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23
Aug
2012

Review: Financial Sorcery – Jason Miller


Financial Sorcery: Magical Strategies to Create Real and Lasting Wealth – Jason Miller
New Page, 2012, 224pp., 9781601632180
We’ve all encountered that person who asks if magick works, why aren’t we all rich? We all probably have our own answers too, but when we pause to think about it, it is a good question. Why do so many occultists of varying stripes have trouble with money? We summon lovers, find jobs in odd places, protect our homes, and yeah magick the money to get us out of trouble, but outside of that emergency most of us have trouble with money or money magick.
“[T]he magic itself is fine: our spells usually work … The problem is in the application of our magic … …The attitude for most people seemed to be that when everything was okay, it was better not to give much thought to money at all.” (14) As Jason points out when people try money magick outside of emergencies, it’s often for exceedingly unlikely goals like winning the lottery. I’m in that boat. I’ve experimentally tried my hand at the lottery to no notable success, and while I’ve done great with having enough money to get by while in school and then some when I shouldn’t have the money, it’s always been that survival emergency money magick mentality.
That’s not what this book is about. There are sections about it, a sigil for getting some money fast, and a chapter on emergency magick, but for the most part it’s about prosperity and abundance. Repeatedly the message Jason gives is cut debt and expenses, increase income, and grow wealth. Emergency magick, is bad magick. Strategic magick, is good magick.
In this book Jason introduces a wide range of information regarding financial sorcery. Drawing on various traditions we’re given a list of figures to work with, from Vajrayana to Ceremonial Magick, from Catholicism to Taoism to African Diaspora Religions. Frankly I never like the section in books where the author lists a bunch of figures and says go work with them, but they’re not offered “as is” but more as a sample of who is out there, and that we should find whatever figure of prosperity we can to work with and develop a relationship with.
In Jason’s usual manner this book is a mix of different traditions and technology, as well as heavily grounded in practical magick and real world activity. Most chapters that explain how to do something magickally also give some options for the mundane side. Looking to get in a bit of extra cash in a crunch? Jason gives a website to sign up for focus groups in your area. Needing to manage and understand your expenses better? Here is a website that tracks all your money so you know where it is going. Most of these resources are only for Americans, the Canadian version of the focus group site has five focus groups listed across the country since March for example, but can give you a starting place to work from, ideas to look into.
Jason sets out to analyze our perspective on wealth and wealth magick, and by intelligently understanding and strategizing from there help the reader build stable and lasting prosperity. He takes us through daily offerings to spirits to help keep the gears going, to 16 Lightning Glyphs of Jupiter –a collection of 16 sigils for financial magick with all sorts of practical and specific applications–, to understanding how we hold ourselves back from financial freedom, to killing debts, to getting jobs and promotions, to starting our own business, to investing. Step-by-step through big picture and little detail magick Jason works to get the reader to a more prosperous place in their life. While not an advanced book in regards to technique –anyone with basic magickal/meditation experience could make use of the book– it is advanced in the strategy and process. Whether you’re drowning in debt, just getting by, doing well, or just looking to do better this book will have techniques, technology, and ideas that are relevant to you. Unlike most things in life, money will always be there, and it is always something we must deal with, so I really can’t think of anyone this book wouldn’t benefit, and would recommend it to most anyone.
And of course, if you like this book or just want to know more about the author you can check out his blog here.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
29
Sep
2010

Review: The Sorcerer's Secrets – Jason Miller


The Sorcerer’s Secrets: Strategies in Practical Magick – Jason Miller
New Page Books. 2009. 224pp. 9781601630599.
With his second book Jason Miller sets out to “provide a field guide for working with magick, not just a massive collection of every ceremony, spell, and trick that I know” (187) specifically regarding what he often phrases as real magick, and practical magick. I’d say he does a pretty good job of this, he doesn’t discount magick as a tool for growth and insight as spiritual beings, in fact he encourages it, but he also stresses it can cause real affects here and now (9). The style of magick he synthesizes is largely drawn from Ceremonial Magick (pre-Golden Dawn mainly), Tantra and Bön; so not surprisingly it is a system I took to it quite well and enjoyed.
In some ways the book contains what you see in a lot of introductory magickal books, breathing exercises, gazing exercises, theories about how our reality is divided/shaped, basic meditations. While a few exercises were interesting, nothing in this part is really that new to a magickal practitioner, after that though he starts getting into more uncommon stuff. An example is a meditation ritual combining a Tibetan Elemental system within the body and a Ceremonial Magick Godname, the ritual I found interesting not just because of the combination, but the elemental order is different than what I’ve learnt in both systems, though he explains quite interestingly why this order of the elements works.
He deals with the practical use of divination in order to help you plan your magickal acts. The chapters in the second section of the book all contain good information drawing on the systems I mentioned along with hoodoo, European folk magick and other things. The chapters aren’t just instructions on magick, but contain sets of questions for the sorcerers to consider in order to help them with their work, basic yet critical topics of thought for the sorcerer to use to be successful. Miller emphasizes “success in magick depends upon working the magickal and the mundane aspects of every situation” (92). He balances magick with life planning, of course this division is a touch artificial, and he concludes with a similar thought. “Though there is certainly a lot of classical magick in the book there is also a lot of information that isn’t typically thought of as magick. I want my readers to stop thinking in terms of what is magick and what is not, and instead start thinking in terms of what is successful and what is not” (207).
The book is written in an order I think would be conducive to someone just getting into magick, and is structured that new or seasoned with magick we can easily find what we need to work with. His style of writing is easy to follow, his tone is rational and humorous and I challenge anyone to read about his binding and expelling of people without laughing at his method (in a good way). An aspect I found enjoyable was his use of references, and encouraging people to research more into the topics. He provides a very simplified method of dealing with a Goetic Demon, but then suggests to the reader that if they like the system and the results to look into how it is traditionally done. There is also a section on working professionally as a sorcerer/magickian. This is a topic too few authors (or even practitioners) are willing to broach so it was refreshing to see it. As someone who has worked doing the “magickal odd job” it was nice to see it addressed and get another outlook.
Miller walks a fine line between tradition and innovation which is hard to do. He encourages creativity and personal creations, but stresses the necessity of research, experience and results. While I don’t know under what category I’d recommend this book to people, I definitely see myself recommending it. Also for those interested Jason Miller runs The Strategic Sorcery Blog which I’ve found a provoking and enjoyable read.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick