Hi,
I may not be very original, or simply state the obvious, but since I've not seen this mentioned often I'd like to emphasise the Journals by Jacques Vallée.
I found them to be a very insightful and valuable resource on weird/occult phenomena at large. Granted, the focus is more towards UFO, but other phenomena are also considered and mentioned (for example, the author was instrumental in the study of the links between "modern" UFO phenomena and ancient visions, including fairies and "medieval folklore").
You might need a taste for this literary style (that is, journals), but other than that I think it's quite worth a read. There are 4 volumes (arg, actually 5, I just realise I
overlooked the latest issue, early 2023!), each covering a period of 10 years (slightly more for the first one, which starts in the late 1950s and end with the year 1969). The second volume in particular deals with hermetic groups and knowledge, the author being a friend or a good acquaintance of Anton LaVey and maybe even more of Diane, actually. As witnessed by some of his other writings, Vallée developed a careful and probably sound view of several esoteric groups (alas, no one cared about his very early warnings about "the Two" for instance).
There is also the incredible amount of intriguing people and documents he's been in touch with. From Philip K. Dick's letters about his personal experiences with VALIS (sent to Ira Einhorn, who handed them to Vallée, Vol. 3, entry 12/5/1987, p. 306), to discussions with the occultist Roland Villeneuve, his relation with Ingo Swan, personal communications with Israel Regardie. These are full of various references, and inspiring descriptions, here are some semi-random ones, as I don't want to dive into an in-depth study or exposition here:
_ images and books from his Magonia Tower (Vol. 3, entry 12/31/1988, p. 360),
_ quote of an incantation translated from ancient Greece (Vol. 3, entry 08/23/1987, p. 291),
_ reference to an article in the journal "Syzygy" about the influence of Cagliostro on modern magical groups, and history of "the Wet Way" (Vol. 4, entry 1992/09/22, p. 138),
_ the Biblical "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" (Vol. 1, entry 08/09/1965, p. 162).
In addition to occult-related themes (let me include UFO here for simplicity), the journals also provide a good dose of humour, and lots of quite penetrating insight on many topics. For example, the fact that the WWW was killed by commercial cookies, stated in the 1990s (so an era lots of us see as a "good one" for the internet compared to nowadays!); can't seem to find the exact reference now, sorry (so quoting from memory here).
Vallée also often offers the perspective coming from the study of "control systems", including societal control (I remember his views, from 1972, on the creation of targeted TV networks in the US: "…an article in Science Magazine, calling for the building of television networks that are supposed to lead to equality in education: this is pompous drivel. Such networks could just as easily lead to the standardizing of thought, the suppression of original ideas in the name
of better control of the public mind.", Vol. 1, entry 07/09/1972, p. 145).
Regardless of his general opinions, I feel quite a bit of humanity transpiring in this diary.
I found these books to be a wonderful journey, with lots of inspiring thoughts and educated pointers to dig into lots of topics, quite a number of interest to us on this board. In this respect, for folks who like books (and I guess there are quite a few here!), it's a very valuable source.
I may not be very original, or simply state the obvious, but since I've not seen this mentioned often I'd like to emphasise the Journals by Jacques Vallée.
I found them to be a very insightful and valuable resource on weird/occult phenomena at large. Granted, the focus is more towards UFO, but other phenomena are also considered and mentioned (for example, the author was instrumental in the study of the links between "modern" UFO phenomena and ancient visions, including fairies and "medieval folklore").
You might need a taste for this literary style (that is, journals), but other than that I think it's quite worth a read. There are 4 volumes (arg, actually 5, I just realise I
overlooked the latest issue, early 2023!), each covering a period of 10 years (slightly more for the first one, which starts in the late 1950s and end with the year 1969). The second volume in particular deals with hermetic groups and knowledge, the author being a friend or a good acquaintance of Anton LaVey and maybe even more of Diane, actually. As witnessed by some of his other writings, Vallée developed a careful and probably sound view of several esoteric groups (alas, no one cared about his very early warnings about "the Two" for instance).
There is also the incredible amount of intriguing people and documents he's been in touch with. From Philip K. Dick's letters about his personal experiences with VALIS (sent to Ira Einhorn, who handed them to Vallée, Vol. 3, entry 12/5/1987, p. 306), to discussions with the occultist Roland Villeneuve, his relation with Ingo Swan, personal communications with Israel Regardie. These are full of various references, and inspiring descriptions, here are some semi-random ones, as I don't want to dive into an in-depth study or exposition here:
_ images and books from his Magonia Tower (Vol. 3, entry 12/31/1988, p. 360),
_ quote of an incantation translated from ancient Greece (Vol. 3, entry 08/23/1987, p. 291),
_ reference to an article in the journal "Syzygy" about the influence of Cagliostro on modern magical groups, and history of "the Wet Way" (Vol. 4, entry 1992/09/22, p. 138),
_ the Biblical "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" (Vol. 1, entry 08/09/1965, p. 162).
In addition to occult-related themes (let me include UFO here for simplicity), the journals also provide a good dose of humour, and lots of quite penetrating insight on many topics. For example, the fact that the WWW was killed by commercial cookies, stated in the 1990s (so an era lots of us see as a "good one" for the internet compared to nowadays!); can't seem to find the exact reference now, sorry (so quoting from memory here).
Vallée also often offers the perspective coming from the study of "control systems", including societal control (I remember his views, from 1972, on the creation of targeted TV networks in the US: "…an article in Science Magazine, calling for the building of television networks that are supposed to lead to equality in education: this is pompous drivel. Such networks could just as easily lead to the standardizing of thought, the suppression of original ideas in the name
of better control of the public mind.", Vol. 1, entry 07/09/1972, p. 145).
Regardless of his general opinions, I feel quite a bit of humanity transpiring in this diary.
I found these books to be a wonderful journey, with lots of inspiring thoughts and educated pointers to dig into lots of topics, quite a number of interest to us on this board. In this respect, for folks who like books (and I guess there are quite a few here!), it's a very valuable source.