ALBERTO BRANDI: The Dark Way, Introduction to the Left Hand Path.

Alberto Brandi

La Via Oscura. Introduzione al Sentiero di Mano Sinistra (ENG: “The Dark Way. Introduction to the Left Hand Path”)

La Via Oscura. Introduzione al Sentiero di Mano Sinistra (ENG: “The Dark Way. Introduction to the Left Hand Path”)
Author(s): Alberto Brandi
Publisher: Atanòr

With a Preface by Thomas Karlsson (Stockholms Universitaet). The Left Hand Path is one of the most discussed and misunderstood phenomena in the history of esoteric and spiritual thought, long since the philosophical and doctrinal disputes of 9th-century India. This is due to its association to controversial subjects as demonology, initiatory eros, the shadow and metaphisical evil. This work (in Italian), using instruments belonging to History of Religions, of Ideas and of Philosophy, has the aim of defining the dark tradition using the principles of Kabbalah and Tantrism, trying to find the common themes of this heretic way to divine. “La via oscura” is the first work in Italy and one of the first worldwide completely dedicated to the Left Hand Path. The author investigates both the philosophical and the operative methodologies of the different “dark” systems. One of the major aims of this work is understanding if the Left Hand Path is a post-modernist invention or its roots can actually be traced back in original sources and practices. The author tries provides a theory by investigating diverse traditions, such as the Qliphothic Qabalah, Vamachara Tantrism, with notes on European witchcraft.

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Born in 1976, Alberto has had a deep interest into Western Esotericism for the past 15 years.

During the academic year 2001-2002 I received my M.A. in History of Renaissance Philosophy from Naples’ University “L’Orientale”, Dept. of Philosophy and Politics, with a thesis about F.A. Yates’ interpretation of Science and Magic; In February 2007 I was awarded of my Ph.D. by the same department; the subject of my thesis was Rosicrucianism, namely the philosophical and historical roots of the Manifestos. I currently cooperate with the chair of History of Philosophy and I am member of the Research Groups “Hermes Latinus”, lead by Professor Paolo Lucentini and “Centro Studi Culture del Mediterraneo”, lead by Professor Maria Donzelli.

My current studies are focused on the heretic ways to the divine, which have come to be designated with the term “Left Hand Path”. I’ve investigated its possible roots in Qabalah and, comparatively, Tantrism. I also investigate how traditional magical concepts are interpreted in today’s magical organizations.

I am currently studying European witchcraft to investigate its relationship to concepts such as initiation and spiritual evolution. I am likewise interested in the contributes of learned magic as well as popular magic to Western Esotericism.

Information from http://www.esswe.org

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NEW FROM EUREKA EDITIONS

THE LAMP
Ilan Amit

A (Not Quite) Spiritual Biography

The voyage of a spiritual seeker: Ilan Amit tells about his youth in the 1950s and life in Israel, attempting to realize ideals. Meeting Dr Erich Neumann and Moshe Feldenkreis who gave him Ouspensky¹s In Search of the Miraculous. Then into Gurdjieff Groups, meeting Dr. Conge and Mme de Salzmann and others.
Ilan Amit writes:

” It has often been said that inner growth can come about only in the wake of voluntary suffering. I became blind in middle age. In my experience it is not the suffering in itself that fosters transformation, but the collapse of our carefully constructed shields that comes with it, opening us up for the infinite. My suffering would remain. What of it? Something in me is present to the immensity we are in, with all its absurdity and wonder..”

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THE ATTENTION PARADOX
Bob Hunter

The Attention Paradox explores the nature of different degrees of attention, and its relationship to awareness, consciousness and self-development.
How can this phenomenon be defined? Is it an energy, a function, a power, a relationship?
The author draws on the thoughts and experiencesof many thinkers and writers, including G.I.Gurdjieff, founder of the system known as The Work, and students of his teachings who have continued to develop and interpret his ideas.

Eureka Editions began by republishing the Nicoll books THE NEW MAN, THE MARK and LIVING TIME and works by Beryl Pogson. Maurice Nicoll, and bob Hunter. Bob had been a student of Beryl Pogson in the 1960s Pogson was a student of Nicoll’s. Eureka are not connected formally to any Gurdjieff Foundation or Group but their publications focus on texts by Maurice Nicoll and Beryl Pogson both known as Gurdjieff influenced teachers of the Work or Fourth Way.

more info at http://www.eurekaeditions.com/

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The CAMBRIDGE CENTRE for the study of WESTERN ESOTERICISM is independent of any academic or esoteric communities, the directors share an interest in the need for a wider dialogue between scholars and practitioners in the field of Western Esotericism and in the establishment of a secular space in which an interdisciplinary network can thrive. From 2009 CCWE has operated within Lighthouse editions Limited, a small publishing company Directors: Dr Sophia Wellbeloved, Jeremy Cranswick – see http://gurdjieffbooks.wordpress.com

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THE BOOK OF ENGLISH MAGIC

The Book of English Magic
Author: Philip Carr-Gomm & Richard Heygate
Publisher: John Murray
Publication date:June 2009
ISBN: 978-1-84854-058-3

The Book of English Magic is a 562 page hardback book which will be published by John Murray on 11th June 2009.

The image of the magician is exciting and tantalising, and familiar to us all. Think of Merlin or Gandalf and we think of excitement, mystery and adventure. But what do we feel or even know about real magicians – those figures who throughout history have practiced the kind of magic that for centuries was a forbidden art?

For reasons that will become clear as The Book of English Magic unfolds, England has fostered the greatest variety of magicians in all the world, including not only the delightfully eccentric, but also figures who have played significant roles in the development of the arts and sciences.

Secretly we would all probably like to know a magician, or perhaps be one. And – extraordinary as it may seem – there has never been a greater opportunity to fulfil either of these ambitions, since there are now more practising wizards in England than at any other time in her history. Some will see this as an example of the triumph of irrationalism, others as evidence of a rebirth in an understanding of the world that is only now being touched upon by the most advanced physicists and cosmologists.

Whatever your beliefs about magic, this book is designed to introduce you to some of the most interesting contemporary practitioners of magic, and to many of the most important figures in the magical world of previous centuries. And to help you begin experiencing for yourself the world of magic and enchantment that has succeeded in intriguing generations of seekers, this comprehensive survey of English magic includes a rich menu of magical things to do and places to visit.

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Co-author Philip Carr-Gomm
a writer and psychologist. He trained with Ross Nichols, the founder of the Order of Bards Ovates & Druids, and has been leading the Order for over twenty years.

and

Co-author Sir Richard Heygate
who runs a successful software company and has a special interest in alternative worlds. He is also co-author of Endangered Species.

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English authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Terry Pratchett, and J.K. Rowling, dominate the world of magic in fiction, but England has also acted as home to generations of eccentrics and scholars who have researched and explored every conceivable kind of occult art. Some of these have also played significant roles in the development of the arts & sciences.

Extraordinary as it may seem, there are now more practising wizards in England than at any other time in her history. Some will see this as an example of the triumph of irrationalism, others as evidence of a rebirth in an understanding of the world that is only now being touched upon by the most advanced physicists and cosmologists.

Whatever your beliefs about magic, The Book of English Magic will introduce you to some of the most interesting contemporary practitioners of magic, and to many of the most important figures in the magical world of previous centuries.

Every chapter also contains suggestions of things to do and magical places to visit concerned with the topic at hand, as well as further reading lists of books and fascinating websites.

Just some of things you can learn to do:
hunt for ley lines or how to dowse;
learn how to make a Philosopher’s Stone;
learn how to read the Tarot or how to cast runes.

Among the suggested magical sites to visit are the obvious old favourites — Stonehenge, Temple Church in London; Mother Shipton’s cave in Yorkshire — as well as some more surprising ones, such as The King’s Arms Tavern in London; Brickett Wood in Hertfordshire; the Witchcraft Museum in Boscastle and the Arthur Findlay College in Stansted.

For further information, EXTRACT QUERIES or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Lucy Dixon on 020 7873 6438 or lucy.dixon@johnmurrays.co.uk, or visit the book’s web site www.bookofenglishmagic.com

Below is a useful summary of the subjects covered in The Book of English Magic, along with some of the things to do, and the key interviews. The book also includes magical sites to visit in practically every English county, too many to mention here.

Introduction

1.Ancient Magic How to hunt for ley lines
How to dowse
Peter Taylor — a dowser
Hamish Miller — ley and energy lines

2.Druids Carve a message in Ogham, the Druid tree alphabet
Learn how to embark on a shamanic journey
‘Adrian’ — a modern Druid
Caitlin Matthews — a Druid shaman

3.Anglo-Saxon sorcery How to cast runes
Peter Aziz — a shaman
Professor Brian Bates — authority on Anglo-Saxon magic
Bob Oswald — rune maker

4.Arthur, Merlin and the Grail Undertake a ‘Grail Quest’
John Matthews — Grail expert
Professor Roland Rotherham — Grail expert

5.Witches and Witchcraft How to perform a love spell
Vivianne Crowley — Wiccan priestess
Maxine Sanders — witch

6.Alchemy Make a Philosopher’s Stone
An anonymous alchemist
Patrick Harpur — alchemical philosopher

7.Dr Dee Experiment with Astrological Magic
Robin Cousins — expert on Dr Dee
Stephen Skinner —magician, restorer of Dr Dee’s grimoire
Rufus Harrington — Enochian magician

8.Wizards and Cunning Folk Make a herbal remedy
A Magician’s ‘Grimoire’
Cassandra Latham — witch

9.The magic of Numbers How to make magic with numbers
Nigel Pennick — numerologist

10.Spiritualists How to test your ESP
Christina Oakley-Harrington — owner of Treadwell’s
An anonymous Golden Dawn adept
Lyn Guest de Swarte — spiritualist
Laurie Coffey O’Connor — angel magic

11.Aleister Crowley & Paganism How to read the Tarot

12.Modern magic Take the next steps in Magic…

Notes & Appendix
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The CAMBRIDGE CENTRE for the study of WESTERN ESOTERICISM is independent of any academic or esoteric communities, the directors share an interest in the need for a wider dialogue between scholars and practitioners in the field of Western Esotericism and in the establishment of a secular space in which an interdisciplinary network can thrive.. From 2009 CCWE has operated within Lighthouse editions Limited, a small publishing company Directors: Dr Sophia Wellbeloved, Jeremy Cranswick – see http://gurdjieffbooks.wordpress.com

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LINKS

The Cambridge Unitarian Church home page and blog

http://www.cambridgeunitarian.org/

Lighthouse Editions
htpp://gurdjieff-books.net
published books related to Gurdjieff and Fourth way

see also www.gurdjieffbooks.wordpress.com
for new research, book reviews and other info

The Exeter Centre for the Study of Esotericism

http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/degrees/history/esotericismma.shtml

MA in Western Esotericism at Exeter University

The Jupiter Trust, Oxford
http/jupitertrust.org for lectures and events

http://www.huss.ex.ac.uk/research/exeseso/index.htm

MA in the study of mysticism and religious experience at Kent University

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~alfar2/doc/mre.htm

The Department of Religious Studies at the College of Charleston

http://www.cofc.edu/~rels/index.htm

The Book of English Magic
www.bookofenglishmagic.com

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The CAMBRIDGE CENTRE for the study of WESTERN ESOTERICISM is independent of any academic or esoteric communities, the co-ordinators share an interest in the need for a wider dialogue between scholars and practitioners in the field of Western Esotericism and in the establishment of a secular space in which an interdisciplinary network can thrive (see people).