Showing results by narrator "Matthew Schmitz" in All Categories

The Kybalion is a book originally published in 1908 by "Three Initiates" that purports to convey the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus. A modern Hermetic tract, it has been widely influential in New Age circles since the 20th century. A central concept in the book is that there are "seven Hermetic principles, upon which the entire Hermetic philosophy is based".

The Book of Lambspring is one of the few real-life cases of a centuries-old book on alchemy. Nicolas Barnaud was a French Protestant writer, physician and alchemist, from Crest, in Dauphiné, from which he took the name Delphinas. He was a member of the Monarchomaques. He is associated with a number of mysteries.

This is a collection of five alchemical tracts written by one of the most famous alchemists who was said to have discovered the Philosopher's Stone. In these writings, Paracelsus attempts to educate the listener about the nature of the Philosopher's Stone and the scientific principles from which we can be assured of its existence and understand how it works. Like all alchemical tracts, the language is very cryptic and allegorical, so as to be unintelligible to the unworthy.

The Six Keys of Eudoxus is a short but important manuscript within alchemy. Ascribed to an ancient philosopher, it dates to the Renaissance and describes a simplistic set of methods by which alkahest and the philosopher's stone can be made.

Heralding from the famed Emerald Tablet, Mead examines the phrase, As Above So Below, and primarily as it pertains to Theosophy.

Dreams are part of common experience, yet a mystery that is little understood. Psychologists and others who are ignorant of the human being's true constitution, ranging across several subtle levels, are only groping to learn their significance.

The Turba Philosophorum, also known as Assembly of the Philosophers, is one of the oldest European alchemy texts, translated from the Arabic, like the Picatrix. It is considered to have been written c. 900 A.D.

One of the greatest thinkers on the origins of Christianity and a renowned expert on Gnostic and Hermetic literature presents, in this snug volume first published in 1907, the lost teachings of Jesus. Not found in the canonical Gospels and, indeed, frequently dismissed as blasphemous or heretical or "reworked" by later editors to comply with perceived tradition, this beautiful hymn is not just of interest to Christian mystics but to anyone who values wise words well spoken. For those interested in mysticism, Gnosticism, and esoteric traditions.

This is an ancient alchemy manuscript. Artephius (Artefius) (c. 1150) is a writer and alchemist to whom a number of alchemical texts are ascribed. Alchemical pseudepigraphy makes it difficult to identify who the historical Artephius may have been. His identity remains an open question. As The Secret Book of Artephius was respected and mentioned by Roger Bacon many times, Artephius' writing and alchemy is dated to around 1150.

Focusing on often-forgotten moments in history, Manley P. Hall proposes that there was a Great Plan put forth 1000 years before our nation’s founding. Humanistic and mystical organizations wished for the continent to be the location for an experiment in self-government and religious freedom. As one of the leading esoteric scholars of the 20th century, Hall offers an intriguing view of our past, discussing everything from the symbolism of the Great Seal of the US to the prophecy announced at George Washington’s birth.

Northcote Thomas provides an lengthy study of the history and practice of crystal gazing. He covers techniques for scrying utilizing a crystal sphere as an aid in clairvoyance and obtaining visions. A chapter on the incantation or "call" is included. In additional to practical techniques, the work covers the crystal ball's history. Thomas spends two chapters in an in depth discussion of Egyptian scrying. An early work on the subject, originally published in 1905.

For long I have been spending much of my time in a world of great beauty of thought and purity of feeling, created by the devotion and intelligence of one of the many theosophical fraternities of the ancient world. They called themselves disciples of Thrice-greatest Hermes, and sometimes spoke of their faith as the Religion of the Mind. They were prior to and contemporary with the origins and earliest centuries of Christianity, and they lived in Egypt.

The Story of Aridæus is the most detailed and graphic Vision of Hades preserved to us from classical antiquity, and exceeds in interest even Plato’s Story of Er and Cicero’s Dream of Scipio, not to speak of the less known Visions of Krates and of Zosimus.

William Lilly (May 11, 1602–June 9, 1681), was a famed English astrologer and occultist during his time. Lilly was particularly adept at interpreting the astrological charts drawn up for horary questions, as this was his specialty. He caused much controversy in 1666 for allegedly predicting the Great Fire of London some 14 years before it happened. For this reason, many people believed that he may have started the fire, but there is no evidence to support these claims.