The books on this list will provide a sound introduction to the various aspects of the schools of thought that comprise what is variously known as the Western Hermetic Tradition or the Christian Mystery Tradition. They include historical and critical guides to the progress and thinking of the different strands of the Tradition, as well as original texts of spiritual practice.

Most of the titles contain bibliographies or guides to further reading, and if members of the Order have any questions concerning titles found in such guides, or elsewhere, that have been personally recommended to them by other students and seekers, then the compiler of this list will be glad to supply further information and advice about them, or to supply extended lists of recommended reading on any of these or related topics.

For each title details of the first publication of the edition cited are given. Recent reprints, which are often cheaper in price, exist for a number of the books listed. Copies for sale of most titles can be located by searching websites such as Magisbooks, Abebooks, Addall and Amazon.

Alchemy
Robert M. Black, The Secret Art of Alchemy. [To be published shortly]
A remarkable and sympathetic study by a dedicated Rosicrucian

Titus Burckhardt, Alchemy. Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul. Stuart & Watkins, 1967
A very accessible introduction to the subject

Gareth Roberts, The Mirror of Alchemy. Alchemical Ideas and Images in Manuscripts and Books from Antiquity to the Seventeenth Century. British Library, London, 1994
An illustrated survey that complements the two books above

 

Freemasonry
W. Kirk MacNulty, Freemasonry: Symbols, Secrets, Significance. Thames & Hudson, London, 2006
Freemasonry is not of itself an integral part of Western Esotericism, but this book provides an excellent, illustrated survey that takes account of the relevance of those aspects of Freemasonry that do shade into the Western Hermetic Tradition. 

 

Hermetica, Gnosticism and the Mysteries
Walter Burkert, Ancient Mystery Cults. Harvard University Press, 1987
A comprehensive, comparative study

Brian P. Copenhaver, Hermetica. The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius, in a new English translation with notes and introduction. Cambridge University Press, 1992

Karen L. King, What is Gnosticism ? Harvard University Press, 2003
An excellent general study

Marvin Meyer (Ed.), The Nag Hammadi Scriptures. International Edition. Harper, San Francisco, 2007
The standard English version of the most important collection of Gnostic texts

Richard Valantasis (Ed.), Religions of Late Antiquity in Practice. Princeton University Press, 2000
An extremely useful collection of original texts in English translation

 

Kabbalah
Allan Armstrong, The Secret Garden of the Soul. An Introduction to the Kabbalah. Imagier,
Bristol, 2008 www.imagier.com
A reflective study of the Kabbalah in its Jewish and Christian contexts

Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah. Dorset Press, New York, 1974
A study of the Kabbalah in its Judaic context by the foremost kabbalistic scholar of the twentieth century

 

Mysticism
R.A. Gilbert, The Elements of Mysticism. Element, Shaftesbury, 1991
A basic introduction to the topic

Marianne Rankin, An Introduction to Religious and Spiritual Experience. Continuum, London, 2008
A comprehensive survey with a wealth of quotations from a wide range of sources

Evelyn Underhill, Mysticism. A Study in the Nature and Development of man’s Spiritual Consciousness. Twelfth edition revised. Methuen, 1930
A classic and substantial study in depth

The Classics of Western Spirituality. This series, published by The Paulist Press, New York and by SPCK, describes itself as ‘A Library of the Great Spiritual Masters’. It is non-sectarian and provides well edited texts and translations in English of the works of a wide and eclectic range of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other western mystics

 

Rosicrucianism
Fama Fraternitatis The most accessible edition in English is the translation of 1652 made by Thomas Vaughan: The Fame and Confession of the Fraternity of R: C: … with an Introduction, Notes etc. by F.N. Pryce. Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, 1923 [Reprinted, with additional material, in 1988]

Christopher McIntosh, The Rosicrucians. The History, Mythology, and Rituals of an Esoteric Order. Third revised edition. York Beach, Weiser, 1997
A good introductory work

 

Symbolism
Udo Becker (Ed.), The Element Encyclopaedia of Symbols. Element, Shaftesbury, 1994
On symbolism in general, this is an excellent reference work.

James Hall, Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art. Revised edition. London, Murray, 1996
A useful complement to the works of Becker and Roob

Alexander Roob, The Hermetic Museum: Alchemy & Mysticism. Taschen, Cologne, 2001
A wonderful source work for the pictorial symbolism of alchemy and related topics

 

Western Hermetic Tradition
Henrik Bogdan, Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation. State University of New York Press, 2007
A survey of esoteric and masonic rituals, placing them in their practical and theoretical contexts

Antoine Faivre, Access to Western Esotericism. SUNY Press, 1994
A systematic study and historical survey of the various aspects of the Tradition

Antoine Faivre and Jacob Needleman, Modern Esoteric Spirituality. Crossroad, New York, 1992
A collection of valuable essays that deepens the reader’s awareness of the spiritual aspects of Western Esotericism.

Desirée Hirst, Hidden Riches. Traditional Symbolism from the Renaissance to Blake. Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1964
An important and original study

 

Logic
R.H. Thouless, Straight and Crooked Thinking. Revised edition, London, Pan, 1953
[There are many later reprints]
An excellent introduction to clear, logical thought and to rational argument: processes that are essential in the esoteric field