The most recommended Western esotericism books

Who picked these books? Meet our 10 experts.

10 authors created a book list connected to Western esotericism, and here are their favorite Western esotericism books.
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Book cover of Images and Oracles of Austin Osman Spare

Phil Baker Author Of Austin Osman Spare: The Life and Legend of London's Lost Artist

From my list on Austin Osman Spare.

Why am I passionate about this?

I first encountered Spare in my early teens, when I was reading books about the occult, and then forgot about him for a few years. As time went by, I grew more interested in surrealism, psychoanalysis, and Buddhism, but I never quite abandoned magic, and I came to see it’s really the same area. I used to think it was funny that the Dewey library classification system puts Freud and the occult next to each other, but now I see it makes perfect sense. It’s all about exploring the mind and inner experience. And Austin Osman Spare, like Crowley and the surrealists, is among its most interesting figures.  

Phil's book list on Austin Osman Spare

Phil Baker Why did Phil love this book?

This is an unreliable but very readable book from occult writer Kenneth Grant. I used to find the title mysterious; it really means images and oracular worlds, and I remember seeing great heaps of this book remaindered in the 1980s, little knowing it would go on to fetch £300 a copy. Fortunately, Fulgur have since produced an affordable edition.

Grant’s depiction of Spare is heavily influenced by his reading of popular fiction writers like Arthur Machen, Sax Rohmer, and H.P. Lovecraft, and he gives us Spare, the black magician seduced in childhood by an elderly witch, who launches “an amphibious owl with the wings of a bat” into a conflict between magical groups. This is really the book that started the “Spare Mythos.”

By Kenneth Grant,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Images and Oracles of Austin Osman Spare as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Images and Oracles remains one of the most influential works on esoteric magick and mystical art produced in the last thirty years. Part One discusses Spare's life and biographical anecdotes while Part Two provides Kenneth Grant' important analysis and co


Book cover of Kabbalah and the Power of Dreaming: Awakening the Visionary Life

Linda Yael Schiller Author Of PTSDreams: Transform Your Nightmares from Trauma through Healing Dreamwork

From my list on understanding your nightmares and dreams.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've always been fascinated by non-linear ways of knowing. I moved to Boston in the ’80s and became a part of a dance community, and a friend invited me to join a dream circle. My immediate response was “Yes!”, followed by, “What’s a dream circle?” I said yes even before I knew what it was, and that decision formed one of my major life paths personally and professionally. (FYI, a dream circle is a group of people who get together regularly to understand their dreams.) Add this to my years as a trauma therapist, and you have the template for Modern Dreamwork and PTSDreams. My next book focuses on healing ancestorial legacy through dreamwork. 

Linda's book list on understanding your nightmares and dreams

Linda Yael Schiller Why did Linda love this book?

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.

By Catherine Shainberg,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Kabbalah and the Power of Dreaming as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In Kabbalah and the Power of DreamingCatherine Shainberg unveils the esoteric practices that allow us to unlock the dreaming mind's transformative and intuitive powers. These are the practices used by ancient prophets, seers, and sages to control dreams and visions. Shainberg draws upon the ancient Sephardic Kabbalah tradition, as well as illustrative


Book cover of Wisdom of the Ancients

H. Gibson Author Of Preserving Creata

From my list on esoteric mysteries with a glimpse of Creation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Han. During my NDE I was informed by Light Beings that I should write my soul adventures. My body was burnt to a crisp. It did not even have hands! But back we came and after publishing more than 2 million words of Past Life adventures, readers keep on reporting that the Chronicles of Han books change their lives. It is with gratitude that I realize that the information in the books I am sharing with you have helped me through the years, during the accident where I should have died, and the healing process that now assists thousands of individuals. 

H.'s book list on esoteric mysteries with a glimpse of Creation

H. Gibson Why did H. love this book?

Lobsang Rampa was a Tibetan Monk that took over the body of an Englishman in order to accomplish his destiny in teaching Westeners the Wisdom of the Ancients.

I found this book at 18 years old while searching for the meaning of life, needing to know that what I experienced and could do was not an overactive imagination. As I read the book, a great calmness settled into my soul. All the information related was confirmation that I knew all these concepts already. Now I had the terminology to go with it. It was such an exciting discovery.

If you wish to learn ancient knowledge in a nutshell, this is the book to start with.

By Lobsang Rampa,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wisdom of the Ancients as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book is a guide to help you clear away the mystery of enlightenment that is very difficult to come by. Have you ever wondered what 'prana' is? Well Dr. Rampa will explain it in Supplement A which consists of valuable breathing exercises that will help clear your mind. He elucidates on what the Kundalini is, the subconscious mind, the devil, Zen, love and so much more; all in easy to understand plain English. Reading Dr. Rampa's books is the first step to understanding the sutras and treatises on enlightenment and well worth reading over and over again to finally…


Book cover of The Book of Thoth: (Egyptian Tarot)

Peter Mark Adams Author Of The Game of Saturn: Decoding the Sola-Busca Tarocchi

From my list on the Esoteric Tarot.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a tarot devotee since my early teens and have offered both training and divinatory sessions using the tarot. My book on the fifteenth-century tarot deck known as the Sola-Busca, The Game of Saturn, was nominated The Best Esoteric Book of the Year and was reviewed in two of the world’s leading academic journals. My non-fiction is published by Inner Traditions and Scarlet Imprint; literary prose and poetry by Corbel Stone Press and Paralibrum. My essays on energy healing appear in the peer-reviewed Paranthropology Journal and the Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology as well as on my academia.edu page.

Peter's book list on the Esoteric Tarot

Peter Mark Adams Why did Peter love this book?

The Crowley-Harris Thoth Tarot remains one of the greatest tarot decks ever conceived in respect of the artistry employed in its design and the esoteric depth conveyed by its underlying system of metaphysics. Supervised personally by Aleister Crowley, one of the most important esotericists of the past century, this essay - suitable for advanced students - remains a tour de force in the evolving tradition of the esoteric tarot.

By Aleister Crowley, Frieda Harris (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Book of Thoth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"

The occult classic study of the tarot and as a key to all Western mystery traditions.

Used for many years by students of the occult for study of the tarot and as a key to all Western mystery traditions, The Book of Thoth is on the short list of must-have textbooks for modern students of the tarot and esoteric studies.

“The Tarot is a pictorial representation of the Forces of Nature as conceived by the Ancients according to a conventional symbolism. At first sight one would suppose this arrangement to be arbitrary, but it is not. It is necessitated…


Book cover of The Western Way: A Practical Guide to the Western Mystery Tradition

Graham Tabberner Author Of The Magical Diaries of Charles Lester Seymour: 1

From my list on metaphysical fantasy, thought, and fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have pursued escapism in all its forms for most of my life. From studying the otherworlds of ancient civilisations, especially in my native Britain, including Arthurian tales and those of the Welsh Mabinogion to the fictional worlds of Tolkien and Lewis’s Narnia. I am lucky enough to live in the Snowdonia Mountains with a wealth of legends and myth-making landscapes on my doorstep. This led to a practical interest in The Western Mystery Tradition and from there an academic curiosity toward occult societies and their founders. I believe there is a distinct link between our spiritual morality and physical mortality that is worth exploring through experience.

Graham's book list on metaphysical fantasy, thought, and fiction

Graham Tabberner Why did Graham love this book?

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.

By Caitlin Matthews, John Matthews,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Western Way as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Book by Caitlin Matthews, John Matthews


Book cover of The Puppet Master's Secret

H. Gibson Author Of Preserving Creata

From my list on esoteric mysteries with a glimpse of Creation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Han. During my NDE I was informed by Light Beings that I should write my soul adventures. My body was burnt to a crisp. It did not even have hands! But back we came and after publishing more than 2 million words of Past Life adventures, readers keep on reporting that the Chronicles of Han books change their lives. It is with gratitude that I realize that the information in the books I am sharing with you have helped me through the years, during the accident where I should have died, and the healing process that now assists thousands of individuals. 

H.'s book list on esoteric mysteries with a glimpse of Creation

H. Gibson Why did H. love this book?

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.

By Cathy Mc Donald,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Puppet Master's Secret as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of The Secret of the Ages: The Master Code to Abundance and Achievement

H. Gibson Author Of Preserving Creata

From my list on esoteric mysteries with a glimpse of Creation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Han. During my NDE I was informed by Light Beings that I should write my soul adventures. My body was burnt to a crisp. It did not even have hands! But back we came and after publishing more than 2 million words of Past Life adventures, readers keep on reporting that the Chronicles of Han books change their lives. It is with gratitude that I realize that the information in the books I am sharing with you have helped me through the years, during the accident where I should have died, and the healing process that now assists thousands of individuals. 

H.'s book list on esoteric mysteries with a glimpse of Creation

H. Gibson Why did H. love this book?

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.

By Robert Collier,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Secret of the Ages as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Joining the ranks of Tarcher's runaway editions of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Public Speaking for Success by Dale Carnegie, and The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles, here are three landmark guides to a life of prosperity-now restored to print in beautiful, signature volumes.

- Newly discovered by fans of The Secret, the metaphysical writer Wallace D. Wattles distills the rules of real power and personal achievement in his slender, immensely practical The Science of Being Great-the companion work to The Science of Getting Rich.

- Publisher Robert Collier taught millions of people how to…


Book cover of The Tarot: A Collection of Secret Wisdom from Tarot's Mystical Origins

Angelo Nasios Author Of Tarot Tracker: A Year-Long Journey

From my list on tarot books to own.

Why am I passionate about this?

I found the tarot at the age of fourteen. Like many teenagers exploring the spirit world, I was curious about witchcraft, prophecies, numerology, astrology – it was a matter of time until I found the Tarot and fell in love with the cards. From studying Tarot, I branched out into Gnosticism, Kabbalah, and finally coming home to my culture’s Hellenic Tradition (Hellenism). I went on to college to receive a B.A. in Religion and later a M.A. in Ancient History.  I give the Tarot large credit to all my later achievements in life. Those 78 cards opened my eyes to a whole world of mysteries to be unlocked.  

Angelo's book list on tarot books to own

Angelo Nasios Why did Angelo love this book?

This pick is for the history nerds like me. This book provides, in a single volume over ten selections from foundational tarot books from the last two hundred years. This book is definitely for the enthusiast who wants to go back to the study texts that are out of print or to go back to the beginning of occult Tarot. This book includes ‘old school’ fortunetelling techniques not seen in a long time. I love some old fashion fortunetelling techniques. This is also a recently published book, so you can show off a fresh hot big book on Instagram to make the followers go “ooooo.” 

By F. Homer Curtiss, Harriette Augusta Curtiss, Manly P. Hall , Papus , S.L. MacGregor Mathers , Arthur Edward Waite , Eliphaz Levi , P.D. Ouspensky , P.R.S. Foli

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Tarot as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"A major contribution!"
-Rachel Pollack, bestselling author of Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom

The definitive collection of rare, secret, and arcane tarot knowledge

The Tarot: A Collection of Secret Wisdom from Tarot's Mystical Origins is the ultimate guide to the mysteries and lost knowledge of the tarot. This single volume includes more than ten selections from foundational tarot books, all from the 19th and 20th century. Many of these critical texts have been forgotten, fallen out of print, or are impossible to acquire. The Tarot reintroduces these books to the modern-day reader, unlocking the invisible power of the tarot for a…


Book cover of Ramtha: The White Book

H. Gibson Author Of Preserving Creata

From my list on esoteric mysteries with a glimpse of Creation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Han. During my NDE I was informed by Light Beings that I should write my soul adventures. My body was burnt to a crisp. It did not even have hands! But back we came and after publishing more than 2 million words of Past Life adventures, readers keep on reporting that the Chronicles of Han books change their lives. It is with gratitude that I realize that the information in the books I am sharing with you have helped me through the years, during the accident where I should have died, and the healing process that now assists thousands of individuals. 

H.'s book list on esoteric mysteries with a glimpse of Creation

H. Gibson Why did H. love this book?

The history of Ramptha by Ramptha himself, channeled through one of his descendant's bodies (author J Z Knight). Ramtha was a Lemurian warrior who fought the Atlanteans over 35,000 years ago.

I found this book after my Near Death Experience during which I was awakened to my memories of all my previous lives. While reading this book, my body shook uncontrollably with heightened vibrations, a sure sign that my soul recognized the history and I was part of it in a Past Life.

This book gives insight about the original world, of one of the times of humans and their fall, also about enlightenment and what it means. In this book I also discovered, and confirmed, who I used to be in that lifetime.

By J.Z. Knight,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ramtha as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The classic introduction to Ramtha and his teachings now revised and expanded with a Foreword by JZ Knight, a glossary of terms and concepts used by Ramtha, a detailed index and a commentary essay by Jaime Leal-Anaya showing the significance of Ramtha s teachings. It addresses questions on the Source of all existence, our forgotten divinity, life after death, evolution, love, the power of consciousness and the mind, lessons from nature, and Ramtha s ascension.


Book cover of The Magical World of Aleister Crowley

Phil Baker Author Of City of the Beast: The London of Aleister Crowley

From my list on the beast.

Why am I passionate about this?

I used to love Dennis Wheatley’s Satanic pulp fiction when I was about twelve—like a gateway drugand graduated on to read my first Crowley biography a year or two later. I was gripped. As the years went by I developed what might seem like more serious interests in reading about psychoanalysis, Buddhism, and surrealism, but it’s really the same area. I used to think it was funny that the Dewey library system puts Freud and the occult next to each other, but now I see it makes perfect sense. It’s all about the mind, and inner experience, and Crowley remains one of its towering figures. 

Phil's book list on the beast

Phil Baker Why did Phil love this book?

An atmospheric biographya book you can curl up withby 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.

By Francis King,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Magical World of Aleister Crowley as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Book by King, Francis