Chalice of Ecstasy [Paperback]

Frater Achad (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 1942

Being a Magical and Qabalistic Interpretation of the Drama of Parzival by a Companion of the Holy Grail.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 92 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC (May 31, 1942)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0766103471
• ISBN-13: 978-0766103474
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,083,265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An interest effort, but doesn't go far enough., September 9, 2000

By 

John B. Morgan (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chalice of Ecstasy (Paperback)

I came to this book as part of my continuing quest to better understand the Grail legend, and in particular Wagner's great music-drama "Parsifal," which this book is primarily about. As an interpretive essay I found it quite interesting, delving deeply into the meanings of the various mystical symbols in the drama, although I couldn't help but feel that there is more there than Achad was presenting. Granted, given the length of the text, that would be impossible, and Achad makes a good stab at it. My other problem with it is that he focuses almost exclusively on the libretto, and does not touch on the music at all, which is just as important to the drama's meaning. Lastly, a prospective reader should know that Achad was a follower of the doctrines of Blavatsky (Theosophy) and Aleister Crowley (Thelema), as well as various Eastern mystics as seen through the lens of these thinkers, and Achad makes frequent reference to such works and interpretations. As such the book is not so much an objective exploration of "Parsifal"'s symbols as it is an attempt to link the drama to these systems. If one is not open to these types of ideas, one will not likely find the book to be of much interest. I must admit that the book's last chapter, in which Achad attempts to link "Parsifal" to the numerology of the Kabbalah, did not hold my attention, being very technical in its approach. But overall I thought the book to be a worthwhile work on the subject, if not by any means the definitive work, and it was heartening to see that somebody else has felt the alchemical processes which are at work deep within Wagner's drama, and taken note of them.

5.0 out of 5 stars Richly detailed Writing!, October 25, 2005

By 

An Avid Reader (Sausalito, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chalice of Ecstasy (Paperback)

Parsifal is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner. It is loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's medieval epic Parzival, the 13th century epic poem of the Arthurian knight Parzival (Percival) and his quest for the Holy Grail. Achad's book is also based on this poem and his intrepretation puts a Qabalistic spin on it with an alchemical edge. Altogether a very good read on a very old tale.