The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz, often looked upon as the third Rosicrucian manifesto, has an entirely different tone from the other Rosicrucian documents. Unlike the Rosicrucian manifestoes, which address the transformation of society, The Chemical Wedding is concerned with the inner transformation of the soul. It is a deeply interior work, one which asks the reader to step into its world of symbols and walk with Christian Rosenkreutz along his path of transformation. Despite its importance as a key text of the Western esoteric traditions, this is the first ever contemporary English translation of The Chemical Wedding, made especially for this edition by Joscelyn Godwin. Also included in this edition is an introduction and commentary by Adam McLean, which illuminates the transformative symbolism.

Jack Parsons was a brilliant chemist, member of Cal Tech propulsion unit that invented the rocket fuel used for the US space flight to the moon. He was also a fanatical believer in the Magyck of Aleister Crowley the aging occultist who considered himself 'The Beast' incarnate. In 1947 Jack Parsons and L. Ron Hubbard were performing Crowley's mystic rituals in a house in Pasadena, California.Parsons wrote excitedly to his occult leader, Crowley: 'I have had the most devastating experience of my life. I have been in direct touch with One who is most Holy and Beautiful as mentioned in your "Book of the Law". First instructions were received through Lafayette Ron Hubbard the seer. I have followed them to the letter. There was a desire for incarnation. I am to act as an instructor, guardian, guide for nine months; then it will be loosed on the world...' Crowley wrote despairingly to a disciple about Parsons: 'It appears that he has given away both his girl and his money to this writer of science fiction and is now invoking my ritual to produce a Moonchild. I am fairly frantic...' Nine months later while being visited by two students from Cambridge, Aleister Crowley died of cardiac degeneration. Missing from his personal possessions was his magical diaries and his pocket-watch. His funeral took place in the Chapel of the Brighton Crematorium. The final rites were performed by the novelist Louis Marlowe reading extracts from Crowley's "Book of the Law". "The Brighton Echo" denounced the whole ceremony as a Black Mass. In 1952 Jack Parsons was blown up in his laboratory in Pasadena. L. Ron Hubbard died on his yacht as leader of the Church of Scientology.But did the issue end with these three deaths? Would Crowley, as he claimed, ever return from death to rule the world? Why did US astronauts name a crater on the moon after Jack Parsons? Is L. Ron Hubbard really dead? What had been generated by the ceremony in California that seemed to signal Crowley's demise? And what happened to them missing pocket-watch? Unanswered questions till, late in the twentieth century, Dr. Joshua Mathers brought a 'state of the art 'Interactive Suit' from Cal Tech California to Cambridge in England to begin an experiment that, unknown to mankind, changed the course of our planet.

The Chemical Marriage appeared anonymously, in Germany, in 1616. It's one of three primary documents which announced and helped define who the secret society of Rosicrucians were. Presented here is a translated, condensed and modernized version of the original, which used heavily veiled language and is difficult to understand at times. The story is told with alchemical symbolism and deals with mystical initiation, and it has been the subject of serious occult study for centuries since its first appearance.

This is Volume IV of the selected works of Frances Yates. In the early 17th century, a new movement was proclaimed throughout Europe, announcing the universal reform of religion, science, art, and society. The main proponents of this movement were the esoteric Rosicrucians. Europe was a world in transition and Rosicrucianism was but the latest movement to capture the public imagination. Concerned with spiritual illumination and intellectual knowledge the movement continued to have widespread influence long after it was supposedly over, as can be traced in the works of Isaac Newton and Fraof modern science and medicine, The Rosicrucian Enlightenment has had a tremendous impact on our understanding of the western esoteric tradition.

Rosicrucianism is one of the most important, and least recognized, streams of Western spirituality. Forced underground in the maelstrom of the Thirty Years War, Rosicrucianism was passed down secretly by alchemists, hermetists, and Masons into the nineteenth century, when it inspired new spiritual movements, including theosophy, the Order of the Golden Dawn, and Rudolf Steiner's spiritual science. This book collects from many different sources Steiner's discussions on Rosicrucianism: the Tao and the Rose Cross; the history and mission of Christian Rosenkreutz; the nature of Rosicrucian practice and experience; the meaning of The Chemical Wedding; Goethe's Rosicrucian poem "The Mysteries; " and how to meditate on the Rose Cross itself.

The Master Game is a rollercoaster intellectual journey through the back streets and rat runs of history to uncover the traces in architecture and monuments of a secret religion that has shaped the world. Pivotal historical events and processes, not least the Renaissance, the birth of scientific rationalism, and the French and American revolutions, are radically reevaluated in the light of new investigative evidence presented in The Master Game. Even the belief that the United States has a "global mission," so obvious today, may ultimately prove to be less the result of a shortterm reaction to terrorism than the inevitable working out of a covert plan originally set in motion almost two thousand years ago. The Master Game refers to a scheme or "game" played on the world stage to bring about a world order governed by a lofty goal which, today, we term the "Masonic Ideal." The Master Game traces the origins of this game of symbols and words and talismans from ancient Egypt all the way to modern times, and places it squarely on the elitist Scottish Rite Freemasonry, headquartered in Washington, DC, and ruled by a secretive and powerful brotherhood of men who have attained the thirtythird degree. The Master Game exposes this world order's true purpose and, more importantly, shows how it has affected the United States of America and badly backfired on 9/11. The book is adapted and expanded from the authors' earlier, outofprint book Talisman.

Bruce Dickinson, best known as the lead vocalist of Iron Maiden, seems to have unbounded energy, ideas and imagination. He mesmerises thousands of fans with his integrity, vitality and wit. Wouldn’t it be great to know what makes him tick? Those who know Bruce Dickinson know: this man doesn’t do things by halves. Thus, he was voted a living example of a polymath by Intelligent Life magazine in 2009. Bruce has been recognised as a singer, a TV presenter, a record producer, a pilot and a fencer. Therefore, it should be no surprise that his lyrics also stand out. His subject matters are challenging ­­– he reflects on life and death, freedom and destiny, man and God, sex and religion. Asked about the complexity of his lyrics, Bruce said in an interview: “I ask myself, does it rock? And if it does, who gives a s**t what’s it’s about? All information’s there if people choose to dig for it.” The treasures you can find are absolutely worth the digging. Bruce also added: “And if they don’t then it doesn’t matter, so long as they enjoy it.” Bruce Dickinson is an undisputed master of heavy metal; his voice and music are a natural force. The subjects are extremely interesting and Bruce succeeds in artfully getting to the heart of them. This is why this book is dedicated to Bruce as a songwriter, as a poet of lyrics, some of which represent little masterpieces – even without music. They point beyond themselves by means of powerful imagery. Their ambiguity holds some surprises. The best way to get to know the real Bruce Dickinson probably is to have a beer with him. But he admitted that through his lyrics “you can certainly maybe get an idea of what is going {sic} on with myself,” and that’s why all fans of Bruce, and Iron Maiden, should read this book.

This is Volume VI in the selected works of Frances Yates, providing a new approach to Shakespeare's last plays. First published in 1975, these are a collection of lectures that offer the new thinking about certain ideas concerning Shakespeare's relation to the problemsand thought currents of his times.

First Published in 1986. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.