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Magick Without Tears
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In 1943 Aleister Crowley initiated a circle of correspondence by way of magickal training for a number of his students. It eventually resulted in this volume of 80 letters, Crowley's personal commentary on his own magickal training and insight. This is Crowley at his best, leading you gradually into the magickal philosophy behind one of the great mystics of our century and
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Paperback, 528 pages
Published
April 1st 1991
by New Falcon Publications
(first published 1973)
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(showing 1-30)
This is among the most comprehensive introductions to magickal theory ever written. Caveat emptor, Crowley makes it quite easy to spiral into his system, Thelema, at the exclusion of the traditional Western paths, i.e. the Golden Dawn, (from which Crowley emerged). It’s good to read other authors along with Crowley to gain a holistic understanding of the Western paradigm. That being said, this book in conjunction with Book 4, is a pretty thorough introduction to the principles of ceremonial magi
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This book is a marvelous compendium of letters from the pen of arguably the greatest Occultist of the 20th Century, written in the 1940's to various of his beginning and intermediate students. In them Crowley is the soul of brevity and wit, going straight to the point, time and time again, without the blinds, without the double meanings, without cryptic references, without obscure Greek and Latin passages, written in plain English: the private letters of a great Teacher to his inquiring students
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the title alone...
dear conjurers,
... nearly makes this book worthwhile. In the form of a series of letters in response to a Sister of the Order, Crowley tells us much and in detail of various aspect of magic and the occult. It is a truly worthy book. However, the copy we had from New Falcon Publications, had a collating error so about 20-30 pages or so in the earlier part of the book appeared again and replaced a section later in the book. So you might wish to check with your seller to see if th ...more
dear conjurers,
... nearly makes this book worthwhile. In the form of a series of letters in response to a Sister of the Order, Crowley tells us much and in detail of various aspect of magic and the occult. It is a truly worthy book. However, the copy we had from New Falcon Publications, had a collating error so about 20-30 pages or so in the earlier part of the book appeared again and replaced a section later in the book. So you might wish to check with your seller to see if th ...more
Nov 09, 2008
Tim
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Everyone interested in enlightenment
Shelves:
occult-magick
If you want to know what Thelema is, and you want it straight from The Beasts mouth, then this is the book for you. Magick without tears is a collection of over 80 letters between Aleister Crowley and several other students, but to avoid confusion, the recipient is given one name: Cara Soror.
The candidness with which Aleister Crowley writes, makes one wonder why he was so cryptic in most of his other writings.
Oh that's right, because he was learning as he went, and thus the mystery of Aleister C ...more
The candidness with which Aleister Crowley writes, makes one wonder why he was so cryptic in most of his other writings.
Oh that's right, because he was learning as he went, and thus the mystery of Aleister C ...more
This is a most valuable tome that shows Crowley's mature thought, helping the reader navigate his previous work on Magick and Yoga. Clear and concise, it provides the key that opens the lock to understanding of the titanic opus he authored.
This is an odd book, full of obscure occult references and ideas, moments of lucidity, and other moments of pure nonsense. It is however entertaining, and is a good place to start reading Crowley, as it sums up a lot of his ideas in one volume. Written as a series of letters to a students, "Cara Soror," it has a very immediate and conversational feeling, and works just as much in a literary sense as in an instructive sense, almost as if it were a fake epistolary novel. Crowley's interests indeed
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All words are magical; that's the secret of witchcraft. Brilliant insights and funny delusions on every one out of two pages.
Plot: A correspondence course of magic.
- See more at: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-daily...
Plot: A correspondence course of magic.
- See more at: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-daily...
Anyone interested in the OTO Outer Head scandal involving Marcelo Motta and Karl Germer and Samuel Weiser should definitely check this book out (if you ever find it). Otherwise Motta's Unexpurgated and Commented version should be online.
Jan 23, 2018
Justin
added it
Easier to read than most of Crowley's works, still very difficult for me.
I will try to find a more suitable (for me) launch pad into new ways of thought.
I will try to find a more suitable (for me) launch pad into new ways of thought.
Crowley is at best a pompous ass...
this is like THE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO CROWLEY. typical him, it's like he's on a stage reciting it as you're reading it and drinking tea with his pinkie up. played.
The first half of Crowley's last book, commented by Motta--if you have this edition, you are quite lucky--is compulsive reading for anyone interested in the occult. Crowley answers letters about various occult topics including astral travel, meditation, God, and whatnot. A lot of the time it seems Crowley is answering the question with a question or beating around the bush with his clever sophistry, or go on a digression promising it will lead to an answer, usually leaving one hungering for more
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Probably the best introduction to Crowley's thinking about Magick, certainly the easiest to get into. The book is based on a letter exchange that he did with a fairly beginner student. Each letter or essay covers one topic almost exclusively, and there are ~50 of them.
All very succinctly written and to the point. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Magick, Metaphysics, Paganism, Ritual, and other, whether interested in Thelema or not.
All very succinctly written and to the point. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Magick, Metaphysics, Paganism, Ritual, and other, whether interested in Thelema or not.
A magnificent and articulate collection of letters on what might otherwise be unfathomable subject matter. Neither scandalous nor shocking, this is Aleister Crowley at perhaps his most cogent -- person to person.
Notable for the insistence of parallels between magic and science.
3.5. It was interesting and weird at the same time. Aleister Crowley was one weird dude.
Upon reading Nichols' Iowa, wherein the world becomes a giant bookfair where the font is too small, I decided to become a satanist.
Bought this at a friends rummage sale. I've read diary of a drug fiend like 5 times so I was just curious...
Well - back in my day of being into this stuff - it was interesting- but nowadays Crowley kinda comes off as confused to me... But he does have some interesting views in here on how things work.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Goodreads Librari...: Odd new error in quote engine | 4 | 39 | Mar 14, 2014 04:23PM | |
| Black Maven: Magick Without Tears | 1 | 8 | Aug 17, 2011 10:06AM |
Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley, was a British occultist, writer, mountaineer, philosopher, poet, and mystic. He was an influential member in several occult organizations, including the Golden Dawn, the A∴A∴, and Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), and is best known today for his occult writings, especially The Book of the Law , the central sacred text of Thelema. He gained much notori
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“Your friends will notice at once that glib vacuities fail to impress, and hate you, and tell lies about you. It's worth it.”
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“The man who denounces life merely defines himself as the man who is unequal to it.”
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