Words to the Wise: A Practical Guide to the Esoteric Sciences (Paperback) by Manly P. Hall

Subtitled "A Practical Guide to the Esoteric Sciences," this volume examines the teachings of the Mystery Schools, the five steps of self-unfoldment, and how the practice of ancient disciplines can lead to a more purposeful life.

The Philosophical Research Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1934 for the purpose of assisting thoughtful persons to live more graciously and constructively in a confused and troubled world. The Society is entirely free from educational, political, or ecclesiastical control. Dedicated to an idealistic approach to the solution of human problems, the Society's program stresses the need for the integration of religion, philosophy, and the science of psychology into one system of instruction. The goal of this instruction is to enable the individual to develop a mature philosophy of life, to recognize his proper responsibilities and opportunities, and to understand and appreciate his place in the unfolding universal pattern.

Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times (Suny Series in Western Esoteric Traditions) (Paperback) by R. van den Broek

This volume introduces what has sometimes been called "the third component of western culture." It traces the historical development of those religious traditions which have rejected a world view based on the primacy of pure rationality or doctrinal faith, emphasizing instead the importance of inner enlightenment or gnosis: a revelatory experience which was typically believed to entail an encounter with one's true self as well as with the ground of being, God.

The contributors to this book demonstrate this perspective as fundamental to a variety of interconnected traditions. In Antiquity, one finds the gnostics and hermetics; in the Middle Ages several Christian sects. The medieval Cathars can, to a certain extent, be considered part of the same tradition.

An Outline of Esoteric Science (Classics in Anthroposophy) (Paperback) by Rudolf Steiner

This recent translation of a masterwork of esotericism places humankind at the very heart of the vast, invisible processes of cosmic evolution. When we use the term natural science don't we mean that we are dealing with knowledge of nature? Esoteric science is the science of what takes place esoterically, in the sense that it is perceived not outside in nature but where one's soul turns when it directs its inner being toward the spirit. Esoteric science is the opposite and counterpart of natural science.

Rudolf Steiner As vital and relevant as when it was first published in 1910, this masterpiece of esoteric, Rudolf Steiner worked and reworked on rosicrucian cosmology for many years to make it increasingly precise and accurate. This work remains the most effective presentation to date of a spiritual alternative to contemporary materialist cosmologies and the Darwinian view of human nature and evolution.

Emanuel Swedenborg: Essential Readings (Western Esoteric Masters Series) (Paperback) by Emanuel Swedenborg (Author), Michael Stanley

Best known for his focus on the intuitive force within, Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) also anticipated major modern discoveries in mineralogy, psychology, and anatomy. In this succinct and readable collection, Stanley expertly brings the most significant writings from Swedenborg's oeuvre together, showing readers a man who created a "hieroglyphic" language, reimagined the Genesis story, influenced Blake, Balzac, Strindberg, and Yeats, and authored a number of anonymous works that put the Swedish clergy of his day on high alert. This is the fourth title in the Western Esoteric Masters series from North Atlantic Books.

Swedenborg's uncanny ability to correctly intuit several aspects of modern physics and very many later physiological discoveries up to the present (and beyond?) calls for explanation.

Esoteric Orders and Their Work (Paperback) by Dion Fortune

Examines how and why esoteric schools have restricted admission to their secret societies and orders, and shrouded their practices in mystery. The knowledge guarded by these schools passed down through the ages, and revised from time to time by great teachers is a secret science that studies the causes that lie behind observable phenomena. Includes a new introduction by Gareth Knight.