Reddit mentions: The best literary history & criticism books

>I would also like to start 'working' with a higher entity. I'd like to make contact with my HGA, but am not adept enough to perform The Abramelin Operation (seems very scary).

The Abramelin Operation is a bit dated and a lot of people (not all though) use Crowley's Liber Samekh Ritual to establish contact with the HGA. It's supposed to be performed astrally several times a day. Lon Milo Duqette wrote a clearer explanation than Crowley did of how to perform the ritual in his book A Handbook of the Rituals of Thelema. However, that's not usually the first step in contacting the HGA. In Crowley's system, a person must :

1. Gain control over the body of light and rising on the planes. This is often assigned due to the fact that, as I already said, the ritual is not suppose to take place on the physical plane, rather in the astral one after rising on the planes.
   
   
2. Master Asana and Pranayama. Asana is being able to sit completely still in a single position without moving a single muscle for a prolonged period of time and Pranayama is breath control. This is because the HGA is often seen as your subconscious mind and these meditative practices are necessary to be able to quiet your conscious mind so that you may better hear and listen to your subconscious. If you'd like to read more about this, I'd recommend Liber ABA
   
   
3. Master ceremonial magick techniques (i.e. Star Ruby, Star Sapphire, lesser rituals of the pentagram and hexagram, greater rituals of the pentagram and hexagram, etc.) and develop a better understanding of ritual. This is obviously assigned due to the fact that in order to successfully perform a ritual to invoke the HGA, you need to have an understanding of ritual and ability to do it.
   
   
4. Perfect the art of Bhakti. Bhakti is complete devotion to a deity. It includes such things as devoting all acts (i.e. eating, drinking, sleeping, working, breathing, etc.) to the chosen deity, developing a mantra for the deity and reciting it constantly in your head every second of the day without stopping, developing an invocation to the deity, performing ritual service for the deity several times in a 24 hour period including the middle of the night, modeling yourself to behave like the chosen deity, etc. This is necessary as it helps develop the one-pointed focus and devotion needed to successful invoke the HGA. If you'd like, you can read more about this in Liber Astarte
   
   >I would love suggestions from you all regarding anything that would help me practice low-level ritual work!
   
   I'd recommend trying out
   
   The Star Sapphire
   
   The Star Ruby
   
   The Greater Ritual of the Hexagram
   
   The Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram
   
   The Solar Adorations
   
   The Threefold Eucharist
   
   The Mass of the Pheonix
   
   The Form of Hoor-pa-kraat
   
   >Are there any other ways to do this? I feel an affinity toward Angelic forces and have a keen interest in Enochian but am unsure where to begin.
   
   If you're looking to get into Enochian magick, (which I would highly recommend; it's one of my favoritae systems of magick) I'd recommend reading Enochian Magick in Theory and Enochian Magick in Practice by Frater Yechidah.
   
   >I have stayed away from Goetia thus far and would like to focus a little more on white magick (not because I think Goetia is 'wrong'; its just not for me right now). However, I am curious if The Key of Solomon would provide any use for someone wanting to learn about white magic? Am I correct in stating that the astrological pentacles are of use for the magus to use at their will?
   
   I wouldn't classify the Goetia as black magick. Demons in the occult are not the same as demons in Abrahramic religion. In fact, I (as well as others I have talked to) have noticed that the Enochian angels are very similar in character and personality to the Goetic demons. I would also not characterize the Key of Solomon pentacles and sigils as black magick.
   
   But to answer your questions; yes, anyone could use the pentacles (with or without conjuring any of the Goetic demons; the consecration rite for them does not include any evocation, just a blessing) and see results.
   
   As for general books I would recommend to a beginner:
   
   The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford by Lon Milo Duquette
   
   the Golden Dawn by Israel Regardie
   
   The Mystical and Magical System of the A .'. A .'. by James A. Eshelman
   
   777 And Other Qabalistic Writings by Aleister Crowley
   
   Gems From the Equinox by Aleister Crowley and edited by Israel Regardie
   
   
   
   

• Writing the Romantic Comedy
  by Billy Mernit
  
  
• Not on Kindle, which is my main gripe. Very useful structure.
  
• Supposedly the ebook is a coming. I'm ready.
  
  
• Writing the Comedy Blockbuster: The Inappropriate Goal
  by Keith Giglio
  
  
• Save the Cat but focused specifically on writing comedies. Really focuses on making sure you derive maximum conflict from your protagonist meeting your premise.
  
  
• Elephant Bucks: An Insider's Guide to Writing for TV Sitcoms
  by Sheldon Bull
  
  
• A decades long professional writer and showrunner tells you how to write a sitcom. You're dumb if you wanna write sitcoms and haven't cracked this open yet.
  
  
• How to Write Funny: Your Serious, Step-By-Step Blueprint For Creating Incredibly, Irresistibly, Successfully Hilarious Writing
  by Scott Dikkers
  
  
• Again, a professional explains how he works. Dikkers was head writer on The Onion for years and years.
  
  
  
• Writing the Pilot
  by William Rabkin
  
• Again, a veteran showrunner explains what he knows.
  
  
• Screenwriting is Rewriting: The Art and Craft of Professional Revision 1st Edition
  by Jack Epps Jr
  
• Fucking gold. I'd read it even before you start a first draft.
  
  
• William Martell Blue Books
  
• Three Hundred Pages on Act Two and how to craft it. Three Hundred and Ten pages on the first ten pages of your screenplay! Three hundred and ninety! Pages! On! Action lines!
  
• Essential if you want to really dig deep on a specific skill of screenwriting.
  
  
  
• Writing for emotional impact : advanced dramatic techniques to attract, engage, and fascinate the reader from beginning to end by Karl Iglesias
  
• A very useful lens to think about screenwriting through. I'd consider this the intro to the kind of specificity that the Blue Books will break down into.
  
  
• Writing Movies for Fun and Profit by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon
  
• Four quadrant movies are probably the hardest movies to do well. And these guys did them, very well. Plus the book will make you laugh as you read it.
  
  
• Writing the Other by by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward
  
  • Which is a practical guide to writing about experiences that are not your own, with a focus on race, gender, and sexual orientation.
    
• It'll definitely inform my take the next time reddit implodes on who can write what character.
  
  
  ----------
  
  The only non Screenwriter on the list are Scott Dikkers, Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward.
  
  -----
  
  
  I'm Currently going through:
  
  
• Wit's End: What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why We Need It by James Geary
  
  • I am always trying to be smarter and funnier. And funny smart people get hired.
    
    
    
• Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Cron
  
• The science behind why we enjoy narrative and how that can guide writers to write well.
  
  And want to read:
  
  
• The Hero Succeeds: The Character-Driven Guide to Writing Your TV Pilot by Kam Miller
  
• Working Writer. 500 pages on characters in a pilot. Real world examples. Of course I want to read this.
  
• I think I heard about it from Paperteam, or a blog post on the WGA Foundation page.

You have to keep in mind that those books were incredibly "popular" during the 40's and 50's -- and that Roddenberry in many ways specifically "cribbed" a lot of ideas for Kirk (as a version of Forester's Hornblower "Man alone") as well as Spock (i.e. akin to the Lt Bush character).

And I agree wholeheartedly that something like that would be a GREAT concept -- albeit it would probably be problematic in that you'd need to start with a YOUNG actor, and most likely at some point along the way, they (along with probably a lot of the production staff, esp. writers, etc) would "balk" at spending their entire career essentially playing just the one character (and at least initially, possibly not even the MAIN character in terms of action, even if it were the "common thread" linking all the iterations together).

No to mention that it's rather unlikely that every iteration of it would be equally well received -- and so whatever producing entity (much as with the HH show series) would probably stop at some point along the way.

---

Little side note is that the lead/star of those Hornblower shows -- Ioan Gruffudd -- really wanted to continue... and [has apparently made several attempts (or one long continuing attempt) to gain the rights and/or get production rolling on the rest of the series, to wit:

>>“We have only scratched the surface of what we could do,” says Gruffudd, noting that the eight movies only cover three of Forester’s 11 Hornblower books, which chronicle the sailor’s rise from midshipman to admiral. “I began doing those films when I was 23, and I think it would be amazing for one actor to visit the same part over the course of his career, playing the character’s whole span of life. If Ringer is a success, and my star continues to rise, I might be in a position to put this together. I would really love to do it.”.

But alas it doesn't seem to be happening.

---

Also, while some fans of HH might already be aware of the following, for those who are not, I cannot possibly give too high of a recommendation for the following additional "Hornblower" things:

• The Hornblower Companion which has not only maps & notes on each voyage/book, but really interesting and rather funny text from C.S. Forester on the evolution of the writing of that series, how and why he came up with the character, what he was trying to achieve via it, etc. (including the fact that he never set out to write it as a series, and in the end they weren't really written "in order" but rather were done somewhat randomly, with a lot of the later books "filling in the gaps" in HH's career).
  
  
• The Life and Times of Horatio Hornblower -- written by a man (C. Northcote Parkinson) who is almost as amazing & interesting an author as Forester -- this "authorized biography" of the [fictional] HH character, well it does a thoroughly enjoyable job (including reading very much like a REAL biography, complete with "uncertainties" and a few remaining "gaps", etc) fills in virtually ALL OF THE REST of HH's life (i.e. childhood, post navy career, etc) -- and is just a great romp for anyone who loves the HH series (but beware, one should only read it AFTER having completely read -- at least once -- all of Forester's novels, lest you "spoil" the fun of reading them).

I like this translation better than all three posted in the linked article. I think "El Ferrocarril" is closer to the train than the railroad, but that's just a matter of opinion. The use of the definite article for "La ballena", "La caldera", "Los bastos" is for rhythm purposes, probably. I remember a book called "Borges el memorioso" that is a transcription from a radio show. The host would read aloud texts for Borges to comment on them. When they read this very snippet, a guest, Roy Bartholomew, said that the whole enumeration sounded very good ("la euritmia", he said). Borges replied that he chose carefully those words to make a chaotic enumeration that had a secret, euphonic order. Out of curiosity, he also commented that Luis Melián Lafinur was his uncle, and that, again, "caldera" was the kettle. Why would he say that to an audience that spoke Spanish? Because "caldera", for the people living in Buenos Aires, did not mean kettle either. Borges said "caldera es la pava": he made the translation for not Uruguayan people, and we're talking about a country that is considered closer culturally to Buenos Aires than most provinces of Argentina, so it's perfectly understandable that all three translators missed it. The same happens with "manta de carne": Borges said that he heard it in a slaughterhouse in Salto Grande (Uruguay), and that he chose it because it was an awful expression. Most of the ornament for that story is local color for Uruguay: think on those thirty-three Gauchos, but also Luis Melián Lafinur, who was Uruguayan, just like Agustín de Vedia; El Negro Timoteo was edited in Uruguay; Olimar is a river, guess where: in the Treinta y Tres Department of Uruguay. Probably Borges heard "manta de carne", and treasured it as an odd Uruguayan keepsake, and later used it to add more Uruguayan feel to the story. The final mysterious word there is "La ballena", that nobody would say it is especially an Uruguayan animal. There was an Uruguayan writer called Antonio Lussich who wrote a famous poem called "Los Tres Gauchos Orientales" (The Three Uruguayan Gauchos); such poem was considered by Borges the predecessor to the most famous Gaucho work in Argentina, "El Martín Fierro." Lussich, in 1896, eventually bought all the land from a peninsula called "Punta Ballena", where he established himself and where he was finally buried. I am sure Borges knew this and used it in the story.

Now back to those thirty-three gauchos, in "On writing" Borges and Di Giovanni discuss briefly the solution they used for "El otro duelo", where there is a dog called "Treinta y Tres" but in Spanish there is no further explanation for the name, as people is supposed to be familiar with that. Di Giovanni was reading the translation:

> DI GIOVANNI: Silveira was very fond of the animal, and had named him Treinta y Tres...
>
> BORGES: Treinta y Tres stands for the thirty-three heroes of Uruguay’s history, who attempted to free their country from Brazilian rule, and succeeded. They crossed the River Uruguay to their native land, only thirty-three of them, and now Uruguay is an independent republic. I know many of their descendants.

So in the translation they wrote "...had named him Treinta y Tres after Uruguay’s thirty-three founding fathers".

Well, sorry for the long text but I thought I could add more context to the fragment you translated. As I said before, your translation is better than those in the original post; I would only try to find a better meat cut for "manta de carne". Unlike beef shank, "manta de carne" has no bone in it, I think it's closer to flank steak.

Well, a lot of classical poetry is based in rhyme and meter - it makes the piece easier to remember and chant (e.g. The Aeneid written in dactylic hexameter, Shakespeare writing in unrhymed iambic pentameter, Seuss writing in rhyming anapestic tetrameter, etc).

If you write in rhyme or follow a classical form, e.g. sonnet, then the writing should be consistent or true to that form, yes.

Much of 'modern' poetry is in free verse, which doesn't focus on rhyme or meter or form but instead on word choice and enjambment and metaphor.

In terms of learning new abilities, I'd recommend both http://www.amazon.com/Prosody-Handbook-Guide-Poetic-Literature/dp/048644967X/ and http://www.amazon.com/Teachers-Writers-Handbook-Poetic-Forms/dp/0915924609/ for theory.

In terms of poets, I'd recommend pretty much any of the Norton anthologies to start, and checking into poets that you like from there. A lot of people point to Bukowski as a modern master, but I find his work insufferable at best (that's just my opinion, though, as I tend towards the classical forms and writing in rhyme).

I'd also recommend using the search function on /r/poetry for recommendations. The question comes up fairly frequently.

I came across this event happening in DC next month which is raising some red flags for me:

Together 2016

Other than being a large outdoor (soft target) event aiming for attendance of one million people (holy shit), bringing them under the banner of Jesus (besides gays, the fictitious ISIS cult purports to exist to destroy this ideology), with the Pope in attendance, some things are bothering me as I look at this:

• Date of 7/16/16 = 7/7/7 ... As we know 777 is an extremely important set of numbers in occult numerology, see here. So 7/7, 7/16, or 7/25 should already be on your list of dates to watch. 7/25 is the Dem convention, and 7/7 appears to be the opening date of a “massive Noah’s ark” in Kentucky. To that point, $90+ million was spent building the symbolic harbinger of the biblical apocalypse in rural Kentucky…why exactly?
  
  
• The "reset" theme of the "reset movement" which it appears is the entity making this event happen. Lots of phrases alluding to big things like “propelling a massive cultural shift” with this event.
  
  
• What is the "reset movement" and who is behind it? Info is limited and the answers given under the FAQ are elusive. There is this sprawling web of 43 Christian NGO groups, which feel pretty much indistinguishable from one another in form and substance. One of the first listed NGO sponsors listed is called “Awakening America”, pushing the fraudulent 9/11 narrative front and center, holding a “Cry for America” on 9/11/16 as its premier event, so we can infer a possible covert government link to this whole thing (besides the obvious fact the event is taking place at the National Mall in DC).
  
  
• The only name given in the FAQ is that of Nick Hall. Nick Hall founded the "Reset movement”, but seems to be more prominently linked to founding the "Pulse movement", which holds some symbolic significance after last weekend. The very first sentence of his biography makes a point to say "At age 33" (33 being the number of freemasonry).
  
  
• Lots of links to Billy Graham, the controversial evangelist who has been accused of satanic ritual abuse at Bohemian Grove (see "Billy Graham likes to rape drugged little girls"), and of being a Luciferian 33rd degree freemason. I believe the "Billy Lee Tuttle" character from True Detective S1 may have been at least partially influenced by Billy Graham. The first paragraph in Nick Hall’s book (7 reviews which seem to all be paid for) describes Billy Graham asking him a question, at which point Hall nearly “passes out like a fangirl at a Justin Bieber concert”.
  
  
• Trying to sort out the NGO hierarchy, we see that this is considered a “Pulse” event
  
  
• 33 days between Pulse shooting (6/12/16) and this event 7/16/16
  
  
• The last Pope to die suspiciously was John Paul I on 9/28/78, 33 days after his papal election
  
  
• Pope Francis was elected on 3/13/13 (more 3s...), or 1221 days before 7/16/16, a palindrome equating to 33. 1221 is also the product of 111 multiplied by 11, so just more weird numerology. Interestingly the 111th congress is the one which brought in Obama, and check this out from their first session, nothing more than a salute to freemasonry.
  
  
• The official hashtag appears to be #JesusChangesEverything…”this changes everything” is the slogan used by Avaaz, the shadow government’s “millennial” social engineering firm. The web layout is also nearly identical to the Avaaz NGO template, even though Avaaz seemingly isn’t associated with this so called movement.
  
  
• The color scheme of red and blue blending into purple has some very esoteric significance. Not going to go into that, its pretty weird.
  
  
• Double 666 hand sign graphic (also 3 and 3 = 33) in the lower right corner of the page. WTF?
  
  
• The design of the letter "O" in the word together looks styled after the ouroboros. The snake eating its own tail is found throughout occult history within mystery religion/serpent worship contexts and esoteric illuminati symbolism, including a super bowl commercial this year. More on this commercial in a minute.
  
  Now the predictions:
  
  The economist 2016 cover shows a cartoon guy with a backwards strapback hat (depicting his youth? we see here that the event is clearly targeted at millennials) and a unicorn (unicorn is the symbol for Jesus) on his head. This backwards hat man with a unicorn/Jesus has a gun pointed at his head, connecting him to the image of Osama Bin Laden (the face of Islamic false flag terror). Remember that “Together 2016” is all about bringing members of the “millennial generation” from different creeds to “come together around Jesus” (not Christianity per se). Further adding to the intrigue of this image, the man’s head is in closest proximity to two numbers in the “world population spiral”: 8.1 and 8.6. If we add the 8s we get 16, add the 1 and the 6 and we get 7… 7/16. Similar numerology predicted the 11/13/15 date of the Paris attack in the 2015 cover. Ignoring everything else I mentioned this economist cover alone is very concerning. We've already seen the backwards rainbow flag play out in the Orlando false flag combat situation.
  
  More from the economist cover…we see that the sun face appears to be staring down at Pope Francis almost lustfully. We see that a dark colored butterfly is fluttering right next to the sun face (the sun may be looking at the butterfly, but not sure that matters given the next point). And we see that a religious cartoon figure, who is clearly Patriarch Kirill, is looking up nervously/suspiciously at the sun face. What is interesting is that Francis and Kirill met for the first time ever in February, which was the first such meeting between the Roman/Russian faith leadership in almost a thousand years.. There are theories out there regarding what they met to discuss (or physically exchange), but at the very least I do not buy the official story that they met to simply hug it out. Especially where Kirill left the meeting and immediately went to Antarctica for some kind of ritual. With the all of the occult sun worship out there and ancient history of human sacrifice to the “sun god”, could this be hinting that something will happen to the Pope? If we also take into account the butterfly symbolism, meaning death and metamorphosis, I think it should be considered (butterflies were actually sacrificed to Quetzalcoatl, the “feathered serpent” or black sun, in ancient culture). Further, we see that the Pope is the highest person in the image, parallel to a statue of the deceased Karl Marx. Will the Pope be “ascending” to join Marx in the afterlife? See here where the Pope is given a hammer and sickle as a “gift”, or here where “Pope Francis channels Marx in manifesto”.
  
  One last point on the economist cover, tying it back to the super bowl commercial I linked to earlier. The first thing Liam Neeson says is “There is a revolution coming. The future is staring back at us.”…Take another look at the economist cover. There is someone holding a giant book called THE FUTURE, and this book has glasses with eyes staring back at us. This image is positioned just below the unicorn hat man and numerology population stuff. Neeson again says “the future is staring back at you” as the last line of the commercial. We see the ouroboros tattooed on his hand and he flicks the ouroboros playing card at the glass. The fact that both “clues” were given twice probably relates to the duality concept where things of masonic importance are done in pairs.
  
  Jesus shown on a ceremonial Egyptian funeral boat only a few seconds after what may have been a reference to the Orlando Pulse shooting in the short film I Pet Goat II. After he is shown, Osama Bin Laden (with a CIA patch, indicating his role as a puppet) appears to be "orchestrating" in front of an army of black and white clad soldiers (note that this video was made before ISIS even existed, and note the Bin Laden/Jesus parallel with the economist cover).
  
  
  

Of the ones mentioned I have only read the D&D stuff and Barlowe's Guide to Fantasy, both of which are good times but of course are concerned with creatures that have already been developed by various authors, which you might not be as excited about if you're looking for original inspiration. The D&D books are the better for that.

Another couple of books: A Wizard's Bestiary, which is similar to the Carol Rose books in that it is chock full of short entries on a wide range of critters. Potential downside: it is very New Agey at times. Interesting twist: the author has a thing for trying to find real-world explanations for various monsters, which is alternately interesting and ridiculous. Also, he once bred a one-horned goat and exhibited it as a unicorn.

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: Which is more of a general reference for folklore, tradition, sayings and other weird things than a bestiary but is basically an idea-generator. I just flipped through a copy and learned of the gyrtrash, a spectral dog or donkey that waylays travellers on lonely English roads.

I linked to one of the modern editions, which are fine books, but I also have a lot of affection for the older ones, before the mid-Nineties or so. They had this very charming Victorian sensibility that added flavour to many of the descriptions, though the whole thing is of course pretty Eurocentric. If you have the cash I'd say grab a new one and check the local used bookstores for a classic edition (and if you see something called the Wordsworth Dictionary of Phrase and Fable it is actually a reprint of the 1970 edition of Brewer's).

This should keep you busy a while....personally I would start with newer stuff and not really worry about reading Asimov, Stapledon, etc. Current authors have built on the work of others, plus they're writing for the current times we're in, so I think some newer stories might have more meaning and relevance.

That's not to say these old stories aren't good, Ted Sturgeon is awesome. There are so many great authors, Gregory Benford, M. John Harrison, Fritz Leiber, Ted Sturgeon. You'll just have to start reading and see what you like.

https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/bookshop/?bauthor=STURGEON,%20THEODORE

• Novels Reading List (Summer and Fall 2018)
  
  
• Library of America: Fantasy, Science Fiction, & Horror
  
  
• A Basic Science Fiction Library
  
  
• Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels (1949-1984)
  
  
• SF Masterworks
  
  
• Science Fiction: The 101 Best Novels 1985 – 2010

This should keep you busy a while....personally I would start with newer stuff and not really worry about reading Asimov, Stapledon, etc. Current authors have built on the work of others, plus they're writing for the current times we're in, so I think some newer stories might have more meaning and relevance.

That's not to say these old stories aren't good, Ted Sturgeon is awesome. There are so many great authors, Gregory Benford, M. John Harrison, Fritz Leiber, Ted Sturgeon. You'll just have to start reading and see what you like.

https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/bookshop/?bauthor=STURGEON,%20THEODORE

• Novels Reading List (Summer and Fall 2018)
  
  
• Library of America: Fantasy, Science Fiction, & Horror
  
  
• A Basic Science Fiction Library
  
  
• Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels (1949-1984)
  
  
• SF Masterworks
  
  
• Science Fiction: The 101 Best Novels 1985 – 2010

Since you're saying you're going to "take the plunge" you have not read the Wake yet? If my assumption is true, may I also STRONGLY suggest you pick up a copy of [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Skeleton-Key-Finnegans-Wake-Masterwork/dp/1608681661) This one book helped me crack the excentricities of the novel way more than any other resource and I consider it indespensable for any kind of study of the Wake. But other than that, have fun man! Oh, you also may want to check out the album Rift by Phish. It is another interterpation of the dream cycle based loosely on Finnegan's Wake.

I have read it, it took me about six months, it was back when I was in college and had more time for that sort of silliness. However at the same time I also read several companion pieces that helped explain a lot of what was going on - chiefly the Skeletons Key to Finnegans Wake by Joseph Campbell, and the essays about the book by Robert Anton Wilson in Coincidance. Without those guides I don't think I would have gotten much out of it. However, it's definitely not just gibberish, it is a fascinating book the covers a lot of territory about history and how we think about history and mythology, gender relations, science, religion, and more. I don't think its possible to derive a ton of meaning from it if you don't have some sort of guide, but if you have one of those books I mentioned or if you are taking a class on it so a professor can help fill you in or point you in the right directions, it's definitely worthwhile.

To build on doc_daneeka's answer, I'll try to recollect an explanation I read about 4D objects in 3D space.

An object existing in n dimensions may be represented in n-1 dimensions. This representation may be called a shadow.

So, a 2D representation of an object existing in 3 dimensions is called a shadow (and is a shadow as we know it). Looking at a 2D representation alone, one might be able to reconstruct what the original object looks like in 3D.

Say, you see the shadow of a clear glass vase. If you know where the light source is placed, you might be able to ascertain what the vase looks like based solely on its shadow. Spin the vase, and the shadow will show some movement as well.

What we're looking at is a 3D representation of an object that exists in 4 dimensions. For a moving object in 3 dimensions, its shadow would also show movement albeit only in two axis. Similarly, objects in 4 dimensions would show movement along three axis.

From what I gather, we haven't yet developed a sophisticated way to think or even explain (to the layman at least) what an object might look like in 4D. Most of our brains aren't wired to think that way. Kinda like the characters in Flatland - really nice read, BTW.

You know...I may have come across this explanation while attempting (and failing miserably) to read and understand Lisa Randall's Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions.

Regardless of individual opinions of Crowley the man, when it comes to Crowley the magician you'd find it hard to find a more comprehensive work on correspondences than his '777 And Other Qabalistic Writings Of Aleister Crowley, Including Gemetria & Sepher Sephiroth' https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0877286701/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_tI-BCb9K7YCF8.

This was further researched expounded on & expanded by Dr Stephen Skinner in his excellent 2008 work 'The Complete Magician's Tables'
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0738711640/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_4K-BCbS9R4B0G

There should be plenty of info in these two volumes alone to get you where you want to be correspondence-wise. I find them both invaluable. Good luck 👍

More interesting coincidences / examples of synchronicity:

777 = "Order out of Chaos" in Gematria (source)

The document "The Celestial Sanctum" from the he AMORC, a Rosicrucian order, is also entitled "Liber 777" (pdf) (reading by Grand Master Julie Scott)


Aleister Crowley's compilation of work on gematria and hermetic qabalah was entitled "777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley" also containing his own "Liber 777". (wiki) (amazon link) (online version)

Norton Critical Editions have footnotes and critical essays, as well as lengthy bibliographies, so that might be worth looking into. John Riquelme's essay in Joyce's Cambridge Companion would likely help, but that cost for one essay might be a bit steep (it is a great overall source though). The 'Further Reading' section pointed me to this, which I can't vouch for but I'm sure it will be helpful if you can find a decent/affordable copy. The Portrait has generated sadly little secondary material compared to Ulysses, so studies and companions can be a bit harder to come by, unfortunately.

I'm looking the following textbooks, looking to pay $5-$8 for each one:

Struggle for Freedom: A History of African Americans, The, Volume 1 to 1877A History of African Americans (2nd Edition) 2nd Edition https://www.amazon.com/Struggle-Freedom-History-African-Americans/dp/0134056760/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517775130&sr=8-1&keywords=the+struggle+for+freedom+a+history+of+african+americans

Reason & Religious Belief: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion 5th Edition https://www.amazon.com/Reason-Religious-Belief-Introduction-Philosophy/dp/0199946574/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517775266&sr=8-1&keywords=reason+and+religious+belief

Becoming a Master Student (Textbook-specific CSFI) 16th Edition https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Master-Student-Textbook-specific-CSFI/dp/1337097101/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517775314&sr=8-1&keywords=becoming+a+master+student+16th+edition

The Norton Introduction to Literature (Portable Twelfth Edition) 12th Edition https://www.amazon.com/Norton-Introduction-Literature-Portable-Twelfth/dp/039393893X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517775351&sr=8-1&keywords=norton+introduction+to+literature+12th+edition

Let me know, thanks!

Oh wow I'm suddenly having a memory that "bathroom books" were a thing. I think we had this one - I learned a ton of classic literature that way lol

Pasting my comment from a recent thread:

>Dean King's Sea of Words and Harbors and High Seas are pretty essential, I find.
>
>I also like Patrick O'Brian's Navy: An Illustrated Guide to Jack Aubrey's World, though it's more 'additional reading' than a must-have, for me.
>
>And of course, Lobscouse and Spotted Dog is the essential culinary companion, if you've a mind to spend some time in the galley and want to shout "Which it'll be ready when it's ready!" as authentically as possible.
>
>I've heard good things about the Patrick O'Brian Muster Book, but I haven't used it so I can't speak to it personally.

http://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Dictionary-Phrase-Fable-16e/dp/006019653X. I love this book. It doesn't have a thesaurus function that I am aware of, but it does explain the origins and etymology of many popular phrases and sayings. I finally learned where "break a leg" came from.

I don't think that's a 177 either, it looks more like a 777, with the first 7 being slightly written over by "google". If that is the case, it may be related to Aleister Crowley's book: "777 And Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley: Including Gematria & Sepher Sephiroth". The book can be found on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Other-Qabalistic-Writings-Aleister-Crowley/dp/0877286701.

Edit: Looking more into this book, it appears to be a collection of various occult writings and various religious holy books, along with studies on numerology and cabalistic magic. I wonder why this would be in a UFOlogy book, of all things. Is there any writing like this anywhere else in the book that you've seen?

Edit: In particular it may be related to his portion of the book named "Liber 777".

What about a rare edition of a dictionary of symbols? I personally love these two books:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0631192654?

https://www.amazon.com/Book-Symbols-Reflections-Archetypal-Images/dp/3836514486/ref=pd_sbs_14_1

Only if you want to put in all the effort to understand it. It wasn't written to be read quickly. There are companion books to help with that as well. Here's one

If you can get your hands on genreflecting it is very helpful!

http://books.wwnorton.com/books/webad.aspx?id=4294990316

http://www.amazon.com/Norton-Introduction-Literature-Shorter-Twelfth/dp/0393938921/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453933165&sr=8-1&keywords=norton+introduction+to+literature+12th+edition

Yes it has.

Try a book like the Kaplan SAT vocab version of novels

I know I'm a dinosaur, being more a scholar than a critic, but I've used Abram's A Glossary of Literary Terms, which has a section summarizing the various lit crit theories, and Holman and Harmon's A Handbook to Literature when I needed to find out that information. For very detailed descriptions, you're probably looking at the original books and articles.

93 - I would look in Book of Thoth for a lot of symbolism as well as, of course, 777. I can tell you that the Vesica Piscis is understood to be a feminine symbol, composed of two intersecting circles, forming the Yoni. It is usually 'balanced' by various 'masculine' symbols, often those of the cross or some form thereof, in or around it. That one is fairly obvious.

Glad you're into it! I'm currently on my third re-read of the series and still noticing stuff. Couple thoughts:

1. You might find this handy: https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Words-Companion-Complete-Seafaring-ebook/dp/B007DFUQ72
   
   
2. Don't read Book 21. It's very depressing.

Is this the one you're referring to https://www.amazon.com/Norton-Introduction-Literature-Portable-Twelfth/dp/039393893X/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Looking for 1 ebook/pdf asap

Norton introduction to literature 12th edition

https://www.amazon.com/Norton-Introduction-Literature-Portable-Twelfth/dp/039393893X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527695005&sr=8-1&keywords=norton+intro+to+literature+12th+edition

For a lot of that, in poetry, check this out http://www.amazon.com/Teachers-Writers-Handbook-Poetic-Forms/dp/0915924609

http://www.amazon.com/Other-Qabalistic-Writings-Aleister-Crowley/dp/0877286701/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1368850921&sr=8-2&keywords=777

Reed it at your leisure, bon voyage, avec les-yeux, sans visage.

O but mainly unterstand that what it is is what many say it isn't: a real and truly werked out story of the night.

It contrails many entrained trains of thought, but is ultrameantly a cohesive multi-storied single story comprising many ministories, each a storey of our Tower of Bauble.

Real-eyes that eachant effery word/wort/world May or mightn't half/have/halve/haft multi-tipple meanings/minings/linings/leanings, both in Anglish and in other languishes.

And read outside of it a little bit which's been writ about it, and it'll hint at the wit both in it, and the lit which other wits have written in their interpreting of it. viz: Book of the Dark and to wit: Skeleton Key To Finnegans Wake

Pluck it up, and put it down, as required. Shelf it while you muddle or re-read other books. Go back into it from the front, or back into it from the rear.

Be open.