|
| |
Step
Into My Library
No TechMage worth their salt is without a library to draw upon
and to return to when refreshment in technique, understanding, or ritual is needed. I have
a huge library- and can honestly say that I have a ton of books. I know this because the
shipping guys at my last base in England were bored, and when I asked them if they could
weigh my books separately from the rest of my household goods, they cheerily agreed. (The
case of Guinness I bought for them didn’t hurt, either…) In 1993, I owned 2023
pounds of books, sans tare for the boxes. That’s a ton! I probably have two tons by
now, because technical and computer book authors are apparently paid by the pound, and I
have a large collection of those sorts of books as well as a wonderful collection of
occult, SF, reference, and feminist titles.
Here is a taste of my collection- a seed, if you will, for if you want
to start or add to your own collection. Clicking on the links will take you to Amazon.com.
Adding to your library will enable me to add to mine- one can never have too many books!
Most of these should still be in print. Happy reading!
The Stacks Contents
General
Philosophy, Metaphysics, and General Studies
Wicca
Life Guidance
Stack 2
General
Philosophy, Metaphysics, and Related Studies
|
Hidden Wisdom : A
Guide to the Western Inner Traditions -Richard Smoley and Jay Kinney These
two gentlemen were editors of the late and lamented Gnosis Magazine, and have put together
a wonderful overview of the Western Mystery Traditions- from Paganism and Kabbalah to
Sufism, shamanism, and Gnostic Christianity. An intelligent and absorbing work. |
|
The Zen Commandments
-Dean Sluyther Subtitled "Ten suggestions for a life of inner freedom", this
quirky little book reexamines proper directives for living a life of clarity and insight.
Anyone in any faith will find that it enhances their path, and adhering to the principles
it advances will do nothing but improve your outlook- wherever you are on your path. This
one jumped off the shelf at me, and I am glad it did. |
|
Techgnosis -Erik
Davis Absorbing look at myth, magick and mysticism in the age of information. Is the
computer a magickal tool? Is the Internet a catalyst for modern shamanic journeys? Read
this and find out. |
No Image Yet |
Kybalion: Hermetic
Philosophy –by Three Initiates Dynamite, and deep wisdom, comes in small
packages. All students on the path should read and absorb the wonderful wisdom in this
little book. |
|
The Hermetica : The
Lost Wisdom of the Pharaohs- by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy The writings of
the sage Hermes Trismegistus, translated into a poetic and inspirational form. A must-have
for all levels of student. "So I, Thrice-Great Hermes, the first of men to attain
All-Knowledge, have inscribed the secrets of the gods, in sacred symbols and holy
hieroglyphs on these stone tablets which I have concealed for a future world that may seek
our sacred wisdom." |
|
The Gnostic Gospels
–Elaine Pagels Want to know what Jesus REALLY said? The Nag Hammadi scrolls
gives us a good idea. If we had kept these teachings in the Bible and followed them,
Christianity today would be a totally different animal. |
|
The Zelator -by
Mark Hedsel A late 20th Century story of one man’s inner and outer
search for enlightenment. "It has been recognized by esotericists for a very long
time that, as the 20th Century reached its troubled end, many of the ancient
secrets would have to be revealed. Even as we write, some esoteric schools are
investigating, preserving, and teaching some of the Ancient Mysteries that would otherwise
be lost in the face of changes which are to come. The metaphor of ark-building comes to
mind." Yes, it does… |
No Image Yet |
Magical Ritual Methods-
William Gray Excellent technical manual of operational magick- tells both how and
why. Dense, intellectual, but very useful for understanding magick. |
|
Drawing Down the Moon
: Witches, Druids,... - Margot Adler This NPR reporter wrote this book 20 years
ago, and it is still a great overview of Pagan traditions. Good for helping to decide what
niche fits your mindset best. |
|
Initiation-by Elisabeth Haich I first read this book in Junior High-
don’t ask me what a book of this sort was doing in a Junior High library. But it,
along with Winged
Pharaoh, influenced my desire to walk the Path I am now on. It is the story
of an early 20th Century woman’s journey towards Initiation- her spiritual
growth and memories of a past life in ancient Egypt. Lots of people have past life
memories of Egypt- and it makes sense- Egypt- along with ancient China- had one of the
longest courses of advanced civilization in recorded history. I have echoes of both
cultures in my ‘ancient’ memories. These books brought back a few... |
Wicca
I got my start in Wicca, and although I am pretty much a solitary
now, and no longer practice with others, it is still near and dear to my heart. Nowadays I
can say "I’m Wiccan" (which saves long minutes in trying to explain what my
real path is) and people say, "Oh, yeah!" Quite a change from 25 year ago
when you dared not admit you were even interested in the craft except in a casual,
curious, debunking sort of way. How times have changed- for the better! These are some of
the seminal titles in my own library. Their quality eclipses most of what has been written
in the past 15 years, with a few exceptions, which are mentioned here.
|
The Spiral Dance -
Starhawk. I have a dog-eared first edition of this one. It’s now in its twentieth
anniversary edition. Starhawk’s Faerie Tradition is poetic, immediate and very
hands-on. Lots of visualization and chanting. |
|
Power of the Witch
- Laurie Cabot. Ms. Cabot looks like a stereotypical Hollywood Witch- heavy black
eye makeup, robes and all- but what she lacks in dress sense she more than makes up for in
common sense. Her ethics are sound, and I recommend her books for her excellent technique
for ‘Seeing Between’ which she calls "Alpha". |
|
A Witches' Bible ,
What Witches Do, The Witches Way by Janet and Stewart Farrar and Gavin Bone These
British Wiccans are close to the original root tradition of Wicca. They combine the
British Fam-Trad ways with ceremonial magick, and create an elaborate, but powerful
tradition. Good grounding in the origins of the Craft, excellent explanation of the
principal deities. Their older stuff is better, but recent editions have a few minor
errors corrected. |
|
An ABC of Witchcraft
Past and Present , Witchcraft for
Tomorrow (Illustrated) and any other book by Doreen Valiente
The Brits really have a handle on Wicca, and Doreen’s books should be in every
good Wiccan library. Many books written since have merely repeated what this late, great
lady said. I was very fortunate to have met her at a Pagan Federation gathering in London
in 1991. |
|
Wiccan Warrior -Kerr CuhulainWritten by a Canadian policeman, this book combines practical everyday magick
with good old fashioned common sense. He also wrote "The Law Enforcement Guide to
Wicca" which is used by many police departments in both Canada and the United States. |
Life Guidance
These books are invaluable tools for helping you to follow the Prime Directive in
advanced studies: Knowing Thyself. If you want to advance upon the Path, these books are
important to have- and use regularly. I do.
   |
A Guide for the
Advanced Soul
Begin It
Now : You Have a Purpose
Bag of
Jewels
This trio of inspirational quotes gathered by Susan Hayward are meant to be used as
inspirational divination devices. The idea is to hold the book in your hand, clear your
mind of everything but your vision or question, and open the book at random to discover
the direction you need to take. |
|
What the Ancient
Wisdom Expects of Its Disciples -Manly P. Hall When I received this little
booklet- more like a pamphlet, actually, I thought, ‘what the heck!’ I mean, one
expects Deep Thoughts to come from Deep Books, right? Not so fast, grasshopper. Here, in
this little book is wisdom and guidance that will stay with you long after you finish
reading it. It is insightful enough that you’ll want to get several copies to hand
out to like-minded seekers. Hall’s works- even his more outlandish ones- are always
interesting. I intend to collect all of his writings. |
|
Summoning the Fates :
A Woman's Guide to Destiny - Z. Budapest In several of my essays, I make
reference to "Saturn’s Return" a somewhat vague and perhaps threatening
time in one’s late twenties where everything gets…strange. This book will help
you to both understand and cope with it, and other stages in your life. The author is a
radical Feminist whose work both pissed me off and inspired me enough to continue my
journey. I am eternally grateful to her. |
|
The Handbook
of Chinese Horoscopes -Theodora Lau This book is an excellent and essential
tool in the Know Thyself (and everyone else) arsenal. It explains and defines the 12
members of the Chinese horoscope, and their five elemental substrata (metal, water, wood,
fire, and earth), and then goes on to show who you’ll get along with, and who you
won’t. Even better are the combinations with the Western Zodiac, and the 144
combinations of Western and Chinese pairings that make this a very handy book. Mine is
dog-eared. It has been updated twice since I bought mine. I am a Virgo Metal Rat. |
This is just a small sampling of my library. Come
on back soon to see my Women’s Studies, Christian Critiques and What-If This
Isn’t a Conspiracy lists. I’m sure I’ll have other goodies to offer, too.
Now, go read something.
Stack 2
ã 2001 Lorie A. Johnson
Sign my Guestbook!
[ Home ] [ Garden ] [ Temple ] [ Indigo Files ] [ Library ] [ What's New? ] [ September Sorrow ]
|
