Despite the dramatic expansion of modern technology, which defines and dominates many aspects of contemporary life and thought, the Western magical traditions are currently undergoing an international resurgence. In this overview of the modern occult revival, Drury traces the rise of various forms of magical belief and practice.

The Western magical traditions are currently undergoing an international resurgence. In Stealing Fire from Heaven, Nevill Drury offers an overview of the modern occult revival and seeks to explain this growing interest in ancient magical belief systems. Gnosticism and the Hermetica, the medieval Kabbalah, Tarot and Alchemy, and more recently, Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry, collectively laid the basis for the modern magical revival, which first began to gather momentum in Europe at the end of the nineteenth century. Western magic has since become increasingly eclectic, drawing on such diverse sources as classical Greco-Roman mythology, Celtic cosmology, Kundalini yoga and Tantra, shamanism, chaos theory, and the various spiritual traditions associated in many different cultures with the Universal Goddess. Drury traces the rise of various forms of magical belief and practice, from the influential Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn to the emergence of Wicca and Goddess worship as expressions of contemporary feminine spirituality. He also explores Chaos Magick and the occult practices of the so-called Left-Hand Path, as well as twenty-first-century magical forays into cyberspace. He believes that the rise of modern Western magic stems essentially from the quest for personal spiritual transformation and direct experience of the sacred--a quest which the trance occultist and visionary artist Austin Osman Spare once referred to as "stealing fire from heaven." Considered in this light, Drury argues, modern Western magic can be regarded as a form of alternative spirituality in which the practitioners seek direct engagement with the mythic realm.

A revised and expanded sequel to Stealing Fire from the Gods, this 2nd edition includes important new revelations concerning the ultimate source of unity, the structures of the whole story passage, the anti-hero's journey, the high-concept great idea, the secrets of charismatic characters, and the analyses of many important new stories and successful films.

?This book just won?t go away. This essential piece is back by popular demand and if you didn?t buy it last time, buy it this time. A great read and an essential requirement for every student of Magick.?- Christopher S. Hyatt, Ph.D., author of Undoing Yourself, Secrets of Western Tantra, Urban Voodoo and Rebels & Devils.?Stephen Mace begins with the ideas of Crowley and Spare and takes them several steps further in a way few others have. His writing is, by turns, engaging, erudite and very down-to-earth. Stealing the Fire from Heaven is a must-have for any modern occult practitioner.?- Phil Hine, author of Condensed Chaos and Prime Chaos.?Stealing the Fire from Heaven articulates the essence of Magick and Sorcery in a sober, meaningful way. Stephen Mace has carefully drawn forth the connections between Austin Spare and Aleister Crowley and defined the meaningful aspects of creating a personal path of sorcery.? - Michael W. Ford, author of Book of the Witch Moon and Yatuk Dinoih.?Despite the number of ?magical construction kits? that are available to the modern sorcerer, Mace?s is a definite keeper. By blending sound theory with an organic and personal system, Stealing the Fire from Heaven offers pieces that are worthwhile for both the neophyte and advanced practitioner.?- George Holochwost, Sectionhead of the Illuminates of Thanateros Americas

Alexander the Great's soldier, Lydias of Miletus, has survived the final campaigns of the king's life. He now has to deal with the chaos surrounding his death. Lydias throws his lot in with Ptolemy, one of Alexander's generals who has grabbed Egypt as his personal territory. Aided by the eunuch Bagoas, the Persian archer Artashir, and the Athenian courtesan Thais, Ptolemy and Lydias must take on all the contenders in a desperate adventure whose prize is the fate of a white city by the sea, and Alexander's legacy.

First published in 1978, Don Juan, Mescalito and Modern Magic begins with an analysis of the Castaneda material from the viewpoint of its inherently magical content. The author examines the symbiotic gestures, the magical actions and the mind-altering techniques employed by the brujo Don Juan, and then goes on to draw comparisons with two other schools of thought: the psychedelic development of the 1960s and the Western Magical Tradition. The essential aim throughout is to show that there is a basically Western shamanism which uses Western symbols and is easily accessible. The shamanistic practices of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn are examined in this context. Considerable emphasis is also placed on mythological aspects associated with out-of-the-body experiences and their relevance to both the Don Juan Mescalito imagery and the Qabalistic and Tarot symbols found in Western Magic. This book will be of interest to students of religion, history and literature.

Escaping an unwanted marriage only to fall helpless on a country road, heiress Gillian Forrester is rescued by the notorious Dante Tremaine but loses all memory of who she is. Original.

This exciting multi-authored volume provides a fascinating overview of the many different pathways that help defi ne esoteric belief and practice in modern Western magic. Included here are chapters on the late 19th century Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the infl uential Thelemic doctrines of Aleister Crowley, and the different faces of the Universal Goddess in Wicca and the Pagan traditions. Also included are chapters on Neoshamanism in Europe and the United States-and an account of how these traditions have in turn infl uenced the rise of techno-shamanism in the West. Additional features of this collection include insider perspectives on Seidr oracles, hybridised Tantra, contemporary black magic, the Scandinavian Dragon Rouge and Chaos magic in Britain-as well as profi les of the magical artists Ithell Colquhoun, Austin Osman Spare and Rosaleen Norton. Contributors: Nikki Bado Jenny Blain Nevill Drury Dave Evans Amy Hale Phil Hine Lynne Hume Marguerite Johnson Thomas Karlsson James R. Lewis Libu e Mart nkov Robert J. Wallis Don Webb Dominique Beth Wilson Andrei A. Znamenski Nevill Drury, editor of this collection, received his PhD from the University of Newcastle, Australia, in 2008. His most recent publications include Stealing Fire from Heaven: the Rise of Modern Western Magic and The Varieties of Magical Experience (co-authored with Dr Lynne Hume).

The great three-sided war continues: Rome against Persia against the tribes of the desert now commanded by Mohammed of Mekkah. But there is hope for the West. Prince Maxian, horrified at being the cause of so many deaths, has come to realize that the Oath need not be broken; it can be changed by a skilled sorcerer. (July)

Nationally bestselling author Madeline Hunter has thrilled her legions of fans with sensuous novels of intrigue, adventure, and romance. Now she weaves a spectacular tale of an English knight, a Welsh rebel, and a relationship that would defy their world and everything they believed possible between a man and a woman... Stealing Heaven Marcus of Anglesmore was not at all happy about being betrothed by the king to a woman he’d never laid eyes on. So when the brooding English knight accidentally came across her in a moonlit garden, he was both surprised--and delighted. Intelligent, charming, and beautiful, she was the most captivating woman he’d ever met. But the magic of that enchanted moment is soon shattered by cold reality: Nesta is not the woman he is to marry, but her sister. Of all the women Marcus might desire, none could be more dangerous than the wild and tantalizing Welsh witch with secret ties to both rebellion and king. For Nesta, no one could jeopardize her plans more than a man who would know the secrets of both her heart...and her body. Yet the course of their lives--and the destinies of their two nations--will be forever altered as they defy everything to surrender to the most daring seduction of all....