The Canon
William Stirling Maxwell
In this exhaustive study of the ancient Greek cabala, William Stirling Maxwell argues that the proportions of ancient religious architecture were based on calculations that reveal an exact correspondence with those of the sun, moon, and planets. The system of metaphysical science from which these canonical proportions derive was encoded in occult symbols, images and language whose last clear expression is found in the Greek cabala.
Initiation and Spiritual Realization
René Guénon
In accordance with Guénon's last wishes, this volume was the first thematic collection of his writings published after his death. The first part sees Guénon considering the mental and psychological obstacles that may block comprehension of the initiatic point of view and the search for initiation. The second part clarifies and develops several important points regarding the nature of initiation and the conditions for its pursuit. The last, and in many respects the most important part is a metaphysical exposition of the possibility for total spiritual realization starting from our corporeal state.
Fundamental Symbols
René Guénon
In his prolific metaphysical and spiritual writings, Guénon displayed extraordinary insight into the universality of the human experience. This book, arguably the most significant in a modern Western language concerning symbolism, deals with the metaphysical and cosmological meaning of symbols drawn from traditions as far apart as the Greek and the Buddhist, the Druid, and the Islamic. It is a major addition to the English corpus of Guenon's work.
Magika Hiera
Various authors
This collection challenges the tendency among scholars of ancient Greece to see magical and religious ritual as mutually exclusive and to ignore "magical" practices in Greek religion. The contributors survey specific bodies of archaeological, epigraphical, and papyrological evidence for magical practices in the Greek world, and, in each case, discuss how the traditional dichotomy between magic and religion works to conceptualize the objective features of the evidence examined.
Between the Worlds
Various authors
The rich corpus of literary otherworld journeys that has survived from the Scandinavian Middle Ages is in many respects tied to a space 'Between the Worlds'. Every otherworld journey engages with a space 'between the worlds' in the sense that it plays itself out between this world and a world beyond, an otherworld. This volume presents a rich panorama of a broad range of Scandinavian, Celtic, and Slavic perspectives on the topic of the 'otherworld journey', which contextualises the motif of the otherworld journey in Old Norse literature with an unprecedented breadth.
Apollonius of Tyana
G. R. S. Mead
A comprehensive study of the Neopythagorean philosopher and magician, Apollonius of Tyana by the eminent religious scholar G. R. S. Mead examines the life and teachings of this legendary historical figure. Mead presents a critical analysis of texts by and about the philosopher, also providing "an introduction on the religious associations and brotherhoods of the times and the possible influence of Indian thought on Greece" (from the preface).
The Multiple States of Being
René Guénon
In this work, Guénon offers a brilliant explication of the metaphysical order and its manifestations, of the divine hierarchies and what has been called the Great Chain of Being, and in so doing demonstrates how intellective or intrinsic knowledge is a true Way of Liberation. Here, Guénon the metaphysical social critic, comparative religionist, researcher of esotericism, and herald of spiritual renewal, disappears. Only reality remains.
Foundations of Biopolitics
Jaques de Mahieu
The term "biopolitics" had long been in use when it was brought into vogue by Michel Foucault to designate the liberal administration of health policy with a view to controlling populations. The French sociologist Jacques de Mahieu (1915-1990), who used it as early as in the 1950s, gives it a quite different meaning: "Once we have established that [ethnic] characters are hereditary, we will have to admit, willingly or not, that within racial groups, there are categories of the same biopsychic nature as ethnic communities… That is what biopolitics is all about."
The Great Triad
René Guénon
Guénon’s The Great Triad was the last book to appear during his lifetime. Even for his regular readers, this book contained largely new material, as did his The Metaphysical Principles of the Infinitesimal Calculus, published the same year. The author here refers especially to the Chinese tradition, principally in its Taoist form (though touching on Confucianism as well), in which the ‘Great Triad’ is defined as Heaven-Man-Earth.
The Cosmology of the Rigveda
H. W. Wallis
The Rigveda is an ancient Indo-Aryan collection of Vedic hymns with associated commentaries on liturgy, ritual and mystical exegesis. In The Cosmology of the Rigveda, H. W. Wallis conducts a brief yet thorough investigation of cosmological elements in the Rigveda to provide a clear picture of the ancient Vedic worldview for modern readers. This is a facsimile edition.
Orpheus and the Roots of Platonism
Algis Uždavinys
This book is a recapitulation or a critical reassessment of ancient and contemporary literature devoted to Orpheus, giving special attention to his relations with both the Egyptian and the Platonic tradition. At the heart of this book we have a glimpse into the substance, nature and development of the Orphic mysteries, with fascinating insights into the relations between Egyptian initiation, through the Greek mysteries and classical philosophy, to Neoplatonic and Hermetic thought.
Esoterism and the Symbolic
R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz
As a contemporary "renaissance man," R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz may fall into that category of genius shared by such luminaries as Rudolf Steiner and Emanuel Swedenborg. He combined the talents of social reformer, artist, scientist, visionary, and mystic to formulate ideas that were so far ahead of their time they seemed doomed, until recently, to be ignored.
This work represents the first important breakthrough in our comprehension of Egypt since Champollion deciphered the Rosetta Stone. The author's penetration of its symbolism and his intuitive reading of the hieroglyphs situates Egypt, not Greece, as the cradle of our Western heritage. His work serves as a guide that will initiate the reader into the authentic tone, structure, and mentality of Egyptian wisdom.