Three Dangerous Magi: Osho Gurdjieff Crowley: Osho, Gurdjieff, Crowley

by P.T. Mistlberger

The Three Dangerous Magi reveals scandal, mayhem, death, sex, drugs, ecstasy, enlightenment, in the lives of the three most notorious sages of the 20th century. Use their story for personal transformation.

Genres: Spirituality, Occult, Biography, Nonfiction, Philosophy

726 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comprehensive, sympathetic yet often skeptical recounting of the lives and ideas of Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh), Gurdjieff, and Crowley by a very well-read practitioner. I'd give it another star except that I think the author gives too much credence to unsubstantiated metaphysical claims and it is sometimes a bit repetitive. Still, the amount of material in this book, including background on philosophers and traditions that influenced each of these "dangerous magi" is impressive.

[Ludo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this book I was already somewhat familiar with Gurdjieff's teachings, and wondered why anyone would write a book on him with the names Crowley and Osho also mentioned in the title.
Osho didn't interest me because through the media my perceived idea was that this wasn't a genuine teacher.
Crowley was a name I would avoid because of the reputation generally being connected to black magic and weird stuff.
The author has thoroughly changed my vision on Crowley - a very interesting personality was portrayed, totally different from what I believed at first about the man sometimes referred to as The Beast 666.
Osho's life story was also described in a fascinating way; I'm still not interested in his methods of teaching, but understand better what the Bhagwan-commotion was all about in the 1980's.
Most interesting was that the author actually delved into all three characters teachings personally for years, thus having a good idea what points of comparison to bring up.
The book is bulky, but the writing is casual enough (meaning not full of academic jargon) to make it a very pleasant read.

[Lainie Petersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging book in need of an editor. The author conducted painstaking research, well-synthesized with his own considerable experience in esoteric practice. The trouble is that sometimes the text wanders into trivia that would have best been relegated to an appendix. Still, this book was crafted with great wisdom. Recommended.

[Lina Slavova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow.

[Carlos G · Rating 4 out of 5]

very clear , interesting and important information about the three gurus.
particularly the appendix where he traces 10 parallels between Osho and Crowley.
I never had the idea to compare both, but it was very insightful to do that.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

They may have possessed wisdom and clever ideas and been (semi) tragically misunderstood, but above all else the book reinforces one thing: these guys were assholes.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this book as over the years I've read so much about the subjects. I'm glad I did though, this man brings experience to the table and his insights are pretty sharp so there was much food for thought. This book is so well written and researched it must be a work of love. It will be useful to anyone looking to explore Crowley, Gurdjieff or Osho. He offers a fine analysis of their position on the world stage and gives due respect to these men who are often vilified by lesser minds. Covering their historical influences, achievements and showing why such people are important to the well being of humanity .All in all a great book that has been an informative pleasure.

[Jönathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview and analysis of the lives and the systems of three controversial modern spiritual teachers. Honest about their all-too-human faults but not critical of the value of their systems for the spirituals seeker. This is an excellent book if you are interested in these guys.

[Hock Chye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thick book needing time to read.At times I think it is hard to read even.

[Antonio Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 3 most favorite Magis! Great coverage and insights here.