This little work is comprised of a series of short statements on the Yogic system by the enigmatic figure of Patanjali, as analyzed and interpreted (using a prior translation) by Theosophist William Q. Judge. The actual subtopics are numerous; mystic powers, reincarnation, meditation, and so forth. It should be noted that Judges' surmising in the preface with regards to Patanjali...
This short work is a compilation of religious lore mainly of a historical background. The primordial Japanese religion of Shinto is quite complex, but the linguistic content here is secondary and much of it is a description of the different types and usages of deities and rituals. It is worth noting that Astons' study coincides with the rise of Japan as a power in the world and...
This book here is mostly authentic breathing exercises from Hindu lore (some of which are taught by Yogis today quite frequently) but the author was *probably* William Atkinson, a New Thought author and publisher thought to be the hand behind works listed under the auspices of a "Yogi Ramacharaka"- indeed the introduction deconstructs the concept of a Yogi and excuses the use of...
This excellent little fortune telling work is illustrated with examples involving the telling of fortunes by tea, using a Nelros cup (still available for sale, it was quite popular then as it is now.) About seventy pages of the content is encyclopedic and solely involves listing the meanings of different figures in tea cups, left over from loose tea brewing; one of the most common...
This is a nice little work but the title is slightly misleading; while it speaks about Kabbalah it is a Theosophical manuscript (a transcription of oratory) which ties the same in to alchemy, yoga, and certain Christian and Buddhist tenets of spirituality. It is well written, and about half of it actually comprises a sort of social tract which speaks about inter-sex relationships,...
This book is a compilation of multiple sub-subjects ranging from the psychic arts to ethics, to the afterlife. It is a strictly theosophical introductory guide with a fairly long bibliographic inclusion and a half dozen entries regarding major figures of theosophy at that time.
The mystic lore itself is mostly beginner material but it would be hard to find a work better suited to...
This intermediate work is presumably the final creation series title I will edit; it is a combination of basic Epicurean philosophy, basic life story of the philosopher himself, and criticisms by him of his critics as well as theirs of him. It's well written, and at times humorous, Epicurus calling one of his rivals a "mollusk" comes to mind as being particularly funny against the...
Here is another creation series work, one which I finished a week ago but which got caught up in Amazons' massively slow processing system. It is partly linguistic but unlike the last two titles is mostly about religious history and how the various spiritual systems that would contribute to Judeochristianity co-evolved and borrowed imagery and words and ideas from one another. It...
This short work is yet another creation series entry; essentially in part supplementary to Anwyl's "Celtic Religion" in the same set. It is partially linguistic in nature and traces the development of post-christian British Isle spiritual systems and folklore (especially in the Arthurian sense) from prior religious figures; namely, deities of various sorts.
This is yet another edition from the creation series of the early 20th century; and indeed it is one of the best pieces within the set.
The entire first chapter meanders through the concept of pre-columbian Nordic or Irish influence on Northeastern tribes in the Americas and then differentiates that with the Mexican )Aztec) and Peruvian (Inca) cultures. The two are then expounded...
This intermediate-length text is essentially three short works in one; the first third of the work is an autobiography of Emanuel Swedenborg and the second a brief overview of some of his more important works. In both, there are bits of his overarching philosophy listed and described briefly. The final section is a fairly lengthy bibliographic appendix listing both his works and...
This short work of Rosicrucian lore essentially serves one purpose; to differentiate Eastern and Western occultism, favoring the latter and refuting the concept that- at least in the Rosicrucian path- Buddha or Eastern esoteric concepts held supremacy over the conception of Jesus Christ.
When we analyze this work it is important to note that it was a fairly common criticism of...
