection, but it must be remembered that in eighty per cent of our investigations here, we are dealing with paralleling evolutions sometimes on three different planes at once. The march of science will steadily bring confirmation of broad outlines, correct minor errors, and add supplementary detail. No matter how abstruse, how surrounded with mystery the subject of Man's origin, we should remember the words of Paracelsus:- “Things that are considered now to be impossible will be accomplished; and that which is unexpected will in the future prove to be true, and that which is looked upon as superstition in one century will be the basis of the approved science of the next.” Many drawings, images, tables and references are included to make this fascinating subject more comprehensible to the student who is ready to seek the answers to the four great questions posed above.

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 paintings, poems, and other works were created to seek out unexplored regions of the mind and recover lost “psychic” and magical powers. They used creative expression as the vehicle to attain what André Breton called the “supreme point,” the point at which all opposites cease to be perceived as contradictions. This supreme point is found at the heart of all esoteric doctrines, including the Great Work of alchemy, and enables communication with higher states of being. Drawing on an extensive range of writings by the surrealists and those in their circle of influence, Patrick Lepetit shows how the surrealists employed mythology, gnostic principles, tarot, voodoo, and alchemy not simply as reference points but as significant elements of their ongoing investigations into the fundamental nature of consciousness. He provides many specific examples of esoteric influence among the surrealists, such as how Picasso’s famous Demoiselles d’Avignon was originally titled The Bath of the Philosophers, how painter Victor Brauner drew from his father’s spiritualist vocation as well as the Kabbalah and tarot, and how doctor and surrealist author Pierre Mabille was a Freemason focused on finding initiatory paths where “it is possible to feel a new system connecting man with the universe.” Lepetit casts new light on the connection between key figures of the movement and the circle of adepts gathered around Fulcanelli. He also explores the relationship between surrealists and Freemasonry, Martinists, and the Elect Cohen as well as the Grail mythos and the Arthurian brotherhood.