Reading List

Hello to everybody.

I searched for a topic on a recommended reading list but I found nothing, so I decided to start it myself. At first I thought such a topic like this should be included in the Magick and Metaphysics section, however, as E.A. Koetting once told in an interview "...recognize that “The Guru” will manifest himself in all people around you, and will speak from the most unthinkable lips" I thought this forum would be better since we won´t be limited to magic only, so we can recommend any book we may feel is of interest for our personal development.

So, ok, here is the list that I recommend at this time:

- High Magic I: By Frater U:D: is fantastic. This book is about 400pages long and covers a lot about the subject of magic. It is one of the best book for a beginner (such as myself) that I have read. Topics go from what magic is to ritual and ceremonial practices, why symbolism is important, different paradigms and ways to understand this complicated subject and tons of practical exercises.

By the way, there is a second volume.

- Initiation into Hermetics: By Franz Bardon is a classic. A good introduction to this art with an incredible amount of exercises and a lot about how (not why!) metaphysics practices work.

- Modern Sex Magick: By Donald Michael Kraig. Althought it is the kind of book on magic that I don´t like because important things are not explained, it is a very good introduction to the subject of sex magic and has some interesting practical exsercises to improve your sexuality (and magic obviously). To me the most interesting chapters, however, were those who were not written by himself but by female magicians such as Babalon, Nema and Linda Falorio (very interesting chapters, trust me).

- Astral Dinamycs and Energy Work: Two different books by Robert Bruce that have been of much utility to me. Very practical and also I liked his "scientific" approach to these topics, without mystifications and quite clear on what to expect, which I think is very important when dealing with so complicated subjects such as these.

- Mystical Qabalah: By Dion Fortune is great. I warn, it is a book that I have not finished yet because it is a quite difficult reading and at this time I am studying others books, however from what I read I can say it is a very good work on qabalah which will help you to understand mysticism and the "logic" behind western magic. Also if you are interested in "AntiCosmic Satanism" or the 218 current you need a good knowledge on the Tree (of Life and of Death) so this is a good place to start your studies.

- Naos and ONA: Various Manuscripts: By the Order of Nine Angles. The first one is a book and magic and sorcery from a satanic/sinister point of view. The second one, as it name suggests, is a collection of manuscrips from the order that deal with satanic philosophy (or how the ONA thinks..) and magic in general. It is a very controversial work and maybe some of you may feel disgusted about it, however, in my opinion, what the ONA has to offer aboutmagic is so great that it would be stupid to not recommend it. I just loved their concepts of Causal and Acausal to explain magic (which are not original of the ONA however they deal with these concepts from an almost scientific perspective which is very interesting). Also their concept of Aeonic Magick (which I think is original of them!) will shock you.

These "books" are free and you can get them from the internet, so what are you wating for to put your hands on them?

- Liber Null and Psychonaut: Well, some of you already know that I love this book and Peter Carroll. I think it is one of the best books on magic and one of the most revolutionary back in the 70´s. Nowadays ideas from Chaos Magick are everywhere and in everysystem, so if you read this book now, a lot of things will sound familiar. However it is still a fantastic reading and very useful and enlightening. Also the ideas of Carrol and Chaos Magick were of inspiration for the ONA: he was one of the first magicians to talk about "Chaos" and Acausality from a scientific perspective.

- The Apophenion: Peter Carroll´s newest book is AWESOME. It is the one I´m reading at this moment and I can say it is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. It is just amazing how "quantum physics" can be so related to magic. Also you will understand what the concept and the "reality" of Acausality means. It is not really a book on practical magic, but more on "philosophy". Carroll deals with the concepts of self, mind, consciousness and reality itself and it is just amazing what he has to say about all this. It also one of the best book you can get if you want to understand the Chaos Magic Paradigm.

After reading the first chapters I can say that now I understand why "Chaos" is the "great unknowledgeable"....

- Demons of the Flesh: By Nikolas and Zeena Schreck is one of the first books on Vama Chara Tantra ( or the Left Hand Path of Tantra) that I read and is one of my favorites. It covers a wide range of material and information regarding the Left Hand Path of not only the Eastern traditions but also its manifestations on the Western world. One of the chapters I just loved was the one about how Jesus Christ could be viewed as a Left Hand Path magician!!!!

- Aghora I: At the Left hand of God: by Robert Svobodra. A classic on the field of Tantra. It deals with the Vama Chara/Vama Marga tradition, more specifically with the Aghora path from the subjective perspective of an aghori.

By the way, the second volume, Aghora II: Kundalini, which I have not read yet, is also considered a classic.

- The Gnostics: By Jaques Lacarriere. All I can say is that after reading it, I fell in love with the gnostics so....

It is also one of the recommended books by the Temple of the Black Light, just in case you are interested in the 218current.

I will look into some of these... thank you

Have anyone read "Serpents of Wisdom" by Edda Livingston, The Emerald Tablet of Thoth by Doreal or any of E.A. Wallis Budge works?

Would some of our "well read" forum members commment on a few books they feel worth mentioning? (I am magically berefit, myself)

I haven't read "Serpents of Wisdom" but it sounds interesting.

I have read some of Budge's works, which I enjoyed. He has a book on Egyptian Magic which I thought was fascinating.

Energy Work by Robert Bruce is one of my favorite books. I thought he offered a great deal of energy techniques. I thought they were simple and effective.

A friend of mine introduced me to "Awakening Osiris, The Egyptian Book of the Dead" translated by Normandi Ellis. I think it is filled with beautiful and poetic imagery and writing.

If I think of more, I will definitely list them. Thank you to all who have posted their recommendations.

I like Awakening Osiris a lot. It is a classic to me.

You also read Bruce's one on Astral Travel?

Jonathan wrote:I like Awakening Osiris a lot. It is a classic to me.

Is that a fictional or does it include Egyptian teachings like the Asetian Bible?

I did find some authors I thought were worthy. Both Normandi Ellis and deTraci Regula write interesting books on modern Isis worship. I have found that reading them draws me closer to Aset, but question how accurate their ritualisation is.

I find these two books to be factually interesting:

1. Isis in the Ancient World, R. E. Witt, 1971. This is a highly recommended scholarly piece on the history of Isis religion, although much more content is on Greco Roman, post dynastic Isis.

2. Ancient Egyptian Religion An Interpretation, Henri Frankfort, 1948. (yes, it is old) Deals more with over all religion in dynastic Egypt.

Both are available inexpensively on amazon.

Hello guys, here are some more books that I find fascinating:

Works of Darkness: By E.A. Koetting. I just LOVE this guy and all his work. WoD is a very powerful work on black magick, it is really well written, not difficult to understand and it is not an empty material!!! that is, it is not focused on vague excercises such as "empowering your aura", "open your astral eyes and visualize a sun raising near your house while vibrating the god names of bla bla bla " and so on. Rather, his material and magic is about material results and change. Topics include "basic" sorcery (candle magick), evocation, necromancy, divination, sigil magick, what he calls Ascent, possession, baneful magick, worship and there is also a chapter on vampirism.

Baneful Magick: By Koetting again. A book on death/baneful sorcery. A very interesting read in which you will find tons of methods for torture, punish and kill your foes or the bouncer of your favorite pub.

The Yoga of Power: By Julius Evola. One of the best books I have ever read on Tantra. Very well written and informative.

I want to read Bruce's Astral Dynamics. Is it interesting? I may try to find it at the local library.

Awakening Osiris is a translation of the Book of the Dead. Here is the Amazon info: http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Osiris-Egyptian-Book-Dead/dp/0933999747

Has anyone read Rosemary Clark's Sacred Magic of Ancient Egypt? Is it a good read? Just wondering...

Thanks for the titles RudraShiva.

Hello Saylamine.

In my opinion Astral Dynamics is awesome. I have found it to be really helpful, informative and revolutionary. His techniques work, at least for me. It can be a difficult reading at some times but in general I think you won´t have problems and will enjoy the reading.

I agree with RudraShiva, Astral Dynamics it's a very good book.

Saylamine, I didn't buy the book, I have it in pdf.
A more economical option, although I like to touch in the sheets of a book, able to highlight and read under a candle...

I'm the same way too...I like the hardcopy to keep in case of notes or future reference. But I like to find ways to budget my book buying, like with ebooks :-) Thanks for the tip on Astral Dynamics.

Greetings.

Astral Dynamics is, indeed, a great book.
Robert Bruce has got other astral-projection-oriented works, like a plan to start mastering astral-projection; I would like to know exactly what it is, to see if it really works. He's got some good material.
Another funny e-book I've always liked very much is Liber Nicht, which anyone can find without problems on the internet. It's funny, being a compact manual of basic magick, lots of times considered chaos magick; this isn't hardcore chaos magick, though. It's just a really simple manual, that has some nice tips, and funny way to look at things; some techniques were put in a really simple way in that book.

Best regards,
Karnath.