AEtheric Magic: A Complete System of Elemental, Celestial & Alchemical Magic

by Ike Baker, Ivo Dominguez Jr. (foreword)

240 pages, Paperback

Published April 8, 2025

Reviews

[Alex M]

AEtheric Magic has a premise that interests me immediately. Ike Baker brings ceremonial magic into conversation with subtle-energy practices and develops the combination into a working system. There’s a substantial amount to explore, particularly for someone curious about how bodily awareness relates to ritual. My response is more measured than the enthusiastic endorsements, though. I can see the usefulness without feeling that this would become a central book in my practice.

The practical exercises are the strongest attraction. Breath work and visualization give readers ways to investigate ideas that could otherwise remain abstract, and the progression toward applied techniques provides a clear direction. I particularly like the attention to sound, color, and temperature. Those offer specific qualities to notice when “feel the energy” might leave someone wondering what, exactly, they’re supposed to be attending to.

My hesitation lies in the breadth of the synthesis. Moving between Egyptian concepts and Qabalistic structures, alongside Eastern energy practices, creates a lot of conceptual territory to navigate. I want to spend time examining how those connections are being made. A framework can be useful while still leaving me unconvinced that all its parts belong together as neatly as the overall presentation suggests.

The subtitle also sets a considerable expectation. “A complete system” makes me want a book I can settle into for sustained study, and this particular combination feels more like something I’d draw selected ideas from. Familiar ceremonial material gives it an accessible point of entry, but readers already working with the Middle Pillar or elemental visualization may find some recognizable ground. The appeal will depend partly on how much Baker’s arrangement adds to what they already do.

For me, this sits comfortably at “worth considering.” There are techniques I’d want to examine further, and I appreciate the effort to give subtle-energy work a structured treatment. I’d be most inclined to recommend it to someone specifically interested in combining ceremonial ritual with an energetic model of practice. It has a clear area of interest, even if my own enthusiasm doesn’t quite match the scale of its promise.

[Aida Meldari]

The system presented in the book is what I was searching for quite a long time: a method based on Western tradition, high magic, an energy-based model + no clutter, which is so typical for Ceremonial magic.

A lot is based on the Middle Pillar exercise, which I genuinely love. There are also overlaps with my personal gnosis, which were pleasant to discover, some references to Reiki (like dry-bathing), a self-care guide, many exercises to follow, comments on how to organize your practice, the application of sound and color, and suggestions to discover, try, and explore, which are really cool and refreshing.

I was personally really interested in the Tetractys as an alternative model to Qabalah.
Invocation/evocation rites make a lot of sense, and I see that the author has a similar way of viewing the spirit world as I do :)

However, if anyone is completely new to esotericism, well, they will not feel as if they are being led by the hand, since the matters of celestial hierarchies, path walking, divine names, etc. are left for personal exploration. Still, it’s a good starting point :)

And it is completely my personal impression: the author’s style is somewhat dry, and it was difficult to concentrate on it once in a while. It had a “work notes” feeling, but once again that’s a matter of personal taste.

Overall, worth exploring :)

[Alan D.D.]

I was having problems with this book from the beginning. The ideas were interesting, but the writing style wasn't for me. Also, there were times when the author connected ideas out of nowhere, taking bits and pieces from here and there. I didn't feel I was following what he tried to explain, and while I'm sure others will enjoy this book, it wasn't for me.

[Mike Longo]

Absolutely brilliant ! One of the few modern authors who do this topic justice. 100% recommend

[Lori L Rogers]

A complete energy magic system. Well described with diagrams. Highly recommended!!!

[Mitchell]

A good overview of a functional magical system although it felt a bit repetitive in the later portion.