The Conference of the Birds (Mantiq al-Tayr)
The allegorical poem of thirty birds who journey through seven valleys to find the Simurgh. One of the masterpieces of Persian literature.
All texts adapted for the Book of Illumination and Sacrifice are drawn from works in the public domain. Below are links to original sources and recommended translations.
Part I: Sufi & Persian Texts
The Mathnawi
Rumi's masterwork, often called "the Quran in Persian." Six volumes of spiritual poetry and teaching stories.
Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi
Ecstatic poetry composed after Rumi's transformative encounter with the wandering dervish Shams of Tabriz.
Part I: Alchemical & Hermetic Texts
Works of Paracelsus
Alchemical and medical writings of the wandering physician who revolutionized Renaissance medicine and mysticism.
Works of Jakob Böhme
The visionary writings of the Görlitz shoemaker, including Aurora, The Signature of All Things, and The Threefold Life of Man.
The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz
Allegorical romance describing the spiritual wedding through death and resurrection.
A Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery
Analysis of alchemical literature, most copies destroyed by the author shortly after publication. Now available in full.
Part I: Christian Mystical Texts
The Cloud of Unknowing
Medieval English mystical text on contemplative prayer and the via negativa.
Dark Night of the Soul
Classic of Spanish mysticism on the necessary darkness that precedes illumination.
The Interior Castle
Description of the soul as a castle with seven dwelling places, the journey inward toward union.
Part II: The Martyrs
Jacopo Ruffini
Historical accounts of Jacopo Ruffini and Young Italy available in Giuseppe Mazzini's collected writings and Italian revolutionary histories.
Robert Blum
German revolutionary and Frankfurt Parliament member. Extensive documentation in German revolutionary histories.
The Thirteen Martyrs of Arad
Including Vilmos Lázár and the other Hungarian revolutionary generals. Documented in Hungarian revolutionary histories.
Lajos Batthyány
First Prime Minister of Hungary. Executed October 6, 1849.
Part II: Spiritualist Philosophy
Works of Andrew Jackson Davis
The "Poughkeepsie Seer" produced numerous works including The Principles of Nature, The Great Harmonia, and The Magic Staff.
Works of Théodore Jouffroy
French philosopher whose epistemology of limits and common sense influenced spiritualist thought.
All original texts are in the public domain. The adaptations and arrangements in the Book of Illumination and Sacrifice are offered freely for the benefit of all seekers.