08, 'The Kybalion' - a secret initiatic text - has brought many a seeker within the portals of the Hermetic Temple. Spare and concise in style, the anonymous author reveals the Mental origin of reality, sets out the seven universal principles underlying all existence, and gives 'keys' to the disciplines required to achieve mastery of the Hermetic Art.

The second text, 'The Emerald Tablet of Hermes', derives from an 8th century Arabic work, the 'Kitab sirr al-haliqi'. According to legend, the stone tablet with its ancient knowledge was found in a hidden vault beneath a statue of Hermes in the city of Tyana. Short but stunningly profound, the text quickly became one of the pillars of Alchemy and other occult pursuits. Many translations are included in the present work, including those of such esoteric luminaries as Fulcanelli, Blavatsky, Idres Shah and Isaac Newton. Readers are encouraged to compare the versions and seek the hidden truths themselves.