First of all, so happy to see this forum thriving...excellent, having absolutely no Skeptiko forum withdrawal symptoms silently lurking here 
(though sad to see a few posters absent?).
Felt an urge to post - somebody here once asked me to provide a top 10 list of my personal favourite occult books, and I promised to have a think about it.......then I totally forgot!
So, thought I would give it a go now, give me a chance to reminisce...
It's a hard one though, so much of what I've read on the topic wasn't in mass produced book form. Anyway, here it is, hope I haven't forgotten something that was hugely influential to me! (PS, occult here I'm narrowing down to it's popular definition, ie. western occult rituals & practices :
1) The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Sacred-Mag...1602066817
The first western ritual occult book I ever owned & read, aged around 11 or so. I must have read this dozens of times (can still write 2 of the "magic squares" from memory, almost 30 years later!) The ritual itself is too complicated, even for an adult with the resources required, so I never did anything from it practically (except make the magic squares, which is ineffectual without the actual 6 month rite!). However, looking back, I suspect the influence on a subliminal level, when it came to my understanding of western ritual practices, is immense.
Incidentally, there is a recent British (fictional) film about 2 people working the Abra-Melin rite, well worth watching if you're into that sort of movie; A Dark Song:
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_dark_song/
2) The Occult World
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Occult-World-Ro...1138219258
Loved this book. Very rarely mentioned anywhere, for some reason....cannot understand why, I feel it is an almost fundamental primer for the subject, a "must read" for anyone with an interest in the subject.
3) Modern Magick: Twelve Lessons in the High Magickal Arts
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Modern-Magick-T...0738715786
I would suspect this book would be in a lot of top 10s. Extremely well known to all western "occultists". Great primer & introduction to the actual ritual & practices of western occultism.
4) Highways of the Mind Art and History of Pathworking
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Highways-Pathwo...B0092J2TYA
Snuck this into a "occult book top 10" list, even though it may not quite be one. I'll include it because Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki is a well known "western occultist". Always having a very definite predisposition to "astral magic" as opposed to real-world ritual, I loved this book as a child, read it many times and it influenced my thinking about such things. (I won't include another famous occultists book, Soul Flight by Donald Tyson, in this list, as it is a little too detached from "occultism" to include....and it wouldn't make the top 10 anyway!!
5) Prometheus Rising
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prometheus-Risi...0692710604
Another book I loved. Can imagine it would cause a few heads to "crack open". Liked the somewhat unique, almost psychological/NLP twist to the occult, whilst not rendering it entirely "mundane"....
6) Between the Gates: Lucid Dreaming, Astral Projection and The Body of Light in Western Esotericism
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Between-Gates-D...1578633966
An absolutely amazing, extremely "advanced" (imo) book on the subject. I was blown away by this book. One could reasonably claim this book is a western occult take on advanced Tibetan tantric practices.
7) Magic: An Occult Primer
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magic-Occult-Pr...1881098370
Similar to Donald Kraig's book "12 Lessons", a very popular primer on the topic for practical use.
8) Liber Null and Psychonaut
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Liber-Null-Psyc...0877286396
How could I do a top 10 list without adding this primer on "chaos magick"? Ah, can't resist, here's another:
9) Condensed Chaos
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Condensed-Chaos...1935150669
10) Errrm (panic)....just one more?! I am absolutely certain I've missed something fundantally important and fantastic! But, perhaps:
Mystical Qabalah
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mystical-Qabala...B00M0JIJ20
Should make the list? An excellent introduction to a modern, western occult take on the Qabalah
hold on, how could I forget:
11) Initiation into Hermetics
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Initiation-into...885928122/
Ahh, I better stop there!
Cheers!
(though sad to see a few posters absent?).Felt an urge to post - somebody here once asked me to provide a top 10 list of my personal favourite occult books, and I promised to have a think about it.......then I totally forgot!
So, thought I would give it a go now, give me a chance to reminisce...It's a hard one though, so much of what I've read on the topic wasn't in mass produced book form. Anyway, here it is, hope I haven't forgotten something that was hugely influential to me! (PS, occult here I'm narrowing down to it's popular definition, ie. western occult rituals & practices :
1) The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Sacred-Mag...1602066817
The first western ritual occult book I ever owned & read, aged around 11 or so. I must have read this dozens of times (can still write 2 of the "magic squares" from memory, almost 30 years later!) The ritual itself is too complicated, even for an adult with the resources required, so I never did anything from it practically (except make the magic squares, which is ineffectual without the actual 6 month rite!). However, looking back, I suspect the influence on a subliminal level, when it came to my understanding of western ritual practices, is immense.
Incidentally, there is a recent British (fictional) film about 2 people working the Abra-Melin rite, well worth watching if you're into that sort of movie; A Dark Song:
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_dark_song/
2) The Occult World
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Occult-World-Ro...1138219258
Loved this book. Very rarely mentioned anywhere, for some reason....cannot understand why, I feel it is an almost fundamental primer for the subject, a "must read" for anyone with an interest in the subject.
3) Modern Magick: Twelve Lessons in the High Magickal Arts
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Modern-Magick-T...0738715786
I would suspect this book would be in a lot of top 10s. Extremely well known to all western "occultists". Great primer & introduction to the actual ritual & practices of western occultism.
4) Highways of the Mind Art and History of Pathworking
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Highways-Pathwo...B0092J2TYA
Snuck this into a "occult book top 10" list, even though it may not quite be one. I'll include it because Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki is a well known "western occultist". Always having a very definite predisposition to "astral magic" as opposed to real-world ritual, I loved this book as a child, read it many times and it influenced my thinking about such things. (I won't include another famous occultists book, Soul Flight by Donald Tyson, in this list, as it is a little too detached from "occultism" to include....and it wouldn't make the top 10 anyway!!
5) Prometheus Rising
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prometheus-Risi...0692710604
Another book I loved. Can imagine it would cause a few heads to "crack open". Liked the somewhat unique, almost psychological/NLP twist to the occult, whilst not rendering it entirely "mundane"....
6) Between the Gates: Lucid Dreaming, Astral Projection and The Body of Light in Western Esotericism
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Between-Gates-D...1578633966
An absolutely amazing, extremely "advanced" (imo) book on the subject. I was blown away by this book. One could reasonably claim this book is a western occult take on advanced Tibetan tantric practices.
7) Magic: An Occult Primer
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magic-Occult-Pr...1881098370
Similar to Donald Kraig's book "12 Lessons", a very popular primer on the topic for practical use.
8) Liber Null and Psychonaut
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Liber-Null-Psyc...0877286396
How could I do a top 10 list without adding this primer on "chaos magick"? Ah, can't resist, here's another:
9) Condensed Chaos
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Condensed-Chaos...1935150669
10) Errrm (panic)....just one more?! I am absolutely certain I've missed something fundantally important and fantastic! But, perhaps:
Mystical Qabalah
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mystical-Qabala...B00M0JIJ20
Should make the list? An excellent introduction to a modern, western occult take on the Qabalah
hold on, how could I forget:
11) Initiation into Hermetics
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Initiation-into...885928122/
Ahh, I better stop there!
Cheers!
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