books

13
Jan
2011

Review: Low Magick – Lon Milo DuQuette


Low Magick: It’s All In Your Head… You Just Have No Idea How Big Your Head Is – Lon Milo DuQuette
Llewellyn. 2010. 206pp. 9780738719245.
“Stories are magick.” (1) With that simple idea Lon Milo DuQuette begins to draw the reader into another wacky, hilarious, and insightful journey of magick and life. I will be frank right off the bat and discuss my problems with this text. I spend a lot of time on public transit reading and this memoir had people on the bus eyeing me like I was a bit crazy. Lon is quite simply a funny guy and at many points in his stories I found myself laughing- sometimes at him, sometimes with him, sometimes because a crazy idea seemed too much like me. Unfortunately when someone suddenly breaks out laughing (especially if that laugh has a tinge of mad scientist to it) people in public don’t know what to do. If you don’t mind odd looks you can read this in public, otherwise read it at home.
The humour is a great drive in the book it helps keep the stories from being too serious and not being a dry biography. Sometimes the asides and comments are just so random and funny that I couldn’t help but laugh such as the mention of nachos and guacamole as “the fast-food favorite of California magicians whose wives are out of town.” (73) That line was right in the centre of a fascinating story of a ritual spanning a few days involving Lon, the Tarot of Ceremonial Magick, and the various spirits tied to the deck.
Now this memoir isn’t just a stroll down memory lane, there is “a great deal of theory and technical information within my nonchronological narratives.” (2) So there are stories, there are laughs, and there is actual information. What I enjoyed what not so much how Lon did certain rituals but his discussion of why he did certain rituals and why he did them certain ways. When discussing a curse on a friend, rather than just using some standard ritual to undo it, or to just say what he did, Lon leads you into his head (and it is all in his head) to show why he decided to use A Midsummer Night’s Dream as the foundation to remove the curse.
Lon goes back and forth from discussing magick in a very traditional ceremonial sense and something more free form. The stories flow from Goetic demons to invoking Ganesha to the tune of “Pop Goes the Weasel,” from the Hermetic Rose Cross to gorging on quiche for astral adventures. The book covers so much in a great tone. On one hand Lon is confident about his experience and information but knows where his limitations are, and yet the book never has the tone of a magician who thinks too highly of himself. The book discusses success and failure, brilliant ideas and not-so-clever ones.
The title of the memoir is from an early work and it is a statement that I’ve seen people toss around both for and against DuQuette on various email lists and message boards. In this text he goes into more detail about it. “This is not to say, however, that I believe magick is purely psychological. What I am saying is there is more we don’t understand about the human mind than we do understand.” (133) In true DuQuette fairness he discusses this just before describing two stories where the magick and the results seem so removed from him that understanding it as being in his head is quite a challenge, even to him. Whether you agree or disagree with the idea, Lon does show through his experiences where his logic for this idea comes from. A strength of Lon’s writing is his ability to lead you into his understanding, so even if you disagree him you can understand why he thinks a certain way.
This is a hilarious book, filled with great insight into the world of magick, and into the head of one wise and wacky wizard.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
28
Nov
2010

Review: Bardo Teachings – Venerable Lama Lodo


Bardo Teachings: The Way of Death and Rebirth – Venerable Lama Lödo
Snow Lion. 1982. 73pp. 0937938602.
I believe no religion has put as much thought and study into death, dying, and rebirth as Tibetan Buddhism has. The Bardo Thodol, or The Great Liberation through Hearing in the Between is the well-known (if poorly understood) Tibetan text on the process of dying, what is seen after death, and what happens to the consciousness. This book represents an expansion of the thoughts from the Bardo Thodol from an oral lineage granted by the Very Venerable Kalu Rinpoche.
While there are six Bardos, or Between States, only three of them relate to death; the Chikai Bardo, the Chonyi Bardo, and the Sipai Bardo. The Chonyi Bardo is the Bardo after death, and receives most of the focus in the Bardo Thodol, and as such is glazed over in this text. The Chikai Bardo, the Bardo of dying, and the Sipai Bardo, the Bardo of preparing and searching for the next rebirth, on the other hand are the main focus of the text. This book is not for people without a grounding in Tibetan Buddhism, it assumes a basic understanding exists of Buddhist principles, the Bardo Thodol and of the esoteric Buddhist symbolism used in Tibetan Buddhism.
There is little about the core of the teachings that can be easily explained, it is simply a detailed look at the process of dying and the state of the mind during death, and then an exploration of the experiences and processes that lead to rebirth. For those interested in the tradition, it is definitely an intriguing and insightful read. Lama Lödo finishes each chapter with a Question-Answer section, which contain many interesting points. The ones I found most interesting included that being under medication while dying is detrimental to rebirth because of the confusion it creates (16) which as someone with my medical history has often been a concern of mine, and that the experiences of the Bardos will be different without the religious background of Tibetan Buddhism (17). He says simply that the figures, deities, and images of the Bardo will be just colours and forms that will frighten and confuse people who aren’t Buddhist, where as I feel, considering the system, that without the background it would still be a relevant religious experience, instead of just a confusing light show.
Either way this is an interesting text, if you’ve read the Bardo Thodol and would like to see some aspects explained clearly and discussed this is probably a good place to start.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
18
Nov
2010

Review: Babylonian Magic and Sorcery – Leonard W. King, M.A.


Babylonian Magic and Sorcery: Being “The Prayers of the Lifting of the Hand” – Leonard W. King, M.A.
Weiser Books. 1896, 2000. 275pp. 0877289344.
In the seventh century BCE Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria, had a series of prayers collected and copied down from an earlier Babylonian source (xix). Known as “The Prayers of the Lifting of the Hand” this collection is the foundation of King’s text. This is not a how-to book on Babylonian magick, this is not a historical or anthropological analysis of Babylonian magick, this text is just a modern re-enactment of Ashurbanipal’s collection.
King is not an occultist, he’s an Assyriologist which means he isn’t translating this text with a magickal or religious bias. His interest wasn’t in reproducing a viable magickal system, quite simply he just wanted to translate a collection of Babylonian prayers to help further the study of the culture. The book contains an introduction about the work and the source, the transliterations and translations of the different tablets, a vocabulary, and finally a reproduction of the tablets as a source text.
This book is not something most magickians could pick up and make any practical use of, but for the more historical and academically inclined magickians this book is utterly fascinating. Unfortunately like most cuneiform tablets there is a lot of damage. Some tablet/prayers are just slightly damaged and pose no real problem, others are so heavily damaged that of an entire prayer only a few words remain.
This book is a great resource, as King wrote this over a century ago before the neopagan revival, and is writing as an Assyriologist so it is wonderful to see prayers and magick from an ancient culture without reinterpretation and reworking for “modern sensibility.” It is strictly a translation, and as a Western magickian it is great to be able to see how different the world view was, and yet occasionally see glimmers that persist into magick today.
If you’re looking for a practical occult text to get results with, this is not the book you’re looking for. If you’re a historian, Assyriologist, or academic magician then this book as a rare reproduction of a source text is an amazing read.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
07
Oct
2010

Review: The Gospel of Thomas – Jean-Yves Leloup


The Gospel of Thomas: The Gnostic Wisdom of Jesus – Jean-Yves Leloup
Inner Traditions. 2005. 228pp. 1594770468.
The Gospel of Thomas has always been my favourite New Testament Apocryphal text, despite or perhaps because of how cryptic and esoteric it can be. I’ve read Leloup’s work before and enjoyed his insight and so when I saw that Leloup had written a commentary on the text I decided to pick it up. Estimates for its dating place it anywhere from 60CE to sometime in the third century CE, potentially making it the earliest surviving Gospel, despite being non-canonical.
Unlike the four canonical Gospels, the Gospel of Thomas isn’t so much of the story of Jesus but a collection of sayings, or logia, attributed to him and as Leloup notes one could compare some of their messages and structures to Zen koans (2). The attitude of Thomas also sets him apart from the other Gospel writers, “Thomas seems to have a less ‘Jewish’ ear than does Matthew; he is less interested in stories of miracles than is Mark; and he does not share Luke’s interest in the annunciation of God’s Mercy, ‘even to the pagans.’ (2)”
The book is divided into two parts. The first section contains the 114 logia with the Coptic text along side, and to me source texts are always appreciated. The first section allows you the space to come to think about the logia on your own. The second section has the logia along with Leloup’s commentary and interpretation of them. His oft insightful and culturally relevant commentaries also include notes directing the reader to similar or related verses elsewhere in the Bible.
If you’re looking for a coherent translation and commentary of The Gospel of Thomas I think this is it.

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
25
Sep
2010

Review: Qabalah, Qliphoth and Goetic Magic – Thomas Karlsson



Qabalah, Qliphoth and Goetic Magic – Thomas Karlsson
Ajna bound.  2004-2009.  230pp. 9780972182010.
“The light side represents an ideal order in religion and myths, while the dark side represents the wild, overgrown infinity that hides beyond the limits of order” (17).
Most magickians in the West at very least know of the Qabalah, some may know of the Qliphoth -the dark mirror of the Tree of Life- but few understand and engage these forces.  Karlsson has produced a rare book dealing with these forces, very academic, well read, and balanced with personal insight and experience.
The book starts with Karlsson’s collection and interpretation of various models of the Qliphoth, presented as information not dogma.  The reader gains insight into several different how, why, and when theories for the Shells and their formation.  Along the way Karlsson is gracious enough to include citations for those looking to personally research this oft overlooked aspect of Qabalistic magick.  He covers a variety of topics related to the Qliphoth; the nature and origin of Evil, the nature and role of Satan and Lucifer, the Kings of Edom, and Solomonic Magick.
Through the presentation of the models of the Qliphoth the reader comes to understand -regardless of origin- the primal, chaotic, and potentially damaging forces they represent and Karlsson freely notes that this “dark path does not claim to be for all” (19).  He is right to make such a claim; it is rare to see such a path, so very much of the Left-Hand, expanded upon.  The path he lays out, based upon personal and group experience, truly involves the magickian turning from “the light,” away from the process of Divine Creation, and to descend into the subversive wasteland reality “beneath” our own to find power and enlightenment there.  It is a path fraught with challenges and risks, not for the faint hearted, and I am delighted to see such a work.  Books dealing with the darker paths in my experience have tended to be apologetic or sensationalizing the “awesome uberevilness” they represent, and Karlsson falls into neither of these categories.  He doesn’t shy away from the darkness of reality and he doesn’t try to sell it to horror and evil thrill seekers.
He doesn’t offer a “complete” path, as such a goal is too much for any book, and he reasonably explains that “[t]he Qliphoth above Thagirion are too abstract for the magician to be able to work with without experienced guidance” (142) and in an odd way it is nice to see a book that is willing to recognize the limitations it has as a printed medium.  The Shells and Tunnels are discussed, as well as a form of Goetic magick more appropriate for the Qliphotic magickian, all explained with a rational tone and rich visual depiction.
I definitely took a lot of theory from the book, and many resources for the next time I’m researching the Qliphoth.  It is greatly pleasing to see this book reprinted, as I wasn’t able to get it when it first came out, and after reading the book my pleasure is only increased.  Really this is a phenomenal and unique read, especially for Qabalistic magickians, or anyone taking a Left-Hand path.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick