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Temple of Set Reading List
"Temple of Set Reading List:
Category 24 - Runic Arts and Sciences" (4/1/90CE)
Reprinted from: _The Crystal Tablet of Set_
© Temple of Set 1990 CE
Weirdbase file version by TS permission
by Michael A. Aquino, Ipsissimus VI* Temple of Set
Electronic mail: MCI-Mail 278-4041
The significance of this category of the reading list goes far beyond its
specific subject material. It involves, quite bluntly, a major re-writing of
the history of western European civilization. Until now, the "history of
Europe" surveys taught in most universities have addressed the history of
Christian Europe: the feudal states and nations which emerged following the
decline of the Roman Empire. Pre-Christian [or later non-Christian] Europe
was considered "uncivilized", hence good for little other than a few
anecdotes of marauding Goths, Vikings, Picts, and the like.
The so-called "neo-pagan" or "Wiccan" religion invented by post-World War II
enthusiasts has further confused the situation by representing a rag-bag of
medieval and modern fables and superstitions as a quasi-unified, Hippie-type
nature religion supposedly prevalent throughout pre-Christian Europe.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Although authorities such as Elliot
Rose (#6C) have long since exposed this sham, the Wiccan movement prances
contentedly along, blissfully undisturbed by inconvenient facts.
Magister Flowers, in his years of research into ancient Europe, has
uncovered the key to the authentic pre-Christian wisdom of that
subcontinent. His work in this field is no less significant than that of
Champollion with the Rosetta Stone. His findings make possible, for the
first time, a true understanding of how the forces of the universe were
understood by the European cultures later to be systematically exterminated
by Christianity. We learn that these ancient Europeans were not "savages"
after all, but had developed cosmologies and philosophies as sophisticated
and subtle as those of the Maya and ancient China. While the Temple of Set
has always accorded special honor to ancient Egypt, as the original source
of our knowledge concerning the Gift of Set, we are no less sensitive to the
perception and utilization of that Gift by many other cultures in other
geographic regions. What follows is a key to a door which has long been
locked.
* * *
INTRODUCTION
Stephen E. Flowers
Magister Templi IV* Temple of Set
Grand Master, Order of the Trapezoid
Reason would seem to dictate that now that there are over a dozen of my
works either in print or presently in some stage of completion, the corpus
of work should be put into some sort of perspective. This perspective will
show how first this corpus represents a whole, crystallized and focused (if
dynamic) vision, and how this vision is being cast into the objective
universe to do its work. For the direct effecting of the objective universe
is, indeed, one of the facets of this corpus of work. This is similar to the
attitude Aleister Crowley had toward his book projects [see #3V]. However,
all of this remains a vision still in emergence. The things I have done up
to now have been pieces of a much vaster mosaic. Although the general
outlines of this mosaic are clear to me, and so I can see how each of the
new pieces fits into the overall scheme, it may not be so for others.
Therefore, in order not to leave it to future historians to try to figure
out what it is all about, I will here briefly outline the corpus of my work
to date (to the beginning of 1990CE) and the general scheme into which it
fits. Only those works which have appeared in commercially published form
will be cited. I will also provide some idea of the direction this work will
be going in the future - although this aspect remains open to dynamic
influences and could change course as new data flows in to be coordinated.
Underlying all of my works are several principles. Most important among
these is that there are certain hidden keys to initiation and to Becoming
which I seek to find in the methods followed in my work in general. The
chief element in this method is the dynamic synthesis of polar extremes -
the two most important of these are the subjective and objective universes.
Reflections of this process run through the work - from the cosmological
model of fire and ice to the psycho-magical dichotomy of Huginn and Muninn,
the two Odian ravens. These represent the rational, logical, analytical mind
and the noetic psyche and storehouse of perceived eternal forms
respectively. The method underlying all of my works is a planned and
deliberate oscillation between logical procedure and noetic process.
The simplest way to put this is that there is a moving back and forth of
focus between the objectively, historically accurate aspects of a tradition
and the subjective and vibrant aspects. It is in the eternal ebb and flow,
in the dynamic process - unending and without end - that the ultimate
synthesis is found - not in a state of being. This is the essence of what I
call the "Polarian Method".
This can be seen in the corpus of material when one couples the contents of
_Runes and Magic_ (written as a Ph.D. dissertation according to strict
scientific standards) with my first "runic trilogy", (_Futhark_, _Runelore_,
and _At the Well of Wyrd_.) _Runes and Magic_ is the crystalline focal point
of the logical, analytical end of the spectrum, while the "runic trilogy" is
equally that for the noetic, intuitive end. Once the entire corpus is viewed
from this perspective, I think it takes on more of its meaning as a dynamic
whole.
Necessary to the use of this guide are a few words on how it can be used
most beneficially. In general it follows the same kind of plan as that of
the rest of the Temple of Set Reading List. The codes have been given as
Order of the Trapezoid (OT-), as those are most harmonious with the overall
contents of this list. If I were to advise someone on a course to take in
studying this corpus, I would say that _Runelore_, _At the Well of Wyrd_,
and _Futhark_ (in that order) would be the foundation. From there the
priority codes could be used to determine a useful ordering of the other
works. (Actually a full course of reading of most of the works on the list
is included in the text of _The Nine Doors of Midgard_.)
All of the works presented here are in the order of their chronological
appearance. In the commentaries, I not only try to give a sense of the
content and purpose of the work, but also show how it relates to the others
in the web-work. In conclusion the present a prospectus for future works and
works in progress.
24A. _Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic_ by Edred Thorsson. York Beach, ME:
Weiser, 1984. (OT-2) SF: "In many ways this book would look much different
if I were to write it today. The MS for the work was actually finished in
XIV, but it was not published until XIX. [This work was actually preceded by
another book-length MS originally entitled _A Primer of Runic Magic_,
finished in X.] _Futhark_ remains a fertile field for experimentation by
free-lance rune magicians, but its contents are actually a bit too
influenced by the traditions of the Armanen to be entirely satisfactory to
me now."
24B. _Runelore: A Handbook of Esoteric Runology_ by Edred Thorsson. York
Beach, ME: Weiser, 1986. (OT-1) SF: "_Runelore_ is basically the lore-
curriculum of the Rune-Gild in summary form. It contains a current view of
historical runology, esoteric lore concerning the runes, as well as Teutonic
cosmology, psychology and theology. It is the first of my works to have been
completed after my entry into the Temple of Set. Its contents are basic and
essential to understand before serious and authentic work can be undertaken
with the Runes."
24C. _Runes and Magic: Magical Formulaic Elements in the Older Runic
Tradition_ by Stephen E. Flowers. Berne: Peter Lang, 1986. (OT-5) SF: "This
is the published form of my dissertation written at the University of Texas
at Austin. It represents an exhaustive study of the older runic inscriptions
analyzed as magical formulaic communications based on a semiotic theory of
magic - magic as a system of 'inter-universal communication'
(subjective/objective). It contains introductory material on the theory
presented, and then applies that theory to the evidence of the actual
inscriptions. This work is thought by most to be a 'difficult read', and may
be quite hard to find by now. Only 250 copies were printed."
24D. _At the Well of Wyrd: A Handbook of Runic Divination_ by Edred
Thorsson. York Beach, ME: Weiser, 1988. (OT-2) SF: "This was the third in
the original 'runic trilogy', with the other two being _Futhark_ and
_Runelore_. This work takes a highly traditional look at the art and
practice of runecasting and the laying of the runestaves."
24E. _The Secret of the Runes_ by Guido von List. Translated and introduced
by Stephen E. Flowers. Rochester, VT: Destiny, 1988. (OT-4) SF: "In many
ways I see my work as a continuation - a Remanifestation - of works that
have been undertaken by others in the past. From the most ancient ancestral
Runemasters, to the German and English Romantics, down to the early 20th
century rune magicians of Germany. The foundations for this latter group
were directly laid by Guido von List, who was certainly more of a magician
than he might at first appear. This book is a historical and scientific
study of List and his ideology, along with a translation of its most famous
expression, _Das Geheimnis der Runen_."
24F. _The Truth about Teutonic Magick_ by Edred Thorsson. St. Paul, MN:
Llewellyn, 1989. (OT-4) SF: "This little volume (25 pages) is really a
general program for the 'Teutonic Magick Series' which I created and for
which I am acting as a consulting and acquisitions editor for Llewellyn
Publications. In it can be found a general outline of the focus and scope of
the practical/magical aspects of the overall work. What also becomes obvious
here is that the work has expanded beyond that which I must personally
undertake. Other magicians and writers have taken up the banner and are
moving outward into the world with it."
24G. _The Galdrabok: An Icelandic Grimoire_ by Stephen Flowers. York Beach,
ME: Weiser, 1989. (OT-4) SF: "This volume contains a translation (from Old
Icelandic) of the complete text of a Scandinavian book of magic along with a
collection of other magical spells and incantations of similar natures. The
work shows a continuity of the Germanic (Northern) method of working magic
carried over from pre-Christian times. There is also an introductory section
which gives a history of magic in Iceland in post-Viking times."
24H. _Rune Might: Secret Practices of the German Rune Magicians_ by Edred
Thorsson. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 1989. (OT-4) SF: "This whole work really
represents a historical footnote to the 'runic trilogy', as an outline and
practical discussion of the magical methods of the early 20th century German
rune magicians. In many ways this is the general and practical companion to
_The Secret of the Runes_ by Guido von List. The material contained in _Rune
Might_ can also act as an effective bridge between the Germanic tradition
and the more usually found 'Western' (really Southern) tradition."
24I. _A Book of Troth_ by Edred Thorsson. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 1989.
(OT-5) SF: "As Black Magic has existed, and does exist, in a variety of
cultures and religious contexts - not only in those in which it is seen as a
spiritually criminal kind of activity - this work seeks to help reestablish
the more general White Magical (or Religious) tradition of the North. In
this more healthy general context of former days, the practice of Black
Magic was more completely supported by the common faith - even if it was
just as little understood - and would certainly again find such support in a
renewed system of the true faith of the North should it actually revive. It
is to this end that this book was cast upon the world."
24J. _Fire and Ice: Magical Teachings of the Brotherhood of Saturn,
Germany's Greatest Secret Occult Order_ by Stephen E. Flowers. St. Paul, MN:
Llewellyn, 1990. (OT-2) SF: "This is a general and fairly comprehensive
introduction to the history, ideology, structure and rituals of the
Fraternitas Saturni, which is a Thelemite (but non-Crowleyan) lodge which
has dominated the German occult scene since the time of its inception in the
late 1920s. With this book, I took a step out and back to my occult roots in
the 'mainstream' western magical tradition. One of the main reasons for
undertaking this study and writing this book was to explore the way in which
an aeonic Word finds expression beyond the bounds of its Magus. A preface by
Michael A. Aquino is scheduled to appear in future printings."
24K. _Rune Song: A Practical Guide to Rune Galdor_ by Edred Thorsson.
Llewellyn, forthcoming (OT-1) SF: "_Rune Song_ is a combination book and
tape package. I have for a long time seen that the pronunciation of the now-
exotic-sounding words and phrases of the Teutonic tradition was felt to be a
major stumbling-block along the way to learning the lore. This project is
designed to remedy that problem. Pronunciation of languages such as Proto-
Germanic (the reconstructed language from which all Germanic tongues are
derived), Old English, or Old Norse is usually the kind of thing only
learned in the Ivory Towers of Academia. With _Rune Song_ I hope to make
this kind of information available beyond that sphere.
24L. _The Nine Doors of Midgard_ by Edred Thorsson. Llewellyn, forthcoming.
(OT-1) SF: "This is a basic curriculum in magical training which takes the
student from the beginning, assuming no prior training, and in a step-by-
step fashion provides exercises and a curriculum of reading and other sorts
of training so that by the end of the complete program it is possible to be
considered for Naming as a Thegn or Drighten in the Rune-Gild. This program
was ten years in the making, and will be published next year. In the
meantime it is available for a donation to the Rune-Gild."
24M. _The Book of Ogham_ by Edred Thorsson. Llewellyn, forthcoming. (OT-4)
SF: "This represents the first grand experiment in the use of the Polarian
method moving outside of the home base of the Germanic tradition into the
kindred Celtic tradition. It seems that no magical tradition has been
subject to more bastardization than the Celtic, so this effort at creating a
useful synthesis according to my methods seems a worthwhile endeavor."
Supplementary Works - SF
There is a corpus of writing which is often essential to the fullest
understanding of the depth of the Germanic tradition, and which is not
covered in the standard reading list of the Temple of Set. For a guide to
these writings, I have provided this supplementary reading list. These works
provide a larger context for the understanding of many works in Runelore,
and give us a deep level basis for the understanding of the Northern (Indo-
European-based) Tradition of the Black Art, which is distinguished in many
ways from the Southern (Middle Eastern-based) Tradition.
24N. _The Well and the Tree_ by Paul C. Bauschatz. Amherst: University of
Massachusetts Press, 1982. (OT-4) SF: "To date this is the most valuable
study on the Germanic conceptions of time and the structure of the cosmos.
It is a highly scholarly text which nevertheless contains many insights of
direct magical use. Reviewed in _Runes_ #VII-2 by Priestess Rebecca Lance
D.Tr."
24O. _Gods of the Ancient Northmen_ by Georges Dumezil, ed., tr. E. Haugen,
et al. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973. (OT-3) SF: "This book
outlines the connections of Germanic myth and religion with the Indo-
European tripartite socio-religious structure. This is not merely a 'survey'
of Germanic mythology like other books with similar titles. It is an
invaluable text to dispel notions that the gods are merely the simple
personifications of natural forces, or the 'deifications' of mortal men."
24P. _The Myth of the Eternal Return, or Cosmos and History_ by Mircea
Eliade. (= Bollingen Series 46) tr. W. Trask. Princeton: Princeton
University Press, 1971 [1954]. (OT-4) SF: "All works by Eliade are
recommended, but this one is the one with which you should start. It
explores the mythic meaning of 'time', 'history', 'the center', etc. The
ideas contained in this book are fundamental to real understanding of mythic
traditions, and necessary to learning 'to think mythically'."
24Q. _The Road to Hel_ by Hilda R. Ellis (Davidson). Cambridge: University
of Cambridge Press, 1943. (OT-4) SF: "This is an important study of the
Teutonic concepts of death, the soul, and the other world(s)."
24R. _Teutonic Mythology_ by Jacob Grimm, tr. J.S. Stallybrass. New York:
Dover, 1966. 4 vols. (first published 1835). (OT-4) SF: "Although some of
this work is now out-of-date, it remains a veritable treasure-trove of
material from every Teutonic tradition. It includes discussions of all the
deities and beings, cosmology, magic, herbs, etc."
24S. _The Poetic Edda_ by Lee M. Hollander, tr. and ed. Austin, TX:
University of Texas Press, 1962. (OT-2) SF: "This is the best translation of
the _Elder Edda_ into English. Not only is it quite accurate, but it also
gives a real feel for the form of the Old Norse poetry - and can in turn
serve as a model for the composition of modern Eddic verse in English."
24T. _A History of the Vikings_ by Gwyn Jones. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1968. (Also a second revised edition.) (OT-4) SF: "This is the best
general history of the Viking Age available in English. It may be important
for some Initiates to gain a fuller understanding for the lives and values
of this last great pagan culture of Europe."
24U. _In Search of the Indo-Europeans: Language, Archaeology and Myth_ by
J.P. Mallory. London: Thames & Hudson, 1989. (OT-4) SF: "This up-to-date
survey of the whole spectrum of Indo-European studies is essential to
understanding the roots of Teutonic thought and society. It is from these
seeds and from these roots that the Teutonic tree blooms; understand the
seed and you understand the very core of the fruit."
24V. _Volsunga Saga_ by William Morris, tr. Introduction and glossary by
Robert Gutman. New York: Collier, 1962. (OT-3) SF: "Gutman's introduction
provides a fine historical, literary, and artistic background to this great
saga of the Teutonic peoples. Gutman compares the _Volsunga Saga_ with the
German _Nibelungenlied_ and with Wagner's treatment of the same themes. The
saga itself is one of the most important sources for understanding the
values of the Viking Age, and it certainly shows us how the Norsemen viewed
their own broader Teutonic heritage. The story of a clannic line - with its
divine descent (from Odhinn), and its vicissitudes, flowering and decline -
is the Teutonic soul epitomized. The saga is of central importance to all
seeking the inner meaning of _Xeper_ in the context of the Teutonic
tradition."
24W. _The Prose Edda_ by Snorri Sturlson, tr. A.G. Brodeur. New York: The
Scandinavian American Foundation, 1929. (OT-3) SF: "This is by far the best
and most complete translation of the _Younger Edda_ in English. It includes
not only the _Gylfaginning_, but also the _Skaldskaparmal_ (which is not
completely provided in the Jean I. Young translation. Especially useful are
Brodeur's interpretations of the proper names in the text."
24X. _Egil's Saga_ by Snorri Sturlson, tr. H. Palsson and P. Edwards.
Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1976. (OT-4) SF: "This saga is the greatest study of
a rune magician from the elder age. There are many mysteries contained in
this saga - some of them not quite so obvious as the many times in which
Egill uses rune magic and poetry to alter the objective universe."
24Y. _Myth and Religion of the North_ by E.O.G. Turville-Petre. New York:
Holt Rinehart & Winston, 1964. (OT-3) SF: "Turville-Petre's book is the best
survey of old Scandinavian religion in English, and an excellent one by any
standard. He discusses the sources of our knowledge, all the divinities, the
divine kings, heroes, guardian spirits, temples and objects of worship,
sacrifice, death, and cosmogony and cosmology."
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