Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa

There is no better illustration of the radical transformative power of the ancient Tibetan contemplative teachings of Dzogchen than the extraordinary phenomenon of bodily disappearance or “rainbow body”, which is considered its ultimate fruit. In this groundbreaking study of rainbow body in the Bön tradition, which is the first of its kind in a western language, the neophyte reader is guided into the profound insights of Dzogchen, while all the components required to understand this most mysterious and enigmatic of phenomena are laid out gently and methodically.

Illustrated by unique thangkas commissioned especially for this study, the book’s emphasis is on clarity of exposition. Simple enough for the layman, but detailed enough to do justice to these ancient and subtle traditions, Rainbow Body serves both as an introduction to Bön Dzogchen, and also as a pioneering study of Tibetan textual sources related to the phenomenon of rainbow body. It is offered to the public in the hope that as many people as possible may benefit from the profundity of this ancient wisdom. For as Loel Guinness states in his preface, “Dzogchen is not just for monks. It is as suitable for the businessman, the academic, the adventurer, or the practitioner. The insights of Dzogchen are relevant for all”.

The 2021 edition is updated and revised in a smaller, more accessible format, of the 2018 edition.

Hardback edition limited to 1000 copies.

The second and latest instalment to the Alchemy Rising series by the contemporary English alchemist Heliophilus is dedicated to the Art of Water and the mystery of the alchemical menstruums. Within its lavishly illustrated pages, Heliophilus takes us on an alchemical quest that follows the Sacred Fountain of the alchemists, through the great monarchical tributaries of Nature nurtured and nourished by the very streams and rivers that flow through the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms. From these kingdoms the alchemists drew their liquors, menstruums, spirits and lixiviums, and by doing so were able to calcine, precipitate, dissolve and sublime their subjects; reduce them to their first matter; and separate their philosophical principles.

¶ In The White Book, we are invited to join Heliophilus on his alchemical quest which begins with the consideration of various mother-waters of the alchemists. Guided by the light of his experience, we will gather them from the heavens and the oceans in which they fall. Our investigation into these essential waters will follow their courses from the rivers of the vine into the living tributaries of the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms, until finally we will search for the secret spring deep within the mountains. We will prepare our menstruums from the great monarchies of Nature, and from these very kingdoms we will distill their spirits, resolve their lixivia, decoct their oils and lay the foundation for that most potent of all alchemical dissolvents: the mysterious Alkahest of Paracelsus and the Philosophical Mercury of the Sages.

¶ “Burn it in Water and wash it with Fire,” the old Adepts were wont to say; but this must be done homogeneously, for fear of destroying or contaminating the very principles we wish to extract. Following in the footsteps of Heliophilus, using our menstruums we will ‘calcinate’ our subjects, and in so doing open them up—be they gemstones, minerals or metals, for by means of these fiery waters we can extract their essentials and thereby alchemically rejoin what we have divided. We will grip the Hand of the Philosophers and prepare each finger according to the tenets of the Art, and in these our mineral gardens we will prepare the seasoning to cook our mercurial fish.

¶ The White Book is divided into two parts: Theorica and Practica. The first is an introduction into the alchemical mystery of the Goddess and the concepts of transmutation, with a gathering of the Philosophers whose arcane ideas and mytho-hermetic symbolism are carefully laid out and considered before Heliophilus proceeds on to the practice. Practica is divided firstly into an archetypal discussion on ‘Moonshine’ and the exhalation of the stars, following which the work is separated further into the Vegetable, Animal and Mineral chapters. Under the Vegetable work Heliophilus discusses Acetum and the means of preparing one of the most versatile vegetable menstruums of the alchemists. This is followed by Tartar and the discussion of the importance and preparation of its spirit, its salts and the lesser Circulatum of Urbigerus.

¶ The Animal work includes a detailed inquiry into Urine and the means of extracting a spirit from Oyster shells, whilst the Mineral work itself is separated into five fingers, which constitute the aforementioned Hand of the Philosophers according to which Heliophilus demonstrates the preparation of each of the alchemical salts, namely Nitre, Sal Ammoniac, Salt, Vitriol and Alum, in keeping with the dictates of the Art. The final investigation in The White Book is titled ‘Mercurius Trismigestus’: the Thrice Great Mercury, a work of three parts which shall be concluded in the future in the final instalment of the Alchemy Rising series, The Red Book, and which Heliophilus initiates with a theoretical and practical inquiry into the Prima Materia of the Philosophers, the spirit wine of Lully and the elusive Sericon of the Sages.

¶ Alchemy Rising: The White Book is an essential manual for all aspiring alchemists, providing some of the indispensable keys necessary to unlock the riddles of the Philosophers, and sounding the deep waters of the Royal Art with clarity, sincerity and true passion.

Standard Hardback edition, limited to 250 copies

Richard Ward’s book ‘Betwixt God and the Devil’ was born of a lifelong interest in the folk magic traditions of his native Essex, an area long known as 'The Witch County.’ as such, it is key to the history and development of modern traditional Witchcraft.

 Drawing on a wide variety of source materials, some of which are obscure and difficult to obtain, Ward demonstrates that the history of Essex magic is far more complex than it first appears. In doing so, he shows that attitudes which portrayed witches as purely evil and Cunning folk as entirely good were far from the truth, despite the opinion of the Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins and his ilk during the 17th century. Even the popular belief that witches were exclusively pagan is shown to have been incorrect, an ambiguity popularly known as the dual observance. 

 In terms of history, Ward’s study covers the period from the 16th century onwards, although it begins with an outline of the origins of this suitably nameless arte during the Anglo-Saxon era. This was a time of great change when anything deemed magic and the worship of pagan deities was outlawed and denounced by the newly adopted Christian Church, which they labelled as the Devil’s work.

 In documenting the survivals of Essex magic during the 19th century, Ward includes detailed accounts of James Murrell, the last of the great Essex Cunning folk, and Canewdon’s George Pickingill. In particular, Ward’s book examines the myths that have built up around Pickingill, offering a significant reassessment of the Pickingill legend.

 Ward also acknowledges the importance of incoming Romany clans that breathed new life into the county’s magical traditions and kept them alive well into the early to the mid-20th century.

Ward goes on to note the rise of Essex witchcraft in popular culture during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was at this time, according to some accounts, that Essex witchcraft became linked with the likes of Gerald Gardner and Aleister Crowley. On examination of the evidence, Ward has not shied away from challenging these and other dubious claims, some of which have been widely perpetuated by academics and popular authors alike. Ward’s history concludes with brief accounts of modern Essex-born practitioners, from the likes of witches Alex Sanders, Stewart Farrar and Paul Huson through to Typhonian magician Kenneth Grant and modern Cunning man Andrew Chumbley.

 The second part of Ward’s book examines the county’s magical folklore, delving into such important areas as the true and multi-faceted nature of the Devil in Essex, its genius loci and familiar spirits, and the widespread belief in dreams, omens, and superstitions, whose observation was considered essential to the successful practice of magic in all its forms.

 In the last part of his book, Ward reveals the magical practices traditionally used by witches and Cunning folk in Essex, such as charms and herbal remedies, methods of divination, curses and anti-curses. As he demonstrates that the core practices of Essex magic were longest preserved in remote farming communities, Ward includes a chapter specifically related to agricultural magic. This final section of the book also features accounts of the Horseman’s Word ritual, the related rite of the toad witch and the magical use of other bones and natural talismans within the county.