What books are you curretly reading? Suggesting? (Setian thread)

[Werden]

The "What are you Reading" thread in the larger Left-Hand Path general forum isn't too busy lately from my observation, so with apologies to those who started it I present a more local one for this forum.

I'm currently reading Dr. Stephen Flowers' Lords of The Left-Hand Path (about half finished). So far in terms of the LHP and comparative religion in general this has been quite an interesting and enlightening read. Along with some of the wit Dr. Flowers puts into this work makes this informative with many sources for further study, contemplative with much to think about, but generally entertaining to read as well.
I'd recommend it for anyone interested in philosophy or comparative religion studies/history of religious ideas in general who can handle the antinomianism present.
For those actively pursuing the LHP or exploring the concepts there are many ideas and thoughts which can be incorporated into various areas.
At the moment I have not reached the chapter regarding the TOS so I cannot yet comment on any thoughts or questions there in.

Also reading Being Logical : A Guide to Good Thinking by Dennis Q. McInerny. On the second chapter, though not sure if this is necessarily the best book introducing the basics of pragmatic logical thought and studying logical fallacies. If anyone has any other books to recommend on the subject I would be interested to hear.

Have Ouspensky and some other books lined up to follow that I saw included as TOS-1 in the Readling List Appendix to The Temple of Set pdf file from Xeper.org.

Xeper!
- Werden

 

[Werden]

Forgot to mention, I had some doubts about McInerny when I looked at the book and saw no bibliography, citations, end notes, or further reading

 

[Apion]

Werden,

A book I took a liking to is How to Think About Wierd Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age by Schick and Vaughn. Great primer, easy to follow, and good amount of citations and examples.

I haven't picked this one up yet, but another promising book for introductory level logic is Becoming a Critical Thinker: A Guide to the New Millennium by Robert Todd Carroll (of skepdic.com).

 

[Werden]

Apion,

Appreciate the reply and suggestions, taking a look at those and reviews of them.

I've found Skepdic.com a great tool, as long as it itself is taken critically , though very excellent and informative site!

- Werden

 

[Apion]

I've found Skepdic.com a great tool, as long as it itself is taken critically , though very excellent and informative site!

Definitely. I was going to add that cautionary note yet assumed, as fitting in a left hand path forum, doubt should responsibly be the default position to the world even to "skeptical" material.

Regardless what I've seen of Carroll's book from the table of contents and reviews seems to be a straight-forward basic intro to formal and informal logic with probably few spins from his point of view as examples. It's useful enough.

 

[Kenaz]

Two books [one I'm reading now] that have been suggested to me by various individuals on the Left Hand Path and within the Temple that I've found to be very useful in Initiation.

• Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

• Mastery by George Leonard

Both books, in my experience, have been extremely beneficial for long-term application to one's Initiation and travel on the LHP.
Hopefully these suggestions are beneficial to those who may read [and more importantly, apply] them.


Xeper and Remanifest,
JWG

 

[L.Keane]

Two books [one I'm reading now] that have been suggested to me by various individuals on the Left Hand Path and within the Temple that I've found to be very useful in Initiation.

• Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

• Mastery by George Leonard

Both books, in my experience, have been extremely beneficial for long-term application to one's Initiation and travel on the LHP.
Hopefully these suggestions are beneficial to those who may read [and more importantly, apply] them.


Xeper and Remanifest,
JWG

JWG,

It's funny, I would have never read Flow if left to my own devices. It seemed too "self-help", too "easy"--this without ever reading it! However, when I saw it was on the Temple reading list I thought, what the Hel lets give it a go. It really is quite remarkable how books, movies, art, etc. Become something different when looked at from a Setian perspective. Flow is a very interesting read when looked at from the perspective of Black Magic and Initiation.

Xeper!

LK

 

[Werden]

LK & JWG :

Those are excellent books! I just read Leonard's Mastery last year and last month read Flow, and was amazed by both!

LK - I agree, I probably never would have picked up either book if not recommended by KHPR and Flow being listed on the Temple reading list found at the end of Dr. Aquino's Temple of Set. I even doubted Mastery as I bought it, assuming it would be 'typical' content related to 'self-help', and oh how joyfully wrong!

These are two books and sets of concepts I wish I had had access to and begun applying years ago, however I am glad that I found them now at this stage in my Initiation rather than later.

Have either of you read any of Mihaly's other books? I've seen them, but at the moment am busy with other areas and feel I should apply the ideas of Flow and Mastery before trying to add on to them.

Xeper!
W.

 

[L.Keane]

LK & JWG :

Those are excellent books! I just read Leonard's Mastery last year and last month read Flow, and was amazed by both!

LK - I agree, I probably never would have picked up either book if not recommended by KHPR and Flow being listed on the Temple reading list found at the end of Dr. Aquino's Temple of Set. I even doubted Mastery as I bought it, assuming it would be 'typical' content related to 'self-help', and oh how joyfully wrong!

These are two books and sets of concepts I wish I had had access to and begun applying years ago, however I am glad that I found them now at this stage in my Initiation rather than later.

Have either of you read any of Mihaly's other books? I've seen them, but at the moment am busy with other areas and feel I should apply the ideas of Flow and Mastery before trying to add on to them.

Xeper!
W.

Werden,

I don't plan on reading any more of Mihaly's work (not that I won't at some point). I tend to start reading something and it turns into research, which turns into a strange sort of insanity for me...ten years later I have a degree in it. I've learned my lesson. I take what I need and move on! lol.

Xeper!

LK

 

[Werden]

LK,

I know what you mean from other discussions and my own experience

Reading Thus Spoke Zarathustra is what turned into the research for me on philosophy, from Plato and earlier to current trends in cognitive sciencee as it relates to philosophy of mind... and thus leading to continued insanity/higher education

Xeper!
werden

 

[EtuMalku]

My modest library:

CURRENT
The World is Sound: Nada Brahma Joachim-Ernst Berendt
Through Music to the Self Peter Michael Hamel



OCCULT
777 Aleister Crowley
Acupuncture Felix Mann
Alchemy & Mysticism Alexander Roob
Ancient Egyptian Magic Bob Brier
Asetian Bible Luis Marques
Basic Sigil Magic Phillip Cooper
Bible of the Adversary Michael Ford
Book of the Dead E.A. Budge
Book of Thoth Aleister Crowley
Book of the Witch Moon Michael Ford
Buddhist Philosophy Herbert Guenther
Dead Sea Scrolls
Diary of a Drug Fiend Aleister Crowley
Egyptian Magic E.A. Budge
Encyclopedia of the Undead
Galactic Alignment Jenkins
Gnostic Kabbalah Thelema Press
Golden Dawn Israel Regardie
Gurdjieff Michel Waldberg
Hyperspace Michio Akaku
Italian Witchcraft Raven Grimassi
Jesus Mysteries Freke & Gandy
Joyous Cosmology Alan Watts
Liber Null & Psychonaut Peter Carroll
Little book of Tarot Rachel Pollack
Middle Pillar Israel Regardie
Mystical Qabalah Dion Fortune
Necromantic Ritual Book Leilah Wendell
Necronomicon Tyson
Nephilim and the Pyramid of the Apocalypse Patrick Heron
Nocturnicon Konstantinos
Origin of Satan Elaine Pagels
Qabalah, Qliphoth and Goetia Thomas Karlsson
Reincarnation: the missing link in Christianity Elizabeth Clare Prophet
Religion and Magic in Ancient Egypt Rosalie David
Satanic Bible Anton LaVey
Secret History of Lucifer Lynne Picknett
Serpent Power: tantric and shaktic yoga Arthur Avalon
Sirius Mystery Robert Temple
Systematics Saul Kuchinsky
Tankhem: Seth & Egyptian Magick Mogg Morgan
Tao Te Ching
Tao of Physics Fritjof Capra
Texts of Taoism Volume I & II
The Vampire: in lore and legend Montague Summers
Theosophy Rudolph Steiner
Tree of Life Israel Regardie
Vampires Konstantinos
Vampires and Vampirism Montague Summers
Vampires: in their own words Michelle Belanger
Voodoo in Haiti Alfred Metraux
Wisdom of Lao Tse


MUSE
Beethoven and the Spiritual Path David Tame
Birth of Tragedy and the Case of Wagner Friedrich Nietzsche
Cosmic Octave Cousto
Egyptian Rhythm Moustafa Gadalla
Gurdjieff, String Theory, Music Mitzi DeWhitt
Harmonies of Heaven and Earth Joscelyn Godwin
Harmonograph Anthony Ashton
Harmony of the Spheres Joscelyn Godwin
Makam: modal Practice in Turkish Art Music Karl Signell
Music, Mysticism and Magic Joscelyn Godwin
Music of Ancient Nations: Assyrians, Egyptians and Hebrews Carl Engel
Mystery of the Seven Vowels Joscelyn Godwin
Mysticism of Sound and Music Hazrat Inayat Khan
Nearly All and Almost Everything: Gurdjieff, Kaballah, Indian Shruti and Musical Tree of Life Mitzi Dewhitt
Psychology of Music Carl Seashore
Sacred Sounds Ted Andrews
Secret Power of Music David Tame
Shifting Frequencies Jonathan Goldman
Structural Functions in Music Wallace Berry

 

[dust1n]

• Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Represent!

 

[Valor]

I'm currently reading Dr. Stephen Flowers' Lords of The Left-Hand Path -

Werden

Yes, a very well put together compendium.

The bibliography, alone, was worth the money. I've suggested this title many times.

 

[Valor]

My modest library:

As modest as you may think it is, it speaks volumes my friend. Thank you for sharing. You have a dozen or so titles i do.

 

[Werden]

Finished Lords of the Left-Hand Path yesterday, excellent book, and learned much from it and the various areas which are, by necessity, explored within it. There is a bit of time shift which can be seen in it from the original writing in 92 to the publication in 97 vs the present day, however it is nothing which would invalidate the ideas and areas of study. As someone else pointed out : "the bibliography alone is worth the cost of the book" and indeed it is!

Still headaching my way through Being Logical by D.Q. McInerny, and yesterday began The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense once finished Lords of.... Apparently the edition I picked up covers 'netiquette' and communication online.

Time allowing I should be finishing the interesting essay Matrix Logic and Runes by Waldo Thompson today. I'll post more about this after I am finished.

Xeper!
- Werden -

 

[EtuMalku]

As modest as you may think it is, it speaks volumes my friend. Thank you for sharing. You have a dozen or so titles i do.

Thank you sir for the kind compliment, and yes my 'modest' library speaks to me all the time :shout

Most of my books I have highlighted passages of importance, written outlines of and indexed on my PC for quick access to (discussions and research).

If I said I understood every book that read I would be a liar, many many of them I re-read time and time again, sooner or later it sinks in


My latest book (which is on the Temple reading list) was 'Through Music to the Self' by Peter Hamel
Awesome tome on the spirituality of music. It covers ritual music, the musical mind and consciousness, hip composers, esoteria, some physical laws and is an easy and great read, very well written.

Published in 1976 I was instantly amazed at what little has changed or has been discovered since then in the realm of sound/vibration/music.
Highly recommended for all artists.

EM

 

[Valor]

Werden,

A book I took a liking to is How to Think About Wierd Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age by Schick and Vaughn. Great primer, easy to follow, and good amount of citations and examples.

I haven't picked this one up yet, but another promising book for introductory level logic is Becoming a Critical Thinker: A Guide to the New Millennium by Robert Todd Carroll (of skepdic.com).

Yes...two very good titles!

I just finished Todd's last week, thanks to you Apion. My sincerest thanks and blessings for your contributions to my tool-box.