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Q&A: Books of correspondence recommendations
By Psyche | June 10, 2008
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This question came to me yesterday from Richard Phantastica of Phantastica Bricolage:
I was wondering about a general magical ref text… specific emphasis on symbolism (alchemical, hermetic, qabbalistic etc etc)
Any recommendations?
I was looking at The Complete Magician’s Tables
by Stephen Skinner… & The Magician’s Companion: A Practical and Encyclopedic Guide to Magical and Religious Symbolism
by Bill Whitcomb. Any idea regarding those?
Feedback would be most appreciated!
I’ve not read The Magician’s Companion, so I can’t comment on that, but it really depends on what you’re after as there are several books which might be suitable.
Following this, The Complete Magician’s Tables lives up to its name with incredibly comprehensive lists of correspondence, containing tables grouped in broad categories such as astrology, gematria, the gods, kabbalah, various systems of magick, religion, symbolism such as emblems, alchemy and hermeticism, and various timelines with detailed breakdowns within each field.
There are brief notes on how to use the tables, outlines for variations on the Tree of Life and commentaries at the end of the book. It’s an excellent resource for quick fact checking, though whenever I open it I find I lose myself among the tables, correspondences leaping out and forging new connections. (Yes, I’m also the sort of person enjoys reading the dictionary.)
Which of course leads us to…
Liber 777 is made up of numerous tables of correspondence relating to magick, kabbalah, the major religions and Golden Dawn symbolism followed by esoteric commentary on each item. It can seem more challenging for the beginner as it assumes a certain familiarity with magickal terms and modes of thought, but may well prove an indispensable resource.
For a more specific look at alchemical symbolism and doctrines, see…
The first half of the book looks at specific symbols, and breaks them down in a remarkably detailed way for such brief chapters, while the second focuses on more practical applications facilitating a better understanding of how the symbolism is employed.
The information is presented in (reasonably) clear titled chapters, the majority only a few pages long, rather than in dictionary format, but it is indexed, and major names can be found that way.
What are some of your favourite reference texts? Which books do you find yourself going back to time and again?
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June 10th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I have Read Bill W’s Magician’s Companion as well as Magician’s reflection. Magician’s companion is a really good correspondence system that looks at a variety of correspondences from different magical and spiritual systems from all over the world, so I’d highly recommend it.
Magician’s Reflection is more of a DIY create your own correspondences.
[Reply]
Xi O'Teaz reply on June 10th, 2008:
I’d also recommend Whitcomb’s Magician’s Companion very highly. I’ve not had the opportunity to purchase the Magician’s Reflection, although I’ve wanted to for many years. Rumor has it that it’s being re-released soon, though…
[Reply]
June 10th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
You caught me just in the nick of time as I was literally just getting ready to pack up my library for my move in a few weeks. Having looked through my library, I am again reminded that answering this question really depends on what you are specifically looking for–Practical advice? Traditional Theories? Just pages upon pages of tables and lists of correspondences? What are you most interested in, other than the very expansive memes of “alchemical, hermetic, qabbalistic etc etc”?
Aside from mentioning Bill Whitcomb’s books again, which would be my personal first choices and recommendations, some “lists of correspondences” type of books I really enjoyed were David Allan Hulse’s 2 volume encyclopedic reference texts, “The Key of It All”, both “Book One: The Eastern Mysteries” & “Book Two: The Western Mysteries”. Hulse takes Numerology and Symbolism to whole new levels. For all my general dislike of Donald Tyson, I’d also suggest checking out his “New Millennium Magic”, which has some very interesting ideas about Numerology also, if you can sift through his incessant “white light vs. black brotherhood” preachy mentality.
I’d recommend many of Dr. Israel Regardie’s books, for the topics it sounds like you’re interested in, including the classic “The Golden Dawn”. “A Garden of Pomegranates” is less of a “reference” book than a book with rich imagery and Symbolism, particularly in the latter half via his insights into Skrying on the Tree of Life. He also has other, more specifically “reference” style books on QBLH, but as I’ve not read them, I can only recommend them from my knowledge of this classic G.D. source/author. Along similar lines, I really like Gareth Knight’s “A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism”, and have found it very useful. And whilst I’m talking about “going back to the source”, Henry Cornelius Agrippa’s “Three Books of Occult Philosophy: The Foundation Book of Western Occultism” is literally a classic in its own class.
If you’re looking for more Practical applications, many of the aforementioned titles will be good starts, but I feel the need to mention 3 more titles. “Modern Magick: Eleven Lessons in the High Magickal Arts” by Donald Michael Kraig is a modern day classic with very user-friendly exercises. I also enjoyed John Michael Greer’s “Circles of Power” for another take on Ritual Magick in the Western Tradition. And I will finish with my absolute favorite and most highly recommended postmodern approach to Ritual Magick in Jason Augustus Newcomb’s excellent, thorough, and profoundly insightful “The New Hermetics: 21st Century Magick for Illumination and Power”.
That should keep you busy for a few hours/days/weeks/months/years…
[Reply]
Psyche reply on June 15th, 2008:
Thanks for the recommendations, I’m not familiar with most of those. I’ve passed them on to Richard!
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