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Why Magic Fails
222 pages, Paperback
Published November 6, 2024
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May 23, 2025
Nick Farrell’s “Why Magic Fails” is a refreshing, rigorously honest examination of Western esoteric practice from one of the few living authorities in the Golden Dawn tradition. Farrell spares no punches, diagnosing where modern practitioners trip up, often by mistaking TikTok-style “intent and manifestation” for true magic. From my Thelemic vantage point, his Old Aeonic bias peeks through now and then, but it only adds spice to his clear-sighted critique.
Visually, the book let me down a little: all the illustrations are AI-generated (very well done, but a reminder that soon we won’t know what’s synthetic and what’s authentic). The typesetting feels straight out of the ’90s, which lends a certain charm but also makes you yearn for a more contemporary layout. A few proofreading misses slip through here and there, though they never obscure the main arguments.
A must-read wake-up call for anyone serious about real magic(k).
Visually, the book let me down a little: all the illustrations are AI-generated (very well done, but a reminder that soon we won’t know what’s synthetic and what’s authentic). The typesetting feels straight out of the ’90s, which lends a certain charm but also makes you yearn for a more contemporary layout. A few proofreading misses slip through here and there, though they never obscure the main arguments.
A must-read wake-up call for anyone serious about real magic(k).
Displaying 1 of 1 review