Showing results by narrator "Matthew Schmitz" in All Categories

The Festival, written by H.P. Lovecraft in 1923 and first published in Weird Tales in 1925, is a dark and atmospheric tale steeped in ancient rituals, ancestral mysteries, and Lovecraft’s signature cosmic horror. Set in the fictional town of Kingsport, Massachusetts, the story exemplifies Lovecraft’s ability to weave together eerie folklore, haunting landscapes, and an overwhelming sense of dread. The narrative follows an unnamed protagonist who journeys to Kingsport to partake in an ancient Yuletide festival at the invitation of his ancestors.

The Thing on the Roof, written by Robert E. Howard in 1932, is a chilling tale that masterfully blends elements of Lovecraftian cosmic horror with Howard’s signature sense of adventure and danger. First published in Weird Tales in 1932, this story exemplifies Howard’s ability to craft narratives that delve into forbidden knowledge, ancient relics, and the inevitable consequences of tampering with forces beyond human comprehension.

The Frost-Giant’s Daughter, written by Robert E. Howard in 1932, is one of the earliest tales of Conan the Barbarian, set in the mythical Hyborian Age. Originally rejected by Weird Tales magazine during Howard’s lifetime, the story was later published posthumously in 1953 in The Coming of Conan. This tale stands out for its dreamlike quality, blending raw, brutal action with haunting, mythic beauty.

The Descendant, written by H.P. Lovecraft in 1927, is a brief and tantalizing fragment that hints at a larger, untold story steeped in ancient horrors, forbidden knowledge, and the weight of ancestral guilt. Unpublished during Lovecraft’s lifetime, this unfinished piece explores themes central to his mythos, such as the peril of delving into arcane mysteries and the fragile boundary between human understanding and cosmic terror.

The Cats of Ulthar, written by H.P. Lovecraft in 1920, is a short yet striking tale that showcases his ability to blend dark fantasy with moral allegory. First published in Tryout in 1920, the story is a haunting meditation on justice, retribution, and the mystical bond between cats and the arcane. It occupies a unique place in Lovecraft’s body of work, weaving a fable-like narrative that retains the eerie undertones characteristic of his writing.

The Doom That Came to Sarnath, written by H.P. Lovecraft in 1919 and first published in The Scot in 1920, is a haunting tale of arrogance, hubris, and cosmic retribution. Set in Lovecraft’s fictional dreamland, the story weaves a narrative of an ancient city’s rise and catastrophic fall, showcasing his talent for crafting rich, otherworldly settings imbued with mystery and terror.

Cool Air, written by H.P. Lovecraft in 1926, is a chilling tale that masterfully blends gothic horror with the scientific and psychological themes characteristic of Lovecraft's work. First published in Tales of Magic and Mystery in 1928, this story explores the fragility of human life and the lengths to which one might go to preserve it, set against the backdrop of a decaying New York City apartment.

The Alchemist, written by H.P. Lovecraft in 1908, is one of his earliest works, showcasing his budding talent for atmospheric storytelling and his lifelong fascination with themes of ancestral guilt, curses, and the occult. Set in a decaying, isolated castle in the heart of medieval France, this gothic tale is steeped in the dark traditions of vengeance and supernatural retribution.

The Beast in the Cave, written by H.P. Lovecraft in 1905 when he was just 14 years old, is one of his earliest forays into the world of macabre fiction. Despite its brevity and the youthfulness of its author, this tale demonstrates Lovecraft's early talent for crafting an atmosphere of suspense and his fascination with the grotesque and the unknown.

The Book is an enigmatic and fragmentary story written by H.P. Lovecraft in 1933, left incomplete and unpublished during his lifetime. It stands as a tantalizing glimpse into the core of Lovecraft’s mythos, where forbidden knowledge and ancient horrors intertwine to create a sense of cosmic dread. Though brief, the piece carries the essence of Lovecraft's obsession with the dangers of delving into mysteries beyond human comprehension.

The Diary of Alonzo Typer is a haunting story crafted by H.P. Lovecraft in collaboration with writer William Lumley. Written in 1935, it unfolds in the form of a found manuscript—a diary belonging to Alonzo Typer, an investigator who vanishes after exploring an eerie, abandoned mansion steeped in mysterious and occult history. This story combines Lovecraft’s fascination with ancient evils, forbidden knowledge, and crumbling old New England settings with Lumley’s intense interest in mysticism and the supernatural.

The Curse of Yig, a horror tale by H.P. Lovecraft, delves into the folklore and dark superstitions of the American Midwest. The story follows the narrator, an investigator intrigued by tales of a curse surrounding Yig, the snake god of Native American lore. As the narrator delves into the history of this malevolent deity, he encounters unsettling accounts of madness, transformation, and death. Central to the story is the tragic tale of settlers Walker and Audrey Davis, whose fear of snakes and belief in Yig’s curse leads them down a path of terror and doom.

The Evil Clergyman is a brief but chilling work by H.P. Lovecraft, written in 1933 and published posthumously in 1939. Unlike many of Lovecraft's stories that delve into cosmic horror and elaborate mythologies, this tale presents a deeply personal and mysterious vision, drawing readers into an unsettling encounter with the unknown. Originally conceived as a vivid nightmare that Lovecraft recounted in a letter to fellow writer Bernard Austin Dwyer, this story unfolds with an eerie immediacy that reflects its dreamlike origins.

Gitanjali is a collection of poems by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, for its English translation, Song Offerings, making him the first non-European and the first Asian & the only Indian to receive this honour. It is part of the UNESCO Collection of Representative Works.

"The Transcendentalist" is an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson that was first published in 1841. In this work, Emerson defines and reflects on the Transcendentalist movement, a philosophical and literary movement that was influential in the United States in the 19th century. Transcendentalism emphasized the importance of individualism, intuition, and a direct connection to the divine, and rejected the materialism and conformity of contemporary society.

Symbology Of The Christ Blood - Frederick K. Davis - Full Esoteric Occult essay. Originally published in Azoth Magazine in 1920, Davis writes about the modern profaned nature of blood symbolism and how we might redeem that symbolism through the recognition of the divine Father/Mother, resulting in becoming 'whole' through the divine Son (or Principal). This audiobook contains elements of Gnosticism, Alchemy, and Christian Occultism.

The Turba Philosophorum, also known as Assembly of the Philosophers, is one of the oldest European alchemy texts, translated from the Arabic, like the Picatrix. It is considered to have been written c. 900 A.D.

One of the greatest thinkers on the origins of Christianity and a renowned expert on Gnostic and Hermetic literature presents, in this snug volume first published in 1907, the lost teachings of Jesus. Not found in the canonical Gospels and, indeed, frequently dismissed as blasphemous or heretical or "reworked" by later editors to comply with perceived tradition, this beautiful hymn is not just of interest to Christian mystics but to anyone who values wise words well spoken. For those interested in mysticism, Gnosticism, and esoteric traditions.

This is an ancient alchemy manuscript. Artephius (Artefius) (c. 1150) is a writer and alchemist to whom a number of alchemical texts are ascribed. Alchemical pseudepigraphy makes it difficult to identify who the historical Artephius may have been. His identity remains an open question. As The Secret Book of Artephius was respected and mentioned by Roger Bacon many times, Artephius' writing and alchemy is dated to around 1150.

Northcote Thomas provides an lengthy study of the history and practice of crystal gazing. He covers techniques for scrying utilizing a crystal sphere as an aid in clairvoyance and obtaining visions. A chapter on the incantation or "call" is included. In additional to practical techniques, the work covers the crystal ball's history. Thomas spends two chapters in an in depth discussion of Egyptian scrying. An early work on the subject, originally published in 1905.