Father Paul Blighton left us few original writings other than lessons adapted from a variety of sources which have since been edited numerous times. Although we are not certain of all that he read, we may assume his knowledge was broad as references to Church History, World History, the Early Church Fathers, Gnosticism, and World Religions was exceptional in his lectures and sermons.

As to where he obtained his intellectual knowledge, M. Timothy Harris (picture at right as a young man) reports:

"There were no written lessons in the beginning. Father Paul would teach using books he owned. Behind his desk was an entire book case filled with metaphysical, biblical, philosophical and historical books. Several times a week we would walk downtown together. Frequently, we would stop in a bookstore and he would point me to a bookshelf and would say 'pick a book, one you feel drawn to and he would purchase it for me.' "

We can also get an idea of some of Father Paul's reading and thought by looking at who he was associated with and what was available to read during the period he was alive. During the sixties, a tumultuous time, church dogmas and the very fabric of western society was being seriously challenged by new strains of intellectual and religious thought due to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi texts, especially. In this period, Father Paul's known associates were teachers of various traditions: Hindu, Buddhist, Theosophist, Sufi, and so on. All of these teachers taught collectively that all pathways lead to God.

Sufi Murshid Samuel L. Lewis (in Sufi circles he was known as, Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti) was one of the founders of the Holy Order of MANS (HOOM) and served as the Spiritual Director of the HOOM, until he passed over. A number of Father Paul's associates were invited to lecture Holy Order of MANS students on a variety of subjects and Murshid Sam was one of those. Over a ten-week period, before a gathering of the Holy Order of MANS in San Francisco, California, July 18 through September 19, 1970, he taught an entire series of lectures. These were "inspired by St. Paul's 'First Epistle to the Corinthians' " and were originally titled, "The Three Body Constitution of Man According to St. Paul". Thanks to the Sufi Ruhaniat International (copyright © 1956-2000) the lectures may be read at Gnostic.Org under the title: This Is The New Age, In Person.

While it is clear that Father Paul advocated education, he also stated in Gnostic fashion to many tthat , "The only wisdom you can gain is that which comes from within ...".

Father Paul also stated, "... Many of the early church Fathers understood the intimate connection of the Christian church with the mystery schools of antiquity and the ones of their current day. Some of them, undoubtedly, were initiates themselves. Such men as Clement of Alexandria, and Origen, and Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, show in their writings a marked tendency to couch their teachings in terms of gnosticism or neo-platonism (both are types of mystery teachings). This cannot simply be ascribed to a tendency on their part to teach Christianity in terms of what was popular at the time. Origen was a frank admirer of Plotinus. Even the great Augustine followed the gnostic path for many years. Many Christian leaders of that time, who seemed to have forgotten the original connection of Christianity with the mysteries, became uneasy with the success of gnostic teachers and especially with their claim that they were heirs to the true Christian mystery.

After Constantine officially recognized the Christian faith by decree in the year 313, the Christian church began in earnest to purge all evidence of gnosticism or "emanationism" or the ancient mysteries from its doctrine. They did this so systematically and successfully that they themselves lost the full understanding of the true origins of their own priesthood and of their own doctrines.... Now in the light of truth, we can freely acknowledge our debt to the ancient sages of Egypt, Israel, Greece, and others before and after, who kept the flame of the Light burning in the darkest hours, without fear, for the truth of the Christos is universal and timeless and so is the priesthood that serves that Truth.".

The above excerpt is quoted from The Philosophy of Sacramental Initiation (Holy Order of MANS) pp.108-109
This book may have been edited. We don't know. Sorry, the book is not available to the public.

Exact reprint of the Original Version of G.R.S. Mead's
Pistis Sophia from Kessinger

Some of the Contents: Documents & General Literature of Gnosticism; Probable History of the Treatise; Jesus Hitherto Instructeth His Disciples Only up to the Region of the First Mystery; Treasure of Light; Confusion of the Powers & the Great Earthquake; Dismay of the Disciples; Jesus Addresseth Them; That John Was Elias in a Former Birth; Mystery of the Five Words on the Vesture; Sophia & Her Fellow-Powers Behold the Light.

The Pistis Sophia is preserved in the Codex Askewianus and has been known to scholars for nearly two centuries. Jack Finegan writes (Hidden Records of the Life of Jesus, p. 298), "The text of Codex Askewianus is divided into four sections."

Certainly read by Father Paul. For further description see G.R.S. Mead. Jessika

The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson (Modern Library Classics)
by RALPH WALDO EMERSON, BROOKS ATKINSON (Editor), MARY OLIVER (Introduction)

Fathe Paul quoted Emerson often as one of his favorites... Jessika

See: Excerpt
From the Inside Flap
The definitive collection of Emerson's major speeches, essays, and poetry, The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson chronicles the life's work of a true "American Scholar."

As one of the architects of the transcendentalist movement, Emerson embraced a philosophy that championed the individual, emphasized independent thought, and prized "the splendid labyrinth of one's own perceptions." More than any writer of his time, he forged a style distinct from his European predecessors and embodied and defined what it meant to be an American. Matthew Arnold called Emerson's essays "the most important work done in prose."

From the Back Cover
"I was simmering, simmering, simmering. Emerson brought me to a boil."
--Walt Whitman

Gnostic Crucifixion by G.R.S. Mead

A Mithraic Ritual by G. R. S. Mead

Jacob Boehme
Boehme was the son of a farmer who lived the first part of his life as a shepherd and later became a shoemaker. He claimed that his writings reflect only what he was taught through the direct experience of God.

A truly giant figure in the spiritual tradition, he has greatly influenced Angelus Silesius, William Blake, John Milton, Isaac Newton, William Law and many others.

As the editor of this volume, Peter Erb, says, "The Way to Christ provides the best introduction to his thought and spirituality. A collection of nine separate treatises, its parts were written late in his career and reflect his final theological position, a position established not aside from his earlier work, but on it...The book was intended to serve as a meditation guide. Boehme believed that his writing had come from the Spirit. It was intended to direct his fellow-believers back to the Spirit as he had been directed."

Holy Kabbalah
by A.E. Waite

Kabbalah is the "occult" and "secret" tradition in Judaism. One of the most ancient wisdoms, its origins go far back into the distant past.

The Holy Kabbalah is a fascinating introduction to this world of mystery. Arthur Edward Waite was one of the few persons in the modern era to write a sensible and penetrating study of Kabbalah. Contemporary of such occultists as Eliphas Levi, Mme. Blavatsky, and Annie Besant, Waite unraveled the history and traditions of what generations have whispered about as Hebrew witchcraft. The very term Kabbalah was enough to strike fear into the heart of an orthodox believer.

In his introduction Kenneth Rexroth writes: "Kabbalism is the great poem of Judaism, a tree of symbolic jewels showing forth the doctrine of the universe as the vesture of Deity, of the community as the embodiment of Deity, and of love as the acting of God in man. Nobody knew this better than A. E. Waite".

Initiation into Hermetics
by Franz Bardon

Product Description:
Initiation into Hermetics provides step by step instruction in the form of practical exercises. These exercises lead to the development of body, soul and spirit. The result of the practical exercises is the development of occult abilities which can be of benefit to the student, in as far as he can change his existence for the better.

The great mystery of the Tetragrammaton, the key to the tetrapolar magnet, is explained. By reading the theoretical section many secrets are unveiled which were once only known to very few. The reader will receive first-hand knowledge about the principles of fire, air, water and earth, the positive and negative attributes of these elements, and how these elements affect the human body. The immutable law of cause and effect is explained, not only as it applies to human beings, but also how it applies to the elements. Detailed information is also given about the soul or the astral body, and how the four elements determine the temperament in a person.

Each step of the practical part of this book is divided into three parts: the magical spiritual or mental schooling, soul or astral schooling, and physical schooling. This allows the student to maintain a complete equilibrium. The student learns how to control all his mental faculties even to the point that he can control every thought. He will learn self-introspection, clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, astral and mental travel, control of the electric and magnetic fluids, and communication with the beings of the astral plane.

The Practice of Magical Evocation by Franz Bardon

A new translation of Franz Bardon's second volume of The Holy Mysteries. In magical terms, the book is a practical guide to the proper evocation of and communication with spiritual, magical and divine entities. It is perhaps the only truly significant modern study of direct contact with the universal teachers -- the other major works in the field are products of the Medieval, Renaissance, and Reformation periods. But beyond that, there is a fascinating glimpse into a complete magical universe. Bardon outlines a totally new and original hierarchy of magic, from the spirits of the four elements to those of the various planets, and even to each degree of the zodiac. Included with the names and descriptions of the various entities are a collection of previously unknown magical sigils, as well as a true account of ancient astrology.

Eckartshausen's Cloud Over the Sanctuary is an announcement to "those capable of light" that there is still a "Community of Light,:" or a wisdom school, where the sacred mysteries are kept. Rosicrucians, Martinists, Freemasons, and Theosophists-read this essential book!

The Secret Doctrine : The Synthesis of Science, Religion, and Philosophy
by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky 1897. Continuously in print for over 100 years, the SD remains today the most comprehensive sourcebook of the esoteric tradition, outlining the fundamental tenets of the "Secret Doctrine of the Archaic Ages." Challenging, prophetic, and strikingly modern, it directly addresses the perennial questions: continuity of life after death, purpose of existence, good and evil, consciousness and substance, sexuality, karma, evolution, and human and planetary transformation. Based on the ancient Stanzas of Dzyan with corroborating testimony from over 1,200 sources, these volumes unfold the drama of cosmic and human evolution -- from the reawakening of the gods after a "Night of the Universe" to the ultimate reunion of cosmos with its divine source. Supplementary sections discuss relevant scientific issues as well as the mystery language of myths, symbols, and allegories, helping the reader decipher the often abstruse imagery of the world's sacred literature

Order an Amazon Copy: Isis Unveiled (Volumes 1 and 2) by H. P. Blavatsky

or Get and Online download Off Site:

Blavatsky's first major work on theosophy, examining religion and science in the light of Western and Oriental ancient wisdom and occult and spiritualistic phenomena. Theosophical University Press Online Edition (print version also available). Electronic version ISBN 1-55700-135-9. This edition may be downloaded for off-line viewing without charge.