An Essential Reading List for The Occult

Wicca and Witchcraft

Basics:

'Witchcraft Today' by Gerald Gardner --The first book written and published by an avowed witch, this book starts at the real origin at witchcraft and leads into the modern wiccan revival.

'The Meaning of Witchcraft' by Gerald Gardner--A follow up to his previous book, Gardner's second book on the subject of witchcraft expands on his previous work and further explores modern wicca.

'Aradia, Gospel of the Witches' by Charles G. Leland--Supposedly recieved from a strega, or Italian witch, this book gives insight into an older form of the Craft, although one certainly geared towards the peasant class of the pre-twentieth century.

'The God of the Witches' by Margaret Murray--a look at the indigenous peoples of Britian and their connection with witchcraft.

'The Witch-Cult in Western Europe' by Margaret Murray--more from this antropologist conerning the origins and history of witchcraft.

'Practical Candleburning Rituals' by Ray Buckland--a very basic look at magic principles and practices on a neophyte's level.

'The Witches' Bible' by Janet and Stewart Farrar--a look into some practices of modern witches of the Alexandrian tradition.

'Drawing Down the Moon' by Margot Adler--an anthroplogical look at modern witchcraft and the neo-pagan revival in North America.

Intermediate

'The Divine King in England' by Margaret Murray--A look at the concept of the 'God Incarnate' beliefs of the ancient British races regarding their monarch.

'Rituals of the Flesh' By Raven Rowanchilde--an examination of the 'whys' and 'wherefores' of modern piercing and body art as well as its ancient and modern mystical aspects.

'Jeanne La Pucelle and the Dying God' by James Matterer--a look at the Dying God theory and Joan of Arc.

'The White Goddess' by Robert Graves--A book by one of the foremost scholars of the early twentieth century, this book is an examination of poetry as worship of the Great Mother. Contorversial to this day, it is nevertheless a facinating read.

'An ABC of Witchcraft' by Doreen Valiente--A dictionary of the modern Craft and occultism.

'The Alex Sanders Lectures' by Alex Sanders--a series of lectures by the founder of the Alexandrian tradition.

'The Golden Bough' by James Frazer--a classic on mythology and its meaning

Advanced

'Urban Primitive: Transformation in the Urban Jungle' by Raven Rowanchilde--An examination of body art and its purposes, as well as its signifigance to modern society as a whole and the subcultures that embrace body modification.

'The Pickingill Papers' by E.W. Liddell ('Lugh')--a controversial collection of articles concerning the modern Craft and Gerald Gardner.

'The Nag Hammadi Library'--the basic texts of Gnosticism

'The Psychedelic Experience' by Timothy Leary--more than a simple manual of natural drugs and their mystical uses, but also an explanation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Fictional, But of Great Worth

'High Magic's Aid' and 'A Goddess Arrives' by Gerald Gardner--Gardner's first book, a work of historical fiction concerned with the working partnership between a ceremonial magcician and a witch.

'Dune' by Frank Herbert--A classic of modern SciFi, and a mystical tale in the extreme.

'Lammas Night' by Katherine Kurtz--a historical fiction based on the events of World War Two, and on the magical efforts made on behalf of Britain by Gerald Gardner, Dion Fortune and others. Also deals with the 'Divine King' concept introduced by Murray, above.

'The Mists of Avalon' by Marion Zimmer Bradley--a modern retelling of the Arthurian tale that incorporates pre-Christian British beliefs.

'Excalibur' (Film)--a perfect Arthurian tale that yeilds much to the student of the Craft

'The Wicker Man' (Film)--a cinematic exploration of the Sacred King principle.

the Order of the Golden Dawn and Kabbalah

'The Golden Dawn' by Israel Regardie--the taechings, rites and rituals of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, explained by an initiate of the G.'.D.'. Stella Matutina offshoot.

'The Middle Pillar' by Israel Regardie--an examination of Kabbalistic theory and rite.

'A Garden of Pomegranetes' by Israel Regardie--a deeper examination of Hermeticism.

'Kabbalah' by Gershom Scholem--an examination of modern Jewish beliefs that make up the traditional Kabbalah.

'The Mystical Qabala' by Dion Fortune--an excellent introduction to the Kabbalah

'The Sefer Yetzirah'--an ancient Hebrew Text concering the Kabbalisic Tree of Life.

'Sefer ha-Zohar'--another Hebrew Kabbalistic classic

'Kabbalah Denudata' by Samuel Mathers--as before, another classic work

'Psychology and Kabbalah' by Zev ben Shimon HaLevi--a modern work exploring psychology in light of Kabbalistic principles.

Aleister Crowley

by Crowley

'The Book of the Law'--'channeled' by Crowley in 1904, the Book of the Law is the central text of the Thelemic path.

'The Book of Thoth'--an exploration of Kabbalah and Crowley's re-vamped version of the Tarot.

'Book Four'--the first part of Crowley's great treatise on magick.

'Magick in Theory and Practice'--the rest of Crowley's great treatise

'The Equinox'--a magazine published by Crowley for magicians and seekers, available in collected editions.

'Eight Lectures on Yoga'--a collection of lectures given by Crowley on the Indian science of Yoga.

by Others

'The Eye in the Triangle' by Israel Regardie--an interpretive biography of Aleister Crowley.

Magic

'The Key of Solomon' translated by Samuel Mathers--the most famous of all the medieval grimoires.

'Legemeton: The Lesser Key of Solomon'--as it sounds. Key of Solomon part 2.

'The Complete Book of Ceremonial Magic' by Arthur Edward Waite--a book of ceremonial magic written and compiled by a member of the original Order of the Golden Dawn

'Rituel et Dogme de L'Haute Magie' by Eliphas Levi--classic pre-Golden Dawn work on magic. Infuential in the extreme.

Mysticism

'Bhagavad Gita'--a classic work on Hindu mysticism

'Demian' by Herman Hesse--a metaphorical story concerning one man's search for enlightenment.

'The Chaldean Oracles'--more ancient mystical writings, penned by Zarathustra (Zoroaster), the founder of the Zoroastrian faith that survives today among the Parsees of India, cenetered around Bombay.

'The Book of the Dead'(Egyptian)--The ancient Egyptian funerary and afterlife beliefs, told in a mystical way.

'The Book of the Dead" (Tibetan)--A Tibetan book on the afterlife and indigenous mystical beliefs concerning the moment of death.