In the Western world, magic has often functioned as an umbrella term for various religious beliefs and ritual practices that seek to influence events by harnessing supernatural power. The definition of these myriad occult and esoteric traditions have, however, usually come from those that are opposed to its practice; notably authorities in religious, legal and intellectual spheres. This book seeks to provide a new perspective, directly from the practitioners of modern Western magic, by exploring how a distinctive mode of embodiment and consciousness can produce a transition from an ‘ordinary’ to a ‘magical’ worldview. Starting with an introduction to the study of magic in the Western academy, the book then presents the author’s own participant observation of five ethnographic case studies of modern Western magic. The focus of these ethnographic case studies is directed towards ideas and methods the informants employ to self-legitimise and self-represent as ‘magicians’. It concludes by discussing the phenomenological implications and issues around embodiment that are inherent to the contemporary practice of magic. This is a unique insight into the lived experience of practitioners of modern magic. As such, it will be of keen interest to scholars of the Occult and New Religious Movements, as well as Religious Studies academics examining issues around the embodiment and the anthropology of religion.

The Western magical traditions are currently undergoing an international resurgence. In Stealing Fire from Heaven, Nevill Drury offers an overview of the modern occult revival and seeks to explain this growing interest in ancient magical belief systems. Gnosticism and the Hermetica, the medieval Kabbalah, Tarot and Alchemy, and more recently, Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry, collectively laid the basis for the modern magical revival, which first began to gather momentum in Europe at the end of the nineteenth century. Western magic has since become increasingly eclectic, drawing on such diverse sources as classical Greco-Roman mythology, Celtic cosmology, Kundalini yoga and Tantra, shamanism, chaos theory, and the various spiritual traditions associated in many different cultures with the Universal Goddess. Drury traces the rise of various forms of magical belief and practice, from the influential Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn to the emergence of Wicca and Goddess worship as expressions of contemporary feminine spirituality. He also explores Chaos Magick and the occult practices of the so-called Left-Hand Path, as well as twenty-first-century magical forays into cyberspace. He believes that the rise of modern Western magic stems essentially from the quest for personal spiritual transformation and direct experience of the sacred--a quest which the trance occultist and visionary artist Austin Osman Spare once referred to as "stealing fire from heaven." Considered in this light, Drury argues, modern Western magic can be regarded as a form of alternative spirituality in which the practitioners seek direct engagement with the mythic realm.

Uncover your hidden ability to create the future. Written by a practicing magus, this guide is your gateway to understanding a powerful and once secret art. • Open a channel to your Higher Self • Explore chants, dances, and special postures and breathing • Discover the basic tools: altar, magic circle, lamp, elemental symbols, robe, wand, sword, athame, and ring • Awaken your magical perception of the world

A superb new book on various magical traditions and written in a style never seen before. A converstion piece between practitioners of differing paths on the subjects usually hidden behind closed doors. Subjects such as sex magic, ritual magic, and lives of the solitary and the covenet all covered in an open and factual yet humerous manner. Real fly on the wall stuff captured by an objective independent occult specialist.

This exciting multi-authored volume provides a fascinating overview of the many different pathways that help defi ne esoteric belief and practice in modern Western magic. Included here are chapters on the late 19th century Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the infl uential Thelemic doctrines of Aleister Crowley, and the different faces of the Universal Goddess in Wicca and the Pagan traditions. Also included are chapters on Neoshamanism in Europe and the United States-and an account of how these traditions have in turn infl uenced the rise of techno-shamanism in the West. Additional features of this collection include insider perspectives on Seidr oracles, hybridised Tantra, contemporary black magic, the Scandinavian Dragon Rouge and Chaos magic in Britain-as well as profi les of the magical artists Ithell Colquhoun, Austin Osman Spare and Rosaleen Norton. Contributors: Nikki Bado Jenny Blain Nevill Drury Dave Evans Amy Hale Phil Hine Lynne Hume Marguerite Johnson Thomas Karlsson James R. Lewis Libu e Mart nkov Robert J. Wallis Don Webb Dominique Beth Wilson Andrei A. Znamenski Nevill Drury, editor of this collection, received his PhD from the University of Newcastle, Australia, in 2008. His most recent publications include Stealing Fire from Heaven: the Rise of Modern Western Magic and The Varieties of Magical Experience (co-authored with Dr Lynne Hume).

Contains everything that beginners need to start their esoteric training The Magician's Workbook has a single purpose: to present a graded and integrated series of practical exercises designed to teach the essentials of ritual magic. It contains no history or theory-just forty exercises that anyone can do without prior training, special tools, or costly materials. The content ranges from simple mental exercises to complete rituals that form templates for future work in Western magic. These exercises do not merely teach-they transform. When practiced regularly, they cause changes in the body, brain, perceptions, emotions, and the will-changes necessary for the successful working of magic in any of its ancient or modern traditions. A complete basic training manual for serious beginners who want to start performing ritual magic, rather than just reading about it Presents a progressive, forty-week schedule of daily study that fully integrates inner mental conditioning with external movements, gestures, and words Enables students to go on to study the Golden Dawn system in greater depth, or move forward with confidence to any other form of Western magic

The proper working of ritual is at the heart of the Western magical tradition. This book shows exactly how ceremonial techniques can be used to concentrate and harness the enormous psychic and spiritual potential of human consciousness. Dr Regardie's detailed analysis and description of key rituals are based on his own considerable experience and his knowledge of Golden Down techniques. In addition to providing practical instructions on robes, ritual equipment and decor, he also links current occult practice to broader historical precedents. Introduction from noted Golden Dawn scholar Pat Zalewski, Includes the Opening of the Watchtower Ritual for Self Transformation. Book jacket.

Practice Your Own Ritual Magic and Achieve a Higher State of Being Drawing from Eastern and Western traditions to form its unique path, Seal, Sigil & Call introduces you to a new school of ceremonial magic. This beginner-friendly book uses Tantric, Qabalistic, and tradition-free spiritual exercises to teach you concepts of energy and centered awareness. Once you've built a solid foundation, J. R. Mascaro shares the practices of paneidolism, his innovative system of ritual magic. This system shows you how to contact and work with various eidolons—spirit entities that aid your personal development. Seal, Sigil & Call helps you lift the veil of material awareness by providing powerful ontological tools that are not restricted by any single spiritual tradition. With Mascaro's guidance, you'll find greater peace through inner exploration and manifest your highest experience of being.

This book features the greatest minds of magic assembled in one place! Compiled by two of the leading figures in the magick community, this new hardcover title in Llewellyn's Complete Book series includes more than 650 pages of fascinating insights into the history and contemporary practice of ritual magick. With contributions from dozens of top authors, this book brings the practices, theories, and historical understanding of magick into the 21stcentury, including in-depth chapters on: Foundations of Western Magick • Qabalah • Demonology & Spirit Evocation • Alchemy • Planetary Magick • Enochian Magick & Mysticism • The Magick of Abra-Melin • The Golden Dawn • Thelema & Aleister Crowley • Polytheistic Ceremonial Magic • Magician's Tables • The Future of Ceremonial Magick

Throughout the ages, the workings of magical ritual have been shrouded in more secrecy than probably any other subject. The peculiar secrecy surrounding magical practices is not altogether intentionalhow can mere description of the purely physical aspects of ritualism possibly convey its deep significance? Knowing this conciously or instinctively, practitioners of magical rites have maintained silence or given such vague descriptions of their activities that little practical use can be made of them. Now there is a guidebook, intended for the Western student on the path of spiritual consciousness. William Gray pulls all the hows's and why's of ceremonial magic together in one volume and provides the student with practical means for its proper operation and study. People are drawn toward ritual practice because it fulfills a need on a deep spiritual level that nothing else will fill. Gray shows us how to arrange and direct our own studies, and gives us the basics to make magical ritual work for us, to extend our human consciousness toward Truth and Light.