The Equinox of the Gods is a book first published in 1936 detailing the events and circumstances leading up to Aleister Crowley's transcription of The Book of the Law, the central text of Thelema. The Equinox of the Gods has proven itself an elusive and - until now - costly tome for the practitioner or student to acquire. Containing handwritten excerpts from his personal journal, illustrations and The Book of the Law in it's entirety. This book will serve as a cornerstone in your library.

Includes extensive biographical data, highly personal diary extracts, ritual workings, several illustrations and a full color reproduction of the Stele of Revealing. Also includes the full text of The Book Of The Law plus a facsimile of Crowley's original handwritten manuscript.

Along with his written works, Aleister Crowley's legacy includes the organization he is credited with founding, the OTO or Ordo Templi Orientis -- The Order of Oriental Templars. This book contains key introductory material to this contemporary occult society, along with a history of the Order after Crowley's death. The format of this edition matches that of the first Equinox series published with Crowley as editor and includes magical instruction, communications to OTO members (all the dirt on court cases the OTO has been involved in), and original works of fiction and poetry. As part of this latter category, this book features an illustrated study of the works of underground filmmaker Kenneth Anger with a complete filmography. It could be argued that Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) anticipated the entire New Age phenomenon with his methods of teaching, codified in the tenets of the OTO. A rich melange of ritual magic, traditional spiritual practice, drug use, and sex, borrowing from many different cultures and traditions, informed the development of this lasting magical system. Although he's been popularized (and demonized) as The Beast, 666, his teachings have shown lasting value.

"This fascinating little book deals in detail with what at first might seem a small cult, colourful and dynamic certainly, but of significance merely local to its place of origin in the Indian state of Kerala. As the story unfolds, however, it becomes clear that this is far from the case, and that the phenomenon is full of interest for students of the history of religions. From Dr Gabriel's many other writings we have learned to expect patient investigation and humane and sympathetic interpretation. In this book we find those qualities once more abundantly on display." - From the Foreword by Professor Andrew Walls, Liverpool Hope University "This very short study of a possession cult in India raises important questions about the relation of religion to social organization -- and of the relation of religions to each other." - David Eller, Community College of Denver, Anthropology Review Database June 26, 2011 Playing God discusses the genre of rituals known as Teyyam extant in the North Malabar region of Kerala State, India. In this elaborately costumed ritual practitioners invoke the spirit of a deity into themselves that constitutes a splendid theophany in which, when the ritual process is over, the devotees are able to talk to the god and invoke his/her blessings and predictions of their future. This book concentrates on the cult of the Muttappan duo of gods, the most popular among the Teyyams of North Malabar. Playing God analyses the mythology and ritual praxis of the Muttappan cult and examines attempts to integrate the cult into a wider Hinduism by enunciating a new hermeneutic of the legend and rituals based on the Hindu Advaitic tradition. The book also discusses how the Teyyam ritual contrasts significantly with rituals and worship in Brahminical Hinduism. The popularity of the cult is a reflection of the changing relationships between castes in Kerala, involving a closer symbiosis and reflecting the urge by the untouchable groups of Kerala to gain a higher standing and acceptance in Keralan Hindu society. The rituals are rich in theological significance and symbolism, and have links to the performing arts of Kerala such as Kathakali and Ottam Tullal.