Magick Matters

“Liquid Light: Ayahuasca Spirituality and the Santo Daime Tradition” by G. William Barnard

"The Santo Daime is a syncretic religion that arose in the Amazon region of Brazil in the middle of the twentieth century and now has churches throughout the world. Its spiritual practice is based around the sacramental use of ayahuasca, a psychedelic brew consumed only within regular ceremonies. In Liquid Light, G. William Barnard―an initiate of the religion and a scholar of religious studies―considers the religious practice and transformative inner experiences of the Santo Daime community. Immersing readers in his own journeys into nonordinary states of consciousness, Barnard provides a vivid as well as introspective depiction of the dramatic ritual and visionary worlds that a practitioner of this tradition encounters. He combines striking first-person accounts...>>

“Magick in Theory and Practice” by Aleister Crowley (1976 reprint of the original 1929 edition)

"This is the foremost book on ceremonial magic written in the twentieth century, the summation of the thought and life practice of the century’s most famous necromancer and one of its most infamous figures. It was prepared by Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) specially for neophytes. Written at the height of his involvement, it is probably Crowley's best book. Although he draws on Buddhist, Egyptian, Tantric and Gnostic rituals and the teachings of Abramelin and other early magi, Crowley is primarily concerned with his own system of Magick. (He added the "k" to distinguish it from systems which have "attracted too many dilettanti, eccentrics, weaklings...") Crowley appears in his many aliases—Perdurabo, The Great Wild Beast 666, The...>>

“Magical Diaries of Aleister Crowley: Tunisia 1923” edited by Stephen Skinner

"The complete diaries of Aleister Crowley cover his entire career in magic, from his initiation into the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in 1898, to his death in 1947. These diaries record the development of Crowley's synthesis of traditional Western ritual magic with Eastern yoga, tantra and sexual magic—culminating in the creation of Crowley's "Thelemic Magick". The Magical Diaries of Aleister Crowley: Tunisia 1923 show one year in Crowley's life. This particular year was a major turning point in his life—he and his followers had just been banished by mussolini from their beloved Abbey of Thelema in Cefalu, Sicily. It marks a time of introspection for Crowley. In it he fully records his...>>

“Evil Seeds: The Ultimate Movie Guide to Villainous Children” by Vanessa Morgan

"Something's wrong with the children. They're murdering classmates, torturing parents, speaking in tongues, drinking human blood, and practicing black magic. Your offspring is on the rise, their blood no longer innocent. There will be casualties, and you may be among them. Featuring nearly 250 of the creepiest, weirdest, and most dangerous kids ever to inhabit the cinematic landscape and sourced from over 40 different countries, Evil Seeds is THE comprehensive movie guide to villainous children in all their incarnations: the supernatural horror of ghosts and demonic possession, twisted tales of twins and changelings, dark matters of witches and evil babies, visceral frights of werewolves and vampires, the lurid lore of golems and trolls, and shocking...>>

“The Lost Teachings of the Cathars: Their Beliefs and Practices” by Andrew Phillip Smith

"A deep-dive into the history, culture, and legacy of the medieval Christian dualist movement, Catharism—as seen in popular novels by Dan Brown and Kate Mosse Centuries after the brutal slaughter of the Cathars by papally endorsed Northern French forces, and their suppression by the Inquisition, the medieval Cathars continue to exert a powerful influence on both popular culture and spiritual seekers. Yet few people know anything of the beliefs of the Cathars beyond vague notions that they believed in reincarnation, were vegetarians, were somehow Gnostic, and had some relation to Mary Magdalene. The Lost Teachings of the Cathars explores the history of this Christian dualist movement between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, offering a sympathetic...>>