Basic Reading List

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law

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To whom it may be concerned

The Temple of Nuit, an outer emanation of the Sempiternal Order A∴A∴ has updated the traditional Order A∴A∴ student list.

While we honor the tradition, we do not mindlessly follow it.

The influence of the synergies of the New Aeon has been brought upon many areas of human development. Modern times bring different perspectives, and not even Master Therion could foresee all the possibilities (for example, works on Authenticity, dissemination of Secret Mantra (or Vajrayana) teachings, availability of the original Kabbalah, etc. –  none of which was available during the life of Master Therion).

We are certain that our updated lists will be outdated eventually. Impermanence is a natural state of things on this Earth.

And so, our first update encompasses new volumes of quality works penned by experienced people. We bring in authors like Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, John Rowan, Ken Wilber, etc., and highly realized individuals like Paramhansa Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi, Anandamayi Ma, and the Mahasiddhas and Tantric Masters Jetsun Milarepa, Maitripa, Padmasambhava, Tilopa, etc., and study material from kindred systems like Tantra yoga, Vaishnava Bhakti Yoga, Original Kabbalah, Vajrayana, Mahamudra, and Dzogchen.

We updated the basic reading lists (focusing more on the basic understanding of the human mind, critical thinking, and integral vision), added a few new volumes to the reading list for the Adepts, and expanded reading material for those who have won the Ordeal x or have taken the Oath of the Abyss.

We aim to raise our students’ awareness and broaden their horizons, not to distract them. Anyone can stick to the established and traditional reading list and absorb all the notions from around one century ago, ignoring new information available to us (the new translation of the Book of Abramelin puts the Mathers’ one where it belongs, on the top shelf out of sight and reach, for example).

Everyone else is welcome to dig deeper and discover the value of some of the added works (for example, the development of humanistic psychology with its focus on Authenticity can provide a student with information to avoid common pitfalls on the spiritual path, the study of Original Kabbalah and its teachings can quicken the grade work, etc.).

We disregarded or put on more advanced reading lists the following books:

• The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, translated by S.L. Mathers, is so flawed that it is useless.
  We brought in the new translation, The Book of Abramelin, 2nd Ed., and put it on the Lovers reading list,
• Liber 333 is total overkill for beginners (even most Adepts struggle with it); we put it on the Lovers list,
• Liber 777 is too abstract and valuable much later in the grade work,
• Konx Om Pax is welcomed later on in grade work,
• Shiva Samhita is put to shame by Brahma Samhita, from a Vedic scholarly perspective, as it is more profound,
• All other works are welcomed later on in the grade work.

The traditional A.’.A.’. student list can be found below.

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Books on the basic student updated list below have been selected very carefully:

• Naturalistic Occultism: An Introduction to Scientific Illuminism (2nd Ed.)
  by Frater IAO131
• Critical Thinking in Psychology: Separating Sense from Nonsense, 2nd Edition,
  by John Ruscio
• Glamour: A World Problem
  by Alice A. Bailey
• The Red Book or Jung, a complete introduction
  by Carl Gustav Jung
• A Brief History of Everything 2nd Edition
  by Ken Wilber
• Spiritual Bypassing: When Spirituality Disconnects Us from What Really Matters
  by Robert Augustus Masters
• Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism
  by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
• Action in Perception by Alva Noe
• Research on top-down (active) perception
  by Richard Gregory, here >>

Looking into the information sources above is essential for members of the A.’.A.’. Temple of Nuit.
Scientific Illuminism is at the very core of our Work.
Therefore, our students must pass the test showing a basic to intermediate understanding of the above topics during the Probationer period.

The information below will provide a basic understanding of the Thelemic theory and practices for beginners
(there are additional updates to reading lists for Lovers and Hermits,
and are available upon attainment of those grades).

• Essays and other works written by IAO131 for beginners
  available online here >> and  here >>
• Fresh Fever From the Skies: The Collected Writings of IAO131
• Pearls of Wisdom: Gems from the Journal Black Pearl
  by James A. Eshelman.
• The Magick of Aleister Crowley: A handbook of the rituals of Thelema
  by Lon Milo DuQuette.
• Magick: Liber ABA
  by Aleister Crowley.
• The Vision and the Voice With Commentary and Other Papers: The Collected Diaries of Aleister Crowley
  by Aleister Crowley
• Enochian Vision Magick: A Practical Guide to the Magick of Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelley
  by Lon Milo DuQuette
• Gems from the Equinox: Instructions by Aleister Crowley for His Magical Order.
  Compiled by Israel Regardie.
• The Holy Books of Thelema
  The Class A documents of the A∴A∴.
• Liber Al vel Legis, The Book of the Law,
  the foundation text of Thelema and our Order A∴A∴
• The Law Is for All: The Authorized Popular Commentary of Liber Al Vel Legis Sub Figura CCXX
  by Aleister Crowley OR
• The New and Old Commentaries to Liber AL vel Legis, The Book of the Law, online, here >>
• Liber Aleph

Works below are suggested to our students to attain a basic understanding of various philosophical and empirical traditions: original Vaishnava Bhakti Yoga, original Taoism, authentic Buddhist texts (Theravada, Mahayana, and Tantra), Vedic Tantra, Advaita school, and Western Theosophy.
More advanced books are available to students of higher grades (most of the books on our lists are available to our members in PDF or Kindle formats).

• Brahma Samhita
  by Jiva Gosvami
• Bhagavad Gita as it is
  by Srila Prabhupada
• The Vedanta-Sutras of Badarayana, with the commentary of Baladeva
• The Tao Teh King
  by Lao Tzu
• The Sacred Books of the East, part 1
  by James Legge F. MAX MULLER
• The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom
• The Way of the Bodhisattva (Revised Edition)
  by Shantideva
• Study Buddhism: Advanced Studies: Vajrayana, online here >>
  by Dr. Alexander Berzin
• Introduction to Tantra: The Transformation of Desire
  by Thubten Yeshe
• Autobiography of a yogi
  by Paramhamsa Yogananda
• Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar
  by Elizabeth U. Harding
• Collected works of Ramana Maharishi
  by Ramana Maharshi
• Initiation, Human and Solar,
  by Alice A. Bailey
• Esoteric Psychology, Vol. I. & II., by Alice A. Bailey

There is also an older and traditional A.’.A.’. Student Reading Curriculum:

• The Equinox, Volume I, Nos. 1-10 by Aleister Crowley and others
• 777 by Aleister Crowley
• Konx Om Pax by Aleister Crowley
• Collected Works of Aleister Crowley: Tannhäuser, The Sword of Song, Time, Eleusis
• Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda
• The Siva Samhita or the Hathayoga Pradipika
• The Tao Teh King and the writings of Kwang Tze: Sacred Books of the East XXXIX, XL
• The Spiritual Guide by Miguel de Molinos
• Dogme et rituel de la haute magie by Éliphas Lévi, or its translation by A. E. Waite
• The Goetia of the Lemegeton of Solomon the King ed. by Aleister Crowley
• The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage trans. by S.L. Mathers
• The Book of Lies by Aleister Crowley

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Imperātor, A∴A∴

Love is the law, love under will