The Spiritual Fallacy, though packed with arcane facts, is unique in revealing how one the greatest metaphysicians of our age interprets the phenomena, real or alleged, of spiritualism. The doctrinal expositions that accompany his astonishing account offer extraordinarily prescient insight into many deviations and psychological afflictions of the modern mind, and will be a valuable to psychological practitioners and spiritual counselors as to historians of esoteric history. It also offers a profound corrective to the many brands of New Age 'therapy' that all too unwittingly invoke many of the same elements whose nefarious origins Guenon so clearly described many years ago.

René Guénon (1886-1951) is undoubtedly one of the luminaries of the twentieth century, whose critique of the modern world has stood fast against the shifting sands of recent philosophies. His oeuvre of 26 volumes is providential for the modern seeker: pointing ceaselessly to the perennial wisdom found in past cultures ranging from the Shamanistic to the Indian and Chinese, the Hellenic and Judaic, the Christian and Islamic, and including also Alchemy, Hermeticism, and other esoteric currents, at the same time it directs the reader to the deepest level of religious praxis, emphasizing the need for affiliation with a revealed tradition even while acknowledging the final identity of all spiritual paths as they approach the summit of spiritual realization. The present volume, first published in 1958 by Guénon's friend and collaborator Paul Chacornac, whose bookstore, journal (first called Le Voile d'Isis, later changed to Études Traditionnelles), and publishing venture-Éditions Traditionnelles-were so instrumental in furthering Guénon's work, was the first full-length biography of this extraordinary man to appear, and has served as the foundation for the many later biographies that have appeared in French, as well as the lone biography in English, René Guénon and the Future of the West, by Robin Waterfield. Its translation and publication in conjunction with The Collected Works of René Guénon represents an important step in the effort to bring Guénon's oeuvre before a wider public.

The System of Antichrist examines the present religious and cultural scene from the standpoint of traditional metaphysics and critiques the New Age spiritualities within their postmodern context. Its many references to Rene Guenon and Frithjof Schuon also help introduce these important but little-known 'traditionalist' thinkers. The book presents lore relating to the 'latter days' of the present cycle from the vantage point of comparative religion, drawing upon relevant doctrines from Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism, and the Native American traditions. It also speculates upon the social, psychic, and spiritual nature of that being known to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam as the Antichrist, presenting him as both an individual and a system and warning those willing to be warned against the spiritual seduction and terror he represents, and against the regime which will be-and is-the social expression of that seduction and that terror. Finally, in tracing the roots of Antichrist in the fallen nature of man, the author sketches the particular quality of spirituality proper to apocalyptic times, the dangers it faces, the unique opportunities open to it. And along the way he describes his own course from the 'spiritual revolution' of the 1960s, through the world of New Age spiritualities, to the threshold of traditional esoterism and metaphysics. As he says, speaking of the angst that characterizes the modern world: 'The specific medicine for the shock of despair is the deeper shock of meaning. Nothing but the weight of eternity, breaking through the thin, brittle shell of the postmodern sky, can set us on our feet.'"

Since the late nineteenth century, the Theosophical Society has been a central force in the movement now known as the New Age. Just as the Communist Party was considered 'old hat' by peace activists in the '60s, so the Theosophical Society was looked upon by many in the 'spiritual revolution' of those years as cranky, uninteresting, and passé. But the Society, like the Party, was always there, and-despite its relatively few members-always better organized than anybody else. Since then, the Society's influence has certainly not waned. It plays an important role in today's global interfaith movement, and, since the flowering of the New Age in the '70s, has established increasingly intimate ties with the global elites. And its various spinoffs, such as Elizabeth Clare Prophet's Summit Lighthouse, and Benjamin Crème's continuing attempt to lead a 'World Teacher Maitreya' onto the global stage-just as the Society tried to do in the last century with Krishnamurti-continue to send waves through the sea of 'alternative' spiritualities. Guénon shows how our popular ideas of karma and reincarnation actually owe more to Theosophy than to Hinduism or Buddhism, provides a clear picture of the charlatanry that was sometimes a part of the Society's modus operandi, and gives the early history of the Society's bid for political power, particularly its role as an agent of British imperialism in India. It is fitting that this work should finally appear in English just at this moment, when the influence of pseudo-esoteric spiritualities on global politics is probably greater than ever before in Western history.

René Guénon (1886-1951) is undoubtedly one of the luminaries of the twentieth century, whose critique of the modern world has stood fast against the shifting sands of recent philosophies. His oeuvre of 26 volumes is providential for the modern seeker: pointing ceaselessly to the perennial wisdom found in past cultures ranging from the Shamanistic to the Indian and Chinese, the Hellenic and Judaic, the Christian and Islamic, and including also Alchemy, Hermeticism, and other esoteric currents, at the same time it directs the reader to the deepest level of religious praxis, emphasizing the need for affiliation with a revealed tradition even while acknowledging the final identity of all spiritual paths as they approach the summit of spiritual realization. Miscellanea gathers together for Anglophone readers various articles by René Guénon and by 'Palingenius', his pseudonym during the time of La Gnose, a journal he founded in 1909. These articles have been divided into three categories: 'Metaphysics and Cosmology', 'Traditional Arts and Sciences', and 'Some Modern Errors'. A sampling of chapters: 'Monotheism and Angelology'; 'Spirit and Intellect'; 'Silence and Solitude'; 'The Empiricism of the Ancients'; 'Gnosis and the Spiritist Schools'; 'The Origins of Mormonism', 'On the Production of Numbers', 'On Mathematical Notation'; 'Initiation and the Crafts'; and 'The Arts & their Traditional Conception'. In the latter two chapters the author explains why initiation became necessary in the measure that humanity receded from the 'primordial state', explaining the reasons for the degeneration of the arts and crafts due to the 'fall' or descending trajectory of the present cycle. He nonetheless points out the possibility of an initiation into the 'lesser mysteries' based upon the craft of building which still exists validly in the West.

From Cleopatra to Chaos Magic: A Vibrant, Epic History of Occultism in Thought and Practice In his most sweeping historical work, occult scholar and widely known voice of esoteric ideas Mitch Horowitz presents a lively, intellectually serious historical exploration of modern occultism, from astrology and alchemy to the dawn of Theosophy and modern witchcraft—and the spiritual revolutions that followed. In this lively, full-circle history, Mitch explores: Preservation of “hidden wisdom” in late-ancient Hermeticism. Rebirth of esoterica during the Renaissance, including Kabbalah, ceremonial magick, alchemy, Gnosticism—and the backlash culminating in the Thirty Years’ War. Rise of the modern “secret society,” such as Rosicrucians, Freemasons, and Illuminati. Migration of religious radicalism to the New World, including how enslaved people devised the magickal system of hoodoo. Wave of occultism ignited by John Dee, the Romantics, Franz Anton Mesmer, Eliphas Lévi, and P.B. Randolph. The revolution brought by occult explorer Madame H.P. Blavatsky. Growth of New Thought and mind metaphysics. How fin de siècle scientists devised clinical protocols to study the supernatural. Occult influences in politics: a delicate topic weighed maturely. Heterodox movements and figures such as The Process Church, TOPY, Michael Aquino, and Anton LaVey. Pioneering voices including Manly P. Hall, Aleister Crowley, Rudolf Steiner, Edgar Cayce, Carl Jung, Gerald Gardner, Jack Parsons, Annie Besant, G.I. Gurdjieff, Alice Bailey, Austin Osman Spare, and Carlos Castaneda. Surprising occult influences on wide-ranging modern icons such as Frederick Douglass, Sigmund Freud, and Isaac Newton. How models of interdimensionality are loosening the hold of materialism on modern thought.

Can we really know what UFO's are? The answer is Yes-but only if we study them armed with a kind of knowledge that explains the true and complete structure of the universe-spiritual, psychic, and material-a knowledge that only traditional metaphysics can provide. Science can supply one piece of the puzzle, detective work another, psychic investigation still another. But only metaphysics can put the puzzle together, and give us a complete and satisfying picture of the UFO phenomenon. Cracks in the Great Wall analyzes of the findings of UFO researcher Jacques Vallee and some of his colleagues in light of the teachings of Ren Gunon, particularly as expressed in his prophetic masterpiece The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times. According to Gunon, one of the signs of the End Times is the erosion of the energy barrier or 'Great Wall' between the material plane and the world of subtle realities-which is why our world is now being invaded by 'infra-psychic forces' of a terribly destructive nature. Author Charles Upton shows how one of the most obvious examples of this invasion is the UFO phenomenon, including the experience of 'alien abduction'. A lifetime student of comparative religion and mysticism, he explains the true nature of UFOs, the quality of the world they come from, and also something about the agenda these beings, or some of them, are trying to impose upon our world. If you want to remain merely mystified or fascinated by the UFO phenomenon, this book is not for you. But if you want to understand it, Cracks in the Great Wall will give you the conceptual tools you need. With the help of UFOlogists Jacques Vallee and John E. Mack, Christian writers C.S. Lewis and Seraphim Rose, Kaballah authority Leo Schaya, and traditionalist writers Ren Gunon and Whitall Perry, Charles Upton has provided the most comprehensive explanation of the UFO phenomenon yet written. It is difficult to be objective in areas outside our collective view of reality-but if, as the author contends, his argument is based on sound principles, it deserves serious consideration by all who are interested in theUFO phenomenon and its effect on our world.. "Charles Upton is a serious writer from whom I have learned much. His writing deserves close attention." - Prof. Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions, etc.