More sources on the topic of initiation and magic
The topic pages on Initiation provide a view focused on the teachings of Franz Bardon, Rudolf Steiner, and Daskalos.
However this is an extremely broad topic very much alive in the world, albeit within minority segments. Many blogs, forums, and groupings of practitioners abound in various traditions.
Therefore this page provides an extension to further reading and exploration. It is by no means meant as exhaustive, or as a particular recommendation. However, these authors are part of the broader tradition and are definitely interesting reads.
The current small selection will be extended, please send in your suggestions (page was initialized but is not providing a balanced overview yet).
Alchemy
- Jean Dubuis (1919-2010), ao
- The experience of eternity (2008)
- has full courses available (1987-2000) in free PDF download online:, see the Portae Lucis website:
- Fundamentals of Esoteric Knowledge
- Qabala
- Mineral alchemy
- Plant alchemy or Spagyrics
Magic
- Donald Michael Kraig: 'Modern magick' (2010)
- Georg Lomer: Seven hermetic letters
- Karl Brandler-Pracht (1864-1939)
- How to Develop Your Occult Powers (1907 in DE, 2007 in EN)
- 'Geheime Seelenkräfte'
- S.A. Kummer: 'Runenmagie'
- Josephine McCarthy
- Magical Knowledge I: Foundations - the Lone Practitioner
- Magical Knowledge II: The initiate
- Magical Knowledge III: Contacts of the Adept
- see also Quareia for a number of free books
- Draja Mickaharic (1912-)
- Practice of Magic: an introductory guide to the art
- Magical practice
- Magic simplified
- William G. Gray (1913-1992)
- Language of the Gods (2009)
Yoga
Kriya yoga
- Parmahansa Yogananda (1893-1952)
- brought the basic teachings of Kriya to the West in 1920
- Satyananda Saraswati (1923-2009)
- a student of Sivananda Saraswati, wrote over 80 books, ao 'A Systematic Course In The Ancient Tantric Techniques Of Yoga And Kriya'
Inspirational reading - about individuals
- Ray Grasse
- 'An Infinity of Gods: Conversations with an Unconventional Mystic, The Teachings of Shelly Trimmer' (2017)
- Shelly studied for several years with the famed yogi Paramahansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi, see eg interview
- 'Urban mystic: recollections of Goswami Kriyananda' (2019)
- Goswami Kriyananda (1928-2015) studied under Shelly Trimmer and is the founder of the Temple of Kriya Yoga, based in Chicago, Illinois.
- 'An Infinity of Gods: Conversations with an Unconventional Mystic, The Teachings of Shelly Trimmer' (2017)
- Carlos Castaneda (1925-1998)
- 'The Teachings of Don Juan' (1968)
- .. and a series of follow up books
Related pages
References for further reading
Websites
The following sites have large libraries of freely downloadable PDF books:
- mysticknowledge.org (see three links in left menu)
- sacred-texts.com
- theosophy.world (e-books section)
- blavatskyarchives.com
- rosicrucian.org (alchemical manuscripts, and more rosecrucian base works from the menu)
Also interesting are:
- hermeticinstitute.org (institute for hermetic studies, by Mark Stavish)