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S.S.O.T.B.M.E. Revised: An Essay on Magic
This seminal 1970s introduction to modern magickal theory and practice was revised for the 21st century and remains among the finest and most influential guides to the subject.
Magical thought is described and contrasted with Science, Art and Religion. The dynamic relationship between them is explained. Modern magic and its role in the 21st century is outlined with respect to practices ranging from ritual magic, through alchemy to New Age therapies.
Specific topics secrecy, initiation, sacrifice, cyber-animism, Crowleyanity, morality, pseudo-science, demonology, deity, miracles and divination.
Magical thought is described and contrasted with Science, Art and Religion. The dynamic relationship between them is explained. Modern magic and its role in the 21st century is outlined with respect to practices ranging from ritual magic, through alchemy to New Age therapies.
Specific topics secrecy, initiation, sacrifice, cyber-animism, Crowleyanity, morality, pseudo-science, demonology, deity, miracles and divination.
172 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 1975
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
October 14, 2022
Ramsey Dukes: When you had me, you really had me. But when you lost me, I wondered if you had had me or not? I'm confused.
You're not quite the savior that some readers and reviewers would have you to be. Then again, I sense that you wouldn't really want that anyway. You're a smart cookie, though, if a little muddled toward the end. But, then again, I think you want to at least appear muddled, for the sake of banishment, if nothing else. At times you are incisive, and that's when I like you best. You are, after all, writing for some kind of audience, so it pays to be clear. On the other hand, you are writing for another kind of audience where secrecy itself is the goal. I get it. I mean, I really get it, in an esoteric sense. But I don't, in an artistic sense.
Then again, you're not much of one for art in spite of having created a good piece of it in S.S.O.T.B.M.E. You outline, quite incisively, I must add, a paradigm of paradigms: Art versus Religion versus Science versus Magic. Not "versus" in terms of territory, as all of these paradigms can and often do inhabit the exact same territory at the exact same time, but "versus" in terms of direction and, hence, perspective and viewpoint.
It really is all about the attitude, isn't it? But I think that your focus on Science, Religion, and Magic entirely misses the fact that you, or your book, is utterly encased in Art. You can't escape it, so you scoff at it, like a defiant prisoner spitting at his jailors. But that spittle doesn't remove the chains, buddy. You're stuck in art, and there's no banishing it. Even a Magic circle has to be drawn, no?
Reminds me of Heidegger's critique of Descartes, in some ways. You've made some assumptions and, by doing so, you've entirely missed the opportunity of questioning those assumptions. Unable to break out of your own bubble, you're blind to your own work. But, again . . . .maybe you always wanted it to be that way.
Because, as we both know, silence is Golden. And not just reflective of that rare metal substance. This is a gold more refined, beyond the material sphere. I know you know what Gold I'm talking about. And yet, I wonder if you haven't missed the real luster of Gold and traded it in for fool's gold.
Then again, playing the Fool is not a bad thing, now is it?
I'm not telling.
You're not quite the savior that some readers and reviewers would have you to be. Then again, I sense that you wouldn't really want that anyway. You're a smart cookie, though, if a little muddled toward the end. But, then again, I think you want to at least appear muddled, for the sake of banishment, if nothing else. At times you are incisive, and that's when I like you best. You are, after all, writing for some kind of audience, so it pays to be clear. On the other hand, you are writing for another kind of audience where secrecy itself is the goal. I get it. I mean, I really get it, in an esoteric sense. But I don't, in an artistic sense.
Then again, you're not much of one for art in spite of having created a good piece of it in S.S.O.T.B.M.E. You outline, quite incisively, I must add, a paradigm of paradigms: Art versus Religion versus Science versus Magic. Not "versus" in terms of territory, as all of these paradigms can and often do inhabit the exact same territory at the exact same time, but "versus" in terms of direction and, hence, perspective and viewpoint.
It really is all about the attitude, isn't it? But I think that your focus on Science, Religion, and Magic entirely misses the fact that you, or your book, is utterly encased in Art. You can't escape it, so you scoff at it, like a defiant prisoner spitting at his jailors. But that spittle doesn't remove the chains, buddy. You're stuck in art, and there's no banishing it. Even a Magic circle has to be drawn, no?
Reminds me of Heidegger's critique of Descartes, in some ways. You've made some assumptions and, by doing so, you've entirely missed the opportunity of questioning those assumptions. Unable to break out of your own bubble, you're blind to your own work. But, again . . . .maybe you always wanted it to be that way.
Because, as we both know, silence is Golden. And not just reflective of that rare metal substance. This is a gold more refined, beyond the material sphere. I know you know what Gold I'm talking about. And yet, I wonder if you haven't missed the real luster of Gold and traded it in for fool's gold.
Then again, playing the Fool is not a bad thing, now is it?
I'm not telling.
January 28, 2018
The first time I met Ramsey Dukes, it was over breakfast at the now-defunct Tibetan Tea Shop in Simon's Town. A friend had put me onto him, as someone I should meet and talk to, and as they say, the rest is history. He is a thinker of rare wit and deep insight, and it is through this slim little volume SSOTBME: Revised, an Essay on Magic, that I've rediscovered my delight in the Western magical system.
Dukes outlines a system of approaching our experience of our world into four directions: Scientific, Religious, Magical and Artistic. Each is a valid way of evaluating and making decisions. Each has their own purpose, and in fact, he goes on to show how each individual will at different times employ that sort of thinking.
Chiefly, he deals with magic, explaining it as an approach that is unafraid to be selective in which criteria one adopts when it comes to problem solving – IOW, the stories that we tell ourselves to explain a set of circumstances. According to Dukes, magic embraces both truth and falsehood, as well as illusion, knowingly. He suggests that it's not so much how one arrives at a solution, but the point that one's actions produces tangible results, even though they might not be considered logical.
A magician, according to Dukes, is aware of his surroundings, of the patterns, and is adept in manipulating them according to a particular expression of his will. [My explanation, using the Parking Fairies is – if asking the Parking Fairies to help you find a spot near the mall entrance on a busy Saturday appears to help you chill the fuck out and find that parking spot, while giving you the illusion that the task was attained easier, then why the hell not]
Mostly, Dukes explains how magic is a way to engender wholeness. There's a certain degree of playfulness to it as well, if you ask me. And there's the fact that as a magician you become more aware of the interconnectedness of things around you, and better able to manipulate outcome because of the changes you have wrought to your own responses.
Imagination is a powerful tool, and we're apt to be dismissive of it, but often this "set dressing" as it were, adds meaning to how we approach our daily challenges. Also, what Dukes points out is that you cannot use the same criteria to evaluate magic as you would for, say, religion or science. To do so is absurd (and a waste of time). And similar to art, magic is about creating and manipulating meaning around you. And to be unafraid to play with subjective viewpoints – and to do so fluidly and not locked down by dogma.
He underscores that Magic, Art, Science and Religion should not be at war with each other, but that those forms of approaching our daily lives are often intertwined and various expressions thereof have prominence at different situations. Magic is merely a way to maintain a perception that is different from the norm, it is about creating powerful metaphors that you can use to solve problems or create change, and embraces both light and dark aspects of Self, so is therefore beyond morality. (Which is probably why religious folks hate it so much.) Magic is what it is, it's how we approach our personal wholeness that matters to us, as individuals, and exploring the unknown. (So no dogma, as such.)
SSOTBME came at a good time for me, when I'd hit a stage in my life where I was wondering what the point of it all is in terms of maintaining an interest in esoteric matters. Needless to say, Dukes has offered a rather valuable way of looking at my own work. If you've yet to discover his writings, and this seems like the sort of thing that interests you, I can't recommend him enough. He also maintains a YouTube channel that might be worthwhile checking out.
Dukes outlines a system of approaching our experience of our world into four directions: Scientific, Religious, Magical and Artistic. Each is a valid way of evaluating and making decisions. Each has their own purpose, and in fact, he goes on to show how each individual will at different times employ that sort of thinking.
Chiefly, he deals with magic, explaining it as an approach that is unafraid to be selective in which criteria one adopts when it comes to problem solving – IOW, the stories that we tell ourselves to explain a set of circumstances. According to Dukes, magic embraces both truth and falsehood, as well as illusion, knowingly. He suggests that it's not so much how one arrives at a solution, but the point that one's actions produces tangible results, even though they might not be considered logical.
A magician, according to Dukes, is aware of his surroundings, of the patterns, and is adept in manipulating them according to a particular expression of his will. [My explanation, using the Parking Fairies is – if asking the Parking Fairies to help you find a spot near the mall entrance on a busy Saturday appears to help you chill the fuck out and find that parking spot, while giving you the illusion that the task was attained easier, then why the hell not]
Mostly, Dukes explains how magic is a way to engender wholeness. There's a certain degree of playfulness to it as well, if you ask me. And there's the fact that as a magician you become more aware of the interconnectedness of things around you, and better able to manipulate outcome because of the changes you have wrought to your own responses.
Imagination is a powerful tool, and we're apt to be dismissive of it, but often this "set dressing" as it were, adds meaning to how we approach our daily challenges. Also, what Dukes points out is that you cannot use the same criteria to evaluate magic as you would for, say, religion or science. To do so is absurd (and a waste of time). And similar to art, magic is about creating and manipulating meaning around you. And to be unafraid to play with subjective viewpoints – and to do so fluidly and not locked down by dogma.
He underscores that Magic, Art, Science and Religion should not be at war with each other, but that those forms of approaching our daily lives are often intertwined and various expressions thereof have prominence at different situations. Magic is merely a way to maintain a perception that is different from the norm, it is about creating powerful metaphors that you can use to solve problems or create change, and embraces both light and dark aspects of Self, so is therefore beyond morality. (Which is probably why religious folks hate it so much.) Magic is what it is, it's how we approach our personal wholeness that matters to us, as individuals, and exploring the unknown. (So no dogma, as such.)
SSOTBME came at a good time for me, when I'd hit a stage in my life where I was wondering what the point of it all is in terms of maintaining an interest in esoteric matters. Needless to say, Dukes has offered a rather valuable way of looking at my own work. If you've yet to discover his writings, and this seems like the sort of thing that interests you, I can't recommend him enough. He also maintains a YouTube channel that might be worthwhile checking out.
February 7, 2013
This is probably one of the most important and life changing books I have ever read. It revealed to me how limiting my way of thinking really was and, more importantly, that there was an alternative. It's possible that I read this at just the right time in my life. It seems like something I should have dismissed out of hand as being irrational, and if read at any other time in my life I probably would have. I can't explain why I was ready to hear this now... maybe I just was ready to acknowledge that my previous way of thinking was not getting me where I wanted to be in life. I needed this book in order to understand how to make Magick part of my life and not just something interesting but impractical. I don't know what to say as far as recommending this book. Most people probably just wouldn't get anything out of it. Probably it is most useful for anyone, like me, who has a strong interest in Magick (and possibly other types of metaphysics) but for whom it is just not clicking.
December 5, 2019
Tiene la asombrosa capacidad de no contar nada y transformar tu cerebro. Maravilloso xD
March 31, 2020
One of the book's main premises is that "magick" is a particular way of looking at the world; and this is illustrated by examining it as a "direction" on a compass.
Imagine a compass where North is Intuition (like spiritual ideals), South is Observation (senses, empiricism), East is Thinking (linear, logical), and West is Feeling (pattern-matching, instinct). North-South are "data inputs", West-East are "information processing".
In the four quadrants are Magick (Feeling + Observation), Art (Feeling + Intuition), Religion (Intuition + Thinking), and Science (Thinking + Observation).
- "Religious thinking" values "Goodness", "morals" and "ideals", "right"/"wrong", "good"/"bad"
- "Scientific thinking" values "Truth", "facts" and "evidence", "true"/"untrue", "proof"/"disproof"
- "Magickal thinking" values "Wholeness", "what works" and "shifting perceptions", "effective"/"not"
- "Artistic thinking" values "Beauty", "aesthetics" and "creativity", "beautiful"/"not", "authentic"/"inauthentic"
I took off a star, because I personally view GD/Crowley-esque correspondence OCD as antithetical to "feeling", and very much an "over-thinking", pigeon-holing of all phenomena into a single "one true map", but I digress...
Imagine a compass where North is Intuition (like spiritual ideals), South is Observation (senses, empiricism), East is Thinking (linear, logical), and West is Feeling (pattern-matching, instinct). North-South are "data inputs", West-East are "information processing".
In the four quadrants are Magick (Feeling + Observation), Art (Feeling + Intuition), Religion (Intuition + Thinking), and Science (Thinking + Observation).
- "Religious thinking" values "Goodness", "morals" and "ideals", "right"/"wrong", "good"/"bad"
- "Scientific thinking" values "Truth", "facts" and "evidence", "true"/"untrue", "proof"/"disproof"
- "Magickal thinking" values "Wholeness", "what works" and "shifting perceptions", "effective"/"not"
- "Artistic thinking" values "Beauty", "aesthetics" and "creativity", "beautiful"/"not", "authentic"/"inauthentic"
I took off a star, because I personally view GD/Crowley-esque correspondence OCD as antithetical to "feeling", and very much an "over-thinking", pigeon-holing of all phenomena into a single "one true map", but I digress...
May 14, 2018
Years into the occult, since also having read this book, and insights still pour in. A theoretical perspective on Magick that almost all authors on this subject are not familiar with, which is to say, an undeniable theory on this matter, ironically serving the opposite of what magick loathes: Incontestable Dogma! Magic begins with observation and places the highest importance on it, over any theory or belief, of the eye over the mind. Honing your sensory perception is a key requisite. For the extra-sensory is but merely that. It is about believing your observations, and discarding these beliefs(dogma created by them) as quickly as possible, intuition being a product of your senses, and always supporting each other. Imagination ought never be allowed to delude your senses, for they are the essence of momentary truth. Those who understand this shall understand magick. Shall understand psychedelia.
The scientist is wont to prove empirically his facts while the magician wants to succeed with whatever fact suits the purpose that belongs to a stair of purposes. Ramsey Dukes, well, is a magician who thinks he can get round the accusation that he is a scientist.
The scientist is wont to prove empirically his facts while the magician wants to succeed with whatever fact suits the purpose that belongs to a stair of purposes. Ramsey Dukes, well, is a magician who thinks he can get round the accusation that he is a scientist.
January 19, 2021
Practical explanation of chaos magic as a perspective of valuing the ideas of Wholes over ideas of Truth. Both have their place; truth aligns with the perspective of science, where seeing wholes has a subjective perspective that values the qualitative aspects of seeing beyond the literal, consensus driven realm.
Ramsey Dukes, an elder practitioner, presents to us a fourfold, directional breakdown of perspectives that are also sequentially generational in nature. The four directions, Magic, Science, Art and Religion are relational where one direction culminates into an absorption by the next direction.
If you often find yourself intuitively attuned to the nature of life, and naturally sense a wholeness to priorities and divisions, this book presents a way to flesh out a way to contextualize and differentiate different perspectives on our human realm of being.
Ramsey Dukes, an elder practitioner, presents to us a fourfold, directional breakdown of perspectives that are also sequentially generational in nature. The four directions, Magic, Science, Art and Religion are relational where one direction culminates into an absorption by the next direction.
If you often find yourself intuitively attuned to the nature of life, and naturally sense a wholeness to priorities and divisions, this book presents a way to flesh out a way to contextualize and differentiate different perspectives on our human realm of being.
June 21, 2025
I'm still working through this a second time and taking notes, but I can say this is exactly the book I've been looking for for a long time without knowing it. Yes, there's sophistry in these pages, some sleight-of-hand arguments (bah-dum-bum) but to an artist or writer or creative with the right metaphorical disposition, there's a path pointed to here, that exalts intuition and summons more intuition for life and for work (and for play!).
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August 28, 2012Really wonderful book on magical theory. Spiced with cheeky humor, Dukes laus out magical thinking and practice separate from the stigmas of our current scientific society.
May 3, 2016
A book much like Isaiah Berlin's Roots of Romanticism, where categorization opens new vistas before you.
May 31, 2017
This book changed my whole view of my world. Everything around me was revealed to be full of unexpected significance. This is more than a book on magic. Read it to have your eyes opened.
August 28, 2022
Entertaining, rigorous, thoughtful, and provocative, this is a must-read for any practitioner (even as I don't agree with most of it).
August 8, 2017
Just had a dream that I started yet another book instead of finishing the last one. What does that mean? It means I'm writing a review instead of reading.
peace,
coops
peace,
coops
February 8, 2018
Not a bad book, but ultimately I believe SSOTBME is for the new up-and-coming magicians. If you are new to the occult, and to magic, this is definitely a good book to begin with.
April 6, 2021
"So you must forget your authorities and observe. Make up your own mind how much of this essay is true, how much of it is a clumsy attempt to say something which is true, how much is fraud and how much is error."
I am reading this as someone who has little interest in the occult. I listened to an interview with the author and found him interesting. I did not care for all the flowery, magical language.
But I enjoyed reading about Duke's approach to thought and his breakdown of scientific, magical, religious, and artistic thinking. If nothing else, the book shows good humor. I disliked that the author was yelling at invisible strawmen for the majority of the work.
The author showed a level of egoism paired with self awareness. And there were times where I questioned the authors sanity.
I remember a story he told about an animal "sacrifice" he took part of. Dukes found a kitten in bad shape. It had been in a car accident. He said he was "too squeamish and shocked" to find a vet so he repeatedly ran over the kitten until it died. This story has me very torn. On one hand I find it disturbing. On the other hand it's so ridiculous that it's humorous.
This was a valuable read because I've heard of occultism and this was a good primer.
The author is significantly less bull-shitty than a great portion of occultists works that I've glanced at. I see a lot of them using way more unnecessary jargon. And there was much less self-aggrandizing.
I am reading this as someone who has little interest in the occult. I listened to an interview with the author and found him interesting. I did not care for all the flowery, magical language.
But I enjoyed reading about Duke's approach to thought and his breakdown of scientific, magical, religious, and artistic thinking. If nothing else, the book shows good humor. I disliked that the author was yelling at invisible strawmen for the majority of the work.
The author showed a level of egoism paired with self awareness. And there were times where I questioned the authors sanity.
I remember a story he told about an animal "sacrifice" he took part of. Dukes found a kitten in bad shape. It had been in a car accident. He said he was "too squeamish and shocked" to find a vet so he repeatedly ran over the kitten until it died. This story has me very torn. On one hand I find it disturbing. On the other hand it's so ridiculous that it's humorous.
This was a valuable read because I've heard of occultism and this was a good primer.
The author is significantly less bull-shitty than a great portion of occultists works that I've glanced at. I see a lot of them using way more unnecessary jargon. And there was much less self-aggrandizing.
August 26, 2021
Notable esfuerzo del autor en exponer sus teorías acerca de la magia, sobre todo en relación a la religión, ciencia y arte de manera más o menos seria (a ratos bromea y llega a hacer dudar de hasta qué punto se toma todo en serio), lo que lo hace igualmente interesante tanto para quien tenga ya conocimientos previos como para quien únicamente tenga curiosidad en otras formas de pensamiento. Algunas partes pueden ser un poco más complejas, pero en cualquier caso contiene algunos párrafos que hacen pensar mucho, o incluso cambiar la forma de hacerlo.
Se agradece mucho el esfuerzo de la editorial Aurora Dorada por traer este tipo de material, y la edición contiene incluso un prólogo exclusivo para ésta, pero necesita una pequeña revisión ya que hay varias erratillas y algún fallo de traducción.
Se agradece mucho el esfuerzo de la editorial Aurora Dorada por traer este tipo de material, y la edición contiene incluso un prólogo exclusivo para ésta, pero necesita una pequeña revisión ya que hay varias erratillas y algún fallo de traducción.
September 3, 2024
**needless to say, the title is a joke**
a great essay. puts to words many things that i’ve long suspected, but wouldn’t have been able to express half as neatly. particularly appreciated his perspective on how science has filled the role religion used to in western culture: a framework of principles that gives people a sense of stability, even beyond the point of what it’s fairly capable of.
found the compass rose of
Religion <> Magic <> Science <> Art
quite interesting. definitely a new way of thinking of those for me, particularly with religion split off by itself. like his tone a lot.
the diagrams throughout the book were particularly useful. i took photos of many of them for future reference.
a great essay. puts to words many things that i’ve long suspected, but wouldn’t have been able to express half as neatly. particularly appreciated his perspective on how science has filled the role religion used to in western culture: a framework of principles that gives people a sense of stability, even beyond the point of what it’s fairly capable of.
found the compass rose of
Religion <> Magic <> Science <> Art
quite interesting. definitely a new way of thinking of those for me, particularly with religion split off by itself. like his tone a lot.
the diagrams throughout the book were particularly useful. i took photos of many of them for future reference.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2024
I still don’t really know how or if I even want to incorporate magical practice into my life - but I remain thoroughly compelled by it as a flexible lens to view the world, and am still impressed that it can intellectually defend itself so effectively. The philosophical framework feels more macro and all-encompassing simply through its lack of dogmatism.
Can’t remember if it was in this book or not, but I think there was a bit classifying the core distinction between western and eastern thought - eastern is focused on doing the right actions, while western is focused on thinking the right thoughts. This one idea has really stuck with me and has already begun to influence the way I approach my view of the world and what I want to prioritize.
Can’t remember if it was in this book or not, but I think there was a bit classifying the core distinction between western and eastern thought - eastern is focused on doing the right actions, while western is focused on thinking the right thoughts. This one idea has really stuck with me and has already begun to influence the way I approach my view of the world and what I want to prioritize.
August 12, 2020
Creo que el objetivo de este libro es dar una explicación de la Magia de una forma accesible para todo público, desde aquellos que no tienen ningún conocimiento previo sobre ocultismo o magia, hasta aquellos que han estudiado el tema en mayor o menor grado. Otro punto importante es el contraste que hace el autor de la Magia con Ciencia, Religión y Arte, demostrando que no son direcciones dispares o incompatibles, sino diferentes modos de ver la realidad. En lo personal me parece una excelente obra obligada para todos aquellos que quieran acercarse al tema.
February 8, 2023
Hace años que no leía un ensayo tan interesante y lúcido sobre magia. Lionel Snell (o Ramsey Dukes o Lemuel Johnston entre otros pseudónimos), es uno de los principales propulsores de la Magia del Caos y, en este trabajo, es capaz de ver el fenómeno mágico que sustenta las prácticas más disimiles. Una maravilla.
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April 11, 2025Imposible calificar este ensayo así como al Caos mismo, pero ideal no solo para salir del pensamiento racionalista estructurado por un rato si no también para conocer un poco más a un autor que inspiró a grandes como Alan Moore o Grant Morrison. Interesante lectura.
September 5, 2025
many would likely say this feels dated, but i'd still suggest reading it. and try to put yourself in the mindset of someone from when it was published, and think about how far ahead of itself it really was. super interesting
March 6, 2018
Well written and down to earth. Easier to read than most similar books and without unnecessary jargon
March 18, 2020
guess I'm into magic now?
July 8, 2020
Spectacular book.
May 10, 2023
A phenomenal piece on the conceptualization of Magical thought and perspective, juxtaposed with its counterparts - Science, Religion, and Art.
April 22, 2025
Amazing. Such a fresh perspective on science, art, religion and magic.
February 11, 2025
“[I]t is ridiculous to say that a flower can ‘want’ when it has no brain or nervous system: it faces the Sun because the sunny side of the stalk grows more slowly and so curls the flower in that direction, a mechanical process free from the notions of desire”.
May 11, 2023
S.S.O.T.B.M.E.
(che starebbe per Sex Secrets of the Black Magic Exposed, titolo assolutamente ingannevole e sensazionalistico) è essenzialmente un testo epistemologico: nelle prime pagine l'autore (che è Lionell Snell sotto pseudonimo) arguisce che tutta la conoscenza umana tragga i propri dati o dalla raccolta di stimoli empirici o dall'ascolto del sesto senso emotivo, e che questi dati vengano processati o tramite la logica deduttiva o con il pensiero metaforico-associativo. Di conseguenza, lo spettro continuo della conoscenza si articola nei quattro quadranti di Scienza newtoniana, Religione (intesa come prassi cultuale), Arte e infine Magia, e in ognuno dei quattro quadranti esistono sottosezioni che operano in modo simile o parzialmente sovrapponibile alle forme "pure" delle altre metodologie. Posta questa base assiomatica, l'opera descrive nel dettaglio il funzionamento della Magia come forma gnoseologica empirica-metaforica: vengono esposte le differenze sostanziali fra il pensiero magico e quello scientifico (la teoria magica è un paradigma analitico e non una tesi falsificabile, ad esempio) e con il pensiero religioso (in particolare, la natura eminentemente tecnica della magia, che sviluppa un livello morale a posteriori), si ipotizza che la cultura occidentale transiti regolarmente dall'una all'altra forma di pensiero in un ciclo ricorsivo e al contempo progressivo (ed è agghiacciante leggere in un testo del '74 revisionato nel 2000 previsioni così corrette sullo Zeitgeist degli anni 2020), viene contestata la demonizzazione del pensiero magico attuata dalle Chiese cristiane e dal positivismo contemporaneo, e vengono offerti degli esempi pratici di ragionamento analitico svolti adottando un paradigma magico per osservare l'universo – esempi non necessariamente utili per la pratica magica, ma validi come esercizio di pensiero e fonte di notevoli spunti metafisici, in particolare per quanto concerne la prospettiva di una magia a-teista fondata su un empirismo scettico.
Il volume di sicuro non è applicabile in toto a qualunque sistema di pensiero mistico, ma gli spunti che offre sono un'autentica miniera di elaborazione individuale – e del resto c'è un motivo se è un testo fondativo della magia del Caos. Aggiungiamo la prosa assolutamente affabile, concreta e allegrotta, e siamo a posto.
Il volume di sicuro non è applicabile in toto a qualunque sistema di pensiero mistico, ma gli spunti che offre sono un'autentica miniera di elaborazione individuale – e del resto c'è un motivo se è un testo fondativo della magia del Caos. Aggiungiamo la prosa assolutamente affabile, concreta e allegrotta, e siamo a posto.
September 27, 2012
Updated edition of this classic for Kindle.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews