THE MYSTERY OF THE AGES CONTAINED IN THE SECRET DOCTRINE OF ALL RELIGIONS — by Marie Sinclair, Countess of Caithness, Duchesse de Pomar — 1st Edition / 1st Printing, 1887 — Exceeding Rare — Theosophy Spiritual Esoteric Hermetic Occult Witchcraft Madame Blavatsky — Cornerstone of Spiritual, Esoteric and Occult Thought
Publisher: C.L.H. Wallace, Philanthropic Reform Publisher, London (1887)
An exceedingly scarce, first edition copy from 1887 of THE MYSTERY OF THE AGES CONTAINED IN THE SECRET DOCTRINE OF ALL RELIGIONS by Marie Sinclair, Countess of Caithness, Duchesse de Pomar. Dark brown boards with gilt decorations and writing on front, back, and on spine. 541 pages, with frontispiece photograph of the author. The book is in very well preserved condition. The boards and binding are solid and tight, with little shelfwear. The pages are crisp and clean and free of interior writing, save for some some very light foxing and light wrinkling on edges of the frontispiece, a very minor spot of two of foxing on the title page, and a very small stain on the bottom of the outer fore-edge. No known first edition, first printing copies are for sale or in circulation. It is considered to be a cornerstone of Spiritual, Esoteric and Occult thought contributing to the basis of many 19th early 20th century writers including Aleister Crowley, Israel Regardie, Arthur Edward Waite and Manly P. Hall. Marie Sinclair, Countess of Caithness, Duchess de Pomar (1830-1895) was an enormously wealthy spiritualist, occultist, and Theosophist. Born Marie de Mariategui, daughter of a Spanish nobleman and English mother, her first marriage was to General Conde de Medina-Pomar, by whom she had a son. Following her first husband's death, in 1872 she married Alexander Sinclair, 13th Earl of Caithness. In 1879 she was created Duchess of Pomar when her son by her first marriage was granted the dukedom by Pope Leo XIII. She was very important in the evolution of the Theosophical Society, which she joined in 1876. At one point she was expected to succeed Madame Blavatsky as head of the Society. Please see below for the book's expansive Contents.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER I: Introduction.
Statement of the Momentous Problem. The Supreme Eternal Being. Our Divine Mother. The"Martyrs"or "Witnesses"for the Divine Truth. The Unity of all Esoteric Doctrine. Occult value of Mathematics. Mathematical Theosophy. The Absolute Self or Divine Soul. How to attain to Soul Knowledge. Occult Practice. The Rationale of Yoga.
Chapter II: The Theory and Practice of Theosophy.
The Laws of Spirit. The Stream of Existence. Soul-Force. The Roscicrucian teaching. Divine Magic. The Female Principle. "Dwellers on the threshold." The primary qualifications of an Adept, quoted from the Private Instructions on the Science and Mysticism Art of Organic Magnetism
Chapter III: Hermetic Theosophy
Part I.
How to interpret Occult Soul-Allegories. Peculiarities of Kabbalists and Her- metists. The Secret of Mythology not astronomical but psvchological and occult. The Rule of the Gods.
Chapter IV: Hermetic Theosophy.
Part II.
Egyptian and Christian Gnosticism.
Soul-worship and Demon-worship. Necessity for Occult fables. Unity of Mystic Doctrine. Spiritual Democrats and Aristocrats. A war between the occult and the official Church. The most ancient book of Theosophic teachings. The "Book of the Dead." Division of the "Ritual." The Books of Hermes. The Egyptian Hierarchy. The Smaragdine Tablet.
CHAPTER V: Oriental Theosophy.
Part I
The Theosophy of the Brahmins, Magi, and Druids.
Whence are the Hindus? Occult Temples and monumental poetry. The Trimurti. The Vedas. Hindu Philosophy. The Darsanas.
The Theosophy of the Magi: Soldiers of Light against powers of darkness. An Epitome of Occult knowledge from the Book of the Prophet Jyafram. The War between Ahura-Mazda and Angra Mainyu purely spiritual and esoteric. Zoroaster. The Gnostic doctrine according to the Codex Nazarmus.
Theososphy of the Druids: Druid Monuments. The ante-Christian Theosophy of the West. The Bards. Druid Triads and Bardic Aphorisms. Druidic idea of the Spheres of Existence.
CHAPTER VI: Oriental Theosophy.
Part II. Buddhist Theosophy.
Character of Buddha's teachings. Buddhist Missionaries. The Theosophy of Gotama Buddha. How-
to become an Initiate. Karma the law of consequences. Buddhism a Christ-like Philosophy. .
Esoteric Buddhism: the ancient Wisdom-Religion. The Mystery of Mysteries represented in the seal of Solomon. The Male brainor Solar Plexus. The Female brain or Cerebro-Spinal System. The seat of Life or fourth Principle.The seven-fold Nature of the Divine Essence. Seven Sephiroth and seven Senses. The present the fifth race of the fourth Round.
CHAPTER VII: Pagan Theosophy.
The three great classes of Theosophy. "Heathen"Theosophy. The Divine Masters all one in Doctrine. The Mythos interpreted by Astronomers and Alchemists. The exclusiveness of PaganTheosophy demolished by two Jews.
CHAPTER VIII: Semitic Theosophy
Part I.
The Kabbala of Hebbew Theosophy.
The Kabbalists. The Sefer Jezira. Philo Judseus. The Tora, or Oral Law. Its transmission. Moses a Theosophist.
Solomon's architectural Occultism. Abraham and Zoroaster. An outline of the Kabbalah. Easithor Wisdom. Divisions of the Kabbala.
CHAPTER IX: Semitic Theosophy.
Part II.
The Sufis and Mohammedan Theosophy.
Mohammed,"The Praised." The return to Monotheism. God as Supreme Will.The Crescent, emblem of Sophia (Wisdom). The Koran embodying two religions.Genghis Khan. Note on the Mage or Mogul. The Tenth Avatar. The Sufis. Origin of their Theosophic Orders. The 32 Orders of the Dervishes enumerated.
CHAPTER X: Christian Theosophy.
Christ Himself the Spirit of ChristianTheosophy. The Gospe of Life and a Gospel of Death. The Soul is feminine. The Theosophic histories of the Gospels. Hercules a personification of the Spiritua lSun. The Heavens book. The Son in Taurus. Melchizedec an Avatar. The Second Coming of Christ. Former Incarnations of the Christ Spirit. The Avatar Wittoba.
CHAPTER XI: The Theosophic Interpretation of the Bible.
All that is true is Spiritual ; no chapter in the Bible bears a physical meaning. Concerning the Interpretation of Scripture,a fragment from"ThePerfect"Way." The Legend of Adam and Eve. Moses the Egyptian Hermetist. Hermetic Philosophy. Spiritual Alchemy.
