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Rebels & Devils: The Psychology of Liberation
Rebels & Devils brings together some of the most talented, controversial and rebellious people of our time. Many, such as Timothy Leary, William S. Burroughs, Robert Anton Wilson, Osho and Aleister Crowley are world-famous. Other contributors, such as S. Jason Black, Joseph Matheny and Peter J. Carroll, though highly accomplished in their own fields, are not as well-known. Still others are lesser-known—for now. But, every contributor, in every article, in every aspect of their lives, has had but one focus: to bring freedom to their world.
In all of human history, the essence of the independent mind has been the need to think and act according to standards from within, not without: To follow one's own path, not that of the crowd. Inevitably, it follows that anyone with an independent mind must become "one who resists or opposes an authority or established convention": a rebel.
Usually rebellion is done so quietly that no one notices. But, when others—especially others with power—recognize an individual's 'disobedience,' the rebel becomes the REBEL. And, if enough people come to agree with—and follow—the REBEL, there becomes a DEVIL.
Until, of course, still more people agree. And then, finally, there is ... GREATNESS.
In all of human history, the essence of the independent mind has been the need to think and act according to standards from within, not without: To follow one's own path, not that of the crowd. Inevitably, it follows that anyone with an independent mind must become "one who resists or opposes an authority or established convention": a rebel.
Usually rebellion is done so quietly that no one notices. But, when others—especially others with power—recognize an individual's 'disobedience,' the rebel becomes the REBEL. And, if enough people come to agree with—and follow—the REBEL, there becomes a DEVIL.
Until, of course, still more people agree. And then, finally, there is ... GREATNESS.
428 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
22 people are currently reading
617 people want to read
About the author
Christopher S. Hyatt
106 books107 followersChristopher Hyatt was an American occultist, author, and founder of the Extreme Individual Institute (EII).Using his birth name, Alan Ronald Miller, he has served as president of New Falcon Publications.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 7, 2016
A rather eclectic collection of essays and excerpts, which I think is true to its title in having the idea of personal liberty as its connecting thread more so than the concepts of spirituality, magick generally, or chaos magic specifically, as one might expect on the basis of Dr. Hyatt's other work, though all of these are well represented.
Of particular interest to me were "Living Thelema" by Jack Parsons (not be be confused with the similar title by David Shoemaker) on which I wound up basing a class; the interview with Israel Regardie, which showed more of his humanity than anything I'd yet encountered; and the concise overview of e-prime by RAW, which greatly increased my interest in following up that topic. This also served to introduce me to a number of authors with whom I was unfamiliar and whom I am now more likely to seek out.
All in all, I'd say this is quite a reasonable starting point for anyone interested in iconoclastic ideas, whose mind is already open enough to entertain the absurd, the bizarre, and the outright maniacal long enough to discern paths for future investigation in greater depth.
Of particular interest to me were "Living Thelema" by Jack Parsons (not be be confused with the similar title by David Shoemaker) on which I wound up basing a class; the interview with Israel Regardie, which showed more of his humanity than anything I'd yet encountered; and the concise overview of e-prime by RAW, which greatly increased my interest in following up that topic. This also served to introduce me to a number of authors with whom I was unfamiliar and whom I am now more likely to seek out.
All in all, I'd say this is quite a reasonable starting point for anyone interested in iconoclastic ideas, whose mind is already open enough to entertain the absurd, the bizarre, and the outright maniacal long enough to discern paths for future investigation in greater depth.
December 14, 2014
I started reading this book a year or so ago, and just finished it yesterday. It wasn't that it was really bad; it was mostly just because I never put time into reading it. The contents of the book was a collection of writings from different authors. Some where personal experiences, historical events with personal opinion / interpretation.
Others where personal philosophy, the central theme was told from the point of view of an outcast of society. Supporting this kind of life style, so of course you had criminal elements, anti government rhetoric, anti religion, and new age beliefs. Some of it was quite interesting to me personally, but a lot of it was just a way for me to gain insight into a different world view.
The book made a lot of false claims, as can be expected with told from the outcast. But other than that I kind of liked reading the book. As others have said, it felt as though portions of some of the entry's where just filler. That they repeated what they'd already said numerous times to get that word count which made reading it less fluid.
Another aspect was that some of the writing entry's where just kind of bad, now I don't mean bad in terms of content or viewpoint. Just the writing style, as if they where having trouble putting what they wanted to say into a coherent paragraph.
Others where personal philosophy, the central theme was told from the point of view of an outcast of society. Supporting this kind of life style, so of course you had criminal elements, anti government rhetoric, anti religion, and new age beliefs. Some of it was quite interesting to me personally, but a lot of it was just a way for me to gain insight into a different world view.
The book made a lot of false claims, as can be expected with told from the outcast. But other than that I kind of liked reading the book. As others have said, it felt as though portions of some of the entry's where just filler. That they repeated what they'd already said numerous times to get that word count which made reading it less fluid.
Another aspect was that some of the writing entry's where just kind of bad, now I don't mean bad in terms of content or viewpoint. Just the writing style, as if they where having trouble putting what they wanted to say into a coherent paragraph.
November 12, 2025
It is easy to assume from the outside that Satanism is merely ceremonial anti-Christian devil worship, and drug use and homosexuality are something between personal choice recreations and tolerable societal ills. Hyatt combines over 400 pages of articles from William S. Burroughs, Austin Osman Spare, Timothy Leary and more to intellectualize such activities as some of the manifold paths to realizing full human potential. It is in the analysis of the life and motivations of Aleister Crowley and the candid, in-depth interview with Israel Regardie that the savage breaking of taboos is seen as a tool. The interview by Hyatt with Regardie and the following Crowley analysis by psychologist Richard Kaczynski are the core of the book, literally and figuratively. This strips the mystique off occult activity and rebellious behavior and describes them within the confines of a methodology. To quote Kaczynski in "Taboo & Transformation": "The ceremonial magick championed by Crowley...is, in a nutshell, alchemy: The transformation of one's base character into gold. ...If psychological triggers can precipitate spiritual change, then the taboos socially programmed into us can act as triggers for major spiritual transformation."
Read
February 7, 2012Most sections seemed to be just filler-text, but a few articles changed my perspective and opened me to new worlds.
August 10, 2020
Interesting enough
A collection of essays, articles, poems and rants on liberation and self transformation, psychotherapy, occultism and magic. There is a significant overlapping of content with the other collection just read. Which is a bit annoying. I Love paying for the same thing twice. Anyway same comments as before. A curious and fascinating mixture of the possibly profound down to the outrageously trite and silly. You can decide for yourself which is which. All metaphors can be useful, to some degree or other. I seriously doubt that narcissism, hedonism and blatant attempts to shock and outrage have much to do with ‘liberation’. But always a great excuse for a raging party.
A collection of essays, articles, poems and rants on liberation and self transformation, psychotherapy, occultism and magic. There is a significant overlapping of content with the other collection just read. Which is a bit annoying. I Love paying for the same thing twice. Anyway same comments as before. A curious and fascinating mixture of the possibly profound down to the outrageously trite and silly. You can decide for yourself which is which. All metaphors can be useful, to some degree or other. I seriously doubt that narcissism, hedonism and blatant attempts to shock and outrage have much to do with ‘liberation’. But always a great excuse for a raging party.
January 26, 2008
This book reaches really high and gets most of the way there through strong writing by many of the 20th century's best publicly known esotericists, such as William S. Burroughs, Timothy Leary, Robert Anton Wilson, Austin Osman Spare, Genesis P-Orridge, Aleister Crowley, Israel Regardie, Jack Parsons, and others...
March 9, 2008
there is no god without devil. and neither matters.
this collection of writings by a multitude of front-line practitioners is simply amazing. be a rebel and browse through it, if yr strong enough to consider yr own grisly death daily.
this collection of writings by a multitude of front-line practitioners is simply amazing. be a rebel and browse through it, if yr strong enough to consider yr own grisly death daily.
August 21, 2010
Would reread essays in first two thirds. Last third was not very interesting or good. Favorites were beyond the event horizon, crowley's rebellion. Parts 1 and 2 definitely the best.
December 7, 2022
A very good book that shows various works of many Occultists and the way they perceive the world. Heavy reading. 👌🏻
June 25, 2009
Amazing book with provocative articles and essays of a rebellious nature.
March 26, 2013
I feel i have always intuitively understood these things...But I've always been a rebel at heart :)
April 8, 2017
Christopher Hyatt was an occultist, a doctor of psychology and founder of the Extreme Individuals Institute. He was also president of New Falcon Publications, which under his watch became well known for publishing envelope-pushing and often controversial personal development material. Rebels and Devils is a collection of essays, poems, interviews and short stories from some of the best mind explorers he knew.
Some of the writers here are well known in the field, such as Aleister Crowley, Robert Anton Wilson, Timothy Leary, and William Burroughs. Others are less well known, but have equally illuminating viewpoints to share. Different styles and backgrounds come together in a thorough analysis of the individual going against the grain of society, how their perception of reality differs from the layman, and more specifically the transformation of mindset that anyone pursuing occult practices needs to undergo.
It is written from a left hand path perspective, in the sense that all of the contributions are centred around each individual being his own god who can take control of his own spiritual development, and around removing the labels of good and evil. ‘What we do and how we feel is a function of believing in fictitious limitations which have no basis except in habits.’ Having read a fair few mediocre writings on the left hand path of late, this is a refreshing and dogma-free approach to the subject - as many claim to be, but few really are when you get beneath the surface.
There is an excellent overview of Aleister Crowley's belief system and what his Thelemic order stands for across two essays - one by an OTO initiate and one by Jack Parsons. There is a revealing and amusing interview transcript with Israel Regardie and Christopher Hyatt. And a whole section is dedicated to chaos magick, exploring the philosophical basis of magick in the modern world, including some basic techniques offered by the best authors on the subject: Austin Osman Spare, Phil Hine and Peter Carroll.
The variety is such that it feels like a toolkit for opening the mind. The reader is pulled this way and that, challenged at every step, so that I think it would be nearly impossible for anyone to come away without some kind of new perspective and personal drive. I was already familiar with several of the writers included in this volume, but have now discovered more to look further into. Particularly memorable for me was an Indian mystic guru known as Osho who said:
‘This earth is ours, and what kind of freedom is there if we cannot even move? Everywhere there are big barriers, every nation is a big imprisonment. Just because you cannot see the boundaries you think you are free. Just try to pass through the boundary and immediately you will be faced with a loaded gun: ‘go back inside to prison. You belong to this prison. You cannot enter into another prison without permission.’ These are your nations!’
Although it may appear to be written by conspiracy theorists at times, especially when Robert Anton Wilson talks about ‘the war on (some) drugs’, the focus is very much on self development and not anarchy. Another Osho quote illustrates this:
‘Each individual passing through a rebellion is not fighting with anybody else, but is fighting only with his own darkness.’
I haven’t given full marks for this book mainly because it is a ‘taster’ designed to give an appetite for the full offerings rather than fully explaining any concept from start to finish. But also because some of the contributions felt like fillers, some were repetitive and some were poorly written so didn’t express their points well. I began to feel this way more towards the end of the book – even Genesis P Orridge had a long section that wasn't particularly coherent and wasn’t a good representation of hir ideas.
On the whole though, ‘Rebels and Devils’ comes highly recommended for anyone wanting to broaden their perspective from the mundane, and for those who need a shake up of values every now and then. Finally, a short quote from Christopher Hyatt to sum up the attitude of the book:
‘Stop looking for facts, believe what you like, and have fun!’
For the original review and more, please visit my blog.
Some of the writers here are well known in the field, such as Aleister Crowley, Robert Anton Wilson, Timothy Leary, and William Burroughs. Others are less well known, but have equally illuminating viewpoints to share. Different styles and backgrounds come together in a thorough analysis of the individual going against the grain of society, how their perception of reality differs from the layman, and more specifically the transformation of mindset that anyone pursuing occult practices needs to undergo.
It is written from a left hand path perspective, in the sense that all of the contributions are centred around each individual being his own god who can take control of his own spiritual development, and around removing the labels of good and evil. ‘What we do and how we feel is a function of believing in fictitious limitations which have no basis except in habits.’ Having read a fair few mediocre writings on the left hand path of late, this is a refreshing and dogma-free approach to the subject - as many claim to be, but few really are when you get beneath the surface.
There is an excellent overview of Aleister Crowley's belief system and what his Thelemic order stands for across two essays - one by an OTO initiate and one by Jack Parsons. There is a revealing and amusing interview transcript with Israel Regardie and Christopher Hyatt. And a whole section is dedicated to chaos magick, exploring the philosophical basis of magick in the modern world, including some basic techniques offered by the best authors on the subject: Austin Osman Spare, Phil Hine and Peter Carroll.
The variety is such that it feels like a toolkit for opening the mind. The reader is pulled this way and that, challenged at every step, so that I think it would be nearly impossible for anyone to come away without some kind of new perspective and personal drive. I was already familiar with several of the writers included in this volume, but have now discovered more to look further into. Particularly memorable for me was an Indian mystic guru known as Osho who said:
‘This earth is ours, and what kind of freedom is there if we cannot even move? Everywhere there are big barriers, every nation is a big imprisonment. Just because you cannot see the boundaries you think you are free. Just try to pass through the boundary and immediately you will be faced with a loaded gun: ‘go back inside to prison. You belong to this prison. You cannot enter into another prison without permission.’ These are your nations!’
Although it may appear to be written by conspiracy theorists at times, especially when Robert Anton Wilson talks about ‘the war on (some) drugs’, the focus is very much on self development and not anarchy. Another Osho quote illustrates this:
‘Each individual passing through a rebellion is not fighting with anybody else, but is fighting only with his own darkness.’
I haven’t given full marks for this book mainly because it is a ‘taster’ designed to give an appetite for the full offerings rather than fully explaining any concept from start to finish. But also because some of the contributions felt like fillers, some were repetitive and some were poorly written so didn’t express their points well. I began to feel this way more towards the end of the book – even Genesis P Orridge had a long section that wasn't particularly coherent and wasn’t a good representation of hir ideas.
On the whole though, ‘Rebels and Devils’ comes highly recommended for anyone wanting to broaden their perspective from the mundane, and for those who need a shake up of values every now and then. Finally, a short quote from Christopher Hyatt to sum up the attitude of the book:
‘Stop looking for facts, believe what you like, and have fun!’
For the original review and more, please visit my blog.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews