04.01.10
More on Idries Shah
mybrainisafleamarket said,
03.01.10 at 9:06 pm ·
Still Trying After All These YearsStates is First Edition, December 16, 2009
Notes on an address by the writer and Sufi teacher Idries Shah, givento “New Alpha” class leaders, at Langton House, Langton Green,near Tunbridge Wells, Kent in England, on 14th January 1979.
An introduction is being penned by Martin Mathieson and asecond edition will be issued when the introduction is made available.First edition (without intro): 16 December, 2009 No revisionsSher Point Publications, UKin association withsarmouni.dyndns.org
(Beginning of excerpt)
”As a further example of how things have gone “haywire”, Shah said that he now even has an “imposter”, someone who claims to be him and who does things that he will not do.
People who (actually) want to learn do not display compulsive imitation; etc. – the signs are very obvious if they manifest – it doesn’t take“eyes” to spot them.
Groupings: There are far more people studying our ideas than wereever authorised to do. …(end of excerpt).
End note #5. “My father [Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah] taught me to listen toconversations and to try, by thinking very quickly, to anticipate subconsciously exactly what the other person was going to say”
(Notes on an address by the writer and Sufi teacher Idries Shah, given to “New Alpha” class leaders in 1979.
http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:Cekh3EBedxoJ:http://www.sarmouni.dyndns.org/writing/idries-shah-addresses-new-alpha.pdf+Idries+shah+imposter&hl=en&ct=clnk
mybrainisafleamarket said,
05.01.10 at 11:11 am
A small article on how Idries Shah tried to pull the enneagram/gon into his system. Note that he selected an area with lots of gaps. The author of the Anulio blog supplies interesting illustrations.
http://www.anulios.org/weblog/article/enneagon/
Apparently Shah’s book, The Commanding Self, once very popular, was an important launch point.
This coupled with the Garrard article about the Omar MS of the Rubaiyat that was never produced when Robert Graves was in his hour of dire need and begged the custodial family to show it to him–
hmmm.
Idries Shah, when younger, had a close relationship with Gerald Gardner, considered the founder of modern Wicca. Gardner had a most interesting library.
It is mentioned in a long list of citations that in the 1950s, young Idries Shah was a ‘secretary-companion’ and friend Gerald Gardner, a distinguished British orientalist and esotericist who is credited with supporting a revival of interest in ritual magic. Gardner created a museum of magic and witchcraft. As Gardners secretary and companion and friend, Shah could easily have had free run of the library.
The library was muddled after Gardner died. A list of its current contents is given, but you will see some items were added after Gardner died. We have no idea to what extent the current ‘Gardner Libary’ index reflects Gardners own interests, those of its current cutodians, or a confusion of the two.
A scattering of items in the collection show what a mix it was–and fertile soil for an enterprising young fellow to plough..
Here is a site giving current items in the Gardner Libary–whats left of it.
http://www.newwiccanchurch.org/gglibrary/index.htm
Gardners library, had one volume of Gurdjieff material. Gardner was much more interested in European magic and had many items by Aliester Crowley and Israel Regardie, and quite a bit of Theosophical material.
WALKER, Kenneth A Study of Gurdjieff’s Teaching Jonathan Cape London 1957
and (ahem)
WEBSTER, Nesta H. Secret Societies and Subversive Movements Boswell Printing & Publishing Co. Ltd. London 1924
There is a list of items for which there is no author, but its intriguing reading
for someone rummaging about.
http://www.newwiccanchurch.org/gglibrary/na.htm
Now, here is my arbitrary selection of a few items from Garders library that would, presumably, have been there when Shah was his secretary and companion. Note the number of items dealing with method by which to work with trance, establish interpersonal rapport–including Dale Carnegie!
A FRENCH ARMY SURGEON Untrodden Fields of Anthropology: Observations of the Esoteric Libraire des Bibliophiles Paris 1896
ABBOT, A. E. Encyclopedia of the Occult Sciences Emerson Press London 1960
BAKR, Siraj Ed-Din Abu The Book of Certainty Rider & Company London 1952
BARRETT, Francis The Magus or Celestial Intelligencer: Being a Complete System of Occult Philosophy Lackington, Allen & Co. London 1801
BAYLEY, Harold The Lost Language of Symbolism Volume I Williams & Norgate London 1951,c1912
BEARD, Charles R. Lucks and Talismans Sampson, Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. London post-1925
BENIDGO, T. W. Explanations of Altar Diagrams copied 1902
BESANT, Annie Esoteric Christianity or The Lesser Mysteries The Theosophical Publishing House Adyar, Madias, India 1914
BOSE, D.N. (ed.) Tantras: Their Philosophy and Occult Secrets Oriental Publishing Co. Calcutta
(Idries Shahs biography of Gardner written under another name)
**BRACELIN, J.L. Gerald Gardner: Witch The Octogon Press London 1960
BROWN, Harry Harrison How to Control Fate through Suggestion: A Lesson in Soul Culture L.N.Fowler & Co. London 1915 (c 1901
**CARNEGIE, Dale How to Win Friends and Influence People Simon & Shuster New York 1938
CARR, A.H.Z. How to Attract Good Luck The Worlds Work Limited Kingswood, Surrey, England 1953
**
COLEMAN, Stanley Jackson (MELOC ed.) Treasury of Folklore: Amazing Stories of Wizardry & Black Magic Folklore Academy Isle of Man 1956
***COLEMAN, Stanley Jackson (MELOC ed.) Treasury of Folklore: Fantasies in Figures – Mathematical Mysteries Folklore Academy Isle of Man 1956
CRAWFORD, F. Marion Zoroaster Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd. London, Edinburgh, New York
MONTAGUE, E.R. Tales from the Talmud William Blackwood and Sons Edinburgh and London
NIVEDITA, Sister and COOMARASWENY, A.K. Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists George G. Harrap & Co. London 1913
NOA, Juan Manx Yarns Examiner Printing Works
1938
OLLIVER, C.W. The Extension of Consciousness: An Introduction to the Study of Metapsychology Rider & Co. London 1932
ORTON, J. Louis Hypnotism Made Practical Thorsons Publishers Ltd. London 1956
PLANGIERE (trans.) Grimorium Verum (The True Clavicles of Solomon) – language unknown handwritten MSS 7 x 9 123 pages
PLANGIERE (trans.) Grimorium Verum: A Collection of Curious Secrets: The True Clavicles of Solomon handwritten MSS 8 x 12 28 pages
POWERS, Melvin Advance Techniques of Hypnosis Thorsons Publishers
London 1958 (c 1953)
RADCLYFFE, E.J.D. Magic and Mind A & C Black Ltd. London 1932
SHAFTESBURY, Edmund Cultivation of Personal Magnetism in Seven Progressive Steps Ralston Unversity Press Meriden, Conn. 1926 (c 1925)
SHIPP, Horace Idea that Moved the World: Stories of Dreams and Deeds Evan’s Brothers Ltd. London 1944
**SPENCE, Lewis An Encyclopedia of Occultism George Routledge & Sons Ltd. London 1920
THOMPSON, R. Campbell Semetic Magic: Its Origins and Developments/Luzac’s Oriental Religious Series Vol. 3 Luzac & Co. London 1908
VAN PELT, S.J. Hypnotism and the Power Within Skeffington and Son Limited London 1952 (c 1950)
WALDSTEIN, Louis The Subconscious Self and Its Relation to Education and Health Grant Richards London 1897
COLEMAN, Stanley Jackson (MELOC ed.) Treasury of Folklore: Fantasies in Figures – Mathematical Mysteries Folklore Academy Isle of Man 1956
HROZNY, Bedrich (trans. PROCHAZKA, Jindrich) Cultivation of Personal Magnetism in Seven Progressive Steps Ralston Univ. Press Meriden, Conn 1926 (c 1924)
HUBBARD, L. Ron Dianetics, The Modern Science of Mental Health Derrick Ridgeway London 1951
HUNT, Ernest A Bookof Auto Suggestions William Rider & Sons Ltd. London 1925 (c 1919)
HUNT, Ernest A manual of Hypnosis William Rider & Sons Ltd. London 1915
JUDGE, William Q. Echoes from the Orient The Magazine Theosophy Los Angeles 1918
LEADBEATER, C.W. The Hidden Life in Freemasonry The Theosophical Publishing House Adyar, Madras, India 1926
(the spooky fiction writer)LOVECRAFT, H.P. Something About Cats and Other Pieces Arkham House Sauk City Wisc. 1949
Some contextual information. Idries Shah was a close friend of Gerald Gardner, a figure who was vastly influential in esoteric circles. Gardner
eventually created a museum of Magic and Witchcraft. Here are some
items from this article:
http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:JTzaqo5U3HAJ:http://www.thewica.co.uk/Gerald%20Gardner.htm+Idries+Shah+Isle+of+Man+%
22Museum+of+Magic+and+Witchcraft%22&hl=en&ct=clnk
This site mentions a list of books in Gardners library. Unfortunately, that link no longer works. Damn!
“Additionally, be sure to take a look at Gerald Gardner’s own biography, Gerald Gardner: Witch by Jack Bracelin, although it was actually ghost-written by Idries Shah who was a close friend of Gardner’s.”
Gardners museum:
“Gardner opened a witchcraft museum on the Isle of Man and made himself available to the press and to prospective new witches. In 1962, shortly before Gardner’s death, the Americans Rosemary and Raymond Bucklad traveled to his home and were initiated as priestess and priest and returned to found the Gardnerian movement in the United States. Gardner died at sea on February 12, 1964. After his death the contents of the museum were sold to Ripley’s Believe It or Not and were subsequently disbursed to various Ripley’s museums and sold to private collectors.”
This article also notes:
“”"(Gardners)Later life, 1960
In 1960, the official biography of Gardner, entitled Gerald Gardner: Witch, was published. It was written by a friend of his, the Sufi mystic Idries Shah, but used the name of one of Gardner’s High Priests, Jack L. Bracelin.[49][50] In May that year, Gardner travelled to Buckingham Palace, where he enjoyed a garden party in recognition of his years of service to the Empire in the Far East.” In an earlier section, it was noted this was the first titled to be published from Shah’s Octagon Press.’
http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:eIwTUsU8bYsJ:http://www.answers.com/topic/gerald-gardner+Idries+Shah+Isle+of+Man+%22Museum+of+Magic+and+Witchcraft%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&strip=1
another, fuller version of this page is here
http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:fBL0OVM-QpAJ:http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Gerald_Gardner+Idries+Shah+Isle+of+Man+%22Museum+of+Magic+and+Witchcraft%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&strip=1
mybrainisafleamarket said,
05.01.10 at 9:02 pm
There are some additional comments newly posted on the Androids in Love site, and comment #19 is interesting, as it purports to be a first person report from someone who made a signficant investment of time, energy and money.
http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:xLXXfHu03nQJ:http://androidsinlove.com/site/%3Fp%3D690+idries+shah+androids+in+love&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&strip=1
mybrainisafleamarket said,
05.01.10 at 9:17 pm
Am not sure if my earlier post went through. In case it did not,
researchers might wish to study the relationship between young Idries Shah and Gerald Gardner, considered the great revivor of Wiccan paganism.
Shah is mentioned as having been Gardners secretar-companion. This suggests a close working relationship. Shah, under the surname Bracelin, wrote a biography of Gardner, and this was the first book published via Shah’s Octagon Publishing House. Gardner died in 1963.
This URL lists a catalog for Gardners library. Some items were added by custodians after Gardners death, but many original items remain, and these are books which young Shah could have freely accessed.
Gardner also created a Museum of Magic and Witchcraft. Sadly, much of it was dispersed after he died. An attempt has been made to revive it.
Information about Gardners library, which must have been frequented by his younger secretary and companion is given here, at this URL.
http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:YrucEzJI_-QJ:http://www.newwiccanchurch.org/gglibrary/index.htm+gerald+gardner+library&hl=en&ct=clnk
There is one book listed by a Gurdjieffian (Walker).
In addition, there are many books on masonry, theosophy, hypnosis and social persuasion (including a copy of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People and Dianetics) are also in this collection, plus books on symbolism, many on witchcraft, astrology and at least one book on secret societies, plus one collection of HP Lovecrafts stories.
Any items on this list that carry a publication date after Gardners death were, presumably, added later by those who sought to revive the museum.
Gardner’s interests were chiefly European magic and esotericism. The list of items under the heading ‘no author’ includes descriptions of various manuscripts and diagrams.
What is interesting is how very many of the books collected by Gardner later became popular among the hippies and consciousness seekers of the late Sixties and Seventies–Gardner could be considered a proto-hippie and died just a handful of years before the psychedelic era hit full tilt.
This library would have given excellent preparation to someone aiming to gain a following amongst that constituency.
nemo said,
06.01.10 at 12:05 pm
Sometimes if you put several links in a comment it gets held for moderation. That’s to prevent spam with multiple links.
I have your other post