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The Book of Results
Casting sigils is a highly effective form of sorcery and Sherwin provides a sound overview of the process. He cuts through the cant, rhetoric and old-fashioned moral baggage associated with magical practice and shows us how to use sigils to influence the subconscious, bypassing the often contradictory and usually self-sabotaging internal dialogue of the conscious mind. The Book of Results was first published in 1978 just as Chaos Magick was emerging from the stygian depths of the primordial occult oozo and it was essentially a book about the practise and theory of sigils as espoused by Austin Spare at the turn of the Twentieth Century. However, Sherwin takes the process of working with sigils and develops it into a fully ritualised technique. In this book he describes a daily regime that, at first glance, seems to owe more to Abra-Melin (probably from ABR MLAIM –‘powerful consecrations’) though much more compact and personalised than to Chaos Magick. However, this is Chaos Magick in its true form without much chaos. The chaos in this book is anything but disorganised. The discipline described by Sherwin is far from the adhoc, make-it-up-as-you-go-along rituals that often seems to accompany much of what Chaos Magick has become over the years. The true Chaos Magick that Sherwin describes is the chaos of abandoning all established theory and running barefoot ahead with no boundaries. This sort of writing is where Chaos Magick came from. Letting go of the cobwebs of doctrine and dogma - left over by the likes of Crowley, Mathers or The Key of Solomon - is what Chaos Magick was supposed to be about. Having said that Sherwin isn't afraid of referring to the likes of Crowley but he takes what he needs and builds from there. The book includes a great deal of practical advice, which can be very useful at the beginning of a magical career and is a breath of fresh air to any one who wants to learn REAL Magick. This revised version of The Book of Results includes additional chapters which are both thought provoking and innovative. Some may think he strips magic (k) of its mystery, romance and grandeur, if so you should look elsewhere if you are seeking enlightenment, union with the Divine, or fancy a chat with your Holy Guardian Angel. However, if like most of us, you simply want to create and fire a number of sigils to help you manifest your desires (sex, wealth, material things); THE BOOK OF RESULTS provides the information you need.
88 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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About the author
Ray Sherwin
11 books29 followersRay Sherwin is a modern occult author and publisher, and one of the originators of the system of magical discipline called chaos magic. In the late 1970s, he began publishing a magazine called The New Equinox, an irregular journal dealing with Thelemic Magick, Chaos Magick and related subjects. In 1978, he co-founded the Illuminates of Thanateros with Peter Carroll, later publishing Carroll's book, Liber Null. Also during 1978, Sherwin wrote and published The Book of Results. These two books, Liber Null and The Book of Results, were the first books written on the topic of chaos magic.
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July 28, 2011For practitioners of Chaos Magick, sigilization or the making of sigils is extremely popular. Chaos Magick is very individualistic and one of it’s cofounders is very skeptical of gurus and hierarchical groups which tend to weigh I favor of the group against the individual. One can listen to the advice and teaching of a guru or teacher but ultimately one must do the experimentation and decide what works for them, Beliefs are subject to constant change and can be manipulated to fit the individuals need. One must be flexible with one’s beliefs and be prepared to adopt a belief when it is needed.
There are two types of magick. One magick gets you inside of your head and the other magick gets you outside of your head. Sensory deprivation or anything that inhibits the body tends to get you inside of your head.. Those physical exercise that exite the body tend to get you outside of your head.
The magickian should experiment with different techniques. Keep and practice only ones that are useful. Practice and perfect those techniques so they come out right during the rituals.. Magickain should start regimens that are both strict and pleasurable. Keep a written journal to balance what was achieved and what needs to be achieved.
Nothing is new in magick only the same old idea rearranged. The same process that drives out neurosis is also the one that drives us to excel. Man is lazy and it causes him to look for easy ways to do things. Once something is done enough habitually it is easier and requires less thought. Habit reduces the amount of concentration needed to do something. This frees the mind to do other things. People prefer laziness over living up to their potential. The wizards strives to reach his potential.
Magickians must constantly battle laziness. It is a battle to overcome the sensorship mechanism that holds us back. The magickian should explain to himself vigourously the rational behind every action her/her makes. Some of the reasons include:
1. Necessity: health welfare and development
2. .Habit: Something some one does out of rote. Eventually you phase out habit.
3. Appetite: Eating ,drinking, sex
4. Fear: Something we do to avoid consequences
5. Laziness
6. Lack of Confidence: Not being good enough
7. Time killer: Something to waste extra moments between events
Our demons are those blindspots or negative traits and feelings about ourselves. Our job is to banish our own demons that personify our negative traits. Negative thoughts trap the magickian and stunt personal growth. It keeps the magickian at his present level of performance. Belief can be changed at will. This is done in a temple during evocations.
Demons strive to keep us fro reaching our potential. We must write our own grimoire on how to banish our own demons.A magical record shows us as we really are. Glory is in the attempt and failure is a day unrecorded. The oath is a statement of the magicians need, intention and motives which is tempered by strategy. Daily regimens should be based on ones social factors like ability and income. The magickal retirement should last 7 days. It should utilize times wisely and destroy your inner demon. During this retreat Magicians should have a schedule one that includes taking care of bodily needs, writing, physical exercise, concentration of chosen power and pranayma. At the end of the retirement the magician should reassess himself. Magic is practices by the few and is secluded. The popularity of magic means an abundance of material this enable one to choose what is good for themselves. Dianetics is good for eliminating aberrations.
The analytic mind functions to record and store data. In times of great stress the analytic mind shuts down and the reactive mind pops up. It records the alarming detail. The informations is stored in traces called engrams. When the analytic mind is restored the engrams are stores in the subconscious and they have power.
Magick deals with emotions. Rituals deal with the unconscious. Gnostic techniques get you to the unconscious. These is no magick without gnosis Accidental sigils are negative engrams that become activated in the reactive mind. For example a car accident with negative associations is stores in the reactive mind later on the associations brin headaches. In the temple when positive sigils are made the mind stores engrams in a positive way.
When making sigils or engaging in magical operations There should be no debate as to whether something is good or bad. Such thinking will cause the magician to suffer. An old idea of alignments to planets and such is pertinent in so far as they are pertinent to the magician. To make a Sigil the magician must first acknowledge a desire. Then he list symbols ad arranges them into a glyph. Then using Gnosis he reifies the sigil and casts it into his unconscious. The reactive mind never rests. It is working constantly and we must listen to it. The proper state of mind for sigilzation comes from a detachment of desire.
Sigil Practice should be done often and with low grade goals that are not too important. this helps top achieve the desired detachment from the desire for the goal. Colors used in a Sigil for strength would normally use red and orange. These colors corespond to Geburah and Mars. Yet these colors might not have meaning for the user. For them blue might equal strength. So blue would be a better color to use. When disigning your sigil you can use colors that flash. You can further bombard the senses with a mantra. For example "my desire is to be as keen as a hawk".
you would then permute this to "myd esir ai to thaw". Later is permuted to "mizir is kenai otaw" Spinning matras are made from foreign languages. Two people attend rotating on the different lines. Other sense can also be used to assault the consious mind.
Rituals begin and end with a banishing. The magical action is contained with in the two banishings. No thought goes beyond the ritual. One can devise ones own banishing ritual or use the Golden Dawn system. Magickian should feel free to adapt they should be open to impressions from the void. Shamans often times went to the void. You must be able to use formless energy to change the formed universe.
To change your reality you can make a sigil here is the Ritual
1. Temple has empty altar facing north.
2. Candle lit, incense burning, burning bowl for sigil
3.start your music
4. face altar meditate on Sigil
5.Caltrop Banishing Ritual
6. Pause
7. Chant Mantra
8.Whirl to music and mantra and keep sigil in mind
9.Stop whirling
10. burn the sigil
11. Reverse Caltrop
There are two types of magick. One magick gets you inside of your head and the other magick gets you outside of your head. Sensory deprivation or anything that inhibits the body tends to get you inside of your head.. Those physical exercise that exite the body tend to get you outside of your head.
The magickian should experiment with different techniques. Keep and practice only ones that are useful. Practice and perfect those techniques so they come out right during the rituals.. Magickain should start regimens that are both strict and pleasurable. Keep a written journal to balance what was achieved and what needs to be achieved.
Nothing is new in magick only the same old idea rearranged. The same process that drives out neurosis is also the one that drives us to excel. Man is lazy and it causes him to look for easy ways to do things. Once something is done enough habitually it is easier and requires less thought. Habit reduces the amount of concentration needed to do something. This frees the mind to do other things. People prefer laziness over living up to their potential. The wizards strives to reach his potential.
Magickians must constantly battle laziness. It is a battle to overcome the sensorship mechanism that holds us back. The magickian should explain to himself vigourously the rational behind every action her/her makes. Some of the reasons include:
1. Necessity: health welfare and development
2. .Habit: Something some one does out of rote. Eventually you phase out habit.
3. Appetite: Eating ,drinking, sex
4. Fear: Something we do to avoid consequences
5. Laziness
6. Lack of Confidence: Not being good enough
7. Time killer: Something to waste extra moments between events
Our demons are those blindspots or negative traits and feelings about ourselves. Our job is to banish our own demons that personify our negative traits. Negative thoughts trap the magickian and stunt personal growth. It keeps the magickian at his present level of performance. Belief can be changed at will. This is done in a temple during evocations.
Demons strive to keep us fro reaching our potential. We must write our own grimoire on how to banish our own demons.A magical record shows us as we really are. Glory is in the attempt and failure is a day unrecorded. The oath is a statement of the magicians need, intention and motives which is tempered by strategy. Daily regimens should be based on ones social factors like ability and income. The magickal retirement should last 7 days. It should utilize times wisely and destroy your inner demon. During this retreat Magicians should have a schedule one that includes taking care of bodily needs, writing, physical exercise, concentration of chosen power and pranayma. At the end of the retirement the magician should reassess himself. Magic is practices by the few and is secluded. The popularity of magic means an abundance of material this enable one to choose what is good for themselves. Dianetics is good for eliminating aberrations.
The analytic mind functions to record and store data. In times of great stress the analytic mind shuts down and the reactive mind pops up. It records the alarming detail. The informations is stored in traces called engrams. When the analytic mind is restored the engrams are stores in the subconscious and they have power.
Magick deals with emotions. Rituals deal with the unconscious. Gnostic techniques get you to the unconscious. These is no magick without gnosis Accidental sigils are negative engrams that become activated in the reactive mind. For example a car accident with negative associations is stores in the reactive mind later on the associations brin headaches. In the temple when positive sigils are made the mind stores engrams in a positive way.
When making sigils or engaging in magical operations There should be no debate as to whether something is good or bad. Such thinking will cause the magician to suffer. An old idea of alignments to planets and such is pertinent in so far as they are pertinent to the magician. To make a Sigil the magician must first acknowledge a desire. Then he list symbols ad arranges them into a glyph. Then using Gnosis he reifies the sigil and casts it into his unconscious. The reactive mind never rests. It is working constantly and we must listen to it. The proper state of mind for sigilzation comes from a detachment of desire.
Sigil Practice should be done often and with low grade goals that are not too important. this helps top achieve the desired detachment from the desire for the goal. Colors used in a Sigil for strength would normally use red and orange. These colors corespond to Geburah and Mars. Yet these colors might not have meaning for the user. For them blue might equal strength. So blue would be a better color to use. When disigning your sigil you can use colors that flash. You can further bombard the senses with a mantra. For example "my desire is to be as keen as a hawk".
you would then permute this to "myd esir ai to thaw". Later is permuted to "mizir is kenai otaw" Spinning matras are made from foreign languages. Two people attend rotating on the different lines. Other sense can also be used to assault the consious mind.
Rituals begin and end with a banishing. The magical action is contained with in the two banishings. No thought goes beyond the ritual. One can devise ones own banishing ritual or use the Golden Dawn system. Magickian should feel free to adapt they should be open to impressions from the void. Shamans often times went to the void. You must be able to use formless energy to change the formed universe.
To change your reality you can make a sigil here is the Ritual
1. Temple has empty altar facing north.
2. Candle lit, incense burning, burning bowl for sigil
3.start your music
4. face altar meditate on Sigil
5.Caltrop Banishing Ritual
6. Pause
7. Chant Mantra
8.Whirl to music and mantra and keep sigil in mind
9.Stop whirling
10. burn the sigil
11. Reverse Caltrop
June 25, 2021
"Antes do primeiro, depois do último!"
O livro tem vários insights interessantes, valeu a pena conhecer. Conheci o livro pela menção no livro Condensed Chaos do Phil Hine e considero uma ótima adição na Biblioteca do Caos.
O livro tem vários insights interessantes, valeu a pena conhecer. Conheci o livro pela menção no livro Condensed Chaos do Phil Hine e considero uma ótima adição na Biblioteca do Caos.
February 21, 2017
As short as this was it felt long. Could be a pamphlet essentially. Like too many books on magick and esotericism it's not that well written and is obfuscated by ambiguous language. I'm not sorry I read it but it's not the best book on chaos magick I have read.
January 24, 2009
I am glad that I waited until I had digested a few other books that involved Post Modern magick (Chaos) before I read this, since I needed a primer in order to understand it. There are exercises involving sigilization that MUST be experienced; again, the premise of this book is much the same of other books centered around Chaos Magick, and that is to experience Magick. Experience IS the evidence and intuition is the teacher.
Ray only offers suggestions and not dogmatic recipes, which is crucial when experimenting with Magick.
The Book of Results is one that I will be re-reading soon.
Ray only offers suggestions and not dogmatic recipes, which is crucial when experimenting with Magick.
The Book of Results is one that I will be re-reading soon.
April 25, 2021
I have been doing sigil magic since I was fifteen and I learned through a very simplistic explanation of it yet my success with them has been a key part of me interested in craft as an adult. This is a very convoluted, severe approach to something that is such an artistic and emotional expression of magick. I would never do any of the work within this book for my sigil magick. I suppose, like all craft, that is a matter of personal preference but I couldn't imagine recommending this to anyone looking to get into sigil work. I think the most useful aspect of this book for me was finding a term for the passive state that one most acquire before releasing a sigil. "positive non-desiring" is an excellent way to explain it and I will be utilizing that in future description of the process. 1 1/2 stars.
June 10, 2017
Entertaining read on the power of will and positive thinking
December 3, 2021
"Eu não estou sozinho neste planeta, mas me pergunto aonde os outros estão."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2022
Esperava um pouco mais. Se o objetivo era guiar iniciantes, faltaram informações básicas. Para quem já possui conhecimentos em Magia do Caos, o livro traz insights interessantes.
May 8, 2024
"There is no objective truth, however..." I'm tired of wonky explainations of Spare
August 4, 2008
Really wish I had read this one before now. It is a simple and gentle introduction to chaos magic, something of a philosophy text, without much in the way of practical exercises.
I don't know if I've changed my attitude to these things in the 10 years or so since I originally read Peter J Carroll and Phil Hine, but I'm much more prepared to work through the more rigorous exercises they suggest, so it's time to put them on the re-read list.
As for a review proper of the book, I'd say that my biggest complaint is that it could stand a good run through a spell checker and a once-over from an editor. I normally don't notice that sort of thing, so it must be pretty severe. It's also possible that some of what I took for mistakes were Britishisms and/or occultisms I'm not familiar with.
I don't know if I've changed my attitude to these things in the 10 years or so since I originally read Peter J Carroll and Phil Hine, but I'm much more prepared to work through the more rigorous exercises they suggest, so it's time to put them on the re-read list.
As for a review proper of the book, I'd say that my biggest complaint is that it could stand a good run through a spell checker and a once-over from an editor. I normally don't notice that sort of thing, so it must be pretty severe. It's also possible that some of what I took for mistakes were Britishisms and/or occultisms I'm not familiar with.
May 9, 2016
Me pareció interesante
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews