The Magiculum

by Todd Landman (editor)

This collection of essays has been written by magicians who really care about magic. Having discovered magic at a young age, they have allowed it to mature alongside their intellectual and practical formation. They contemplate different dimensions of magic and how they relate to it. Their stories and reflections reveal remarkable similarities in the themes that they Magic as power. Magic as escape. Magic as protection. Magic as play. Magic as medium. Magic as unknowable. Magic as symbol. Magic as language. Magic as incomplete. The book will touch anyone who has imagined a magical world and who has a sense of wonder, either as a child or as an adult. Broad in its approach, specific in its intent, 'The Magiculum' offers much to contemplate.

210 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2014

Reviews

[Oliver Ho · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had hoped this would be more interesting. A few of the essays started to go in compelling directions, but ultimately the book fell short for me.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Magiculum” is a collection of essays written by magicians, edited by Dr. Todd Landman. It addresses performance magic versus the world of magic. It is a series of stories, told from the perspective of lifelong magicians … who also happen to be academics, teachers, martial artists, actors, readers, pastors, and thinkers. It addresses magic in its diverse forms … as power, as escape, as protection, as a language … and more.

Magic/Magick has been a part of my life for a very long time now. From the first I heard of this book, I knew that I wanted to read it. I was not disappointed. Here we really see where the lines cross between performance magic (entertainment) and magick (real magic).

“Magiculum” essays were based on the following questions:

1. What in your upbringing and formation led you to magic?
2. What does magic mean for you?
3. In what ways does magic affect your day-to-day living?
4. In what ways do you elicit magic in your work, performance, and social relationships?
5. Why does magic matter to you?

Essay themes include magic as power, as escape, as protection, as play, as a medium, as the unknowable, as a symbol, as a language, and as incomplete. Essayists include Todd Landman, Andy Fisher, Stuart Nolan, Daniele Nigris, Lynne Kelly, Ashton Carter, Nik Taylor, Dr. Christopher Faria, Camelia Elias, Professor BC, Enrique Enriquez, Christopher J Gould, and Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold.

Each essay is a lovely story unto itself … speaking from childhood memories on through present day reality. We are allowed to enter into the minds of some fabulous thinkers … to see how they create their reality, and how they deal with other people’s reality. They are all true magicians … yet for each of them there is a “9-5” that allows them to follow their magical dreams, and to work with magic in a very real way.

A Tarotist myself, I was happy to see the Tarot addressed in context with magic by both Enrique Enriquez and Camelia Elias. From their own separate viewpoints they show how the language of Tarot is the language of magic. Enriquez talks about the Tarot trumps, imaginary folklore, the Marseille Tarot, and “the language of the birds”. Elias addresses the Tarot as a story telling device, and a means for finding magical solutions. (I am admittedly taking some liberty here, as she also references other oracles.)

This is one of those books that I will return to from time to time, to ground and center myself. To understand the part magic/magick plays in my personal and professional life, and how I can be “okay” with that.

[Nico]

You can find my review published in Spiral Nature Magazine here:
http://www.spiralnature.com/reviews/m...

[Roger Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of essays about magic. They explore many aspects of magic in a broad sense with the aim of providing subjects for further study and contemplation. There is a distinguished list of contributors some from the academic world.