Modern Magick?

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Modern Magick?
By: / Novice
Post # 1
Is this the Best Book of all Time
When it comes to giving beginners a true sense of what Magick is and isn't and a general Support system for building your own path?
I have seen many people on this Board From Satanist to Wiccans To it core audience and followers of The Christian Folk Magick systems like myself Recommend this book to beginners when they ask for good starting points..I still look over this book often
Hes the man who claimed to out few blinders in his books but he actually uses many but quietly gives you some hints to crack the codes,I know this topic is a matter of opinion But I wanted to see if anyone disagrees and of so what books Go in its place.
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Re: Modern Magick?
By: / Novice
Post # 2
Donald Michael Kraigs Modern Magick for those who don't know.
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Re: Modern Magick?
By: / Novice
Post # 3
It is the simplest book on high magic for beginners, anyone who thinks this book is the be all and end all and knows nothing more than what is contained in it's pages is a novice at best and did not follow Mr Kraig's literature recommendations and advice of wider reading.

His goal with that book was to give a brief overview of various aspects of the path, and in my opinion, he succeeded. There are still blinds in the book, as there are everywhere in the occult world, but the techniques in the book are workable.

Are there better books out there? Of course, Kraig recommends many of them in his annotate bibliography and urges a person throughout to read them. I think it is the best practical book for a beginner interested in the Golden Dawn system and related traditions.

The book rests on my shelf untouched most of the time, whilst there are other books I go back to regularly and feel have more inherent value.
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Re: Modern Magick?
By: Moderator / Adept
Post # 4
Modern magic? Magic hasn't changed. Only traditions and beliefs have changed. Magic hasn't.
All authors writing about witchcraft/magic go the same route,traditions, beliefs, religion, Gods, Goddesses.
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Re: Modern Magick?
By: / Novice
Post # 5
Exactly Dip,My point was for beginners
In well aware it's a beginners book
My point was just the Best Book to get you up and running
When it comes to best i have many others that I like better such as Levis works and Agrippa but I would never tell someone to go get
Trancidental Magic as their first book..
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Re: Modern Magick?
By: / Novice
Post # 6
Ironically though, Agrippa, Levi, Mathers, Crowley were all writing for beginners and assumed only an average level of intelligence and a good education.

Depending on ones traditions my recommendations would change, for standard Golden Dawn it will be DMK's "Modern Magick" and the Ciceros "Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn".

For a more Thelemic/Crowley twist I think the best beginners books include most of Crowley's works as well as "Living Thelema" by David Shoemaker and all of Lon Milo DuQuette's works.

In terms of traditional witchcraft Nigel Pearson and Gemma Gary have books aimed at beginners. I also quite like "A deed without a name" by Lee Morgan.

For spiritual yoga I quite like "Raja Yoga" by Swami Vivekananda and "The Chakra and Kundalini workbook" by John Mumford for beginners.

Wicca, well since Doreen Valiente contributed a lot to Wicca and her works are usually simplistic and easy to understand I think beginners looking to tread that path would do well to browse here as well as reading some of Gerald Gardner's works.

Modern Magick however explores all of the above in brief, which is why it is a good all round primer. Not extensive, not the be all and end all, but a good introduction to the wider world of magic as sparked by the magical revival of the Victorian period.
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Re: Modern Magick?
By: / Novice
Post # 7
I think Wicca is totally based off of Crowleys teachings
Mixed with Buddhism.
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Re: Modern Magick?
By: / Novice
Post # 8
If Gardner ever had an original though then my God strike me dear now,lol A lot was also based on myths and books like the works of Margaret Mary and Cotton Mathers for an example
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Re: Modern Magick?
By: / Novice
Post # 9
Also for beginners I love mastering Witchcraft
Paul Huson and anything by Jason Miller for Folk Magick systems
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Re: Modern Magick?
By: Moderator / Adept
Post # 10
Winchester, the whole point of Wicca was indeed to take parts of old traditions,some witchcraft, and some of Crowley's writings, to form a new religion which would allow the British Government to decriminalize Pagan beliefs, especially witchcraft. Doreen Valiente came much later. And you can forget Margaret Murray! None of the original Wiccans would have anything to do with her!
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