Book: Cults Of The Shadow by Kenneth Grant
These Skoob books are great reprints of Kenneth Grant's earlier works. This one is originally printed in 1975. There are 9 books in the trilogies. Grant has been around for a while and already had a strong background in tantric and buddhist knowledge when he became Crowley's secretary. He is believed to have been granted the OHO (10th and highest degree) in the O.'.T.'.O.'. and in that capacity founded an operative lodge called Nu Isis which explored and laid a foundation for many of his further works.Many sincere occultists have hesitated to study the notorious left hand path for fear of stumbling into incalculable evil and ultimate damnation. As the last student of aleister crowley, Kenneth Grant has no such hesitations. In he shows that the left hand path has no connection with black magic-it is a legitimate balance to the right hand path dating back to the primeval phases of Consciousness. Grant leads us on a dark pathway through Africa's Ophidian (snake) tradition Egypt's Draconian cult and the Tantric secrets of India and Tibet into the present day.
In regards to this particular book Grant takes an eclectic approach which attempts to find in gematria values hidden links which lie between the ancient rites of Egypt, Crowley's A.'.A.'., Theosophy, Vedic/Tantric, ancient African cults and voudon Gnosis. His chapter on Michael Bertiaux's Voudon Gnostic teachings is a good introduction to a great modern gnostic thinker/teacher.
Additionally the inclusion of several pages of illustrations by Austin Osman Spare, Steffi Grant(his wife)and others makes these books a worthwhile inclusion in a library.
Books in PDF format to read:
Sasha Fierce - The Book Of ShadowsMichael Smith - Ways Of The Asatru
Howard Phillips Lovecraft - Cults Of Cthulhu