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| ALEISTER CROWLEY : Art In America Written for The English Review in 1913, this essay says more about Crowley than about American Art. It was much criticised by contemporary American artists for its prejudice and unfairness. Crowley says in his Confessions that he planned other, more positive essays dealing with the present and future of American Art. The essay's lasting value is historical -- how differently things have come to look in the intervening seventy years. REVIEW: "A sound contribution to the promulgation of Thelema" -- Aquarian Arrow, No 26. { 16pp, June 1998; PB, £2.99, 1869928040:9781869928049 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| ASHÉ! : Selections From the Journal of Experimental Spirituality [Sven Davisson (ed)] 'Ashé' is a multidisciplinary journal that explores the diverse avenues of modern spirituality, examining the ways individuals and groups push at the envelope of spiritual expression and contemplative practice. This collection brings together some of the best pieces from Ashé's first year. This eclectic collection provides glimpses of spiritual experiences from across the spectrum of human diversity -- Afro-Cuban Santeria, Buddhism, Hinduism, Osho Neo-Sannyas, William S. Burroughs, among others. { 112pp, 140x215mm, January 2003; PB, £10.99, 1869928806:9781869928803 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| BECOMING MAGICK : New & Revised Magicks from the New Aeon [David Rankine] Drawing on over twenty years of magickal work in a variety of systems, this book is a forward-looking manual full of new material and techniques created to push the boundaries of contemporary magick. Inspired by the great magickal traditions of past millennia, Becoming Magick presents new techniques of sigilisation and gematria, as well as a new system of energy magick based on the Kalas, and Prime Qabalah, a new system of English Gematria. This volume also explores the practical benefits of less explored magickal techniques such as magickal ingestion and working magick during illness. REVIEW: "Rankine is interesting to say the least. ...Part of the book had me enthralled and other parts left me dry. ...if [the Thelemic/Maat style of 'Magick' is] your bag, then you'll probably love this book." -- Moloch, Zodiac Bistro. "The book presents new techniques of visualisation and gematria, as well as a new system of magical working based on lunar symbolism and the Cabbala" -- The Cauldron, May 2005. { 196pp, 140x215mm, December 2004; PB, £12.99, 1869928814:9781869928810 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| BOOKS OF THE BEAST [Timothy d'Arch Smith] For Aleister Crowley a book was a talisman and every part right down to colour, dimension, and price was symbolic. He also used magical techniques to gain literary success -- thus new editions of Crowley's writing multiply daily, tantalising the bibliographer. All the more indispensable is this authoritative guide to his magical first editions. { 128pp, January 1991; PB, £10.00, 1869928172:9781869928179 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| BULL OF OMBOS : Seth & Egyptian Magick, Volume 2 [Mogg Morgan] Naqada is a sleepy little town in Upper Egypt, that gives its name to a crucial period in the prehistory of Egypt. In 1895, William Matthew Flinders Petrie, the 'father' of Egyptian archaeology, stumbled upon a necropolis, belonging to a very ancient city of several thousand inhabitants. With Petrie's usual luck, he'd made yet another archaeological find of seismic proportions -- not just an ancient city a quarter the size of Ur in Mesopotamia, a rare enough find, but the capital of the earliest state established in Egypt! Petrie's fateful walk through the desert led him to a lost city, known to the Greeks as Ombos, the Citadel of Seth. Seth, the Hidden God, once ruled in this ancient place before it was abandoned to the sands of the desert. All this forbidden knowledge was quickly reburied in academic libraries, where its stunning magical secrets had lain, largely unrevealed, for more than a century -- until now. { 356pp, 152x229mm, October 2005; PB, £13.99, 1869928873:9781869928872 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| CALIBAN'S REDEMPTION [David Parry] In this collection of occult poems Parry's alter-ego Caliban muses on sexuality, seclusion and Shakespeare. Moreover, by trying to capture the dark dwarf's metaphysical lyrics moment by moment, the author slowly confronts himself as a willing prisoner on the magical island of violence and desire. After all, Caliban would claim that neither Browning nor Nietzsche had fully grasped the ethics of redemption which can only be found in unadulterated selfhood. { 131pp, 140x215mm, April 2004; PB, £9.99, 186992875X:9781869928759 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| CAMDEN TOWN MURDER : The Life & Death of Emily Dimmock [John Barber] This is the story of the victim; along with an account of the times in which she lived, and the circumstances surrounding her death. Is this another crime of the imagination? Recent books have seen parallels between The Camden Town Murder, and the Whitechapel killings of Jack the Ripper, and The Peasenhall Mystery of 1902. Analogies have been made between Walter Sickert and the Ripper crimes, and The Camden Town Murder; both cases said to be crimes of the imagination, with particular suspects being artists, with a penchant for the seamier side of life. John Barber presents the reader with a modern day investigation, analysing and retracing the events with the story's protagonists; as well as bringing to light vital clues which, back then had escaped the judges' attention . This is a social history and an account of the human condition of the people living in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, the upper classes and their domestic servants, the 'fallen women', the music-halls, the artists, and the demi-monde. All these moving against alternating backgrounds of greys, black and crimson, and enraptured with the vapours of wormwood. { 196pp, January 2007; HB, £19.99, 1869928911:9781869928919 / PB, £12.99, 1869928148:9781869928148 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| CANNIBAL WITHIN [Mark Mirabello] We may think we are special -- holy, honoured, valued -- God's chosen primates -- but that is a fraud. The dupes of superhuman forces, we are misfits and abominations. We have no higher purpose -- no saviour God died for our sins -- we exist, only because our masters are infatuated with our meat. We have a choice: the evil may be patiently borne or savagely resisted. { 132pp, 130x200mm, April 2002; PB, £7.99, 186992827X:9781869928278 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| CAULDRON OF THE GODS : A Manual of Celtic Magick [Jan Fries] Imagine the forest. As darkness falls, the somber beeches disappear in misty twilight and shadows seem to gather under their branches. Far away, the blackbird's call tells of the coming of the night. The birds cease their singing, silence descends, soon the beasts of the night will make their appearance. Between tangled roots, hidden by nettles and brambles, the earth seems to ripple. A few humps of earth seem to emerge from the ground. They are the last traces of burial mounds, of mounds, which were tall and high 2500 years ago. Many of them have disappeared, hidden by tangled roots of beech and oak, ploughed flat by careless farmers, others again show caved-in tops where grave robbers have looted the central chamber. The locals shun these hills. There are tales that strange fires can be seen glowing on the mounds, and that on spooky nights, great armed warriors arise from their resting places. Then the doors to the deep are thrown open and unwary travelers have to beware of being invited into the halls of the dead and unborn. Here the kings of the deep feast and celebrate, time passes differently and strange treasures may be found. Who knows the nights when the gates are open? Who carries the primrose, the wish-flower, the strange blossom that opens the doors to the hollow hills? { 552pp, 200x245mm, November 2003; PB, £24.99, 186992861X:9781869928612 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| CHAOTOPIA! : Sorcery & Ecstasy in the Fifth Aeon [Dave Lee] 'Chaotopia!' is neither Utopia nor its opposite. It is what Austin Osman Spare called 'the chaos of the normal', seen through an illuminated eye, the eye of the sorcerer. It includes updates and evaluations of techniques in Chaos Magick and an exploration of ecstatic states in relation to both magick and mysticism. Also chapters on: Wealth Magick; Conflict and Exorcism; Sex Magick; Body Alchemy and Healing; Magick and Physics; Chaos Illumination; Spirits/Aeonics. REVIEW: "A highly intelligent book by a leading Chaos Magician which will broaden and deepen Chaoist debate, theory and practice." -- Peter J Carroll. { 208pp, 145x229mm, February 2006; PB, £12.99, 1869928881:9781869928889 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| CONSCIOUSNESS & NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES [Gerhard D Wassermann] In 1993 I published a novel kind of theory of psychic phenomena in a book entitled 'Shadow Matter And Psychic Phenomena'. Although I devoted a whole chapter to the issue of possible survival of the human personality after bodily death, I did not go remotely far enough. Contrary to common-sense, it seems physically quite possible that an important component of each of us survives death. It is a part of this component which during life and death carries our memories and our ability to think, feel etc., Perhaps a valuable guide to the possible machinery of death and dying might be obtained by attempts to elucidate the conceivable mechanisms of Near Death Experiences (NDEs). Various people have studied these for many years. My own theorising begins with a critical reappraisal of some of these ideas on NDEs. In the course of the argument I hope to persuade the reader of the advantages of a theory based in the new physics of shadow matter. { 176pp, 140x215mm, October 2001; PB, £9.99, 1869928628:9781869928629 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| DARK SPLENDOR [Les Visible] Billy Joe thought of himself as beyond the restrictions of the common herd. He was free to do his own will as no other was, above limits and laws, past apprehension, unreachable, untouchable, an entity unto himself alone. This is what he thought. But this is not what he was. Everything he did served the will and the interests of a force far older and deeper than he would ever reach. In comparison, he was like a child playing with blocks. He served a master who was loyal to no one, just as he was loyal to no one. There were many men like Billy Joe in the world, less accomplished in their evil, but moving deliberately down that ancient staircase into the 'Dark Splendor'. One part crime novel and one part occult thriller, the book takes us behind the veil of appearances into a world where nothing is what it seems. Set against the backdrop of the island of Maui, the pacing grips us from the first page and sends us at a gallop on a white-knuckled ride featuring serial killers, drug dealers, horrific murder, martial artists, reincarnation, ceremonial magic, a black magician and an immortal Tibetan Master. For pure enjoyment and surprise this book is guaranteed to remain in your thoughts long after you have finished reading. { 288pp, 155x230mm, March 2004; PB, £9.99, 1869928695:9781869928698 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| ENGLISH MAHATMA [Mogg Morgan] 'The English Mahatma' was one of Aleister Crowley's many titles. In the 1920s a young seeker after religious enlightenment chanced to meet Crowley during one of his bruising court battles. The advice of the master was to quit England and seek illumination direct from the horse's mouth in India. In the twilight of his life, the seeker came to be known as 'The English Paramahamsa'. By the end of the 1960s the magical revival had stalled, the victim of megalomania, lack of relevance or purpose. What becomes of those still searching in more cynical times? This fictional narrative gives one possible answer as it follows the first faltering steps of another simple man in search of spiritual enlightenment amongst an ancient Tantrik sect of the Tankhem tradition. { 186pp, 140x215mm, September 2001; PB, £7.99, 1869928458:9781869928452 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| EXHUMATION OF A MURDER : The Life & Trial of Major Armstrong [Robin Odell] The case of Major Armstrong, the celebrated Hay Poisoner, the only solicitor ever to hang, is one of those classic, old-fashioned English murders which hail from the heyday of courtroom drama when, with the hangman lurking in the pine-and-panel wings and the black cap an object of horrifyingly alarming currency rather than mere symbolism, the loser in 'the black dock's dreadful pen' lost all. It comes straight out of the pages of George Orwell's essayed nostalgia. { 284pp, 155x230mm, July 2006; PB, £12.99, 186992892X:9781869928926 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| FIRE CHILD : The Life & Magick of Maxine Sanders -- 'Witch Queen' [Maxine Sanders] One of the world's most influential and respected witches, Maxine Sanders first caught worldwide public attention while married to the celebrated - and controversial - 'King of the Witches', Alex Sanders. A highly respected Priestess of the Sacred Mysteries, in her role of teacher she has encouraged, enabled and inspired students of the Priesthood to take on the conscious mantle of their spiritual potential. In this long awaited autobiography Maxine reflects on her life and magical experiences spanning Modern Witchcraft, Wicca, Paganism, Gods and Goddesses, Seasonal rituals, Sabbats, Ceremonial magic, Kabbalah and The Sacred Magic of the Angels. This is a unique, poignant and often humorous memoir of an extraordinary life, by a rare, courageous and inspiring woman. REVIEW: "This is one of the most important books ever published on modern paganism: a full and candid autobiography by one of its most influential, and charismatic figures." - Professor Ronald Hutton author of The Triumph of the Moon { 312pp, 155x230mm, November 2007; PB, £12.99, 1869928784:9781869928780 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| FLYING SORCERER : Francis Barrett [Francis King] Including Barrett's previously unpublished manuscript on Crystal Vision. From the editor of The Grimoire of Armadel and author of Sexuality, Magick and Perversion, this is the story of an enigmatic 18th century magus whose work still influences the current generation. Francis Barrett was the first since the middle ages to compile a manual or 'grimoire' of magick. His The Magus or Celestial Intelligencer is widely read and still capable of providing insight. { 80pp, January 1992; PB, £6.99, 1869928202:9781869928209 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| HELRUNAR, 3RD EDITION : A Manual of Rune Magick [Jan Fries] Preface to the new edition: When I went to school, my history teacher told us about the old Germani. In her opinion, the Taunus mountains were populated by a bunch of brawny brawlers who wore horned helmets and small pieces of pelt. They lived in hilltop settlements which were fortified by ringwalls. Barely able to manage agriculture, they had to rely on hunting to fill their stomachs. They lived in shabby huts with mud-plastered walls and when the Romans came, they fought the invaders with crude swords, pointy sticks and by hurling rocks at them... Nowadays, the ringwalls of the Taunus are known as the work of La Tène Celts, who lived on the heights in well organised cities. For this new edition much of the text has been rewritten and updated. A large section on the bronze ages, the Celts, Germani and the later Vikings added. The theme of Wodan and Helja has been elaborated with more detail on pagan Scandinavia. The chapter on magical rune inscriptions has been extended, on Seiðr/seething trances rewritten, the bibliography updated and twelve pages of new illustrations added. The runes are a pan-European magical language. Its roots lie in the ancient pagan beliefs of our ancestors, who built many thousands of stones circles, long barrows and dolmens throughout ancient Europe. These same symbols and techniques were used by the pagan Celts and Germans. This book is a complete manual of magick based upon arcane symbolism and secret techniques. REVIEW: "...eminently practical and certainly breaks new ground." -- Ronald Hutton, author. Recommended by The Cauldron. "a very meaty read..." -- PJ in Gippeswic. { 450pp, December 2005; £19.99, 1869928903:9781869928902 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| HIPPALOS : The Conquest of the Indian Ocean [Kamil V Zvelebil] Greek and Indian sources tell of an Alexandrian Greek navigator called Hippalos. He discovered a direct route across the ocean from the Red sea, to legendary Musiris in South India. 2000 miles of open ocean in 30 days and nights. India: when the Kama Sutra was first written down. India where Buddhists and Hindus hate each other with a vengeance and where mighty dynasties are embroiled in bloody war. Against this powerful backdrop the heart of Hippalos is tested to its limit as friends fight for survival and a passionate love affair grows. Hippalos's journey, based on fact, offers us a way through the vast ocean of Indian story. You will be entertained and then initiated into the secrets of ancient India as you have never before seen it. Kamil V Zvelebil, born in 1927, is professor-emeritus of Indian studies at the universities of Chicago, Heidelberg, Utrecht and Prague and also an ordained Zen Buddhist monk. { 272pp, 145x215mm, July 2001; PB, £9.99, 1869928415:9781869928414 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| HISTORY OF FUN, BOOK 1 [Mary Hedger] In an explicit sexmagick orgy, this book recounts the origins of a powerful occult phenomenon, the cult of Thelema. Artist and mother Est can no longer numb the magnetic pull of her destiny with drugs. Newly aroused instinct propels her to a fateful encounter with Stritch, half starved rock god and member of The Beast's secret cult. Est is inevitably attracted towards the hub of their organisation. The Beast 666 and his Scarlet Woman 156 luxuriate in ritual sexmagick devised to attract new acolytes, while Mama Shag uses Ridelands, her country estate, for secret gatherings of the cult's inner circle. Here acolytes are tested and newcomers initiated, proving their allegiance in the mysteries which unfold within the underground chamber. { 202pp, 155x230mm, September 2001; PB, £8.99, 1869928636:9781869928636 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| I, CROWLEY : Last Confession of the Beast 666 -- Almost [Snoo Wilson] "I never killed Raoul Loveday with a magical spell". Aleister Crowley, otherwise known as the Beast 666, shared membership of the Golden Dawn with W B Yeats, and publishers with D H Lawrence. Now in a beyond-the-grave autobiography, he recounts his own vocation, his practice of sex magic, and his bruising encounters with his contemporaries. The great magus, whose own world-conquering creed The Book of the Law was written in Cairo in 1904, was according to him, no murderer, but a prophet and practitioner of all kinds of sexual freedom and new magical systems. REVIEW: "Intriguing and sordidly entertaining..." -- Gay Times. "Brilliant... the Great Beast explaining himself in lapel-grabbing prose..." -- Simon Callow, Sunday Telegraph. "Excellent... perverse, funny and at times as inexplicably moving as its subject. Recommended..." -- Fortean Times. { 250pp, October 1999; PB, £9.99, 1869928547:9781869928544 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| ITHELL COLQUHOUN : Pioneer Surrealist Artist, Occultist, Writer, & Poet [Eric Ratcliffe] The skills of Ithell Colquhoun in her main practice, that of artist and pioneer in this country of surrealistic art, have been long recognised. Additionally, other interests -- alchemy. Earth-magic, active occultism, poetry, druidism, the pre-Christian pagan calendar, the history and membership of the Golden Dawn -- and writing of and involvement in these interests by book publication and in a widely scattered field of correspondence, have created a miscellany of truly gargantuan proportion. Eric Ratcliffe considered it was time to get together some of these pieces, to add something of what is known of Colquhoun's early life and family history and to take the opportunity of listing a comprehensive calendar of her work and exhibitions. The result is neither strictly biographical nor a treatise on any one subject, but it is a first gathering of the roots, passions and multi-directions of this artist. It is a patchwork containing many launch-pads for exploration of the magical and mythical atmosphere which this artist existed in and created. Here therefore is a contribution towards solving a jigsaw and a wind-catch of the minor cyclones of lthell's dedicatory interests, also serving as a record of her accomplishments in the art field. REVIEW: "...an excellent addition to the growing collection of books produced by Mandrake covering the interconnection of magick and surrealism." -- Soror Chamos, Avalonia, November 2007. { 316pp, 155x230mm, October 2007; £19.99, 1869928989:9781869928988 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| JESUS THE SORCERER : Exorcist & Prophet of the Apocalypse [Robert Conner] The most complete summation to date of the New Testament evidence for magical practice by Jesus and the early Christians. The very notion of Jesus being a sorcerer runs so against the grain of the Western cultural myth that even non-Christians are likely to find it far-fetched or even vaguely disturbing. Nevertheless, scholars steadily accumulated evidence for magi-cal practices in the New Testament throughout much of the 20th century . It is that ever expanding body of knowledge that has made this book possible. This book examines the following: The nature of the earliest Christian documents, the defects of their transmission, and the evidence for the suppression of descriptions of magical acts. The closely related problem of the New Testament accounts as historical sources. The radically apocalyptic nature of Jesus' message and the expectations of the early church. The failure of the apocalypse to occur and the theological reaction to that failure. The role of magic and mystery religion in early Christianity. A revisiting of the story of the 'beloved disciple' and what it may tell us about Jesus and suppression of evidence about his life. { 320pp, 155x230mm, April 2006; PB, £12.99, 1869928954:9781869928957 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| JOURNAL FOR THE ACADEMIC STUDY OF MAGIC, ISSUE 1 [Dave Evans & Alison Butler (eds)] A multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed print publication, covering all areas of magic, witchcraft, paganism etc; all geographical regions and all historical periods. { 188pp, 145x215mm, March 2003; PB, £13.99, 1869928679:9781869928674 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| JOURNAL FOR THE ACADEMIC STUDY OF MAGIC, ISSUE 2 [Dave Evans (ed)] A multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed print publication, covering all areas of magic, witchcraft, paganism etc; all geographical regions and all historical periods. REVIEW: "Diverse materials...from people who really know their stuff. ...another fine emission." -- Fortean Times, May 2005. { 384pp, 155x230mm, May 2004; PB, £19.99, 1869928725:9781869928728 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| JOURNAL FOR THE ACADEMIC STUDY OF MAGIC, ISSUE 3 { 332pp, 155x230mm, March 2006; PB, £19.99, 1869928962:9781869928964 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| JOURNAL FOR THE ACADEMIC STUDY OF MAGIC, ISSUE 4 { 388pp, 155x230mm, November 2007; PB, £19.99, 1869928393:9781869928391 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| LIVING MIDNIGHT : Three Movements of the Tao [Jan Fries] A study I Ching, but presented with all its magic intact and in a totally unique way. This leads naturally to an examination of the techniques of Taoist meditation and finally to look at the divine entities that lie behind the system the Immortals. Anyone who has read Jan Fries' inspirational books -- Helrunar, Visual Magik and especially Seidways: Shaking and Serpent Mysteries, cannot have failed to notice that some of the magical techniques of the east and of the Taoist tradition are very close to his heart. Here you will find many practical exercises, I Ching divination in the mind, breathing experiences and visualisation of coloured vapours. { 212pp, 145x220mm, September 1998; PB, £10.99, 1869928504:9781869928506 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| MAGICAL DILEMMA OF VICTOR NEUBURG, 2ND EDITION [Jean Overton Fuller] Jean Overton Fuller’s humane biography of Aleister Crowley’s disciple, lover, fellow magician, poet & seer; the literary god father of Dylan Thomas. Really two books in one. Firstly a record of one man’s extraordinary journey to magical enlightenment. Secondly the story of the Aleister Crowley, the magus who summoned Neuburg to join him in the quest. The book opens with the author’s entry into the group of young poets including Dylan Thomas and Pamela Hansford Johnson. They gather around Victor Neuburg in 1935 when he is poetry editor of the Sunday Referee. Gradually the author becomes aware of his strange and sinister past, in which Neuburg was associated in magic with Aleister Crowley. Neuburg had been Crowley’s partner in magical rituals in the desert and in rites even more dangerous and controversial. The author sought out the truth behind the rumours and with her intuitive understanding of deeper things presents a sympathetic and compelling biography. { 322pp, 155x230mm, May 2005; PB, £13.99, 1869928792:9781869928797 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| MEDICINE OF THE GODS : Basic Principles of Ayurvedic Medicine, 2nd Edition [Chris Morgan] Ayurveda is an Asian medical system which has its beginnings in India during approximately the sixth century BC and thrives even to the present day. Medical ideas underpin a great deal of Eastern thought especially Tantrism, alchemy, yoga and the science of love. This book is not intended as a series of health tips or as a textbook for the clinical practice of medicine, which in the Ayurveda tradition requires at least seven years intensive training. The book is aimed at students and lovers of South Asian culture, perhaps also anthropologists and others with a need for a straightforward introduction to the core principles of another scientific tradition. { 126pp, 145x215mm, June 2002; PB, £10.00, 1869928377:9781869928377 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| MERLIN'S MOUND [Nigel Bryant] The Stone Age monuments at Avebury in Wiltshire are world-famous, attracting thousands of visitors each year. Two of the most dramatic are the enormous burial chamber known as the West Kennet Long Barrow, and Silbury Hill, the largest man-made mound in Europe. Less well known is Silbury's 'sister' mound at Marlborough a few miles due east, but this is nothing less than the legendary burial place of Merlin. These extraordinary sites are the key locations of the novel 'Merlin's Mound', in which an adolescent is awakened in startling fashion to their meaning and original purpose. It will appeal to everyone from the protagonist's age upward with a taste for myth, legend and visions. { 158pp, 135x200mm, May 2004; PB, £6.99, 1869928768:9781869928766 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| MYSTICAL VAMPIRE : The Life & Works of Mabel Collins [Kim Farnell] Mabel Collins was an independent woman in the oppressive Victorian climate. She wrote many novels, but is mostly remembered for her best selling mystical text ‘Light on the Path’ published by the Theosophical Society. After her fall out with Madame Blavatsky, she carried on with her life as an esotericist, traveller and writer. She was moved by the plight and suffering of helpless creatures, and became a campaigner for the abolition of vivisection. { 236pp, 155x230mm, May 2005; PB, £12.99, 1869928857:9781869928858 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL CHAOS MAGICK [Greg Humphries & Julian Vayne; Foreword by Dave Lee] This book gives the beginner and experienced practitioner alike a modern, 21st century view into the powerful and often misunderstood magical current called 'Chaos Magick'. Written in a clear and easily accessible style it examines the theory behind many techniques used in magical, artistic, religious and scientific systems of thought; then links and applies them towards desired goals. Separated into two volumes the book can be used by the reader as a workbook with rituals, techniques and exercises to be followed, as a window into contemporary magical thought at the turn of the century or simply as a rollercoaster of a good read! However you choose to use it, this book will leave you feeling positive, inspired and ready to apply any of the methods presented to your own life. { 188pp, 155x230mm, May 2004; PB, £13.99, 1869928741:9781869928742 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| OCCULT HIGH : History of Fun, Book 2 [Mary Hedger] The Sicilian Hills: Great Beast creates the satanic rituals of Thelema. He dictates a book of dark genius to Animal -- occult whore. Est's paintings sell fast as the alien energy of the 93 current changes in her favour. She confronts Great Beast with the full potency of her power and the scene is set for euphoria. REVIEW: "...a brillianrt satire on the Aleister Crowley menage and so powerfully evocative of that Setanic Sage and the peculiar atmosphere of 'otherness' which he had about him even to his final days..." -- Kenneth Grant (probably the world's leading authority on Crowley and his work). { 224pp, 155x230mm, April 2004; HB, £25.00, 1869928733:9781869928735 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| ODIN BROTHERHOOD [Mark Mirabello] Called an 'occult religion' for adepts, a 'creed of iron' for warriors, and a 'secret society' for higher men and women who value 'knowledge, freedom and power', the Odin Brotherhood honours the gods and goddesses of the Norse pantheon. This non-fiction book details the legends, the rituals, and the mysteries of an ancient and enigmatic movement. REVIEW: "...the contents are stimulating stuff even though they may be somewhat different to what you might expect if you are familiar with the contents of the Poetic and Prose Eddas and the Sagas..." -- Alfred Godwin, Runa, Issue 15, 2004. { 126pp, 140x215mm, January 2004; PB, £10.99, 1869928717:9781869928711 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| PAN'S DAUGHTER : The Magical World of Rosaleen Norton [Nevill Drury] In the 1950s Rosaleen Norton was popularly known in Australia as the 'Witch of Kings Cross' -- a colourful, bohemian figure from Sidney's red light district. A natural trance artist, she experimented with self-hypnosis and as a result of her visionary explorations portrayed a wide range of supernatural beings in her paintings and drawings. Her 'pagan' art plunged her into continuous controversy and was the focus of obscenity trials. Her visionary drawings can be compared with those of English trance artist Austin Osman Spare. This is the first account of her life as a whole and looks both at her magical beliefs and her art and includes a fascinating selection of previously unpublished material. REVIEW: "...an extremely important document detailing the public and private prices this courageous unsung woman-hero paid for unapologetically 'dealing with life on other planes of being..." -- EIDOS (Everyone Is Doing Outrageous Sex) Surrealism and the Occult. { 168pp, January 1993; PB, £7.99, 1869928318:9781869928315 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| PAN'S ROAD [Mogg Morgan] The ancient hungry stones of Coptos in Upper Egypt have soaked up the stories of the inhabitants along with their blood. When archaeologists unearth a magician's box in the rubble of an ancient Egyptian tomb, it propels Jay into a supernatural journey across space and time. She merges with the mysterious Zenobia, a native of ancient Coptos. Zenobia and her family are fleeing from the advancing Roman armies that are returning to their Egyptian frontier bent on punishing its rebellious citizens. The only escape from the frying pan of Coptos is into the fire of the Eastern desert. Their journey on Pan's Road is fraught with new dangers but also new possibilities, as the protagonists are led to the heart of an ancient mystery in the lost city of Ombos -- Citadel of Seth, the Egyptian god of Chaos. { 231pp, 125x200mm, July 2006; PB, £7.99, 186992889X:9781869928896 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| PHARMAKON : Drugs & the Imagination [Julian Vayne] Ranging across both published and anecdotal evidence, 'Pharmakon' traces the story of drug use as a means of self-exploration. By examining apparently simple questions such as 'what is a drug?', 'Pharmakon' deconstructs and reconstructs the idea of drug experience. Experiences that the author believes are fundamental to the process of self-actualisation and learning. Julian Vayne is an occultist who has written on a number of esoteric subjects (witchcraft, the tarot and the sociology of contemporary Paganism). This book is aimed at both the general reader and those who are interested in the use of drugs in a spiritual context. Delving into areas as diverse as philosophy and neurochemistry, this is a book that in both style and content seeks to invent a new understanding of drugs in culture. { 284pp, 155x230mm, September 2006; PB, £12.99, 1869928946:9781869928940 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| QABALAH OF 50 GATES [Steven Ashe] The work of an old wanderer in Kabbalistic 'wasteland' -- Brother Steven Ashe. This is not an introductory kabbalistic text -- goodness knows there are enough of them in circulation. What follows is an initiate's journey through a particularly obscure and largely unexplored territory; told in the form of a fictional narrative. Well I suggest you cut to the chase now and start enjoying this latter day pilgrim's progress from life to the 'City of the Pyramids'. But for the perplexed I offer a few more words by way of my own personal prolegomena to Steven's eloquent parables and meditations. Whatever the literal meaning of the word 'Kabbalah' it actually denotes the magical tradition within Judaism. For various reasons this secret tradition has exerted a huge influence on Hermetic or Western magick for at least the last 500 years. Since, that is, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 by the authoritarian Christian monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. The upshot of the destruction of Jewish centres of learning was the spread of Kabbalistic ideas throughout Europe and the publication of ideas that previously had only been transmitted by word of mouth. Many Kabbalistic ideas are very ancient and formulated in the last few centuries before the dawn of the common era. These important magical ideas were formed in the melting pot which including, Greek magic, gnosticism and concepts from Egypt, Persian and even India. { 116pp, 150x215mm, September 2002; PB, £10.99, 1869928237:9781869928230 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| SECRET PART : A Natural History of the Penis [Mels van Driel] This book gives food for thought about past conquests, sexual success or failure and the unrelenting approach of death. The tone is light-hearted, ironic and above all laconic; the best way to deal with mortality and impotence. Impotence is a tiresome complaint that sometimes has physical causes, but often finds its origin in psychological factors, a Dutch urologist, has written a clear and informative book about it. Drawing on his medical knowledge and experiences and on his wide-reading of the literature, he gives a varied view of male impotence. At the crossroads of cultural history, psychology, literature and medical science, he offers an overview of what impotence means for the man and his partner, what causes have been sought and what solutions are available. He indicates soberly that life without an erection can be enjoyable and argues with fervour that male failure is denounced very sharply by some feminists. { 226pp, 145x215mm, May 2000; PB, £10.99, 186992858X:9781869928582 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| SEIDWAYS : Shaking, Swaying & Serpent Mysteries [Jan Fries] The definitive study of magical trance and possession techniques. The author is inspired by the Nordic tradition of Seidr, said to have been taught to the human race by Odin. REVIEW: "Very highly recommended..." -- The Cauldron. "...This is the best book on practical magick that I have seen for some time... an extremely useful body of techniques which any practically-minded magician will be able to use..." -- Phil Hine in Chaos International 22. { 350pp, January 1996; PB, £12.99, 1869928369:9781869928360 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| SHADOW MATTER & PSYCHIC PHENOMENA [G D Wassermann PhD] A scientist casts new light on psychic phenomena, such as clairvoyance, telepathy, and 'out of body experiences'. He presents an exciting new theory which explains such phenomena, linking the recently discovered 'Shadow Matter' world of physics with parapsychology. It replaces notions of the occult with important new ideas that are figuring in physics (even in recent television programmes). The book contains case histories, showing how this new theory could account for telepathy, clairvoyance, 'out of the body experiences', and apparitions of the living and the dead in terms of Shadow Matter. It also explains how Shadow Matter theory could account for the survival of the human personality after death of the body. The author builds on theories until now discussed only in academic journals. This theory was first published in brief outline in the journal Inquiry in 1988. It develops the concept of the Shadow Matter world introduced in the journal Nature in 1985. Suitable for general readers interested in new developments in science; general readers interested in parapsychology and the occult; specialists and scholars, especially in physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, philosophy and medicine. { January 1993; PB, £7.99, 1869928326:9781869928322 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| SICKERT & THE RIPPER CRIMES : The 1888 Ripper Murders & the Artist Walter Richard Sickert, 2nd Edition [Jean Overton Fuller] In the autumn of 1888 London women lived under the shadow of the Ripper murders -- killings perhaps unmatched in their sadistic brutality. Florence Pash, friend and colleague of the painter Walter Sickert and herself an artist, confided to the author's mother when in her late eighties, a terrible story that she had kept even from those closest to her. Jean Overton Fuller draws on the new evidence of Florence Pash, and with her own artist's eye discovers clues in Sickert's pictures, pointing conclusively to the true identity of the Ripper... { 284pp, 145x215mm, March 2003; PB, £12.99, 1869928687:9781869928681 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| SIDDHA QUEST FOR IMMORTALITY : Sexual, Alchemical & Medical Secrets of the Tamil Siddhas, the Poets of the Powers [Professor Kamil V Zvelebil] In South India there is a society where priests and lay people claim supernatural powers. Where a sophisticated medical system underlies a quest for physical longevity and psychic immortality and where arcane and sexual rituals take place that are far removed from the Brahmanic tradition of the rest of India. That society is the Tamil Siddhas. Here expert Kamil Zvelebil offers a vivid picture of these people: religious beliefs, magical rites, alchemical practices, complex system of medicine, and inspired tradition of poetry. Topics covered include: On Siddhas medicine; The ideological basis of Siddhas quest of immortality; Basic tenets of Siddhas medicine; Diseases and their cure; Yoga in Siddhas tradition; Daily regime; Siddhas alchemy; Rejuvenation, longevity, and 'immortality'; Doctrines and traditions of the Siddhas; Tantrik Siddhas and Siddhas attitudes to sex; Siddhas poetry and other texts. { April 2003; PB, £14.99, 1869928431:9781869928438 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| SONG OF MERI-KHEM : A Pilgrim's Journey [Judith Page] In writing this poem I have attempted to cut through so much of what we now think of as Ancient Egypt, and only the bare bones will remain. Symbolic figureheads such as Osiris and Amon will be discussed, but not elevated, and favoured centres of apparent importance or popularity will be by-passed. This will not be a book for those who wish to play tourist, dropping off here for a quick sensation, or stopping there for an imagined photo-shoot, it will be an experience for all those who wish to embrace the origin and notion of Set, and Set's values. In recording the mythical life of Set, we have applauded him. The strength and warmth of his intellect demand similar warmth in his dramatic performance throughout ancient Egyptian history. To adopt an attitude of detachment, particularly towards the ancient and unknown, can bar from sight those many scenes glimpsed by the historian who approaches the role of reconstructing an era with sympathy, insight and understanding. Neither the truth nor the equilibrium of scholarship is disturbed by controlled imagination and honest praise of this much-maligned Egyptian god. We are portraying the mythological concept and personality of Set not in order to worship a hero, but to recognise him as a leader and a hero. Set strives to take his stand against 5,000 years of a 'drift of history' with the introduction of Osirion and Amonite tradition, and a preconditioning before being replaced by Christianity. { 186pp, 140x215mm, June 2007; £5.99, 1869928997:9781869928995 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| SURREALISM & THE OCCULT [Nadia Choucha] Many people associate Surrealism with politics but it was also permeated by occult ideas, a fact often overlooked by art historians. This fascinating book concerns itself with magical subculture and the central role it played in the development of a great art movement. It also shows how many surrealists and their predecessors were steeped in magical ideas: Kandinsky, with his involvement in Theosophy; the sorcery of Salvador Dali; the alchemy of Pablo Picasso, and; the Shamanism of Max Ernst and Leonora Carrington. REVIEW: "A refreshing perspective on the surrealist movement's association with the occult... very exciting for the British audience in particular is her inclination is to focus whole chapters on major British Surrealists such as Leonora Carrington and Max Ernst. A well structured not over academic book in an area needing such research..." -- Lovely Jobly. "New inspiration to fantasists of the flesh..." -- Body Art Magazine. { January 1991; PB, £8.99, 1869928164:9781869928162 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| SYBARITE AMONG THE SHADOWS [Richard McNeff] Dylan Thomas, Aleister Crowley and Victor Neuburg caught in a surrealist web. What if the Beast returned and you were not sure if he were the best or worst thing that had ever happened to you? Sybarite among the Shadows finds Victor Neuburg on 11 June 1936 with the poet he discovered, Dylan Thomas. They embark on a quest whose object is Neuburg's old master, the Great Beast 666; settings, the Surrealist Exhibition, and pubs and clubs of bohemian London; characters, Augustus John, Nina Hamnett and Tom Driberg. Neuburg confronts his demons; Crowley does too. They also meet something far more menacing: MI5's plot to avert the Abdication. Sybarite among the Shadows grew out of the 1977 International Times short story subsequently published in America and Russia. Since writing the original story while living on Ibiza, Richard McNeff has worked internationally in education and the art world. Early contact with connections of the Beast sparked his interest in Crowley. REVIEW: "...so different from anything else you'd normally find on a bookshelf that it should perhaps be a compulsory purchase. ...shines a flickering light on the British avant-garde." -- Tom Boncza-Tomaszewski, The Independent on Sunday, 17th April 2005. { 207pp, 155x230mm, October 2004; PB, £8.99, 1869928822:9781869928827 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| TANKHEM : Meditations on Seth Magick [Mogg Morgan] Ancient Egypt and the 'Typhonian' deity Seth, how to find out more? Followers of later cults obliterating Seth's monuments, demonising and neglecting his cult. A possible starting point in the quest for the 'hidden god' is an examination of the life of Egyptian King Sety I ('He of Seth') also known as Sethos. When looking for an astral temple that included all of the ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses, the Temple of Sety I proved itself worthy of examination. Many secrets began to reveal themselves. The essence of the real philosophy of the Sethian and indeed what Satanism is, stems from the author's astral wanderings in this temple. The temple is a real place and like any temple no part of its design is accidental. It is a record in stone and paint of the Egyptian mythos. It is also fits quite well with the Thelemic mythos and tells lots of interesting things about the ancient Seth cult -- if you have the eye to see it. { 184pp, 145x220mm, October 2003; PB, £10.99, 1869928555:9781869928551 / PB, £12.99, 1869928865:9781869928865 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| TANTRA FOR WESTERNERS : A Practical Guide to the Way of Action [Francis King] While Tantra has mystical, philosophical, and religious aspects it is, above all, a technique of action -- a system of physical, mental, and spiritual discipline incorporating meditation, yoga, and sacramental worship in the widest sense of the phrase. Tantra for Westerners is a complete theoretical and practical guide to the Way of Action, covering concepts of pleasure and pain, power and passivity, esoteric physiology, Tantra and Qabalism, right-hand and left-hand Tantra, tantric rituals for westerners, and the arousal of kundalini -- the serpent power. { 159pp, 125x215mm1986, December 1986; PB, £6.99, 1869928601:9781869928605 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| TANTRIK ASTROLOGY [Michael Magee] The first-ever manual of Tantrik Astrology, which differs from the kind of astrology you see in newspaper columns in two ways. First, its analysis is based on the actual position of the planets and stars. Due to irregularities in the movements of the earth (precession), many people's sun signs have been wrongly calculated. You might find you have a completely new astrological identity in the Tantrik system described in this book. Secondly, and more importantly, it alerts us to the whole purpose of astrology. That is, to start the process of deconditioning from the individual's fixed mind-set as laid down at birth in the wheel of time, or Kalachakra. REVIEW: "...His remarks on prana, or breath, vis-à-vis planetary influences, are even more profound... all in all, this is fascinating material..." -- Abraxas. { 128pp, December 1989; PB, £13.99, 1869928067:9781869928063 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| THELEMIC MAGICK I : 2nd Edition [Mogg Morgan (ed)] The Thelemic Symposium was cooked up by a couple of hung-over Thelemites back in 1986. It is hosted by the Oxford Golden Dawn Occult Society, which is a non-sectarian magical sodality that shelters within its ranks magicians of many diverse kinds. The symposium is an annual event that brings together magicians working within the thelemic tradition on topics and themes of interest to thelemic and other left hand path magicians. The printed talks in this volume give a useful snapshot of what these interests are. There is an essay on Aleister Crowley, the founder and continuing inspiration to the movement. This was written by an influential playwright Snoo Wilson and broadcast on Channel Four television last year. There are also talks on the magical work that occupies the modern magician -- Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel, the Cult of LAM, Enochia, Chaos Magick, Devotion to Babalon and the sorcery of Austin Osman Spare. { 79pp, 140x215mm, September 2002; PB, £9.99, 1869928342:9781869928346 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| THRESKIA : Traditions of the Greek Mysteries [Evangelos Rigakis] ‘None but the Gods I hear call my name, beckoning, beseeching me to free them from the aeons of their perpetual silence. Not but my blood drives me to the well of my roots in this incarnation I come to know. Oh the delight, the ecstasy of Daemona raising my head to the call of my fore-fathers. Oh but the pain of the burden placed upon my mortal shoulders, a delight few have enjoyed and I am Atlas rising. Hear me ! for I am Pan dancing in the luscious green forest of Arcadia, laughing and playing my syrinx for the world to hear. Accept this gemmed elixir as my gift, for I am Bacchus, the little horned child-god. Join us in our mystery with sacred orgy, the delights and raptures of the Gods are once again upon us. We sing the mysteries plain, into the day of brilliant light and into the night of delight. I am Hermes and with my message I resurrect the dead of ancient times, and clear the sands of Chronos from the ruins and the crypt appear in full view. I am nothing more than an Ancient Greek living in your modern day, answering to the call, for the day of silence is over and the time of joyous laughter upon us. Hail my Brethren, come, join this dance and partake in the delights of Ancient Greece.' REVIEW: "It suggests JK Rowling on speed." -- Fortean Times, May 2005. { 234pp, 155x230mm, September 2002; PB, £13.99, 1869928660:9781869928667 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| VISUAL MAGICK, 2ND EDITION : A Manual of Freestyle Shamanism [Jan Fries] This is a manual of freestyle shamanism. The book aims to develop vision and imagination. It builds on the inspiration of such figures as Austin Spare and Aleister Crowley and stresses the need to develop one's unique magical way. It shows how magicians, witches, artists and therapists can improve their visionary abilities and strengthen the imagination. Activate the inner sense, and discover new modes of trance awareness. The emphasis is on direct experience. The book asks the reader to think, act, do and enjoy as s/he wills. The book began as a small treatise on sigil magick and automatic drawing and was circulated privately amongst occultists. It is especially suitable for practising mind explorers of the unorthodox variety. Both beginners and experienced magicians will find it inspirational and insightful. Jan Fries has a reputation amongst the magical community as a genuine adept. His articles and luminous artwork have graced many of the best magical journals. { 188pp, 145x210mm, May 2000; PB, £10.99, 1869928571:9781869928575 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| WHAT I DID IN MY HOLIDAYS : Essays on Black Magic, Satanism, Devil Worship & Other Niceties [Ramsey Dukes] This is a book about demonolatry. It was never meant to be: it began as a cobbling together of all my essays and stuff written in the last twelve years. But it turned out to have a pretty consistent theme. A theme that begins with Crowley's 'Aeon of Horus' and the new, Thelemic morality. From that viewpoint demonic pacts are re-appraised: are they not a negotiation with the demonic, as opposed to sworn allegiance. Many old and new demons lurk on these pages: black magic, sexism, elitism, Satanism, publishers, prejudice, suicide, liberalism, violence, slime, old age, bitterness, war and the new Age. { 410pp, 145x215mm, July 1998; PB, £18.00, 1869928520:9781869928520 , Mandrake of Oxford } |
| WITCHA : A Book of Cunning [Nathaniel J Harris] Of course it is not possible to de-mystify Mysticism, and who would want to? Yet also there is no need for deliberate and gratuitous obscurantism. 'Witcha' presents many secrets of English Witchcraft in plain language, giving details of widdershins and deosil circle casting, spell-craft, divination, spiritism, sabbats and esbats, sacrifice, entheogens, philosophy, history, and more besides. The focus is primarily upon those aspects commonly called ‘operative witchcraft', which is the witchcraft of ‘results' and ‘getting things done', rather than the supposedly more ‘spiritual' aspects that have been the subject of so many books of late. These are illustrated with photographs taken by my step-father, Adrian Brynn-Evans, detailing -with their kind permission and support- exhibits from the Museum of Witchcraft, Boscastle. These give visual reference to the historical context of this path, proving that it is not something invented by New Age gurus. { 310pp, 155x235mm, August 2004; PB, £13.99, 1869928776:9781869928773 , Mandrake of Oxford } |