Stealing Fire From Heaven

Despite the dramatic expansion of modern technology, which defines and dominates many aspects of contemporary life and thought, the Western magical traditions are currently undergoing an international resurgence. In this overview of the modern occult revival, Drury traces the rise of various forms of magical belief and practice.

?This book just won?t go away. This essential piece is back by popular demand and if you didn?t buy it last time, buy it this time. A great read and an essential requirement for every student of Magick.?- Christopher S. Hyatt, Ph.D., author of Undoing Yourself, Secrets of Western Tantra, Urban Voodoo and Rebels & Devils.?Stephen Mace begins with the ideas of Crowley and Spare and takes them several steps further in a way few others have. His writing is, by turns, engaging, erudite and very down-to-earth. Stealing the Fire from Heaven is a must-have for any modern occult practitioner.?- Phil Hine, author of Condensed Chaos and Prime Chaos.?Stealing the Fire from Heaven articulates the essence of Magick and Sorcery in a sober, meaningful way. Stephen Mace has carefully drawn forth the connections between Austin Spare and Aleister Crowley and defined the meaningful aspects of creating a personal path of sorcery.? - Michael W. Ford, author of Book of the Witch Moon and Yatuk Dinoih.?Despite the number of ?magical construction kits? that are available to the modern sorcerer, Mace?s is a definite keeper. By blending sound theory with an organic and personal system, Stealing the Fire from Heaven offers pieces that are worthwhile for both the neophyte and advanced practitioner.?- George Holochwost, Sectionhead of the Illuminates of Thanateros Americas

A revised and expanded sequel to Stealing Fire from the Gods, this 2nd edition includes important new revelations concerning the ultimate source of unity, the structures of the whole story passage, the anti-hero's journey, the high-concept great idea, the secrets of charismatic characters, and the analyses of many important new stories and successful films.

Prometheus is a hero of Grecian mythology who is considered as a friend of men, as stealing fire from heaven for their benefit. "With fire they could at least warm their bodies and cook their food," Prometheus thought, "and later they could make tools and build houses for themselves and enjoy some of the comforts of the gods." On account of various services rendered to men, he was chained by Zeus to a rock...

In this intellectually challenging and personally inviting exploration, Haughey examines holiness from the perspective of the Hebrew Scripture of the Old Testament.

Lending support to the search for the roots of the Altaic language family and pushing forward the field of Altaic mythologies and related topics, this comprehensive study of the early beliefs of China’s Altaic peoples is the first thorough, systematic academic treatment in this, as yet, underdeveloped research field. While discussing nine types of Altaic mythologies, A Comparative Study of Altaic Mythologies in China uses primary sources in several languages to explore Altaic myths’ origins, development over centuries, lineage relationships, and external influences. For this purpose, it compares the mythologies of various ethnic groups within the Altaic language family, Altaic mythologies with those of other cross-language and cross-cultural ethnic groups having direct, indirect or even no cultural exchanges with them in history, as well as Altaic mythologies with folklore, religion and other interdisciplinary domains of Altaic Studies by applying the theories and methods of comparative literature studies, comparative folklore studies and comparative mythology to a vast collection of mythological materials. As wide-ranging as it is deeply researched, this serious exploration of Altaic Studies breaks the boundaries of the previously closed research model, expands theoretical horizons, broadens the research scope, introduces a new mechanism for understanding myths and co-cultures of the Altaic language family, and offers insight toward the reconstruction of Proto-Altaic Mythology.

First published in 1978, Don Juan, Mescalito and Modern Magic begins with an analysis of the Castaneda material from the viewpoint of its inherently magical content. The author examines the symbiotic gestures, the magical actions and the mind-altering techniques employed by the brujo Don Juan, and then goes on to draw comparisons with two other schools of thought: the psychedelic development of the 1960s and the Western Magical Tradition. The essential aim throughout is to show that there is a basically Western shamanism which uses Western symbols and is easily accessible. The shamanistic practices of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn are examined in this context. Considerable emphasis is also placed on mythological aspects associated with out-of-the-body experiences and their relevance to both the Don Juan Mescalito imagery and the Qabalistic and Tarot symbols found in Western Magic. This book will be of interest to students of religion, history and literature.