Yours Very Truly

by Gareth Knight

Selected letters of occult author Gareth Knight, written over a period of forty years and to over seventy different people. These include learned discourse with academics, exchanges of strange experiences with esoteric colleagues, and advice to seekers trying to find their path. The letters reveal extraordinary, entertaining and personal details of the life and work of a contemporary occultist. "One fault of many occult students is to read too much ... all too often the new student is so interested in reading the latest thing that he never gets round to actually doing any of it." "I suppose you can at least feel what it is like to be 'a lone voice crying in the wilderness' ... I think even John the Baptist, in time, would have packed up his traps, said 'Sod it' (or 'Sod them') and gone home, maybe to start a locust and wild honey farm." "Your remark that the devil works by compromise and subtlety is altogether too glib a simplification. He works equally well through uncompromising 'principles' very often. The thing that bothers me though is your preoccupation with the insinuations of the devil, which seems at times to verge on 'old maid's insanity'. I get the impression - I hope wrongly - that I stand a good chance of being cast in the role of the serpent offering the poisoned, or forbidden fruit."

218 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2010

About the author

Gareth Knight is one of the world's foremost authorities on ritual magic, the Western Mystery Tradition and Qabalistic symbolism. He trained in Dion Fortune's Society of the Inner Light, and has spent a lifetime rediscovering and teaching the principles of magic as a spiritual discipline and method of self-realisation.

He has written around forty books covering topics as diverse as Qabalah, history of magic, Arthurian legend, Rosicrucianism, Tarot, the Inklings (Tolkien, C.S.Lewis et al) and the Feminine Mysteries, as well as several practical books on ritual magic. He has lectured worldwide and is a regular contributor to Inner Light, the journal of the Society of the Inner Light.

The group founded by Gareth Knight in 1973 is now run by Wendy Berg and known as the Avalon Group.

See: http://garethknight.blogspot.com/

Reviews

[Todd R · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pretty good book of correspondence between Gareth and various occultists. The first letter is from 1969 and the last 2010. All the letters are Gareth's, either initiating or in reply to letters.
Most of the letters contain nuggets of wisdom from a magickal life and the honest practice of a man genuinely living the life of a Magus.
Near the end the letters are somewhat redundant, but even in the weeds flowers can be found.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times inspiring though often dull book of letters. There is quite a lot of repetition; whenever lives are shaken up it signifies inner planes activity. For me it is mostly of interest from an anthropological point of view. Along with his autobiography and Persuasion's of the Witches' Craft: Ritual Magic in Contemporary England by Tanya M. Luhrmann one gets to see behind the Magus's façade.
In many ways Knight is the antithesis of Crowley, being prudish, homophobic, Christian and anti drugs. But nevertheless the experience of reading this is comparable to reading Crowley's diaries, or anecdotes by Driberg. There seems to be a huge gulf between the text books (from Magic in Theory and Practice to Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism) and their ordinary lives.
One gets the idea that magic is more to do with wishful thinking, escapism and mind games than real mystical power. But nevertheless both writers, despite their delusions and small mindedness are devoted to the mythic realm.
This book was of particular significance to me as one of Knight's correspondents is named Simon Buxton. Then seeing that he also mentions Wren was like the strangest of coincidences. The story I published, Button Mania, contained both of these names. I had indeed already outlined the sequel, tentatively called "The Chymical Wedding of Simon Buxton."
Knight goes on much about coincidence signifying something deeper. As the writing of my story was a tornado of synchronicities, I can say there is something in this. What exactly, I'm not sure.

[Brian Marum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. It is quite one sided. Would have liked to have seen the letters he is replying to as well in order to have a fuller conversation.