Path: ultra.sonic.net!news From: nagasiva@luckymojo.com (nagasiva) Newsgroups: alt.magick,alt.magick.tyagi,alt.religion.wicca,alt.pagan.magick,alt.paranormal.spells.hexes.magic,alt.christnet.demonology,alt.magick.goetia,alt.witchcraft,alt.traditional.witchcraft,alt.necronomicon Subject: Magical Books, Styles (was Where can I get ...) Date: 8 Oct 1999 00:43:35 -0700 Organization: Sonoma Interconnect,Santa Rosa,CA(us),http://www.sonic.net Lines: 281 Message-ID: <7tk7b7$sqv@bolt.sonic.net> References: <026faffc.795bb172@usw-ex0107-051.remarq.com> <19990923013807.18983.00001289@ng-fe1.aol.com> Reply-To: spam@luckymojo.com NNTP-Posting-Host: bolt.sonic.net X-Newsreader: NN version 6.5.1 (NOV) Xref: ultra.sonic.net alt.magick:161055 alt.magick.tyagi:18404 alt.religion.wicca:233921 alt.pagan.magick:17662 alt.paranormal.spells.hexes.magic:11749 alt.christnet.demonology:7548 alt.witchcraft:11994 alt.necronomicon:7925 49991007 IVom Tiamat_13_08@webtv.net (Tony E.): #># I want to teach myself the ways of magic and was #># wondering where I could get a spelbook. magical books may or may not contain instructions for making spells or about the principles of magic like what you are requesting. there are several types of books that could be described as 'magical books' and might be contained in the directory: http://www.luckymojo.com/esoteric/occultism/magic/books/ here is a categorical breakdown of the type of book you are likely to encounter and, if I happen to know of the location of examples or recommendations offline then I'll provide mention them: Grimoires from what I've seen these are usually Judeochristian (Solomonic) directories and instruction manuals for the summoning of spirits. they have legendary and often farcical histories associated with them and are of questionable value to the working mage. there are a few examples of these (Goetia, Pauline Art, Almadel) in the directory mentioned above. Spellbooks the classic 'spellbook' of the witch or mage is sometimes (esp. in modern versions) comprised of more religious than magical data. there are some decent scholarly compilations of cultural spell descriptions (e.g. the Greek and Roman), and the occult community (whether witchy or ceremonial) has authors willing to put out text making claim to the content. the fantasy role-playing genre has made the notion of the wizard's spellbook a standard, and through the alt.magick FAQ at http://www.luckymojo.com/altmagickfaq/ you can even find the Great Net Spellbook (RPG). online there are archives of spells, such as that constructed by sri catyananda and myself at http://www.luckymojo.com/spells.html and some others advertized in the newsgroup alt.paranormal.spells.hexes.magic Magical Records ceremonialists such as those of the Golden Dawn and Ordo Templi Orientis recommend constructing a kind of scientific journal, diary and/or record of one's 'magical experiments'. the magical records of famous magicians are are considered prized possessions, and there is some variation in what is said to be contained in them. the only examples of a magical record of which I am currently aware is called 'The Magical Record of the Beast', some portion of the diaries of Aleister Crowley, a notorious sex magician and author on occult and mystical subjects. another might be "The Enochian Evocation of Doctor John Dee", published by Heptangle Books. a peculiar example online might be the file on a Christian magical initiation at: http://www.luckymojo.com/avidyana/gnostik/xtianmgk.rite.1 and continued in files of a similar name. Power Books largely mythical or legendary, these magical and mystical texts are usually provided some grandiose origin and can become scripture for religions. the "grimoires" mentioned previously can at times over- lap with Power Books, but while these usually can be obtained (however disappointing their contents may prove to be), the Power Books are often truly unobtainable because their history or description has been so carefully rendered by authors of fiction that anyone with slight research can uncover this inconsistency. a classic example of a Power Book is the "Necronomicon", described by the horror fiction writer Howard P. Lovecraft and rendered in a number of widely divergent levels of quality by numerous "editors" and publishing houses (seldom if ever bound in human flesh as it was described by Lovecraft, however). an example rendered by sri catyananda and only recently recovered was "The Book of the Vishanti", which duplicated the name of the book of arcane knowledge described and included in the stories within the comic books of 'Doctor Strange (Master of the Mystic Arts/Sorcerer Supreme)'. I hope to encourage sri catyananda to let me enter this information online for the imagination and benefit of spell-casters everywhere. another possible set of example here are the Tibetan Buddhist reservoirs of transmitted consciousness known as 'termas' (especially those which contain spells; see the following web page: http://www.luckymojo.com/avidyana/gnostik/grimoiris.fn for an in-depth comparison between the Necronomicon and termas in an exploration of the potential 'reality' of the former Book of Power). Herbals a list of plant parts (e.g. herbs, bark, roots) and their magical properties and uses. it need not contain instructions for application. Meier's, Cunningham's, Gamache's, Anna Riva's and Papa Jim's herbals are all examples of varying quality. I'm not aware of any complete herbals online, though I have constructed a rudimentary herbal file on the the formula of Black Arts at: http://www.luckymojo.com/hoodoo/blackarts.tn Formularies a series of recipes for magical oils, ointments, potions, powders, incenses, inks, etc. it may not contain instructions beyond such a list, and there are very few available since they often form the basis of laboratory productions for sale or personal magical work. an example which was recently discussed in usenet is "The Ancient Book of Formulas", which actually contains a manufacturer's coded set of recipes that do not define its precise formula recipes (instead indicating something like 'Fast Luck #17' in place of what would the core of the formula). Herman Slater and Anna Riva apparently have such formularies available for sale, but I can not vouch for their quality. a compilation of recipes for magical formula products is being constructed in the Lucky Mojo Esoteric Archive and may be reached via this URL: http://www.luckymojo.com/spells.html Practical Instructions on Magic systematic procedures for the performance of spells, ceremonials, the construction of a variety of magical aids, tools, and weapons. this may not have actual spells in it, but it may detail how spells should be created and/or carried out in general. examples of this type of book abound, such as "The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage", apparently translated by S.L.M. Mathers, and Henri Gamache's "The Master Book of Candle Burning". there are also many books on 'witchcraft' such as Paul Huson's "Mastering the Art of Witchcraft" that contain both practical and theoretical details on how to go about magical work. there are many files on the practical details of magic and quite a number may be reached through the "Mage's Guide to the Internet" (MaGI) at: http://www.luckymojo.com/magi/ Theoretical Descriptions of Magic there are far more of these kinds of books available in print, not all of them being of value to the beginner, let alone to the experienced mage or witch. books like Bonewits' "Real Magic", Conway's "Magic: an Occult Primer" or Crowley's "Magick in Theory and Practice" (/"Magick") will at times contain a combination, whereas texts such as "Transcendental Magic" by Eliphas Levi or Crowley's "Magick Without Tears" may rarely touch on practical subjects. the Lucky Mojo Esoteric Archive has numerous usenet posts and essays on the theoretical aspects of magic at: http://www.luckymojo.com/esoteric/occultism/magic/ and the MaGI probably has decent links also. you can also look into the newsgroup constellation alt.magick.* and check out the FAQ for that newsgroup at: http://www.luckymojo.com/altmagickfaq/ and its numerous REFerence documents through a link on that page. Books of Shadows books of shadows appear to be a Wiccan phenomenon in which some type of safeguarded record of magical rites or traditional material (sacred names, secret cult data, etc.) is passed on to initiates. some Wiccans keep reflections on their ritual experiences and even pre-plan their rituals in the same book, making of it a kind of magical diary. few books of shadows are available publically, as many Wiccans require initiation and oaths of secrecy prior to viewing its contents. exceptions to this are Marion Weinstein's "Earth Magic: a Dianic Book of Shadows", the examination of the original Gardnerian Books of Shadows by Aidan Kelly ("Crafting the Art of Magic"?), and an eclectic Book of Shadows by Lorax666 inspired by studies with Gardnerians at: http://www.luckymojo.com/avidyana/eldar/bookofshadows.l thank you sri catyananda for your suggestions of several magical book categories and their theoretical differences. if others have additions, please post them in response. #># If anyone knows, please contact me as soon as possilble. #># You must remember this: I am only 13 years of age and #># do not come across alot of money. I can't do anything about the age. if you can read usenet, then you can read this (plus I tend to cc those to whom I respond), and if you can use a browser then you can get to many of the links that I've provided above, no money required at all. peacedawge@aol.com (Jo): # [First] you need to figure out what "kind" (system) of # magick you are interested in. Then find a good book on # the subject (amazon.com,bn.com) and then read, read, read...... this is not very helpful advice as I see it, because the books on the subjects are not typically obvious through a bookseller like Amazon and the beginner won't usually HAVE a categorical list from which to choose. lucky for you both, however, the Lucky Mojo Esoteric Archive is set out in a map which makes at least some of the subjects of study in magic evident. the following subject breakdown is contained within the top level page of the archive: http://www.luckymojo.com/esoteric.html I have eliminated that which does not pertain to a taxonomy of magical styles): Styles of Magic A) ceremonial ("dress-up"; European- or Judaic-based) 1 - crowley ("magick"; oto, aa, +) 2 - enochian (Dee, others) 3 - golden dawn (various orgs; cf. alt.magick gdref) 4 - neo-pagan (including wiccan, druidic, and asatru; cf. the Esoteric Archive under these religions) 5 - solomonic (grimoiric) B) chaos (Spare, Sherwin, Carroll, many others) C) folk (no "dress-up"; world folk-culture based) 1 - hoodoo (cf. http://www.luckymojo.com/hoodoo.html ) D) satanist ("black magick"; cf. http://www.satanservice.org/archive/practice/ ) I'd welcome discussion and commentary regarding this taxonomy. blessed beast! nagasiva@luckymojo.com (nagasiva) -- http://www.luckymojo.com/magi/ ; http://www.satanservice.org/ http://www.luckymojo.com/nagasiva.html emailed replies may be posted; cc replies if response desired