Customer Reviews

Esoteric Secrets of Meditation and Magic - Volume 2: The Early Writings

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This book is lessons C & D to Volume I's A & B. So you may want to also keep Book I close by for reference. It goes into more depth on interrelations and correspondences of the Qabalah, tarot, color, planets, and tones with life and wisdom. Have a tarot deck and Tree of Life with all the letters, planets and paths handy when you read this book, unless you've got it all memorized.

Case describes what exactly you are concentrating when you meditate, and he explains the process of concentration to meditate. It is the perfection of inner vision. We open ourselves up to the descending current of light. We bring the powers down from above. Everything is within. We just externalize these latent powers. I never heard it explained that way before.

The author also uses plenty of quotes and passages from Levi, Patanjali, Boehme and others to explain esoteric secrets.

He makes some very interesting observations and relates them to the Tarot. In his explanation of the Devil card, he states that laughter separates occultists from the fakes. We laugh at the Devil, but not at God. Why not laugh at the equally stupid ideas of God put forth by the theologians and imposed upon our consciousness? The Devil card is really an image of man's silly imaginings of God.

It is not an easy book to read; it is one you need to study. According to Paul Foster Case, you need to spend a few weeks on each chapter. There is a lot of information here.

This book is a continuation of the concepts and exercises begun in Volume 1:Occult Fundamentals and Spiritual Unfoldment - Volume 1: The Early Writings. These are two of the best sources available to the general public, providing a clear explanation and practical exercises for those interested in spiritual unfoldment using the concepts of the Western Mystery Tradition.

This book does a good job in introducing the reader to the forms of meditation and magical models Brother Case used to arrive at his later conclusions regarding esoteric science. The reader can use the same material or develop on the forms and models presented to make his/her own conclusions along similar lines. Highly recommended for those who enjoy/practice the western mystery traditions.

It is a well crafted book. Do not fool yourself into thinking that you can buy the second volume without true knowledge of the Tarot, Hebrew and the Tree of Life. There are no shortcuts here if you really want to learn. If you are willing to buy the first volume as well as read some of the other material Paul Foster Case has written, then and only then will you be able to comprehend the second volume. This book takes true dedication and to get through it effectively, expect to study for a year. Then you will need to go through it again, and then again, and then again if you want to get the most from it. It would be helpful to know either Hindu Astrology and Numerology as you study this book. For numerology, Finding Your Perfect Soulmate or Business Partner: Finding That Perfect Someone Through the Science of NumbersNumerology is helpful, but not a requisite. I created a simple way to begin to understand numerology. Good luck!