Books about Magick, Alchemy, Qabala, and related Occult & Esoteric topics
Version 1.1
“Therefore I believe that the right procedure is to postpone all intellectual discussions and theories on the subject, and begin by discovering the reality and the nature of the will through its direct existential experience.“
- Roberto Assagioli from The Act of Will, ‘The Development of Man’s Inner Powers’ (Chapter 1)
I’m often asked what books I recommend on various topics, or what I think of a particular author or book. There are so many books out there, often with accompanying blurb or marketing hype saying it is the most comprehensive, definitive or ultimate book on the subject. This can make it difficult to choose a book that will provide you with the information you seek. I find recommendations and thoughts on particular authors to be highly subjective, so there are very few books or authors I actually recommend, although I’m always happy to suggest books I know of if they pertain to the topic someone is interested in. Also, books in the reviews section of Magical Path offer some insight into potential useful, or at least thought provoking, material.
Thoughts on Reading
- Look for particular concepts within the text, such as belief structures, or the author’s sub-personalities.
- Reflect regularly on what you are reading, and how you can make use of it in your life.
- Make notes on your thoughts that arise from what you’re reading, preferably in your journal.
- Don’t be afraid to ‘destroy’ a book by writing in the margins, highlighting or underling concepts.
- Grab a book at random, and open it to a random page. Read from this page, and pay attention to any synchronicity in what you read and what is going on in your life at present.
- Read books that challenge your beliefs, whether occult or other topics. Don’t just look for material which makes you feel good when you read it.
- Read slowly (deep reading / close reading). You are better to read for brief periods, but regularly, to maintain focus and benefit from what you are reading.
Keep in mind that occult training is more about action and experience. This is far important than knowledge “gained” from reading, or other’s thoughts and experiences. While we can learn from what other’s have experienced or claim to know, it is always much more powerful when we have the experience ourselves.
Books are great for background information, stimulating discussion (ie. as part of a structured training course), or getting the theory for specific skills. They never replace actually making an action. The quote by Assagioli at the top of this page illustrates this idea: the call to postpone intellectual discussions and actually discover things for ourselves. This is vital in magical training, as magical training isn’t an escape from reality; it is a deeper exploring of reality.
All written works, whether theoretical knowledge or techniques, are starting points only. The core concepts are of value, the outer forms that express these values are less important, and are tied to various belief systems whether individual, societal, or cultural.
Currently there is a lot of information available online for free. Many titles are accessible freely or cheaply via websites, online stores, file sharing networks, or traded amongst collectors. I always recommend online works over printed text for the reason that it is keyword searchable. This saves time finding the information you want, and you can scan through various chapters and see if the information is what you’re looking for.
Amazon.com, Google Books, Ebrary all provide the capability to search inside books (where publisher’s and author’s allow). This allows you to quickly cover many books on a topic you need information on. If you really like a book you can still purchase it.
Searching for keywords and concepts, I believe, helps break down some of the intellectualism of a book, and get to core ideas we can work with. It is easy to get lost in the words, and forget that it is the concepts which are important, not the outward forms expressed by the author.
Overall, I don’t consider it so important what you read, or who it is by, as long as it provides something practical that you can apply in your own development. That could be techniques, concepts, or a challenge to your current beliefs. Conflict (correctly dealt with) leads to synthesis and growth.
Specific Recommendations
For people looking for an introduction to the general concepts and ideas within the Western Tradition then a good starting place on recommended books is the New Zealand Alchemist’s Guild Probationer’s Book List.
Many of the commonly recommended authors are worth reading, and exploring their thoughts on various occult subject. There are also many more obscure authors whose may be of interest to those seeking occult wisdom, or esoteric techniques. The authors mentioned below are in no particular order.
Aleister Crowley, love or loath him, has some excellent comments in his book Magick Without Tears. I also found his novel Moonchild to be an enjoyable read, being an occult novel, by an occultist.
Carlos Castaneda, now much maligned as a fraud, wrote about many topics important to the occultist. I believe it is important to read beyond the words though, and consider such things as the relationship between Castaneda (student) and Don Juan (teacher).
Victor Sanchez offers some more practical applications of Castaneda’s teachings in his book The Teachings of Don Carlos. I also recommend his book Toltecs of the New Millennium as it is focused around actually taking part in magical ritual, rather than just intellectualizing the process.
Roberto Assagioli, the founder of Psychosynthesis, provides many important insights into esoteric and occult topics. While he was a Psychiatrist, and schooled in Freudian Psychoanalysis, he was well read, and had studied such subjects as the Kabbalah (see Roberto Assagioli, the Kabbalist by Will Parfitt), Eastern Philosophies, and was a member of the Theosophical Society. His most important book in my opinion is The Act of Will, although his book Psychosynthesis, and any essays by him are also worth consideration. Actually, any book on Psychosynthesis is worth flicking through.
Dion Fortune wrote some excellent novels, including Moon Magic, and The Goat Foot God. Some people say the novels are a little dry and dated in their language, however I found them easily readable and enjoyable.
Israel Regardie is a notable authority on the Golden Dawn. I don’t recommend any specific book by Regardie, but I do recommended reading through some of his writings. He had some good insights, and was perhaps the first occultist to suggest those involved in magical training seek some form of psychotherapy to assist them in their progress.
Julius Evola is notable for being outside of the Golden Dawn tradition. His views offer a good contrast to some of the commonly accepted views of Regardie, Crowley, et al. In contrast to Regardie, he suggested that psychotherapy was not required by men of character.
Franz Bardon wrote several books that offer a complete system of magic, based around Bardon’s views on Qabala (Quabbalah). His book Initiation into Hermetics offers a 10 practical steps towards developing the body, soul and spirit.
No related articles.
Recent Comments