The most recommended Western esotericism books

An atmospheric biography—a book you can curl up with—by British occultist King (not to be confused with the more ‘literary establishment’ Francis King, a respected gay novelist; our man sometimes called himself Francis X King to distinguish between them). King was a quietly eccentric character who had been traumatized by his experiences in the Korean War, and at one stage sold ice cream on Bournemouth beach. Steeped in the Golden Dawn tradition, his other books include works on alchemy, Western esotericism, tantra, and more, and he was a friend of Crowley’s friend Gerald Yorke, who also wrote on those subjects. I’ve always had a soft spot for their charmingly old-school, gentlemanly style of bygone British occult scholarship.

I consider this book The Original "The Secret" just much more practical without any secrets at all.

I truly adore this book, referring clients who want to change their lives to study it and implement the lessons. It teaches the fundamentals of self-mastery, self-discipline and focus. The knowledge contained is basically a form of meditation you can use anytime in any situation.

Sorcerers is the tale of teenaged Eliot, who’s growing up in Philadelphia in the 1950s and strives to learn magic. Let’s not confuse this with the magic found in Harry Potter, the Narnia books, or in any of today’s fantasy worlds; Eliot studies basic stage-magic tricks and gains entrance to the Sorcerers, a club of aspiring teen magicians. Some Sorcerers are adept and elegant; others graceless gawks. As the novel develops, there's mystery, and to everyone's surprise, some of what might be termed "real magic" and strange power. This is a bildungsroman about human possibility, which is what prompts me to recommend it here. It's subtle and unusual, with a deep understanding of humanity and spiritual development. I've not encountered many novels that attempt what this one does. 

Along with the Lobsang Rampa series, as well as The Secret of the Ages, this book came into my possession after their owner passed over.

Working with the Law teaches the natural way of working with the energy of Creation to build the appropriate life for yourself. It laid a solid foundation for living life honourably I am still referring to on a daily basis.

I’ve read a lot of books on creativity, and this one stands out for its more scientific and historical approach.

No surprise; it’s written by the NYT’s Science Reporter, and it comes with the sources, case studies, and expert insights you’d expect from someone who works for the country’s newspaper of record. It covered some of the biological and evolutionary support for creativity, which was something I haven’t seen much of elsewhere; and since biological writers are up against the mechanized ones, this will help you see your key advantages.

The audiobook was over 11 hours long, but it didn’t feel like it, and I found myself sitting in the car to continue listening after I’d arrived at my destination more than once. 

John and Caitin Mathews have a vast body of work on the subject of spirituality. This is one of their first and, in my opinion, one of their best.

I recommend this title to anyone who feels a deep connection to Celtic heritage and the old Gods and Goddesses of early British and Welsh ancestry. I was especially entranced by the pathworking techniques, a guided visualisation journey into the ‘otherworld’ of our native ancestors. Having undertaken several of these guided visualisation journeys, I had some deeply personal and life-enhancing experiences that I still vividly recall some thirty years later.

A great introduction to the Western Mystery Tradition.

Starting from the ancient wisdom of the Kabbalah, Catherine takes us on a journey through esoteric practices that allow us to unlock the power of our own dreaming mind and our intuitive and transformative powers.

She invites us to the perspective that we dream all the time if we know how to attend to waking as well as sleeping dreams. She is one of my spiritual teachers.

This was the first tarot book that I read at age 17 from the Occult Bookstore in Chicago. I remember reading it cover to cover that first night. I understood it because of my childhood interest in fairy tales, mythology, Egyptian archeology, and my hobby (bordering an obsession) with foreign languages.

I attended Hebrew school as a child and studied Latin in high school. I was reading Ezra Pound's translations of the Confucian Analects at the time, but Crowley resonated more than Pound, for he used symbols in a practical manner. Aleister Crowley (1875- 1947) was a British occultist who was far ahead of his Victorian times. By any standards, this book is unique and perhaps a bit crazy. Still, I recommend it.

This is the biography of Irish novelist the late Herbie Brennan, one of Ireland's most successful authors, yet he is not exactly a household name. Herbie was incredibly prolific writing over 100 books, mostly fiction, but he also wrote about history and esoteric matters.

His biography is incredibly candid, often funny but most of all riveting. He had an absolutely amazingly interesting life, at least it seems that way from the way this book is written. So the title 'Enchanted Life' seems entirely appropriate, given the breadth of experiences he had. If you like biography you'll enjoy this even if you have no idea who Herbie was. It is also quite educational as it explains his interest in magic and discusses some key people, so that you have a better idea of what he is on about. Aside from the magic, his life was quite a roller-coaster of events and… show more.

Where The Alchemist is considered the beginner's book on esoteric wisdom, The Puppet Master's Secret is the PHD book about Fractals and what it means to be one, how it feels to be one, as well as the possibilities an awakened Fractal may consider after an incarnation.

This book hits home hard as I'm a Fractal of my Overself as well. The author is a personal friend who used some of our conversations in this book, making it a private biographical adventure for me. This book is meant to assist other Fractals on their journeys to decide if they want to become their own individuals.