Ancient Magick

Three Books of Occult Philosophy: The Foundation Book of Western Occultism - Henry Cornelius Agrippa. This book will give you the equivalent of a Doctorate in Renaissance Magick. Virtually all of western occultism over the past several centuries has been based upon the principles outlined within this text. Definitely a must have!

Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires: The Classical Texts of Magick Deciphered (Paperback) by Aaron Leitch

I can't recommend this book highly enough! The essence of what he has to say will open up a whole new world for the student of ritual magick. It will enlighten as to the traditions that modern ceremonial magick draws from, as well as explain the practical use of the older grimoires and their tools. If you can understand the essence of what he has to say, then you will be ready to begin your exploration of the original medieval and renaissance texts that Leitch discusses. You'll also have a decent background in the principles and technology of traditional magick.

A Treatise on Angel Magic - Adam Maclean.

The Lesser Key of Solomon - Joseph H. Peterson. This is probably the best and most complete version of the Lesser Key available anywhere, compiled from several original manuscripts.

Book of Abramelin: New Translation - Abraham von Worms / Georg Dehn (translator). "The Book of Abramelin is the first modern translation of this magical work since Mathers’ original translation over 100 years ago. Not only is the language updated, but Georg Dehn, the compiler and editor, has sourced his work from all extant manuscripts, while Mathers used just one."

The Book of Solomon's Magick (Paperback) - Carroll Runyon. This is Runyon's version of Solomonic Magick - fills in the blanks and makes it more workable. Also includes some of his personal history.

Hermetic Magic - Stephen Flowers. A very good intro to ancient Hermetic magick - very UNLIKE the modern Golden Dawn varieties. A recommended book to study.

More coming soon ...

The Kybalion : A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece - "Hermetic Philosophy; Seven Hermetic Principles; Mental Transmutation; The All; the Mental Universe; Divine Paradox; The All in All; Planes of Correspondence; Vibration; Polarity; Rhythm; Causation; Gender; Mental Gender; Hermetic Axioms."

Very useful little book that explains the basic Hermetic philosphies in simple terms. Doesn't contain exercises, but is really handy to have around for reference and/or personal education in the rudiments of the Hermetic arts. The historical info (as it is presented) seems to function more as a form of Hermetic mythology rather than fact, so you may wish to ignore it and simply enrich yourself with the principles of Hermetic thought within the rest of the book instead.

Enochian

Anything by the Schuelers on Enochian is somewhat effective and potentially ok for the extreme beginner who has no desire to know more than a little about Enochian magick, but honestly I thought virtually everything I've seen by those authors to be mostly crap compared to the real thing taken straight out of the original diaries.  I'm also told there are many inaccuracies in the information that Gerald Schueler uses in his books. Gerald Schueler's books on Enochian magick tend to be a synthesis of Dee, Golden Dawn, and Crowley forms of Enochian working in pretense, but are often inextricably bound up in his own ideas of Enochian Gematria (which are basically worthless for my purposes).  I also didn't care for his other ideas of rank and notions of becoming a 'Magickal Dragon' (whatever the hell he means by that). The information is still somewhat workable and effective if nothing else is available, I suppose ...

Bottom line: The Schuelers' info is mediocre, and much of it sucks harder than a Hoover Upright. Go to the G:.D:. or original Dee sources first if you can.

The primary complaint I have with Enochian info by Donald Tyson is his revision of the Great Table;  I usually prefer the table as revised by Raphael April 20th 1587 since the energy in it seems to flow better to me. 

The BEST original/personal material I've found is anything available online by the late Ben Rowe. His journal entries and experiences are fascinating. A lot of the archived material from posts on the Enochian e-list at Hollyfeld are also very good sources of inspiration and research.

The original Dee documents if you can get them are probably the best starting point for the serious explorer of Enochian magick.  If you only wish to make general use of it to enhance your practices then the Golden Dawn version is easy enough to learn and very workable if you plan to stay within their system.

True & Faithful Relation of What Passed for Many Years Between Dr. John Dee & Some Spirits (1659)- Meric Casaubon. VERY difficult text to puzzle through but if you're interested in the original documents then this is what you're looking for. NOT for the lazy or inexperienced to try to make sense of.

The Enochian spirits are very flexible, so even if you can't get all the formal info on working with them, don't let that discourage you from learning from them.  All you really need are the calls and how to use them in order to get started.  They'll give you the rest and tell you how best to work with them until you can get more complete information.  These entities are very quick to respond and excessive exposure to them without adequate rest periods can create some instability, so be careful.  This is a very advanced magickal system for most people.

  John Dee's Five Books of Mystery: Original Sourcebook of Enochian Magic
by John Dee, Joe Peterson (Editor), Joseph H. Peterson

The Enochian Magick of John Dee- Geoffrey James. A nice inexpensive book detailing the primary information as set down through the efforts of Dee and Kelly.

  The Complete Enochian Dictionary: A Dictionary of the Angelic Language As Revealed to Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelley - by Lon Milo Duquette, Donald C. Laycock, Stephen Skinner (Preface)

  The Queen's Conjurer : The Science and Magic of Dr. John Dee, Advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. By Benjamin Wooley. All about John Dee's life. Knowing more about the guys responsible for receiving Enochian magick helps put things into perspective.

  Enochian Magic for Beginners : The Original System of Angel Magic. - Donald Tyson. If you simply must have a beginner's primer on Enochian magick, then I suppose this book wouldn't be too bad. Just ignore Tyson's screwy ideas on Enochian magick bringing about the Apocalyse and you'll be alright. Tyson's work is usually pretty good from a scholarly perspective, but on occasion he throws in a few of his own screwy ideas, so you have to keep an eye out for that. My primary problem with his own personal material (outside of Enochian) is that he believes magick is impossible without ritual (which we know to be untrue).

Misc. Historical Books

The Art of Memory - Francis A. Yates. - Interesting text on the Art of Memory and its evolution. Discusses its modification by the renaissance occultists and Hermetic practitioners. Anyone interested in the Qabalah should read this for additional info and ideas on the uses of the Tree of Life as a mental 'filing system'.

Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition - by Frances Amelia Yates. "Placing Bruno--both advanced philosopher and magician burned at the stake--in the Hermetic tradition, Yates's acclaimed study gives an overview not only of Renaissance humanism but of its interplay--and conflict--with magic and occult practices."

The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age (Routledge Classics) - by Frances Amelia Yates. "It is hard to overestimate the importance of the contribution made by Dame Frances Yates to the serious study of esotericism and the occult sciences. The Occult Philosophy of the Elizabethan Age was her last book, and in it she condensed many aspects of her wide learning to present a clear, penetrating, and, above all, accessible survey of the occult movements of the Renaissance, highlighting the work of John Dee, Giordano Bruno, and other key esoteric figures."

Occult Videos/DVDs

The Magick of Solomon, 2nd Edition. Starring: Poke Runyon Director: Gregory Jednack. " THE MAGICK OF SOLOMON, 2nd Edition is a 85 minute DVD video documentary written and narrated by anthropologist and ceremonial magician, Carroll "Poke" Runyon, Magister of America's oldest continually operating Magical Lodge, the Ordo Templi Astartes (O.T.A.). The first part of the video offers a history of Western Magick, illustrated with graphics and displays, setting forth the author's theory, based on his own research and experiments, that visions of spirits obtained by magicians in medieval times were subjective and hypnotic rather than hysterical hallucinations ... The video climaxes with the presentation of a complete Goetia Evocation Operation, in full ceremonial regalia, summoning the spirit Astaroth (actually the Canaanite Goddess, Astarte) to visual appearance in the dark mirror on the Triangle of Art."

Dark Mirror of Magick, 2nd Edition. Starring: Frater Solomon Poke Runyon Director: Wayne Darwen. "On January 3rd, 2001, documentary writer/producer Wayne Darwen brought a professional T.V. news crew into the inner sanctum of The Order of the Temple of Astarte to record a remarkable phenomenon: the summoning of the ancient spirit Vassago ... In this video version we show you the entire operation in sequence, exactly as it happened with no rehearsals and no retakes ... In "The Magick of Solomon" video we dramatically reenacted magical rituals for instructive purposes, whereas "Dark Mirror of Magick" is the record of an actual magical operation of historical significance."