Magical Christianity: The Power of Symbols for Spiritual Renewal Coleston Brown 232 pages 6 x 9 $18.95 paper 978-0-8356-0855-8

Christianity is rooted in symbolism. For those of us raised in the Christian tradition, the biblical stories we learned as children are as real as the Christian revelation itself. From Noah’s Ark to the parting of the Red Sea and from the Three Magi present at Christ’s birth to the Resurrection, the symbols found in these stories are as much alive in our culture today as they were thousands of years ago. Many currently popular books blend Christian and magical elements. The main characters of C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, for instance, are replete with Christian symbolism. And let’s not forget J .K. Rowlings’ Harry Potter series. The Goblet of Fire speaks of one of the most primal elements in magic and Christian mythology, fire, which represents the beginning and end of all creation.

Coleston Brown—scholar and expert on the esoteric Christian traditions—reaches far beyond any other book of its genre to bring us a truly experiential form of Christianity. Drawing on the myths, legends, lore, and symbols inherent in the Christian tradition, Brown reveals the potential in all of us to use, as he does, Magical Christianity as a practice for healing and regenerating the spirit. Brown combines the insights he gained as a student under Gareth Knight, a renowned authority on Kabbalistic magic, with his own study of ancient texts and practice of the esoteric Christian tradition, developing this new work, the official text and formal course of training in what is now known as the Western Magical Tradition.

Readers will be captivated by the symbols Brown covers in this book, including the sphere, the holy fire, the wheel of life, and the planes of being. He even details the magical power of sacred architecture rich in the Christian tradition as a basis for magical practice. In addition to a new chapter on the Divine Feminine, this revised edition also includes an experiential meditation at the end of each chapter and a CD of guided meditations to bring readers more deeply into the transformative power of Christian symbolism.

"A bracing and well-informed guide to the true meaning and power of Christian symbolism."
—-Richard Smoley, author of Inner Christianity

"The symbols of Christianity were once living things, and not merely signs. This book is a welcome reminder of their inner, magical life."
— David Fideler, author of Jesus Christ, Sun of God: Ancient Cosmology and Early Christian Symbolism

"Magic is an age old means of using the imaginative and intuitive faculties in a self-transformative way; and its application to the profound symbolism of mystical Christian traditions has startling potential. Coleston Brown provides a deeply researched and eminently practical way of bringing the two together to safe and rewarding effect. This is practical mysticism and enlightened magic in formidable combination!"
—Gareth Knight, author of Experience of the Inner Worlds,

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