TANKHEM
HOUSE OF LIFE

 

'Do What Thou Wilt
Shall Be The Whole Of The Law'

 

Suggested background reading

Here's a basic reading list. You could also look at the curriculum of the AA as published in Crowley's Magick for many other useful texts. It might take a while to get through these books, assuming you are able to get hold of them. You don't need to have read them all before continuing. Professor Ronald Hutton once expressed the view that if a candidate read and assimilated all of the material suggested by Crowley, they would be better educated than most university students.

ARTICLES

'Aleister Crowley' in Dictionary of National Bibliography

'Aleister Crowley - Great Ideas of the Twentieth Century'
by Snoo Wilson (transcript as published in Thelema 94 edited by Mogg Morgan)


ASTROLOGY

Modern Textbook of Astrology
by Margaret Hone
[Old but much ripped off introduction to main tenets of astrology and a must for any serious occultist.]

History of Astrology
by Jack Lindsay


CHAOS MAGICK

'On The Other Hand Path'
by Ray Sherwin
published in Nuit Isis Reader 1

Liber Null and Psychonaut
by Pete Carroll

The Book of Results
by Ray Sherwin

Liber Kaos
by Pete Caroll

SSOTBME
by Ramsey Dukes

Thundersqueak
by Angerford and Lea

Chaos Ritual
by Steve Wilson

Chaos International Journal,
various authors

Condenced Chaos
by Phil Hine

Chaotopia
by Dave Lee (Mandrake)

Now This Is What I Call Chaos Magick
by Greg Humphries and Julian Vayne (Mandrake)

Kaos Hieroglyphica
by Anton Channing (Mandrake)


COMPARATIVE RELIGION

Varieties of Religious Experience
by William James

The Golden Bough
by JG Frazer
[Useful as a compendium of sources but theoretically dubious.]

Yoga Immortality and Freedom
by Mircea Eliade

Shamanism
by Mircea Eliade

Gods and Myths of India
by Alain Danielou (Inner Traditions)

Shiva & Dionysus
by Alain Danielou (Inner Traditions)

Masks of God
by Joseph Campbell (Princeton / Bollingen).
[see also the PBS video series by Joseph Campbell (with Bill Moyers), 'The Power of Myth' in six programmes. I borrowed a copy at my local library although copies are available for sale from Mandrake of Oxford.]

History of Religious Ideas (3 vols)
by Mircea Eliade

Three Pillars of Zen
by Roshi


ALEISTER CROWLEY FACTSHEET

 

FICTION

The Wizard of Earthsea
by Ursula Le Guin

The Left Hand of Darkness
by Ursula Le Guin

Lammas Night
by Katherine Kurtz

Steppenwolf
by Herman Hesse

Doctor Faustus
by Thomas Mann

The Glass Bead Game
by Herman Hesse

Siddharta
by Herman Hesse

The Chemical Wedding
by Lindsay Clarke

Angel of The West Window
by G Meyrinck

The Golem
by G Meyrinck

The Green Face
by G Meyrinck

La Bas
by JK Huysmans

Moon Child
by Aleister Crowley (Weiser)

The God Game
by Gerald Suster
(New English Library).
[Excellent. Like Edgar Allan Poe, Sheridan Le Fanu, and Arthur Machen, Gerald Suster's writing is dark, flamboyant and inventive. His other novels are also worth reading.]

The Perfume of Egypt and Other Weird Stories
by CW Leadbeater (TPH, Adyar)

The Demon Lover
by Dion Fortune (SIL)

The Secrets of Dr Taverner
by Dion Fortune (SIL)

The Winged Bull
by Dion Fortune (SIL)

The Goat Foot God
by Dion Fortune (SIL)

The Sea Priestess
by Dion Fortune (SIL)

Moon Magic
by Dion Fortune (SIL).
[Dion Fortune's novels are hardly works of art but they contain some key magical ideas.]

The Magick Bookshop
- Stories of the Occult

by Kala Trobe (LLewellyn).
[A very well written and fascinating collection of short stories in the style of Dion Fortune's Secrets of Dr Taverner, by one of today's best writers of occult fiction.]

Magick in the West End
- Stories of the Occult

by Kala Trobe (LLewellyn).
[An excellent sequel to The Magick Bookshop.]

High Magic's Aid
by Scire [alias Gerald B Gardner] (Godolphin House).

Winged Pharaoh
by Joan Grant

The Dreamer on the Vine
by Liz Greene (The Bodley Head Ltd)
[The celebrated astrologer is an equally competent and talented writer, and this fiction (?) novel will keep you thinking long after you finish reading it. Could Liz Greene be a reincarnation of the great astrologer and seer Nostradamus?]


KABBALAH

'Gematria'
by McGregor Matters
[Reprinted in collection entitled The Kabbalah of Aleister Crowley - which also contains 777 a book of correspondences which is essential part of any magicians library and also Sepher Sephira, a dictionary of kabbalistic terms also worth having.]

The Mystical Kabbalah
by Dion Fortune (SIL).
[Flawed but important study of Kabbalah which shows how the image can be integrated into astral work.]

The Shinning Paths
by Dolores Ashcroft Nowicki
[Also highly recommended are all the other books by Dolores.]

The Sefer Yetzirah
Edited and translated by Aryeh Kaplan (Weiser)
[Work of great genius.]

The Bahir Edited and translated
by Aryeh Kaplan

The Kabbalah
by G Scholem

Readings from The Zohar
by G Scholem

Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism
by G Scholem
[Scholem is a famous scholar of the Kabbalah although he has received some criticism of late for his failure to acknowledge the centrality of magick to Kabbalistic thought.]

Climbing The Tree of Life
- A Practical Manual of Magickal Qabalah -

by David Rankine (Avalonia Books).
[For dynamic and practical Qabalistic work, includes meditations, pathworkings, illustrations and Qabalistic correspondences tables.]


MAGICK

Magick: The Western Tradition
by Francis King

Ritual Magick In England
by Francis King

Sexuality, Magick and Perversion
by Francis King

Techniques of High Magick

by Francis King and Stephen
Skinner
[The Francis King books are a little bit out of date but are easy to read and full of useful information. The titles can belie the serious content. Copies should be available in most public libraries. ]

The Search for Abraxas
by Neville Drury

The Occult
by Colin Wilson

Magic: The Complete Primer
by David Conway
[A timeless classic, originally published in 1972 by Jonathan Cape, this work is packed with useful and practical information, and more than a mere primer. Many competent magicians found this inspirational book has helped them on their way.]

Heka
- The Practices of Ancient Egyptian Ritual & Magic -

by David Rankine (Avalonia Books).
[All clearly presented for the ritual magician. Contains illustrations and relevant correspondences tables.]

Visual Magick
by Jan Fries (Mandrake).
[Excellent beginners book.]

Tankhem - Seth and Egyptian Magick - Volume 1 -
by Mogg Morgan (Mandrake)

The Bull of Ombos
- Seth and Egyptian Magick - Volume 2 -

by Mogg Morgan (Mandrake)

Supernatural Assault in Ancient Egypt
- Seth, Renpet and Moon Magick - Volume 3
-
by Mogg Morgan (Mandrake).
[All 3 volumes are works by a practitioner scholar.]


The Splendour That Was Egypt
by Margaret Murray

 

MYSTERIES,
MYSTICISM & MAGIC

Master of The Mysteries
The Life of Manly Palmer Hall

by Louis Sahagun (Process, 2008)
[A fascinating and insightful biography of an extraordinary individual. Lavishly illustrated. Superb. A tour de force.]


TANTRA

Tantra Magick
by AMOOKOS

Tantra Sadhana
by Sahajanath

The Tantrik Tradition
by A Barati

Shiva & Dionysus
by Alain Danielou (Inner Traditions)

Gods and Myths of India
by Alain Danielou (Inner Traditions)

Yoga Immortality and Freedom
by Mircea Eliade

Tantra by P Rawson


The Origins of Yoga and Tantra
- Indic Religions to the Thirtheenth Century -

by Professor Geoffrey Samuel
(Cambridge University Press , 2008)

[Yoga, Tantra and other forms of Asian meditation are practised in modernised forms throughout the world today, but most introductions to Hinduism
or Buddhism tell only part of the story of how they developed. This book is an interpretation of the history of Indic religions up to around 1200 CE, with particular focus on the development of Yogic and Tantric traditions.]


TAROT

The Book of Thoth
by Aleister Crowley

Encyclopaedia of Tarot
by Richard Cavendish

The Encyclopedia of Tarot
by Stewart R Kaplan

78 Degrees of Wisdom
by Rachel Pollack 2 vols

The Truth About The Tarot
by Gerald Suster (Skoob).
[This is a good book to read, especially for those working with the Crowley-Harris deck.]

Tarot
- A Key to The Wisdom of The Ages

by Paul Foster Case (BOTA)

Understanding The Tarot
- A Personal Teaching Guide -

by Juliet Sharman-Burke


THELEMIC MAGICK

The Great Beast
by John Symonds
[reprinted as King of the Shadow Realm, (Duckworth)]
[The author is hostile to Crowley, but this is a fascinating account if one bears in mind the author's prejudices.]

'Virgins, Whores and Scarlet Women
- Women and Magick
' article by Shantidevi in the Thelemic journal Nuit Isis Issue 1.

Becoming Magick
by David Rankine (Mandrake).
'New and Revised Magicks for the New Aeon, drawing on over twenty years of magickal work in a variety of systems, this book is a forward-looking manual full of new material and techniques created to push the boundaries of contemporary magick'.
[A fresh approach to Qabalah, Gematria and Magick. Among many other things, contains instructions on how to make top quality Abra-Melin Oil and Incense, and the legendary Kyphi Incense of the ancient Egyptian priesthood, essential items for the magician.]

The Magick of Thelema
- A Handbook of the Rituals of Aleister Crowley

by Lon Milo Duquette (Weiser)

The Eye in the Triangle
by Israel Regardie
(New Falcon Press)

The Middle Pillar
by Israel Regardie (Weiser)

Legacy of The Beast
by Gerald Suster (Weiser)

Magical Dilemma of Victor Neuberg
by Jean Overton Fuller (Mandrake)

Magick, Liber ABA etc. by Aleister Crowley
[Not an easy book to read in one sitting but worth having a copy of and working through over a few years as your experience grows. The best edition used to be the Penguin/RKP has been withdrawn. Weiser have produced a definative edition at $49. Otherwise there are several reprints of the first edition available but they lack an index and decent contents page but they are very cheap. If your edition has the section on yoga then have a look but I recommend skipping this and getting a decent yoga and meditation teacher instead. It is really a rewriting of Vivekanandas Raja Yoga which is in turn a commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. These are crucial magical ideas here but take a bit of digesting. Read Introduction then go to section two on ceremonial magick. Read through the various short chapters that sets out the basic symbolism of the magical weapons.] Dip into the fascinating chapters in part three, which begins with the fantastic 'Hymn to Pan'. Much of the instructional material is actually contained in Appendices VI and VII 'a few principle rituals' (an understatement if ever there was one), which can be worked through in the following order (perhaps it might take a few years to do this).

'Liber O'

'Liber Astarte '

'Liber HHH'

Appendices IV 'Liber Samech' is an advanced ritual and you need a bit of experience before making much of it.

The smaller rituals such as 'Star Sapphire', 'Star Ruby' and 'Mass of Phoenix' are very much Crowley/Thelemic rituals and can, if you wish, be used to substitute the older Golden Dawn formulae given in 'Liber O'. 'Liber Resh' is worth memorising as a neat way of worshipping the sun on solstices etc.

'Liber 15 - The Gnostic Mass' is a church like ritual for larger groups who are into that sort of thing. Various tapes of this are available. [Do not slavishly follow the formulae in Magick, use your brain.]
The Confessions or Autohagiography by Aleister Crowley [Long winded, but if you're hooked by now, you'll love it.]

Aleister Crowley and The Hidden God
by Kenneth Grant (Starfire)

The Magical Revival
by Kenneth Grant (Starfire)

Cults of The Shadows
by Kenneth Grant (Starfire).
[Not the easiest or the most scholarly of writers, but very original and even though you may only understand 25% of what he says, you'll either be fascinated or repelled. Read in conjunction with Shantidevi's article mentioned above.]


THEOSOPHY

Blavatsky and Her Teachers
by Jean Overton Fuller
(East West / TPH London).
[A well researched and profoundly insightful biography of the extraordinary Madame Blavatsky, the pioneer of the modern occult and new age movement, elegantly written by a respected Theosophical scholar.]

Madame Blavatsky Medium and Magician
by John Symonds
[A humourous, well written biography.]

The Extraordinary Life and Influence of HP Blavatsky
by Sylvia Cranston (GP Putnam & Sons).
[A more recent and critically acclaimed biography.]

Isis Unveiled
by HP Blavatsky (Theosophy Co.)

The Secret Doctrine
by HP Blavatsky (Theosophy Co.)

The Key to Theosophy
by HP Blavatsky (TPH)

The Voice of The Silence
by HP Blavatsky
(TPH)

Esoteric Budhism
by AP Sinnett ((Wizards Bookshelf)

Light On The Path
by Mabel Collins (TPH)

The Divine Plan
- A Commentary on HP Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine -
by Geoffrey Barborka
(TPH)

Exploring the Great Beyond
by Geoffrey Farthing (TPH)

Deity, Cosmos & Man

by Geoffrey Farthing (Point Loma)

[This is only a very small selection of the great Theosophical Classics.]


WITCHCRAFT

Fire Child
- The Life and Magic of Maxine Sanders 'Witch Queen'

by Maxine Sanders (Mandrake).
[The long awaited autobiography of one of the world's most influential and respected witches.]

A Voice in The Forrest
- Conversations with Alex Sanders

by Jimahl Di Fiosa (Harvest Shadows Publications).

Mastering Witchcraft
- A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks & Covens -

by Paul Huson (Perigee)

Witches - True Encounters with Wicca, Wizards, Covens, Cults and Magick -
by Hans Holzer (Black Dog & Leventhal).
[A study of modern occult and magical practices in America and Britain.]

The Spiral Dance
by Starhawk (Harper & Row)

Witch Cult in Western Europe
by Margaret Murray


Witchcraft Today
by Gerald B Gardner (Citadel)

The Meaning of Witchcraft
by Gerald B Gardner
(Red Wheel / Weiser)

Witchcraft for Tomorrow
by Doreen Valiente (Hale)

The Rebirth of Witchcraft
by Doreen Valiente (Hale)

Natural Magic
by Doreen Valiente (Hale).
[Doreen Valiente has been called the Mother of the modern witchcraft revival. In any case she wrote most of the Gardnerian material in the 1950s].

Lid of the Cauldron
by Patricia Crowther (Capall Bann).
[Very good. Patricia Crowther writes well in an entertaining and highly personal style].

High Priestess
by Patricia Crowther (UK Hale, US Pheonix)
[autobiography]

From Stagecraft to Witchcraft
- The early years of a High Priestess
-
by Patricia Crowther (Capall Bann). [autobiography]

Ecstasies: Decoding The Witch's Sabbath
by Carlo Ginsberg

Wiccan Roots
by Philip Heselton (Capall Bann).
[A study of the history of Gardnerian Wicca].

The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles
by Ronald Hutton (Blackwell)

The Triumph of The Moon
- A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft -

by Ronald Hutton (Oxford University Press).
[An in depth scholarly study of Modern Witchcraft by Professor Hutton, and a very good read.]

Wicca
- The Old Religion in The New Age -
by Vivianne Crowley (Thorsons).
[Very influential modern classic.]

Witches - An Encyclopedia of Paganism and Magic -
by Michael Jordan (Kyle Cathie)

Witchcraft - A Complete Guide -
by Teresa Moorey (Hodder & Stoughton).
[Very good all-rounder guide, by a prolific and knowledgeable author.]

Witcha - A Book of Cunning -
by Nathaniel J Harris (Mandrake).
[A book of operational Sabbatic English Witchcraft, with original artwork and photographs from the Musem of Witchcraft in Boscastle.]


Helrunar
by Jan Fries (Mandrake).
[A manual of rune magick, highly illustrated, third revised and enlarged edition.]

Magick Without Peers
- A Course in Progressive Witchcraft for The Solitary Practitioner -

by David Rankine and Ariadne Rainbird (Capall Bann).
['' This is a book about Progressive Witchcraft which the authors see as being more ecclectic and universal than Alexandrian and Gardnerian Wicca.'' Full of material and techniques for self-unfoldment, ritual and magickal work, including the creation and use of incenses and oils. For those who respect the beauty and wisdom of the Alexandrian and Gardnerian Craft, but also appreciate that of Magick, Voodoo and Tantra.]

Circle of Fire
- The Symbolism and Practices of Wiccan Ritual -

by Sorita d'Este and David Rankine (Avalonia Books).
[Well designed, with very clearly presented and explained material, gives you all the information you will need to work good and effective rituals, from temple preparation to the actual practices. Contains illustrations, photographs, and relevant correspondences tables.]

Wicca, Magickal Beginnings
- A Study of the Possible Origins of the Rituals and Practices found in this Modern Tradition of Pagan Witchcraft and Magick -
by Sorita d'Este and David Rankine (Avalonia Books).

The Western Way
by John & Caitlin Mathews
[The first and for many, best book by this prolific pair. May be a useful intro to some aspects of CelticMagick.]

What Witches Do
by Janet and Stewart Farrar (Hale)

Eight Sabbats for Witches
by Janet and Stewart Farrar (Hale)

The Witches Way
by Janet and Stewart Farrar (Hale)

Progressive Witchcraft
by Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone
(New Page)


DVDs

Discovering Witchcraft
- Journey Through The Elements and The Mysteries -
2 DVDS Box Set,

with Janet Farrar, Stewart Farrar and Gavin Bone,
buy directly from Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone's website
[A practical course taught by Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, through the initiatory journey of one of their students. Includes one of the last appearances by Stewart Farrar.]


Legend of the Witches
- Their Secret Rituals Revealed -
1 DVD

Directed by Malcolm Leigh
Produced by Border Films
Release date: 1969

Legend of the Witches features Alex and Maxine Sanders and their coven performing magical rituals. This is a well made and visually stunning film, and one can understand why the Sanders created such a sensation as occult personalities, and attracted so many followers; because there was a lot more to them than only glamour. See full review from the Mandrake Speaks archive below:

Sunday, March 11, 2007
Legend of the Witches (Review)

Written and Directed by Malcolm Leigh
Produced by Negus-Fancey
Edited by Judith Smith
Lighting Cameraman: Robert Webb
Border Film Production (London) Ltd
Year: 1969
Featuring: Alex and Maxine Sanders and their beautiful coven.
Format: DVD

‘In the beginning was the Moon, Diana. Her lover was the Dawn, Lucifer - God of Light. They created man, and built the monuments, which tracked their paths across the skies. Now man could predict the movements of the Gods, he sought to control them, through priests and ritual…’

Originally X-rated, this newly released DVD, is a real period piece this, documenting the beliefs and practices of Alex Sanders and the circle of witches, which under his leadership, electrified the popular imagination and attracted many into the Wiccan path.

The film's leisurely pace requires the modern viewer to make some adjustment to their viewing habits. Nevertheless this is a minor masterpiece and really manages to tell one of witchcraft's many 'stories'. We've perhaps become a little too knowing to accept all of the certainties of 1960s Wicca - but nevertheless we can all agree, that this 'warts and all' view, really does capture the spirit of the time. It's a beautiful film, shot I think in 16mm black and white, which lends it a very artistic feel, reminding me most of the experimental films of Maya Deren or indeed UK classics of 'socialist realism' such as 'Night Mail', the 1936 movie by John Grierson, with music by Benjamin Britten.

The documentary begins with lovely sweeping shots of seascapes and ancient, elemental landscapes over which the film's narrator begins his tale of the ancient witch mythology, of the Goddess Diana and her consort Lucifer, the sun. Now whether or not one buys into this spirited mythology, we have strayed into controversy almost immediately. Who amongst the current glut of media witches even dares to mention that name - Lucifer?

Almost half the film explores these ideas, covering issues such the mysteries of earth energy, altered states, the pagan traces that survive in pre-reformation churches, the persecutions and the rebirth of the old religion. It's foundation myth, easy to sneer at, but strangely wonderful just the same.

Seamlessly, the film now deliverers us into the hands of a modern coven. We see them perform a variety of rites. First, an outdoor initiation. The candidate, referred to throughout as Michael, not because that's his real name but presumably because of the ancient folk myth of 'crazy man Michael', Britain's very own 'holy fool'. The priestess repeatedly calls 'Michael' to various encounters with elemental forces, the whole rite done at Alderley Edge in Cheshire, itself a place of power, just a stone's thrown from Lindow Moss, where in Iron Age times, other, darker rites were done by our pagan ancestors.

Now the action moves into the temple, after some exploration of the many cursing exhibits, still to be seen at the Boscastle's Witchcraft Museum, we are prepared for the notion that witches sometimes curse. The coven, prepare such a curse, using the traditional and extremely ancient technique, in which a poppet is given life through the agency of Alex and Maxine's act of sexual magick - fascinating stuff.

We even get to see something seldom alluded to these days - the so-called 'Black Mass.' completed with a very lifelike 'sign of Osiris slain' - . These witches, known these days as Alexandrians, do not see such as mass as any form of inversion of Christian principles. They knew something that we have all perhaps forgotten - there is no impervable barrier between primitive Christianity and classical paganism. It was around this time that Professor Morton Smith wrote his groundbreaking book Jesus the Magician. The 'Black Mass' is only 'black to the blind' - it is in fact a celebration of life in all is bounty.

The film concludes with a nod to the future, when the special powers of the witch will be understood more in terms of the newish science of ESP and indeed the 1960s first forays into the psychedelic, encounter groups and other techniques of obsession and transcendence. Of course some in the new millennial will find this all too embarrassing and bad for business - but what do they know? Who are then the true successors to Alex Sanders and the witches of the 1960s? If they were still here I'd say the Temple ov Psychic Youth would be a likely contender. The film will outrage some but inspire others to take up where they left off after a generation or more of stoney sleep. Buy this and be refreshed. - Mogg Morgan
Labels: legend of the witches

 

Black Widow Live
1 DVD with bonus Live CD
Available from Mystic Records
(cat number 82356644792)
www.mysticrecords.co.uk

Here is the show that caused so much controversy in the 1960s press and with audiences, got this cult group banned by the BBC and from touring in the USA. For many years now, the album 'Sacrifice' and especially the single 'Come to the Sabbath' has been the unofficial anthem of the pagan movement.

Almost forty years ago, I remember buying my first ever album (Black Sabbath/Paranoid) then being told by friends that what I really wanted to hear was Black Widow - far more edgy. Trouble was no one could get a copy, and everyone confused them with Black Sabbath - the rest is history for what is called the most unfortunate of bands.

The release of their well crafted album, whose underlying concept and accompanying stageshow benefited from the input of the infamous Maxine and Alex Sanders (the whole story is told in Maxine's new autobiography Fire Child - see above) . Trouble was it also coincided with the Sharon Tate/La Bianca murders. So all in all the album sunk without a trace and Black Widow eventually split.

But steadily over the years, their albums, especially Sacrifice, continued a twilight existence. But no one really knew what they were like live and what was that infamous stage show?

Clive Jones, the talented saxophonist and flutist remembered that one of their singles was filmed for the German equivalent of Top of the Pops. For many years he worked to track down the original producer, and was eventually promised a remastered copy of the film. When it eventually arrived, he was stunned to discover that the DVD included the entire stage show, which had been done as a warm up in the afternoon before the broadcast. Clive has no memory of all this, perhaps it's another example of the old saying "if you can remember the 1960s, you weren't there".

This DVD and accompanying CD is a fine piece of Rock and indeed occult history. And what a wonderful undiscovered classic is on offer here. Filmed in black and white you get the full ritual opening, then the invocation of the Ashtoreth, whose look is clearly modelled on the original concept created by Maxine Sanders as documented in her autobiography. The story moves to the 'demoness' as she attempts to seduce and possess the magician, then the battle and final 'licence to depart'.

The Black Widow vocalist, musicians and dancer all look great. The whole performance is very dramatic, real and physical with the incense burning and the building of power tangible. Furthermore, it is a very aesthetically pleasing stage show.

It's a really great Rock film, it's a really great Pagan film, with the added bonus of live versions of all the tracks, all of which are longer and musically richer than the studio album.

Black Widow Live Stage Show DVD plus live bonus CD - got to do it really. [Mogg]

'Love Is The Law, Love Under Will'

(C) OGDOS, PO Box 250, Oxford, OX1 1AP.

 

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