Taux, city of cursed stone and home to a growing population of the displaced. Deep within its walls rests the old Ullamaliztli Stadium, and it's fabled Black Gate, where life treads a fine line between law and chaos. Tales of the Emerald Serpent allows readers a glimpse into this shadow world as nine authors tell a shared world mosaic that sets this fantasy anthology apart from any on the shelves today.
From the author of the critically acclaimed The Kira Chronicles trilogy, comes a story set in the wild and beautiful ancient Scottish landscape of the Caledonian Forest.Etaine is an Eadar Ranger: white-skinned, black-haired and emerald-eyed. Sworn to protect, she fights Fada, religious zealots determined to replace the Eadar's Serpent Goddess with their own gods of stone.When the Ranger bands come together and Etaine meets Cormac, she is convinced she has found her longed for true-mate. The pure blood of the ancient Eadar runs strong in Etaine and Cormac's veins, and their joining has the potential to open the Emerald and Serpent Ways to them; old worlds only true-Eadar can enter.But their love affair goes tragically amiss, with catastrophic consequences.The years pass and Etaine slowly rebuilds her life but Fada attacks escalate until the Eadar are forced to fight for their very existence.As Fada mass to commit more bloody slaughter, the bands join and Etaine comes under Cormac's command, the last Eadar she ever wants to see again. Together they have a weapon that can defeat Fada, but to use it, Etaine must learn to trust again and Cormac to Remember.And time runs short: the Serpent rises.
The Sword & The Serpent is a unique book about magick that reveals many of the arcane secrets of the occult arts.The Sword & The Serpent is a record of a series of experiments in astral travel that were undertaken by the magician AnkhafnaKhonsu in 1996. Each journey crosses one of the Paths of the Serpent in their ascent of the Qaballistic Tree of Life. Taken together these visions of the Paths of the Sepher Yetzirah, the ancient Book of Formation, represent the path of initiation into the mysteries of Hermetic Magick.The Sword & the Serpent describes each of the Paths of the Serpent in great detail and introduces the reader to the many strange and unexpected entities that inhabit these spiritual realms. Along the way it tells the story of the magician AnkhafnaKhonsu's progress past the many obstacles and through the varied experiences that these travels upon the astral planes produced.
Desperate Queen Makes a Pact with a Serpent God in Epic Fantasy Adventure In a kingdom parched by drought and threatened by despair, Queen Amara faces an agonizing choice. Her people are suffering, and a relentless sun bakes the land. When whispers of a powerful serpent deity reach her ears, Amara makes a desperate bargain. In exchange for rain and prosperity, she agrees to a dark pact, but the consequences are far-reaching. A Twist on Power: Amara's bargain grants her kingdom life-saving water, but it also unleashes a chilling transformation within her. As the serpent's influence grows, her decisions become ruthless and cold, leaving her people questioning their once-beloved queen. Friendship and Sacrifice: Amara's loyal friend, Kaveri, becomes her confidante in this struggle. Witnessing the queen's transformation, Kaveri risks everything to find a way to sever the pact, even if it means sacrificing her own strength. Facing a Two-Fronted War: While Amara grapples with the serpent's influence within, a neighboring kingdom eyes Chola's newfound prosperity with suspicion, threatening war. Now, Amara must not only break free from the serpent's hold but also defend her kingdom from external forces. A Fractured Bond, An Uncertain Future: The ritual to sever the pact is successful, but it comes at a heavy price. Kaveri bears the scars of the serpent's influence, while Amara retains a lingering connection to the deity. As a tremor shakes the land and a monstrous sandstorm approaches, Amara must embrace this fractured bond and use her connection to the serpent to save her people and restore balance. Unveiling the Serpent Legacy: This epic fantasy adventure explores themes of power, sacrifice, and the blurred lines between humanity and divinity. Amara's journey is filled with heart-wrenching choices, unexpected alliances, and a revelation that challenges everything she thought she knew about herself. Will she remain a human queen or embrace the serpent legacy that now runs through her veins? The future of Chola hangs in the balance.
This book is the introduction, the foundation upon which all further magical work will be based. Its simplicity, clarity and depth is without equal occult literature. The First part of Book Four deals with Yoga in a very sound and methodical manner, stripping it of the mysterious and glitter. Soberly, Crowley describes each step as a technique of mental and/or physical discipline, ultimately resulting in complete control of the will and with this, control of the physical and mental body. Crowley speaks with authority as he is one of the few writers on the subject of Yoga and Magick who has attained Dhyana and Conversation with his Holy Guardian Angel through discipline and ritual practice. The second part of Book Four is an encyclopedia of magical symbolism, the working tools in practical magick. All of the paraphernalia employed in ritual magick are carefully explained in both psychological and mystical terms. The Wand is the will of man, his wisdom, his word, the Cup is man's understanding, the vehicle of grace; the Sword is reason, the analytical faculty of man; and the Pantacle is man's body, the temple of the Holy Ghost. All phenomena are sacraments. Every fact must enter into the Pantacle. It is the great storehouse from which the Magician draws. The laws and truths of the occult world which are presented here give the student a sound working knowledge and set him firmly on the path. Book Four is a concise, direct and honest presentation.
This is the extraordinary story of the discovery of the ultimate secrets of some of the world's most enigmatic mysteries - including the Holy Grail, the Elixir of Life and the Philosopher's Stone.
A wedding day murder leads to a commissioned portrait painter fighting to defend his reputation in this historical mystery filled with greed and revenge from bestselling author Janet Gleeson. She opened the shagreen box. Couched in gray silk was an emerald necklace, one he had not seen for twenty years. The stones were just as he recalled them: a dozen or more, baguette cut and set in gold links, with a single ruby at the center. Flashes of verdigris, orpiment, and Prussian blue sparkled in the candlelight. The form of this necklace was as disturbing as ever. It had nearly cost him his life. It is the summer of 1765. The renowned and exquisitely dressed portrait painter Joshua Pope accepts a commission to paint the wedding portrait of Herbert Bentnick and his fiancée, Sabine Mercer, to whom Bentnick has become engaged less than a year after the death of his first wife. Joshua has barely begun the portrait when a man's body is found in the conservatory. A few days later, Sabine's emerald necklace disappears, and Bentnick accuses Joshua of theft. The painter is suddenly fighting not only for his reputation, but for his life. With a sure understanding of period detail and character, Janet Gleeson creates a richly nuanced tale of greed and revenge that plays out in the refined landscapes and dark streets of eighteenth-century London.
With his recent best-selling books and hundreds of articles, as well as radio and TV appearances, Philip Gardiner has started a crusade for uncovering the truth, and nothing could be more indicative of that search than his latest foray into the dark and often sinister world of secret societies. Yet again, Gardiner finds himself on a journey across the world to uncover the ancient secrets of the world’s most powerful men. In one dramatic episode he finds himself driven out of Berlin in a black Mercedes by a secret organization that was believed to have disappeared after the second World War and eventually arrives in a modern Nazi watering hole. Gardiner, however, survives this incredible journey and brings us the secrets of the Order held sacred for so long. Gardiner delves into a world that is often hidden from our eyes and finds himself in situations that seem to mirror the fictional world of the Da Vinci Code. Throughout Secret Societies, Gardiner: —Uncovers an ancient secret society thought to have died out many years ago. —Gets to the core of the secret societies’ belief systems. —Explores the secret origins of Freemasonry and the links to secret Serpent Cults. —Investigates the secret hidden meaning of King Arthur and Robin Hood. —Examines the claimants to the name of Illuminati, and analyzes the history of the group in Europe and America. —Reveals the secret links within the Vatican and the Nazi Party. —Looks in-depth at the white-powdered gold theory supposedly kept secret by orders throughout time and radically re-appraises it. —Shows the link between the so-called enlightenment experience and the control of our minds. Nobody in the genre involves themselves in the tale in the same way that Gardiner does, and here he shows that the search for ultimate truth can often be a terrifying one.
What starts with a sudden kidnapping reveals to be so much more: a prophetic call to adventure that had been foretold ages before the heroes of this story came around. In a world where the only thing extraordinary is the amount of unengaging ordinariness, below the seemingly mundane surface lies an incredible, lavish secret world that not many are privy to. From Whisperers of Death, to Dragons, to Kabuki Creatures and ghoulish Zombies, those aware of this hidden reality have fantastical journeys and adventurous trials laying in wait for them. Some seek to rescue a kidnapped friend and distribute justice while keeping malevolent forces at bay. Others plot to eliminate the existence of those pesky do-gooders, plans of conquesting combat and corrupting those that stand in their way. Others still just happened to be caught up in the cross-fire, and they are NOT happy about it. Whatever actions they take and consequences they face, at the end of the day, the sword shall always be sheathed.
First published in Liber ABA (Part II), Aleister Crowley�s dark masterpiece Magick is essential reading for students of Thelema and the occult. This guide to the principle tenets of black magic is a concise version of the more dense four-book magnum opus Liber ABA or �Book 4� and is recommended to initiates.
