Books

Light on the Path – A Study Guide for Qabala, Alchemy, and Astrology from the Institute for Hermetic Studies is a self-paced program for the study and practice of Western esotericism. Using Hermetic Qabala as its core, individuals or groups can use this program to progressively study and apply the principles of ritual magic, practical alchemy (spagyrics and mineral) and astrology (natal, horary, and mundane).

Designed as a four year course of study, each “year” is approached in twenty-four bi-weekly sessions (for groups meeting twice a month) or can be done at your own pace. Each “year” has two sets of twenty-five questions which can be used as quizzes or catechisms to test one’s level of proficiency for review or before moving on to new material.

The Inner Way – The Power of Prayer and Belief in Spiritual Practice focuses on the traditional role of prayer in Western spiritual practices and its esoteric application. The inner method of prayer is revealed in detail along with theurgy – or the secret esoteric art of ritual prayer used by the Martinist and Rosicrucian societies. The critically important role of belief, including the power of suggestion, is made clear so that students of The Inner Way will learn how to turn their doubts into confidence and their confidence into results – results that will lead to both temporal happiness as well as spiritual Illumination.

A detailed theurgic ritual to guide those new to this ancient art and practice is included along with a look at the magical use of the Psalms in traditional healing and folk magic from both French and German sources.

Child of the Sun is a comprehensive text on the effects of spagyrics, alchemy, and qabala on the psychic and physical bodies. Written in clear and precise language, the theory and practice of psychic and physical rejuvenation is presented so that both the specialist and beginner can understand how to undertake these unique practices.

Child of the Sun breaks new ground by presenting highly specialized material on the Seventy-Two Angels of the Great Name and how to contact them using a ritual from the French Martinist tradition; the importance of Dream Yoga, or Lucid Dreaming in the rejuvenation process; the use of spagyric tinctures as well as mineral alchemy; a little known experiment with antimony; uses of the Middle Pillar exercise in physical and psychic health; the role of blood in personal transformation; and more.

Words of My Teachers is a complete overview of the Path of Return. Containing all of the materials used in the IHS Audio Programs, Words of My Teachers provides extensive information on all aspects of classical and modern schools of Western esotericism.

While designed to be used with the Audio Programs (available for free online), it also functions as a stand alone reference text. Topics covered in detail include: illumination vs. salvation; the teacher/student relationship; methods of meditation and visualization; initiation; tradition vs modern practices; lucid dreaming; the Body of Light and immortality; methods of the Path of Unity, or Non-Duality.

Unfolding Rose is a complete overview of the various paths of Western esotericism and how they relate to and build upon each other. This book is truly foundational and will provide a solid and invaluable friend and guide for anyone seeking to understand the labyrinth of western spiritual practices while journeying on the Path of Return.

Topics include: The Four Level of Practice; Your Mission in Life; St. Martin and Boehme; Secret Fire; Hermes and Sophia; Overview of Alchemy; Force Fields in Alchemy and Magic; Classical Views of Immortality; Discussion of Practical Spagyrics and Mineral Alchemy, and more.

Mind of Hermes examines the nature of the mind in classical and modern hermeticism. The various methods of experiencing the ‘Self’ and how they relate to different schools of practice, including kabbalah (mystical and magical), alchemy, and general esotericism along with how to understand and utilize the visionary and psychic experiences they produce.

The importance of non-dualism and a detailed examination of some of the most important esoteric secrets of several modern initiatic and esoteric movements are explained. This is a very advanced set of teachings and can be justly called the pinnacle of occult work. In addition, the active aspects of psychic unfoldment, specifically, the relationship between dowsing, healing, creating talismans, and psychokinesis, and the importance of actively developing these skills as part of one’s program of spiritual unfoldment are explored.

Many things can wrong on our spiritual journey, and in fact, they are supposed to if we are doing our practices correctly. An odd notion, but one deeply rooted in spiritual traditions including Qabala and Alchemy. For over twenty years the “pathology of the sublime” as some have called it, has been an integral part of the teachings and practices of the Institute for Hermetic Studies 

Topics covered include:

• Why It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better
• What’s My Motivation?
• Balancing Service and Positive Self-Interest
• Problems With Authority – Invoking Authority Figures to Overcome Them
• Nightmares, Night Terrors, and Why You Think You Are Going Crazy and When You Really Are Going Crazy
• Spontaneous, and Not So Spontaneous Awakenings (Yoga Instructors Take Note)
• Hauntings, Paranormal Phenomena, and Obsession and Possession
• Mapping the Energy Flow – Why Tradition is Critical
• Keeping It Safe – The Great Marketing Lie of Modern Spirituality
• Initiation is Terror, Death, Not for the Weak, and How To Get Over It

This study guide is based on a long awaited seminar on traditional magical teachings found in ‘pow-wow’ or Brauche of the Pennsylvania Germans. These practices include the traditional grimoires, the teachings of Paracelsus and Agrippa, and the rare philosophical and visionary end of the spectrum of Jacob Boehme, Johannes Kelpius, and Conrad Beissel.

Because the worldview of the Renaissance magus (from which the braucher is a direct descendant) is somewhat different than what we see in many modern magical groups, topics include:

• Offering prayers, the various classes of beings, and how to address them
• How to make traditional red protection cords, as well as black.
• Traditional charms, their theory and practice.
• A survey of the Three Books of Agrippa, the Fourth Book, and the Arbatel in practical magic.
• A short course on defensive magic: eggs for cleansing and healing, prayer cloths, witch bottles, and using the SATOR Square.
• How to write a Himmelsbrief (Letter from Heaven)
• Various forms of Holy Water, Holy Oil, Brauche bags, and making more tools of the trade.
• Psalm magic as found with The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, as well as in hoodoo.
• Parting the Veil and Collecting Spirits: Summoning angelic, demonic, elemental, and human beings to the edge of the circle.
• Invocation without a circle, magic mirrors, etc.

The purpose of spiritual practices is to allow each of us to fully express our potential. Every person who enters the Path knows this on some level, as they are experiencing a level of discontent – for each person that discontent can take several forms depending on their stage in life. In the end, they all come down to the desire to experience health, wealth, wisdom, and happiness.

Without health, life itself is a challenge. Without wealth or adequate resources at achieve our goals, life becomes frustration. Without wisdom, life becomes sorry and misery, or, as at it is called, a journey through the Forest of Errors. Without happiness nothing matters. In this book we will examine various practices for enhancing the expansive powers within ourselves (and often attributed to the planet Jupiter by the ancients) so as to fulfill our goals by embracing them, having the resources to achieve them, the insight to guide us along the way, and joy of accomplishments that further us on the Path of Return.

Topics include:

• Jupiter as Teacher and Good Father in Mythology
• Liturgy of Hermes and Spiritual Accomplishments
• Four Levels of Spiritual Practice
• Why Health, Wealth, Wisdom, and Happiness Matter
• Organizing Your Sphere of Influence
• The Secret Key

The role of holiness, saintliness, and understanding the place of divinity in daily life has been lost on all but a few of the remaining schools of traditional western esoteric practices. Drawing upon Classical, Medieval, Renaissance, and early modern traditions, the role of spirituality in daily life from the perspectives of folk and formal esoteric practices will be examined, with emphasis on the roles of saint, healer, and prophet on the community level, as well as the trials and tribulations this can bring to one’s spiritual life and how to overcome them.

This study guide is a fast paced tour through the history of Pennsylvania German folk magic and mysticism and their role in the magical revival of the twentieth century. You’ll enjoy a mystical tour of the last three-hundred years of American spiritual history, up to and including aspects as diverse as the revival of ceremonial magic, Behminist Theosophy, the New Age Movement, and alternative healing practices.