PSA Reading List, page 3: Related Topics

PSA Reading List: Related Topics
with annotations by those who recommended the books

Unconventional Perspectives on the Major Western Religions

Michael Baigent, Henry Lincoln, and Richard Leigh. Holy Blood, Holy Grail and Messianic Legacy.: The extremely controversial works by three English scholars originally looking for the answer to an occult mystery and ending up with a theory about a global secret society whose job it is to protect the Holy Grail, only the grail isn't some shiny cup, it's the bloodline of none other than [...] Jesus Christ. This, of course, means that they need evidence that Jesus married and had children like any other good Jewish boy...and perhaps was never crucified at all! Extremely compelling scholarship to use against all your favorite neighborhood Biblical literalists and fundies. -- Robert
Ruth H. Green. The Born-Again Skeptic's Guide to the Bible.: Points out many contradictions and absurdities in The Bible. Also quotes many Biblical examples of mass murder, slavery, opression, misogyny and other cruelty and hatefulness that were committed, commanded, or approved by the god of Christians, Jews and Moslems. -- Steve

The Occult and Society

Nicholas Goodrick-Clark. An Occult History of Nazism.: Anyone who tells you Naziism was just a pragmatic movement whose only goal was world conquest and extermination of the Jewish race doesn't know half the story. Much of the impetus for the Nazi movement came from occult circles. This book explores how the early 20th century occult community in Germany help fuel a great deal of the Third Reich and how very integral occult themes were to the Nazis in justifying their reign of terror. Extremely enlightening reading. -- Robert
Pauwels & Bergier. Morning of the Magicians. tr. R. Myers.: "Are you an out-of-date modern, or a contemporary of the future?" Fascinating survey of esoteric phenomena and their invisible roles in history. -- Steve

Kabbalah

Israel Regardie. Garden of Pomegranites.: A little hard to find but probably the very best introductory work on Kabbalah to date. -- Robert
Gershom Scholem. Kabbalah.: Probably the very best modern commentary and scholarship on the history, development, and hermeneutics of kabbalah and its effects on the western mystical, hermetic, and occult traditions. -- Robert
Gershom Scholem, Ed.. Zohar: The Book of Splendor: Basic Readings from the Kabbalah.: An extremely good translation and commentary on one of the central works of Hebrew mysticism, edited by the preeminent English language Kabbalah scholar. -- Robert
Aryeh Kaplan, Ed.. Sefer Yetzirah : The Book of Creation.: Another of the core books of Kabbalah dealing with ritual and practice in the Kabbalah tradition. -- Robert

Hermetic Philosophy & Gnosticism, General

Walter Scott, Ed.. Hermetica : The Ancient Greek and Latin Writings Which Contain Religious or Philosophic Teachings Ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus.: The writings acribed to Hermes Trismegistus himself, the apocryphal father of hermetic philosophy. Scott also includes the latin and Greek translation for those of you versed in classical languages. Required reading for the serious occult student. -- Robert
James M. Robinson. The Nag Hammadi Library in English.: A compendium of Gnostic writings since the first century. -- Robert
S. L. Mathers. The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage.: An important work of hermetic magick and philosophy influencing many of the neo-masonic hermetic lodges of the 19th and 20th century. -- Robert
Eliphas Levi. The History of Magic.: A discussion of the sources and traditions assicated with hermetic and occult philosophy as well as esoteric attributions and occult semiotics by one of the grandfathers of modern occult philosophy. -- Robert
Manly P. Hall. The Secret Teachings of All Ages: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic, and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy.: Another hard to find/expensive work, but well worth a look in the library. Probably the very best treatment of hermetic and occult philosophy in an encyclopedic format. -- Robert

Occult, Hermetic Philosophy & Gnosticism: Reference

Israel Regardie, Aleister Crowley. 777 And Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley.: The quintessential gematria reference for thelemites. Many Jewish kabbalists would probably strongly disagree with many of his attributions, but they are rather useful in pathworking, nonetheless. -- Robert
Bill Whitcomb. The Magician's Companion: A Practical and Encyclopedic Guide to Magical and Religious Symbolism. Llewellyn's Sourcebook Series.: Probably the most used book in my magickal library. An amazingly good reference book on symbolism and practice using symbols across all traditions. -- Robert
David Godwin. Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to Cabalistic Magick. Llewellyn's Sourcebook.: Extremely good compendium for kabbalistic knowledge. Decent as a gematria dictionary. -- Robert

Hermetic/Occult Fiction

Umberto Eco. Foucault's Pendulum.: Extremely rich and amazingly entertaining leap into the world of occult philosophy and the history of secret societies by my own personal favorite author. -- Robert
John Crowley. Aegypt and Love and Sleep.: First two in a series of eventually four works by an extremely underrated author (no relation to To Mega Therion, BTW). An extremely amazing and compelling look at history, time, thought, and the human experience told in an amazingly robust and fascinating syle. They defy prosaic explanation. An absolute must-read if you consider yourself a devotee of occult philosophy. -- Robert