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Written in 1177, 'The Conference of Birds' is a Muslim mystical allegory dealing with the struggles and ordeals a soul must face to achieve enlightenment. One thousand birds assemble to hear the Hoopoe bird (a spiritual master) who describes how they must seek the Simurgh, their true King. Many give excuses: they are happy with love or treasure, or fame, or any number of other worldly delights, and do not see the need for an arduous adventure in search of a semi-mythical sovereign. But the journey begins, leading the avian pilgrims through seven valleys where the travelers confront their own individual limitations and fears. Only 30 birds complete the journey, and discover that they themselves are the Simurgh they have sought. As with all truly mystical literature, 'The Conference of Birds' teaches that the aim of the quest is the discovery of the Divine within.

Written in 1762, 'The Social Contract' is Rousseau's attempt to describe a society in which individuals are bound to each other without infringing upon their freedom. Rousseau's social contract is an agreement between a person and civil society, resulting in a community that guarantees personal liberty and mutual preservation. His founding concepts, General Will, Sovereignty, Law, etc., require that all individuals enter into this social contract, even at the risk of coercion, leading to the now (in)famous quote that such people must be "forced to be free".

'The Cloud of Unknowing' was written in the late 1300s and is recognized as a masterpiece of medieval mystical writing. The author, a monk who remains anonymous, describes to the reader (his unknown "ghostly friend") the techniques and discipline required to attain to union with God. The method is by no means orthodox with respect to medieval Church teachings, and requires the negation of normal reality, bound as it is to images and thoughts, a complete letting go of intellect so as to rise through the Cloud of Unknowing to spiritual enlightenment. The parallels with eastern religion are obvious and many have seen distinct echoes of Zen in the unknown writer's description of his trials and experiences on this path. But what sets the book apart from other manuscripts of this time is the delightful personality of anonymous author, his humanity and humor, and the clear, everyday prose he chooses to convey his spiritual truths. Written almost 700 years ago, 'The Cloud of Unknowing' still speaks directly to the deepest longings of humanity today.

Occult Science is Rudolf Steiner's term for the ancient Way of Initiation, and in this book he shows that an objective description of the spiritual experience, (one quite as balanced as the findings of external science), is both possible and attainable. Material scientists pour scorn on the idea of other spiritual worlds, but it is unreasonable to expect that instruments of gross matter will ever detect the highly attenuated spiritual dimensions. Occult scientists consider the human body is the best, perhaps the only, instrument capable to reaching these dimensions, and while all such detection must perforce be subjective, it is no means non-objective. Regarded by many as Steiner's masterpiece, 'An Outline of Occult Science' is a book with many levels of meaning, one that will repay re-reading on a regular basis.

This is a book for the modern-day seeker, a 'How-To' book with a bare-bones description of the techniques that lead to spiritual illumination and poetic insight; a no-nonsense guide shorn of any form of dogma, tradition, sectarianism or appeals to authority. Evelyn Underhill writes with conviction and clarity, leading the reader through such seemingly weighty concepts as contemplation, perception, concentration and surrender of the Self, while leavening the whole with welcome notes of humour and irony. This is an easy book to read and understand, and while the application of its principles may prove harder to accomplish, diligent application of Evelyn Underhill's guidance and advice will unfailingly produce a multitude of blessings.

Modern medical science and the ancient writings are as one on the importance of correct breathing as an aid to longevity and emotional stability. Unfortunately, this seemingly simple act - breathing - is something we all perform unconsciously, and few of us breathe correctly. In this classic book (first published in 1905) Yogi Ramacharaka provides a complete manual of Oriental breathing techniques, and reveals their associated benefits in physical, mental, psychic and spiritual development. If 'to breathe is to live', then this guide to yogic breath-control must be required reading for all who aspire to a 'healthy mind in a healthy body'.

Thomas Paine was Deist, a believer in God, but highly critical of priests and appeals to the authority of holy books. 'The Age of Reason', written over two hundred years ago, sets out to examine the Christian bible critically and logically, an act of considerable bravery given the power of the Christian Church in those times. The work was outlawed in Great Britain as potentially seditious and liable to upset the social balance of the country, but it became a runaway bestseller in America. Many of Paine's criticisms and analyses remain relevant today and the book has become a classic in the literature of Free Thinking.

This important Hermetic dialogue, the 'Virgin of the World' was very nearly lost to the mankind. It appears in only one book, a 5th century AD anthology of classical texts, collated by Johannes Stobaeus of Macedonia for his son Septimius. 'The Virgin of the World' describes a dialogue between the goddess Isis and her son Horus, in which she explains the origin of the Egyptian "gods", and how they were sent from the heavens to bring civilization to humanity. The book is replete with Egyptian god-names, and eulogises Egypt as a type of earthly paradise, "free from trouble", all of which argues for a very early provenance, relatively free from Judaic and Greek influence. Internal evidence points to the 5th century BC - almost 2,500 years ago - making 'The Virgin of the World' the earliest Hermetic document that we possess.

Max Heindel's mysticism is set firmly in the western tradition of the Gnosis. Following a series of disappointments and ill health, Heindel claims to have been visited by a Spiritual Being, who he identified as an Elder Brother of the Rosicrucian Order. From this entity he received a compelling explanation of the spiritual evolution of both the Cosmos and Humanity, couched in terms best suited to the logical, linear mind of western culture. 'The Rosicrucian Mysteries' is an elementary exposition of these teachings and training methods, and a perfect introduction to the philosophy of this important teacher of the Western Mystery Tradition.

Thomas Hammerlein was born in Kempen, North Germany, some six hundred years ago. He took the cowl at the age of twenty, entering the monastery of St Agnes where, now known as Thomas à Kempis ('Thomas from Kempen'), he spent the remaining seventy years of his life. It was in this secluded environment that he wrote his devotional classic 'The Imitation of Christ' which had its origins in a Dutch lay religious society, the Brethren of Common Life. Respected equally by Christians of all denominations, the work is divided into four 'Books': on the spiritual life, on the interior life, inward consolation, and the sacrament of the altar. 'The Imitation of Christ' is a profound meditation on the Christian spiritualexperience, giving guidance and explicit instructions on renouncing the world and discovering the Eternal within, by emulating the life of Jesus. It is hard to overstate the influence of this work: with the exception of The Holy Bible, it has been printed in more copies, and changed more lives, than any other book.