What is known of the mysteries at Eleusis - the procession, the fast, the drink, the vision - gathered from the ancient authors who were initiated and forbidden to say what they had seen. Wright assembles the hints without pretending to more than they give. This edition is bound with 59 plates of paintings by Osmar Schindler, James Carroll Beckwith, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot and others, all depicting Ceres and her search for Proserpine.

The vampire across cultures - the Slavic revenant, the classical lamia, the trials and exhumations of eighteenth-century Serbia, and the medical explanations offered since. Wright collects the documents rather than the fiction. This edition is bound with 59 plates of painting, among them works by Caspar David Friedrich, Gustave Doré and Odilon Redon, dating from 1470 to 1904.

The Eleusinian Mysteries were a set of religious rituals and initiations that took place in ancient Greece, particularly in the city of Eleusis, in honor of the goddesses Demeter and Persephone. The details of these mysteries were kept secret, and participants were sworn to secrecy, so our knowledge of the rituals is limited.There are several books available that discuss the Eleusinian Mysteries, their significance, and their role in ancient Greek religion and culture. Some notable works o...

The Greek Church at one time taught that the bodies of persons upon whom the ban of excommunication had been passed did not undergo decomposition after death until such sentence had been revoked by the pronouncement of absolution over the remains, and that, while the bodies remained in this uncorrupted condition, the spirits of the individuals wandered up and down the earth seeking sustenance from the blood of the living. The non-corruption of a body, however, was also held to be one of th...

This interesting essay by Dudley Wright, The Eleusinian Mysteries and Rites, was first published in London in 1919 by the Theosophical Publishing House.As a publisher, I decided to give this book a new life, republishing it in the Telestérion series, dedicated to the best texts on ancient mystery cults, with the addition of an introductory essay of mine. And I decided to republish it because, as simple and short as it is, it represents in my opinion one of the best...

The Greek Church at one time taught that the bodies of persons upon whom the ban of excommunication had been passed did not undergo decomposition after death until such sentence had been revoked by the pronouncement of absolution over the remains, and that, while the bodies remained in this uncorrupted condition, the spirits of the individuals wandered up and down the earth seeking sustenance from the blood of the living. The non-corruption of a body, however, was also held to be one of th...

"Vampires and Vampirism" by Dudley Wright delves into the fascinating world of vampire lore and the cultural significance of these mythical creatures. Wright explores the origins of vampire legends, tracing their roots through various cultures and historical contexts. The book examines how vampires have evolved in literature and folklore, reflecting societal fears and desires. With a blend of historical analysis and engaging storytelling, Wright invites readers to consider the psychologica...

This brochure by Brother Wright, a Masonic scholar of Oxford, England, contains the ripest scholarship on Eleusis, its rites, symbols, and legends. This study of the Grecian mysteries shows the ties between the rituals celebrated in the 7th century BC and the 19th cent Freemasonry tradition. As the author noted, there is a striking resemblance in many points to the Operative and Speculative Freemasonry practices, which laid the basis of this work.

The awakened interest in supernormal phenomena which has taken place in recent years has included in its wake the absorbing subject of Vampirism. Yet there has not been any collection published of vampire stories which are common to all the five continents of the globe. The subject of vampirism is regarded more seriously today than it was even a decade since, and an attempt has been made in this volume to supply as far as possible all the instances which could be collected from the various...

At one time the Mysteries of the various nations were the only vehicle of religion throughout the world, and it is not impossible that the very name of religion might have become obsolete but for the support of the periodical celebrations which preserved all the forms and ceremonials, rites and practices of sacred worship. With regard to the connection, supposed or real, between Freemasonry and the Mysteries, it is a remarkable coincidence that there is scarcely a single ceremony in the fo...

At one time the Mysteries of the various nations were the only vehicle of religion throughout the world, and it is not impossible that the very name of religion might have become obsolete but for the support of the periodical celebrations which preserved all the forms and ceremonials, rites and practices of sacred worship.With regard to the connection, supposed or real, between Freemasonry and the Mysteries, it is a remarkable coincidence that there is scarcely a single ceremony in...

Creatures of the Night (Boxed Set Edition) surveys the nocturnal imagination across centuries, gathering Gothic terror, supernatural romance, adventure fantasy, folklore, and fin-de-siècle sensation. Its range extends from medieval lays and early vampire lore to Victorian penny dreadfuls, colonial uncanny tales, and twentieth-century weird fiction. Vampires, spectres, shape-shifters, and morally ambiguous outsiders emerge not merely as monsters but as figures through whom writers test desi...