Recommended Reading for New Students

Download the PDF listing for new students here.


For students wishing to pursue an in-depth course presented in our School the recommended texts are listed below, and a pdf listing for existing students can be downloaded here.

Tier 1 – Recommended Reading for Existing Students

Esoteric & Spiritual Texts

Bodo Balsys

  • The Revelation Revised Edition (2022)
  • From A Treatise on Mind Series
    • Volume 6  Meditation and the Initiation Process  (2014)
    • Volume 7 Part A  The Constitution of Shambhala  (2017)
    • Volume 7 Part B and C  The Constitution of Shambhala  (2018)

Western Esotericism & Theosophy

Alice Bailey (The Master D.K.’s writings)

(Lucis Publishing Company, New York)

  • Glamour: A World Problem (1950)
  • Initiation, Human and Solar (1922)
  • A Treatise on White Magic (The Way of the Disciple) (1934)
  • Discipleship in the New Age – Volume 1 & 2 (Vol. 1, 1944, Vol. 2, 1955)
  • A Treatise on the Seven Rays:
  • Esoteric Psychology I (1936)
  • Esoteric Psychology II (1942)
  • Esoteric Healing (1953)
  • Rays and Initiations (1960)
  • Externalisation of the Hierarchy (1957)
  • Letters on Occult Meditation (1922)
  • Problems of Humanity (revised edition, 1964)
  • The Reappearance of the Christ (1948)
  • Destiny of the Nations (1949)
  • Telepathy (1950)
  • Education in the New Age (1954)

Books are available for download from Lucis Trust: https://www.lucistrust.org/

Other Alice Bailey Material

Two books were written in conjunction with A.A.B. and D.K,

  • The Light of the Soul (1927)
  • The Labours of Hercules: An Astrological Interpretation (1974)

A further five titles were written by A.A.B. herself, hence are supplementary.

  • The Consciousness of the Atom (1922)
  • The Soul and Its Mechanism (1930)
  • From Intellect to Intuition (1932)
  • From Bethlehem to Calvary (1937)
  • The Unfinished Autobiography (1951)

Compilations of writings from the above books:

  • The Seven Rays of Life (1995)
  • The Seventh Ray: Revealer of the New Age (1995)
  • Ponder on this (2003)
  • Serving Humanity (1934)

On H.P Blavatsky

  • An Abridgement of The Secret Doctrine (edited by E. Preston & C. Humphreys, Theosophical Publishing House, Madras, 1966)

Helena Roerich

Agni Yoga Series (From Master Morya via Helena Roerich)

  • Leaves of Morya’s Garden I, The Call (1924)
  • Leaves of Morya’s Garden II, Illumination (1925)
  • New Era Community (1926)
  • Agni Yoga (1929)
  • Infinity I (1930)
  • Infinity II (1930)
  • Hierarchy (1931)
  • Heart (1932)
  • Fiery World I (1948)
  • Fiery World II (1933)
  • Fiery World III (1935)
  • Aum (1936)
  • Brotherhood (1937)
  • Supermundane, the Inner Life I – IV (1938)

Helena Roerich direct writings:

  • On Eastern Crossroads (Legends and Prophecies of Asia)
  • Letters of Helena Roerich I (Volume I: 1929-1935)
  • Letters of Helena Roerich II (Volume II: 1935-1939)
  • Foundations of Buddhism (By Helena Roerich)
  • Agni Yoga Glossary (A Treasury of Terms and Thoughts from the Agni Yoga Teachings)

These are all available for download at http://www.agniyoga.org/index.html

Geoffrey Hodson:

  • The Kingdom of the Gods (1952)
  • The Kingdom of the Faerie (1927)
  • Brotherhood of Angels and Men (1927)

Cyril Scott:

The Initiate series:

  • Vol 1 Some Impressions of a Great Soul (Samuel Weiser, Maine, 1971)
  • Vol 2 The Initiate in the New World (Samuel Weiser, Maine 1977)
  • Vol 3 The Initiate in the Dark Cycle (Samuel Weiser, Maine, 1977)

Charles Leadbeater

  • Man Visible and Invisible (Quest Book, Wheaton, 1980)
  • The chakras (Theosophical Publishing House, 1927)

A.E. Powell

  • The Etheric Double (Theosophical Publishing House, 1969)
  • The Astral Body (Theosophical Publishing House, 1954)

Peter Richelieu

  • A Soul’s Journey (Turnstone Press Ltd, Northhamptonshire, 1953, 1985)

Harold Balyoz

  • Three Remarkable Women (Altai Publishers, 1986)

Buddhism

Lama Anagarika Govinda:

  • Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism (Samuel Weiser, Maine, 1969)
  • The Way of the White Clouds: A Buddhist Pilgrim in Tibet (Shambhala Publications, 1966)

Evans Wentz:

  • Tibet’s Greatest Yogi, Milarepa (Oxford University Press, London, 1928)

Alexander David-Néel:

  • Magic and Mystery in Tibet (Penguin Books Ltd, 1931)

Reincarnation

Joseph Head & Sylvia Cranston

  • Reincarnation: The Phoenix Fire Mystery:  An East-West dialogue on death and rebirth from the worlds of religion, science, psychology, philosophy, art, and literature, and from great thinkers of the past and present.

Greek Mythology

Robert Graves:

  • The Greek Myths (Penguin Books, 1955)

Vegetarianism

There are many popular texts the reader can pursue, such as that by Jon E. Wynne-Tyson: Food for a Future (Thorsons Publishing Group,1975).

Additional Esoteric Material

The School of Esoteric Sciences

  • (https://www.universaldharma.com/)  contains a wealth of study material in the form of videos, audio recordings and reading material.  All students should be familiar with the content of the website and have a good grasp of the material therein.
  • Additional reading material is provided to those students that are currently attending The School of Esoteric Sciences, in the form of booklets, containing collected material according to subject matter.

King James Bible

  • In 1604 King James I of England authorized that the new translation of the Bible into English be started. It was first published in 1611. It was converted from old to ‘new’ English 85 years later. The Authorized Version, or King James Version quickly became the standard.

TIER 2-RECOMMENDED FOR ADVANCED STUDENTS

Bodo Balsys

  • Esoteric Cosmology and Modern Physics (2020)
  • The Astrological and Numerological Keys to the Secret Doctrine, Vol. 1. (2020)
  • The Astrological and Numerological Keys to the Secret Doctrine, Vol. 2. (2021)

From A Treatise on Mind Series – Buddhist philosophy

  • Volume 1  The “Self” or  “Non-self” in Buddhism
  • Volume 2  Considerations of Mind—A Buddhist Enquiry
  • Volume 3  The Buddha-Womb and the Way to Liberation
  • Volume 4  Maṇḍalas: Their Nature and Development (2013)
  • Volume 5  Part A. An Esoteric Exposition of the Bardo Thödol (2015)
  • Volume 5 Part B. An Esoteric Exposition of the Bardo Thödol  (2015)

Alice Bailey (The Master D.K.’s writings)

  • Esoteric Astrology (1951)
  • A Treatise on Cosmic Fire (1925)

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky:

  • The Secret Doctrine in three volumes (Theosophical Publishing House, Madras, Vol 1-2 1888, Vol 3 1897, 1938)