Which books sit on your nightstand?

[Nungali]

15 hours ago, sean said:

 

Haha. Busted. 😊 Another bad habit.

 

 

 

I updated my pipe

 

 

.....  and my room

 

 

 

 

......  and my whole look .

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

( for all you 'background' freaks )

[Sebastian]

By the way, thanks for lending me these books Nungali. It’s a bit tedious to read, but the pictures make it all worth it.

[shazlor]

On 25/08/2019 at 6:54 AM, Taomeow said:

 

Thankyou Taomeow, very cool. I think I'll pick that up while I continue to wait for this release to print. 

 

https://www.lewismasonic.co.uk/esoteric/the-hermetic-art-of-memory.htm

 

 

Spoiler

 Martin Faulks has a mini-series on youtube channel linked here exploring and practicing these techniques.)

"

Will be printed when pre-orders reach 500  (Currently 370 copies have been reserved)

Two manuals of Hermetic attainment written by the Scottish apprentice of Giordano Bruno

A compendium of

The Shadow of Reason and Judgement   (1583) 

&

Thamus - The Virtue of Memory (1597) 

By Alexander Dickson

Translated by Paul Ferguson

Introduced by Martin Faulks"

Spoiler

During the intellectual swirl of the mystic Renaissance the phrase Art of Memory  referred to a specific set of memory disciplines and techniques that had evolved from classical Greek mnemonics. This was a method whereby one would create a memory palace in the mind. This could be based on a real or imagined place which, using intensive imagination, one would build up in the memory to the degree that it could be visited with ease. This memory palace could then be used as a kind of memory storehouse. By placing items in different locations in the palace one could recall them with ease when the palace was next visited. In order to make the images memorable the characters, figures or items used were often dramatic and could sometimes be quite striking to contemporary sensibilities.

This meditative art was commonly accepted to be a very good method for memorising speeches, but also a great form of moral training. However, some practitioners took it further, believing that this art had far more potential. They believed that if practiced in the correct way this art could lead to an expansion of awareness and mental ability. This inner transformation would not only lead to perfect memory, but would gift the practitioner with higher awareness total mastery of self.

Masters of this more mystical art of memory were believed to be the holders of a secret tradition from Ancient Egypt that would gift them with clairvoyant perception of and control over higher forces. The most famous of these figures was that of Giordano Bruno who taught his mystic art of memory throughout Europe. His works taught a magical memory system veiled in encoded language and parable and were greatly sort after in his day. They remain a mystery to many to this very day.

But few are aware of another mystical memory master and member of the court of then James VI of Scotland - Alexander Dicsone. His mastery led to great fame in the British Isles with many authors referring to the more magical side of memory as "Dicsones Art".

Renowned historians such as David Stevenson, Robert Cooper, and Fabio Venzi have speculated as to the possible influences these hidden practices could have had on the development of Freemasonry due to Discone's close proximity to William Schaw. Schaw first drew up constitutions for Scottish stonemasons in which the Masonic ritual seems to be referred to as the art of memory.

Now for the first time ever two of Dicsone's own works on the art of memory have been translated into English by an expert in Renaissance Latin. Accompanied by extensive footnotes and an explanatory introductory chapter by Hermeticist Martin Faulks, Dicsones beautifully inspiring works are less guarded than his teachers and offer a unique opportunity to grasp the art and discover its full potential.

 

*

*

*

 

This is currently my favourite piece of dead tree to stare at and hallucinate over.

 

 

Spoiler

The Hermetic Science of Transformation: The Initiatic Path of Natural and Divine Magic

A classic initiatic primer for the serious magical aspirant, available now for the first time in English

• Details occult purification and preparations for the path of natural and divine magic

• Explains how initiation into the hermetic science transforms the novice not only mentally but also physically, altering even the very fluids of the body

• Offers a return to the original hermetic path of initiation, following the strict procedures and symbolism as defined in the spiritual practices of Pythagoras and his tradition

The main purpose of the hermetic science, as seen by Giuliano Kremmerz (1861-1930), Italian alchemist, hermeticist, philosopher, and member of the Ur Group, is to allow the adept to concentrate on the natural and divine magic that will allow him or her to develop the latent powers innate in every human being. The initiatory path this opens, one the author compares to the Royal Way of Alchemy, transforms the novice not only mentally but also physically, altering even the very fluids of his or her body. For Kremmerz, magic is the supreme science, the highest expression of what exists and what is possible.

With this book, first published in Italian in 1897 and available here for the first time in English, Kremmerz sought to redefine magical initiation as well as other key components of the occult sciences. His aim was to bring the hermetic path of initiation back into alignment with the strict procedures and symbolism that defined the spiritual practices of Pythagoras and the heirs to his tradition. He visualized the initiate as a disciple who has escaped the stagnant water in which the rest of humanity is immersed and entered a state of non-ordinary consciousness, one that allows for the successful pursuit of realization and contact with the magical will.

In this transformative initiatory guide, Kremmerz details the occult purification and preparation the path of natural and divine magic requires. The spiritual course advocated by Kremmerz is arduous--to move forward on the path of true realization, one that will allow the initiate to “climb to heaven” while still alive, the aspirant must commit to total severance from everyday life. Yet Kremmerz’s words themselves serve to trigger the beginning of transformation within us, making the very act of reading this primer the first step on the path of initiation into the hermetic science.

 

https://vk.com/wall-135321236_7300

https://www.amazon.com/Hermetic-Science-Transformation-Initiatic-Natural/dp/1620559080

 

 

[Taomeow]

[sean]

On 10/27/2019 at 4:32 AM, ऋषि said:

 

Looks interesting, worth reading? I currently live in North Carolina. 💀

 

 

 

[silent thunder]

Revisiting

 

Robert Anton Wilson's Coincidance

and

Lynne McTaggart's  The Field

[Toni]

This summer I have read two books of the great George Orwell: animal farm and 1984.

 

Everybody should read him.

[Earl Grey]

2 hours ago, Toni said:

This summer I have read two books of the great George Orwell: animal farm and 1984.

 

Everybody should read him.

 

As you enjoyed those, look up his essays. "Shooting an Elephant in Burma" is one such piece that to me speaks more about the 21st century than 1984 because it talks about how groupthink and mob mentality affect our reality, which is why populism is so prevalent today when people rely on others to think for them, whether it's their mobile devices and apps, Yelp reviews, or a larger body. 

 

Another theme that is more grotesque and in the vein of the New Weird genre is Clive Barker's "In the Hills, The Cities" short story from Books of Blood.

[Earl Grey]

3 hours ago, silent thunder said:

Revisiting

 

Robert Anton Wilson's Coincidance

and

Lynne McTaggart's  The Field

 

Coincidance arrived in a suitcase last month after sitting in my sister's apartment for months waiting to be brought here for me to finally read. Love it. 

[Toni]

I will read more about Orwell, he is among the greats. Another good and weird book: Whatever from Houellebecq

Edited November 8, 2019 by Toni

[AngelsView]

Wilderness...and, The American Night.

Poetry by Jim Morrison 

[silent thunder]

Been waiting (not very patiently) for this one for a few weeks.

It arrived last night... I'm giddy about it.

 

Reflections On The Dawn Of Consciousness:  Julian Jaynes's Bicameral Mind Theory Revisited

 

I'm rationing it.  Savoring, rather than devouring.

 

 

[Jim D.]

"No Surrender"

[Jim D.]

"Every Day Tao," Deng Ming Dao, 1996

[Jim D.]

Nine Years living with the Indians

[Apech]

oops

 

Edited December 3, 2019 by Apech

[Apech]

https://www.amazon.com/Bringing-Mind-Training-Life-Exploring-ebook/dp/B0813VLG6S/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Bringing+mind+training+to+life&qid=1575389617&sr=8-1

[rideforever]

Got this audiobook really enjoying it.  It's a reprieve from the always-super-happy prozac society.

Fully feeling, fully breathing, fully digesting your own experience.

The Tao Fully Feeling, Pete Walker.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tao-Fully-Feeling-Harvesting-Forgiveness-ebook/dp/B017I3NRRO

[silent thunder]

Circe by Madeline Miller. 

 

It is a retelling of the story of the Witch/Goddess Circe, the one whom Odysseus spent years with on her island during his journey home after the Trojan War.

 

Got if for my gal and she's shared a few passages.  Strikingly Poetic and Insightful... I'm stoked to get my turn.

[steve]

[silent thunder]

Burned through God's Debris  by Scott Adams last night.  Clever, witty and at times quite deep.  Didn't know the Dilbert Artist was such a deep well.

 

Next up is Mindfulness.  The Path to the Deathless by Ajahn Sumedho.  Going into this one blind, found it while sifting through boxes of my wife's Buddhist collections for books to donate to our library.

 

 

[Pilgrim]

The Mahāsiddha Field by none other than our very own fellow forum member DWAI LAHIRI

 

This is one of my all time favorite books.

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Mahāsiddha-Field-Book-ebook/dp/B081SPR24B/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=The+Mahāsiddha+Field+-+My+first+novel+By+dwai&qid=1579466920&sr=8-1-fkmr0

 

 

[Nintendao]

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

 

[silent thunder]

Magic and Mystery in Tibet:  Alexandra David-Neel

 

wow.

 

What a presence she must have been!

She's becoming something of an archetypal hero for me.

Her presence, through the paper is vibrant and palpable.

I'm welcoming her as an honored guest in my home

She's been good for me, though her first words came like thunder and radical shift... it's the welcome thunder of nourishing rain.

 

This is my second foray into her process and experiences... and so far it's more glancing and topical.

Though I'm but knee deep in...

 

yup... got a sincere respect crushy on Ms David-Neel

[Earl Grey]

51 minutes ago, silent thunder said:

Magic and Mystery in Tibet:  Alexandra David-Neel

 

wow.

 

What a presence she must have been!

She's becoming something of an archetypal hero for me.

Her presence, through the paper is vibrant and palpable.

I'm welcoming her as an honored guest in my home

She's been good for me, though her first words came like thunder and radical shift... it's the welcome thunder of nourishing rain.

 

This is my second foray into her process and experiences... and so far it's more glancing and topical.

Though I'm but knee deep in...

 

yup... got a sincere respect crushy on Ms David-Neel

I have that book too.

 

Quite scary with the part on tulpa.