Magic, Its Ritual, Power And Purpose

by W.E. Butler

The aim of the genuine magician, says W.E. Butler, is to realise that True Self of which his earthly personality is but the mask. In this book is to be found a remarkably concise explanation of the ancient uses, ritual and true aims of Magic. the author sweeps away the confusion caused by the many misconceptions, and surveys the history of Magic from the 'old religion' of pre-Christian times through to the discoveries of modern psychology. and it is, he says, with the modern school of psychology, particularly Jungian, that the magician finds his closest link with modern thought. Since the author is writing for Western man he is not concerned with Eastern magical systems, but here explains the 'Western Tradition' of Magic. This tradition embodies the teaching and practices that have been handed down from antiquity, the central philosophy on which it hinges being the corpus of Hebrew mystical wisdom known as the Qabalah. Magic, far from being an irrational superstition, is based upon profound psychological laws, and possesses its own special technique. Although repressed throughout the ages in the Western world, it has never ceased to exist and has from time to time emerged in different forms - one of the most notable in Britain being the 'Order of the Golden Dawn', which is still in existence, and perpetuates Western magical traditions. This book constitutes a most useful preliminary guide to any study 'in depth' of this admittedly vast subject.

Genres: Occult

80 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1980

About the author

Walter Ernest Butler was an occultist and the Founder and first Director of Servants of the Light in Britain. He worked closely with Dion Fortune in the Society of the Inner Light.

Reviews

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think that the author was trying to link the Catholic church to pagan rites, but I'm not sure.
This book was confusing to me, more than anything else.

[Caroline W · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was a difficult read, despite the brevity. Much of the history presented was highly inaccurate. I can't say that I learned anything from this book. Also, for a book that starts of claiming magic exists in almost all religions, the excessive focus on Christianity was a little repugnant, especially when so much more could have been said about Qabala, masons, golden dawn, etc.

[David Corvine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concise overview of the subject. The writing style is somewhat pedestrian.

[Petros Lamprides · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very short book (introductory at best) on a very large subject, the writer ever claims that fact at the end of the book. Taking in consideration that it was written in the 50s', some anachronistic views are to be overlooked.
Even though it makes some very interesting points, the usual habit of almost every new age (I would characterize it as such) text of borrowing assets from Theology, Psychology, Psychoanalysis, Philosophy, hard Science, Social Science, History and many other gnostic fields, but never focusing on one, or at least utilising its methods, is very harmful to its credibility. For example, there were hardly any footnotes or bibliography (and this makes it very frustrating when someone wants to cross-check facts and certenly not a scientific document), huge gaps in thought schools (if you like to use Philosophy to analyze "the problem of evil", you cannot afford to ignore Plato, Aristotle and Plotinus), an -almost obsessive- repetition of Jung when it comes to Psychology (this could be excused due to time proximity of the writer to Jung though, but still, does not check) etc.
Concluding, there certainly are many better books on the subject, introductory or specialized on every one of these views in which Butler presents Magic. But it nevertheless is a good source and a good subjective view of an occultist about the practice of Magic. If one takes into consideration the year and the subjective views of the writter, this can be a useful little book.

[Claudio Yáñez Valenzuela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es un opúsculo muy citado, pero con tanta expectativa creada, cuando lo he leído, la verdad, me ha parecido aburrido y superficial.

[Beyza · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Maji; iradeyle bilinçte değişimler yaratma sanatıdır..." sf 22

[Les75 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una buona introduzione all'arte degli antichi Magi, ad opera di un profondo conoscitore della magia. Si scopre a poco a poco che la vera magia è un esercizio mentale/psicologico che serve a migliorare se stessi e a tirare fuori dal proprio subconscio potenzialità inespresse. Bando, quindi, a lestofanti e truffatori: chi vuole intraprendere la via della magia dev'essere animato da un principio superiore a qualsiasi brama di potere/ricchezza/successo.

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occult Classic from Butler.Like Regardie intoduces Psychology to the mix.