/lit/ - Literature

Catholic esotericist here. Here are a few of my favorites.

Orthodox:
>Tomas A. Kempis - Imitation of Christ
>Francis de Sales - Introduction to the Devout Life
>John of the Cross - Dark Night of the Soul
>John Climacus - Ladder of Divine Ascent
>Various - Philokalia

Unorthodox:
>Wouter J Hanegraaff - Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed
>Anonymous - Meditations on the Tarot
>Michael Martin - The Heavenly Country

>>10792948
Could you explain the premise or thesis for perhaps one of the books, your favourite perhaps

>>10793292
Most of my orthodox recommendations are quite popular and can easily be googled. Imitation on the Christ is a series of contemplations on overcoming selfish desires and being Christ-like. Introduction to the Devout Life is a manual on practicing the faith. Dark Night of the Soul describes some of the perils along the path. Ladder of Divine Ascent is like an advanced Devout Life. More advanced and difficult. The Philokaia is most advanced of all, essentially instructions for Eastern Church monastics.

As far as my unorthodox recommendations go, the Hanegraaff is pretty much essential if you'd like to understand the uneasy relationship between Christianity and mysticism. It's more or a less a historical survey that argues that what we call occultism and esotericism and magic is essentially a polemical category for suppressed religions/philosophies.

Meditations on the Tarot is a gentle and uplifting series of letters on the universal spiritual mysteries of Christianity albeit somewhat polemical toward the superiority of the faith which were integral to my conversion from a postmodern new ager to a relatively traditional Catholic.

The Heavenly Country is a guilty pleasure of mine. It's about Sophiology. Kinda like a folkish feminist spiritualism formed within Christianity which moved from Protestantism to Orthodoxy to Catholicism. Some people think it's a touch heretical and/or gnostic.

>>10793292
>>10794007
The Hanegraaff has a lot of good recommendations for further reading as well. But a lot of it is more about blatantly heretical / non-Christian mysticisms.

If you wanna shell out some big books, Hanegraaf also has a Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism which is pretty extensive and good for research (though once again focused on the heretical), you might also wanna pick up The Cambridge Handbook of Western Mysticism and Esotericism as well. Traces movements in orthodox and unorthodox mysticism/esotericism.

>>10792948
Oh, almost forgot, Cloud of Unknowing is really good. It's about apophatic theology and contemplative prayer. There's also a modern "centering prayer" movement based on it.

As far as other feminine mystice works, The Mirror of Simple Souls is another apophatic work on the same subject though unfortunately the author was unjustly persecuted.

She (author of Mirror of Simple Souls) was a friend of Meister Eckhart who is the greatest of (orthodox) Christian platonists according to some. Has some incredible sermons. Very non-dual.

Of course, there's a treasure trove of other medieval and modern and ancient writers on the subject. I like the females. Catherine, Terese, Hildegaard, Julia of Norwich. As far as men go, Bonaventure is beautiful. The soul's journey to God (idk the precisetitle) is quite illuminating if you enjoy medieval theology/philosophy.

There's probably a good historical survey out there but I haven't encountered it yet.


Oh, and you can't forget Ignatius Loyolla's Spiritual Exercises!


>>10792766
Best of luck, my fellow brother seeker. Hope I have been of help.

>>10792766
https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Gnostic-Bible-Willis-Barnstone/9781590306314?redirected=true&utm_medium=Google&utm_campaign=Base3&utm_source=AU&utm_content=The-Gnostic-Bible&selectCurrency=AUD&w=AF45AU969PU83RA80RGBAMV7&pdg=pla-104399445939:kwd-104399445939:cmp-683605187:adg-34943826637:crv-151966416706:pid-9781590306314:dev-m&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuoC47tTT2QIVSYyPCh1i0gpyEAQYASABEgI83PD_BwE

This has everything you're looking for

A little infopic, it might help.

>>10792766
>>10792948
Dark Night of the Soul is quite good. A dense text but it gets better as you acclimate to the style. I would recommend the Peers translation, too.

The Red Book by Yung is precisely what you have described in your post OP, I'm only at liber novus in the book, but I have been very surprised at how deeply religious and mythical the book is

>>10794441

>>10795091

>>10794359
Willis Barnstone's Restored New Testament is lovely for more orthodox texts too.

>>10794434
My Dad showed me that book long ago when I was struggling with the faith. Unfortunately, it remained on my shelf for many years.

>>10794425
An Eastern Orthodox companion, how nice yo meet you. I am prior commenting Catholic esotericist. Let's try and keep this thread alive. May our Churches meet one day in Reconciliation for a renewed faith with the best of both our traditions.

There was an interesting /x/ user awhile ago

Does anyone remember his name? He had a lot of interesting thoughts on this stuff

>>10795170
On second thought , let's not go to /x/... 'Tis a silly place.

>>10795252

>>10795260
Youd be a fool to not venture into the modern day necropolis of thought.

>>10795267
Pray recommend some. Please no GD/Thelema.

>tfw Neo-Platonism is the Ur-religion

>>10792766

>nag hammadi scriptures
>books of enoch
>pistis sophia
>emerald tablet
>corpus hermeticum
>the kyballion
>zohar

>what >>10792948 posted
>also >>10795260 and >>10795252

the red book will fuck u up

>>10795140
Let us not get carried away (not the anon you responded to)

>Jacob Boehme
>Paracelsus
>Agrippa
>the Martinists
>Emmanuel Swedenborg
>William Blake's later works
>Meister Eckhart

>>10794145
To be fair Eckhart can be found in the Denzinger as a condemned author with 20 something anathemas.