A collection of four essays on the role of Ancient Egypt and the influence it brings to the modern institution of Freemasonry and other rites of initiation. Included here are: Egyptian Mysteries and Modern Freemasonry, Initiation of the Pyramid, Masonic Hieroglyphics and The Ancient Mysteries.

Prolific writer C. W. Leadbeater explores the ancient side of the masonic fraternity and its potential roots in Ancient Egypt. He examines various Egyptian deities and how their symbology plays a role in the masonic ritual. He also takes a look at why we participate in the Mysteries to begin with and our connection to them.

Helena P. Blavatsky was a prolific writer and scholar who spearheaded the modern Theosophic movement. Here she gives an historical examination of the history and study of alchemy, but specifically as it was related to the esotericists of the 19th century. And, as always she includes her philosophical comments on the matter.

Esoteric scholar Manly P. Hall examines the religious mysteries, afterlife and spiritual landscape of the ancient Native Americans (North, Central and South). He takes a look at the sacred book Popol Vuh, as well as the Mysteries of Xibalba and how they compare with the Greeks and others. Illustrated.

Karl von Eckhartshausen was an 18th-century German mystic. The Cloud upon the Sanctuary is Christian mysticism veiled in hermetic code and often considered a classic among Rosicrucians and Theosophists. Eckhartshausen was briefly a member of Adam Weishaupt's Bavarian Illuminati but left for spiritual reasons. In this work, he cryptically mentions a "society of the Elect" that has existed from the very beginning of time as "the invisible celestial Church". He predicted that "it is the society whose members form a theocratic republic, which one day will be the Regent Mother of the whole World." This book would later become a strong influence on the 19th-century members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Arthur Edward Waite offers an informative, historical introduction.

In addition to an informative piece by Manly P. Hall, this is the first time since their original publication that the two inter-related tarot essays by A E Waite and Brodie-Innes have been reprinted together. Included here are: The Tarot Cards, The Tarot and Secret Tradition and An Analysis of the Tarot Cards.

Three prominent esoteric writers explore the tradition of karma, especially as it relates to Theosophy. Included here is: Karma, Aphorisms on Karma, Karma in the Desatir, Thoughts on Karma, Men Karmic Agents, Is Karma Only Punishment?, Is Poverty Bad Karma?, Thoughts on Karma and Reincarnation, Karma-Nemesis and Elementary Lessons on Karma.