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Pop Magick: A Simple Guide to Bending Your Reality
“Alex Kazemi has his finger on the pulse of magick and all its wonders." —George Noory, Host of Coast to Coast AM
“We live in dangerous times. We are all subject to unseen forces—social, technological, biological—that have programmed and conditioned us, like Pavlov's dogs, to behave without thinking. The way out of this maze is difficult. Pop Magick is an exciting and unconventional attempt to help us all deprogram, through methods culled from primal sources in magic and alchemy. This in the tradition of people like Gurdjieff and Colin Wilson, the tradition of trying to wake us up from our slumber. You have nothing to lose but your chains.” —Robert Greene
“Alex Kazemi is a boy wonder.” — Shirley Manson
“My favorite millennial provocateur.” — Bret Easton Ellis
“I want to heal. This book should help me along my treacherous path to better understanding myself.” — Bella Thorne
FROM STRUGGLING ARTIST TO ILLUMINATI PRINCE
How did counter-culture pop artist Alex Kazemi, a self-described “kid from the suburbs,” get Taylor Swift to invite him backstage, Marilyn Manson to tweet about his directorial debut, Selena Gomez and Petra Collins to collaborate with him on a magazine piece, and Madonna to express excitement over a magazine cover he created? Magick!
“Can a small step change your life? Of course it can. Alex Kazemi provides a treasure map of simple yet revolutionary possibilities which, if practiced with passion, can lead you to magick, self-discovery, and more rabbit holes than you can dive into.” — Mitch Horowitz , PEN Award-winning Author of Occult America and The Miracle Club
MAGICK IS REAL
Talent is great if you have it and luck is fine if you can find it, but Kazemi learned it would take something more to see his dreams come true. It would take magick—a real, spiritual force that anyone can learn to harness.
“There's never been a better or easier time to work magick. Whereas past generations of witches and warlocks had their potions, their Tarot cards, and their superstitions, today's magician has a laptop, an iPhone, and Twitter. But how to harness these modern tools? That's where Alex Kazemi's Pop Magick comes in. He's read all of those dusty, old occult books so you don't have to! All you have to do is pick up Pop Magick and start reading. Who knows what'll actually happen to your brain once you've finished it." — Richard Metzger , dangerousminds.net
"This book will help you discover tools that expand your consciousness and manifest your deepest desires. I’m happy to see that Transcendental Meditation is part of Alex’s journey to find strength in the stillness within.” —Bob Roth , author of Strength in Stillness
YOU HAVE THE POWER WITHIN YOU
Magick isn't a treasured secret for a privileged few. It's meant for everyone. It’s meant for you. Are you ready to bend reality? Do you want to get out of The Simulation? Do you want to unlock your creative potential? Do you hunger for a more spiritual life? Magick promises you this and more. Follow Alex on his own journey from a troubled outsider to an enlightened young man as he shares the secret power of Pop Magick.
“Held in your hands is powerful, proactive magick that can change your life for the better and awaken you to extraordinary abilities you might once have considered fantasy. Alex Kazemi is the most exciting and authentic voice bridging ancient wisdom and the modern world today. You won't regret reading this book.” — Fiona Horne
“We live in dangerous times. We are all subject to unseen forces—social, technological, biological—that have programmed and conditioned us, like Pavlov's dogs, to behave without thinking. The way out of this maze is difficult. Pop Magick is an exciting and unconventional attempt to help us all deprogram, through methods culled from primal sources in magic and alchemy. This in the tradition of people like Gurdjieff and Colin Wilson, the tradition of trying to wake us up from our slumber. You have nothing to lose but your chains.” —Robert Greene
“Alex Kazemi is a boy wonder.” — Shirley Manson
“My favorite millennial provocateur.” — Bret Easton Ellis
“I want to heal. This book should help me along my treacherous path to better understanding myself.” — Bella Thorne
FROM STRUGGLING ARTIST TO ILLUMINATI PRINCE
How did counter-culture pop artist Alex Kazemi, a self-described “kid from the suburbs,” get Taylor Swift to invite him backstage, Marilyn Manson to tweet about his directorial debut, Selena Gomez and Petra Collins to collaborate with him on a magazine piece, and Madonna to express excitement over a magazine cover he created? Magick!
“Can a small step change your life? Of course it can. Alex Kazemi provides a treasure map of simple yet revolutionary possibilities which, if practiced with passion, can lead you to magick, self-discovery, and more rabbit holes than you can dive into.” — Mitch Horowitz , PEN Award-winning Author of Occult America and The Miracle Club
MAGICK IS REAL
Talent is great if you have it and luck is fine if you can find it, but Kazemi learned it would take something more to see his dreams come true. It would take magick—a real, spiritual force that anyone can learn to harness.
“There's never been a better or easier time to work magick. Whereas past generations of witches and warlocks had their potions, their Tarot cards, and their superstitions, today's magician has a laptop, an iPhone, and Twitter. But how to harness these modern tools? That's where Alex Kazemi's Pop Magick comes in. He's read all of those dusty, old occult books so you don't have to! All you have to do is pick up Pop Magick and start reading. Who knows what'll actually happen to your brain once you've finished it." — Richard Metzger , dangerousminds.net
"This book will help you discover tools that expand your consciousness and manifest your deepest desires. I’m happy to see that Transcendental Meditation is part of Alex’s journey to find strength in the stillness within.” —Bob Roth , author of Strength in Stillness
YOU HAVE THE POWER WITHIN YOU
Magick isn't a treasured secret for a privileged few. It's meant for everyone. It’s meant for you. Are you ready to bend reality? Do you want to get out of The Simulation? Do you want to unlock your creative potential? Do you hunger for a more spiritual life? Magick promises you this and more. Follow Alex on his own journey from a troubled outsider to an enlightened young man as he shares the secret power of Pop Magick.
“Held in your hands is powerful, proactive magick that can change your life for the better and awaken you to extraordinary abilities you might once have considered fantasy. Alex Kazemi is the most exciting and authentic voice bridging ancient wisdom and the modern world today. You won't regret reading this book.” — Fiona Horne
208 pages, Hardcover
Published February 18, 2020
42 people are currently reading
230 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 30, 2020
There's like 70 pages of actual magical advice here and the rest is this boy trying to convince you that he's powerful because he knows all these celebrities! And he manifested all this cool articles!! And he has his head so far up his ass he couldn't distinguish between beginner magic and advanced magic. Putting all beings in the astral in the same level and then claiming to be protected by a divine energy that he CREATED?????
Also very misogynistic and entitled to want feminists groups to deal with toxic masculinity when they're spread thin between the wage gap and raising awareness for survivors of abuse. Fuck right off.
Also very misogynistic and entitled to want feminists groups to deal with toxic masculinity when they're spread thin between the wage gap and raising awareness for survivors of abuse. Fuck right off.
March 18, 2020
The author spends an awful lot of time discussing his own magical triumphs and the interesting life magic gives him. With that, too, we see a bit of lifestyle editorializing on the subject of things like drug use and pornography.
He also talks a bit about celebrities through an occult lens. “ARIANA GRANDE IS A POWERFUL MAGICKAL ALCHEMIST,” he writes.
These things didn’t really add to the book very much - I’m not particularly interested in the author’s peculiar perspectives on drug use, strippers, and his relationships with celebrities.
I picked up this book to read about magic, not 25-year-old Alex Kazemi’s personal life philosophy. I get that life lessons are often entwined with magic lessons, but so little of it seems relevant here, and runs awfully close to just bragging.
The author assigns a definition to the phrase “pop magick,” portraying it as a flavor of results-oriented magic, albeit with heavier witch influences. So much of his theory, and many of the practices in the book, recall older chaos magic techniques.
Strangely, though, Mr. Kazemi describes magic as creating “order” out of “chaos” through imposition of one’s own divine will on nature. This is a little odd, and seems to blend high magic with the chaos magic paradigm.
I spent a few years in the late 2000s studying chaos magic, and then the first half of the 2010s focused on Thelema and other high magical systems. They can work well together, but the author ought to provide more to work with.
There’s bits about which color candles “do” what, correspondences for the moon phasesTo be honest, it would have been prudent for the author to talk more about the origins of these techniques (such as Spare sigilization) rather than flying past them at breakneck speed.
About halfway through, the author declares himself (and the reader) to be Illuminati members. To be Illuminati, he claims, just means “bring[ing] order to chaos” via the imposition of your divine will on reality. I would’ve liked more context, and maybe a bit of the relevant history of Illuminati legends.
Some portions of the book felt a little disjointed in a way I can’t quite describe - I feel like the transitions between different sections could flow a little better. Keep in mind that I received an advance reader copy, and that issue might vanish in the final book when published; we’ll see.
I didn’t really come across anything that was new to me in this book, but I could see a beginning chaos witch finding it a bit helpful. You can find much of the same information online, though, or in more detailed, existing books.
For this reason, I’m giving this book two out of five stars. I didn’t really enjoy reading it, nor did I learn much from it.
Please note that much of this book discusses adult subject matter - this isn’t one for the kids! There are plenty of references to drugs, alcohol, and sex magic - though the author admits he’s never tried sex magic.
He also talks a bit about celebrities through an occult lens. “ARIANA GRANDE IS A POWERFUL MAGICKAL ALCHEMIST,” he writes.
These things didn’t really add to the book very much - I’m not particularly interested in the author’s peculiar perspectives on drug use, strippers, and his relationships with celebrities.
I picked up this book to read about magic, not 25-year-old Alex Kazemi’s personal life philosophy. I get that life lessons are often entwined with magic lessons, but so little of it seems relevant here, and runs awfully close to just bragging.
The author assigns a definition to the phrase “pop magick,” portraying it as a flavor of results-oriented magic, albeit with heavier witch influences. So much of his theory, and many of the practices in the book, recall older chaos magic techniques.
Strangely, though, Mr. Kazemi describes magic as creating “order” out of “chaos” through imposition of one’s own divine will on nature. This is a little odd, and seems to blend high magic with the chaos magic paradigm.
I spent a few years in the late 2000s studying chaos magic, and then the first half of the 2010s focused on Thelema and other high magical systems. They can work well together, but the author ought to provide more to work with.
There’s bits about which color candles “do” what, correspondences for the moon phasesTo be honest, it would have been prudent for the author to talk more about the origins of these techniques (such as Spare sigilization) rather than flying past them at breakneck speed.
About halfway through, the author declares himself (and the reader) to be Illuminati members. To be Illuminati, he claims, just means “bring[ing] order to chaos” via the imposition of your divine will on reality. I would’ve liked more context, and maybe a bit of the relevant history of Illuminati legends.
Some portions of the book felt a little disjointed in a way I can’t quite describe - I feel like the transitions between different sections could flow a little better. Keep in mind that I received an advance reader copy, and that issue might vanish in the final book when published; we’ll see.
I didn’t really come across anything that was new to me in this book, but I could see a beginning chaos witch finding it a bit helpful. You can find much of the same information online, though, or in more detailed, existing books.
For this reason, I’m giving this book two out of five stars. I didn’t really enjoy reading it, nor did I learn much from it.
Please note that much of this book discusses adult subject matter - this isn’t one for the kids! There are plenty of references to drugs, alcohol, and sex magic - though the author admits he’s never tried sex magic.
March 30, 2020
I had to let this one sit for a few days before I decided to write a review.
I would not suggest this as someone's first introduction to techniques and metaphysics of magic. I would not suggest this as a more in-depth guide, either. Beginner works like John Michael Greer's The Druid Magic Handbook: Ritual Magic Rooted in the Living Earth, Donald Michael Kraig's Modern Magick: Twelve Lessons in the High Magickal Arts, Benebell Wen's The Tao of Craft: Fu Talismans and Casting Sigils in the Eastern Esoteric Tradition, or Gordon White's The Chaos Protocols: Magical Techniques for Navigating the New Economic Reality offer better introductions in terms of techniques and metaphysics for results-oriented magic.
Pop Magick: A Simple Guide to Bending Your Reality is the book you read after you read a better beginner book for a little bit of contrast in terms of philosophy. Pop Magick is a pop-chaos magic approach, building off things like Grant Morrison's essay (wait for it): "Pop Magic!" which you can find in Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult. It's a book you read to see if you have a clenched anus when it comes to your initial framework, but not to throw it all away. It's good to learn how to play, and if your magic isn't leading you to play and experiment now and then, you probably need to reevaluate what you're doing and why. If you're not a practicing magician, don't take this as your first road into magic, but do take this as a chance to learn how to play and experiment with elements of your life (some might argue that's the same thing as magic, and I wouldn't disagree, but I wouldn't recommend taking this book's methods as your first go, because this is a McDonald's diet if it's the entirety of what you take in).
All of that said, I did have an initially scathing opinion of this book after finishing it. I wondered how it ended up blipping on the radar of three podcasts I follow and love, which led me to cross the threshold of buying it (despite alarm bells going off in my head from all the celebrity blurbs in the sample I read).
Today, I changed my one-star to a two-star just because one of those podcasts did a little after talk on the book. I saw how it could have appeal to some people, but people should know there are better introductions to the chaos magic paradigm than this: the aforementioned The Chaos Protocols: Magical Techniques for Navigating the New Economic Reality, Hands-On Chaos Magic: Reality Manipulation Through the Ovayki Current, or if you're brave, going back to the seminal works of Peter J. Carroll. Hell- you're better off picking up the Silver RavenWolf books some circles love to bash on, because you'll at least get more material out of them than this and they offer some of the same techniques.
This book, at least, should be applauded for its use of glamour. I have little doubt the author incorporated that into its construction (maybe in the bold letters in the acknowledgments at the end?). Glamour is a great tool for anybody, but it's not the sole territory of magicians and just because someone can use it well-enough does not make them a magician in anything more than a figurative sense.
I would not suggest this as someone's first introduction to techniques and metaphysics of magic. I would not suggest this as a more in-depth guide, either. Beginner works like John Michael Greer's The Druid Magic Handbook: Ritual Magic Rooted in the Living Earth, Donald Michael Kraig's Modern Magick: Twelve Lessons in the High Magickal Arts, Benebell Wen's The Tao of Craft: Fu Talismans and Casting Sigils in the Eastern Esoteric Tradition, or Gordon White's The Chaos Protocols: Magical Techniques for Navigating the New Economic Reality offer better introductions in terms of techniques and metaphysics for results-oriented magic.
Pop Magick: A Simple Guide to Bending Your Reality is the book you read after you read a better beginner book for a little bit of contrast in terms of philosophy. Pop Magick is a pop-chaos magic approach, building off things like Grant Morrison's essay (wait for it): "Pop Magic!" which you can find in Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult. It's a book you read to see if you have a clenched anus when it comes to your initial framework, but not to throw it all away. It's good to learn how to play, and if your magic isn't leading you to play and experiment now and then, you probably need to reevaluate what you're doing and why. If you're not a practicing magician, don't take this as your first road into magic, but do take this as a chance to learn how to play and experiment with elements of your life (some might argue that's the same thing as magic, and I wouldn't disagree, but I wouldn't recommend taking this book's methods as your first go, because this is a McDonald's diet if it's the entirety of what you take in).
All of that said, I did have an initially scathing opinion of this book after finishing it. I wondered how it ended up blipping on the radar of three podcasts I follow and love, which led me to cross the threshold of buying it (despite alarm bells going off in my head from all the celebrity blurbs in the sample I read).
Today, I changed my one-star to a two-star just because one of those podcasts did a little after talk on the book. I saw how it could have appeal to some people, but people should know there are better introductions to the chaos magic paradigm than this: the aforementioned The Chaos Protocols: Magical Techniques for Navigating the New Economic Reality, Hands-On Chaos Magic: Reality Manipulation Through the Ovayki Current, or if you're brave, going back to the seminal works of Peter J. Carroll. Hell- you're better off picking up the Silver RavenWolf books some circles love to bash on, because you'll at least get more material out of them than this and they offer some of the same techniques.
This book, at least, should be applauded for its use of glamour. I have little doubt the author incorporated that into its construction (maybe in the bold letters in the acknowledgments at the end?). Glamour is a great tool for anybody, but it's not the sole territory of magicians and just because someone can use it well-enough does not make them a magician in anything more than a figurative sense.
December 31, 2019
I received this book, for free, in exchange for an honest review.
While this book was more approachable than other Magickbooks (you can perhaps picture someone in your circle writing it) it didn't differ too much from other Magickbooks to stand too highly above the others. On the other hand, it was less woo woo than other books (but also a bit more woo woo than I'd like). I'd recommend this as a good introduction to Magick for those new and somewhat (but not completely) skeptical.
While this book was more approachable than other Magickbooks (you can perhaps picture someone in your circle writing it) it didn't differ too much from other Magickbooks to stand too highly above the others. On the other hand, it was less woo woo than other books (but also a bit more woo woo than I'd like). I'd recommend this as a good introduction to Magick for those new and somewhat (but not completely) skeptical.
May 29, 2021
2.5/5 (leaning towards 3/5)
Boy, do I have mixed feelings about this book. Most of the things I didn't like about it boil down to the fact that this book wasn't written for me. I can see this being a great intro to magick for younger beginners who have just started their journey. For older folks like me, however, this is probably one to skip.
I did really appreciate the way Alex Kazemi uses modern vernacular and pop-culture references relatable to a younger audience. And there was some really useful guidance and tips in terms of grasping the basics of magick. But I will admit, the constant anecdotes about meeting all these famous people did come off as straight-up bragging at times, which I didn't find too attractive (much like the Shamanic Method of Sex Magick book I read earlier this year where the author bragged about driving a sports car to a lavish mansion to eat organic food and have a tantric orgy...it doesn't really sell me on tantra, it just makes me cringe). In any case, while I have a lot of respect for Alex Kazemi, and I'm glad he's doing the work he's doing, this simply wasn't for me.
Boy, do I have mixed feelings about this book. Most of the things I didn't like about it boil down to the fact that this book wasn't written for me. I can see this being a great intro to magick for younger beginners who have just started their journey. For older folks like me, however, this is probably one to skip.
I did really appreciate the way Alex Kazemi uses modern vernacular and pop-culture references relatable to a younger audience. And there was some really useful guidance and tips in terms of grasping the basics of magick. But I will admit, the constant anecdotes about meeting all these famous people did come off as straight-up bragging at times, which I didn't find too attractive (much like the Shamanic Method of Sex Magick book I read earlier this year where the author bragged about driving a sports car to a lavish mansion to eat organic food and have a tantric orgy...it doesn't really sell me on tantra, it just makes me cringe). In any case, while I have a lot of respect for Alex Kazemi, and I'm glad he's doing the work he's doing, this simply wasn't for me.
January 2, 2024
Once upon a time there was a much rumoured and long-awaited book called Pop Magic! by Grant Morrison — an expanded version of his essay in Disinformation's 'Book of Lies' which any chaos magician worth their salt should check out.
Sadly this is not that book.
Pop Magic! the book never happened. I got my hopes up when I saw that Pop Magick had endorsements from Richard Metzger, the Grand Poohbah of Disinformation, and Fiona Horne who wrote the Disinformation classic 'Pop! Goes The Witch.'
Disinformation were an American media and publishing company and over-the-counter counterculteral phenonemon in the 1990s. If you ever saw the Disinformation TV show (called Disinfo Nation when it aired in the UK) then we're probably already friends.
So what is Pop Magick by Alex Kazemi? Magick for Millennials as far as this gnarly old chaos magician is concerned. It's the first phrase that popped into my head when I started reading the book and, no matter how much I enjoyed reading it, it did nothing to disavow me of this notion.
It is exactly what you'd expect a Millennial to come up with.
Billed as the one book all you cool kids need to read so that you can skip reading all those dusty old occult books you bought to make your bookshelves look cool.
It reads like it was written by someone who couldn't be bothered to read Crowley, let alone any other books about the occult, but has decided to start a YouTube channel about it anyway.
Vaccuous, celebrity obsessed, and full of contradiction. It defines magick in a hand-wavy way that suggests a lack of even a basic understanding about what magick is.
Want to know how to use Instagram for Glamour Magic? It's all in here. Want to understand magick? Picky a dusty old tome at random and actually read the damned thing.
My favourite bit is Kazemi's anecdote about how he used magick to get in touch with his hero Marilyn Manson.
Get this, right? Kazemi knew a girl who knew Marilyn Manson, So, after performing all the relevant rituals and all that, he asked her for Marilyn Manson's phone number and sent him a text message.
Guess what, people? The magick worked. All hail the powerful wizard!
To be fair, despite my reservations, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I'm letting on. It is exactly what you'd expect Magick For Millennials to look like, but so what? At least it's interesting.
I'm a grumpy old man. What do I know about anything? You kids have fun.
Sadly this is not that book.
Pop Magic! the book never happened. I got my hopes up when I saw that Pop Magick had endorsements from Richard Metzger, the Grand Poohbah of Disinformation, and Fiona Horne who wrote the Disinformation classic 'Pop! Goes The Witch.'
Disinformation were an American media and publishing company and over-the-counter counterculteral phenonemon in the 1990s. If you ever saw the Disinformation TV show (called Disinfo Nation when it aired in the UK) then we're probably already friends.
So what is Pop Magick by Alex Kazemi? Magick for Millennials as far as this gnarly old chaos magician is concerned. It's the first phrase that popped into my head when I started reading the book and, no matter how much I enjoyed reading it, it did nothing to disavow me of this notion.
It is exactly what you'd expect a Millennial to come up with.
Billed as the one book all you cool kids need to read so that you can skip reading all those dusty old occult books you bought to make your bookshelves look cool.
It reads like it was written by someone who couldn't be bothered to read Crowley, let alone any other books about the occult, but has decided to start a YouTube channel about it anyway.
Vaccuous, celebrity obsessed, and full of contradiction. It defines magick in a hand-wavy way that suggests a lack of even a basic understanding about what magick is.
Want to know how to use Instagram for Glamour Magic? It's all in here. Want to understand magick? Picky a dusty old tome at random and actually read the damned thing.
My favourite bit is Kazemi's anecdote about how he used magick to get in touch with his hero Marilyn Manson.
Get this, right? Kazemi knew a girl who knew Marilyn Manson, So, after performing all the relevant rituals and all that, he asked her for Marilyn Manson's phone number and sent him a text message.
Guess what, people? The magick worked. All hail the powerful wizard!
To be fair, despite my reservations, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I'm letting on. It is exactly what you'd expect Magick For Millennials to look like, but so what? At least it's interesting.
I'm a grumpy old man. What do I know about anything? You kids have fun.
July 20, 2020
Pop magick is a fast paced read through one person’s approach to magical workings.
I enjoyed the forgoing of typical Wiccan and pagan focuses that tend to show up in writing on this topic. As a result of trimming out the ritual and tool obsession that many other writers have Kazemi is able to present their reader with a process for doing magic that is approachable regardless of your income or current skill level.
That said poor transitions between topics , constant name dropping, and a somewhat arrogant tone leave me unable to recommend this book to the average witchcraft student.
I do look forward to reading more from this author and would recommend this piece as a casual read for students of chaos magic or those who enjoy discordian magic.
I enjoyed the forgoing of typical Wiccan and pagan focuses that tend to show up in writing on this topic. As a result of trimming out the ritual and tool obsession that many other writers have Kazemi is able to present their reader with a process for doing magic that is approachable regardless of your income or current skill level.
That said poor transitions between topics , constant name dropping, and a somewhat arrogant tone leave me unable to recommend this book to the average witchcraft student.
I do look forward to reading more from this author and would recommend this piece as a casual read for students of chaos magic or those who enjoy discordian magic.
November 23, 2020
Someone loaned this book to me and I’ve been avoiding it ever since. I absolutely did not want to read this book, but I did...most of it anyway. I skimmed about 50% of the book because I didn’t care about the author’s personal experiences with celebrities. This book is not written for people like me. This book is written for people who actually follow pop culture. It’s written like a beginners’ book, but it’s not nearly in-depth enough to make a difference. It’s just a repeat of other (much older) books that I’ve read. There’s nothing groundbreaking about it. 🤷🏻♀️ Definitely not for me, but I’m glad I can get it off my shelves now.
February 18, 2021
It was the object of this guy's divine will to meet Taylor Swift.
May 31, 2024
prick your finger it is done 👏🏼 the moon has now eclipsed the sun 👏🏼 the angel has spread its wings 👏🏼 the time has come to read Pop Magick by Alex Kazemi 👏🏼
coming to this post-New Millennium Boyz, I was primarily interested in getting to know the man behind the mythos and Pop Magick did not disappoint. Alex is a master storyteller, weaving anecdotes from his personal life and professional life together in conversation with lessons on positive thinking and self-actualization. as a fellow fiction writer, journalist, and filmmaker, I’m always excited to learn from other artists who have managed to bridge the gap between these worlds, and this is certainly something Alex has done. additionally, I found it interesting to read Alex’s personal opinions on the occult given that Lusif harnesses it so recklessly in NMB. first an innovative self-help guide, then the great American school shooting novel… what will this guy write next? I have no clue, but I can’t wait to read it.
ps: I interviewed Alex about NMB last year! we discussed magick and Manson, among other related topics… here it is if you’re interested: https://vmagazine.com/article/history...
coming to this post-New Millennium Boyz, I was primarily interested in getting to know the man behind the mythos and Pop Magick did not disappoint. Alex is a master storyteller, weaving anecdotes from his personal life and professional life together in conversation with lessons on positive thinking and self-actualization. as a fellow fiction writer, journalist, and filmmaker, I’m always excited to learn from other artists who have managed to bridge the gap between these worlds, and this is certainly something Alex has done. additionally, I found it interesting to read Alex’s personal opinions on the occult given that Lusif harnesses it so recklessly in NMB. first an innovative self-help guide, then the great American school shooting novel… what will this guy write next? I have no clue, but I can’t wait to read it.
ps: I interviewed Alex about NMB last year! we discussed magick and Manson, among other related topics… here it is if you’re interested: https://vmagazine.com/article/history...
May 24, 2020
If you can make it through the relentless name dropping, ludicrous grandstanding and tinder app sex magick you will find a kick arse book on the subject of straight shooting magick. Refreshingly the author rejects Pagan and Wiccan dogmatic philosophies rooted in outmoded rules, non inclusivity and sexist beliefs. Instead delivers cut to the chase magick for now! No casting circles or ridiculous time consuming rituals here.
It’s unfortunate that the author is obsessed with the violence towards women perpetrator, Marilyn Manson, piece of shit - look up a Evan Rachel Wood. Kazemi does include a quote from Rose McGowan which sums this book up well, “Magick is the art of utilizing natural forces around us to bring about change. I stand for change. That’s what this book does. It brings change—change of thought, change of action, change of spirit. Magick is neutral—neither good nor evil. Take this book for what it is: a look behind and beyond the mirror. Come on the journey.”
*eARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley
It’s unfortunate that the author is obsessed with the violence towards women perpetrator, Marilyn Manson, piece of shit - look up a Evan Rachel Wood. Kazemi does include a quote from Rose McGowan which sums this book up well, “Magick is the art of utilizing natural forces around us to bring about change. I stand for change. That’s what this book does. It brings change—change of thought, change of action, change of spirit. Magick is neutral—neither good nor evil. Take this book for what it is: a look behind and beyond the mirror. Come on the journey.”
*eARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley
December 31, 2020
This is a very great, inspirational, informative book. It provided a lot of useful insight into all things magick such as rituals, lunar phases, meditations and much more. I also enjoyed the author providing background into his own personal situations that he applied his knowledge into, and insight into actual experience in modern culture is very useful especially for younger generations. I learned a lot from this book and I really enjoyed it.
August 28, 2020
A short, basic, book on magick that features common magickal techniques and practical advice.
I was in the middle with this book as I felt this is mostly for beginners. Pop Magick was still worthy of a read, but you may wish to skip it if you are not a beginner or are otherwise looking for something a bit more niche.
I was in the middle with this book as I felt this is mostly for beginners. Pop Magick was still worthy of a read, but you may wish to skip it if you are not a beginner or are otherwise looking for something a bit more niche.
February 13, 2020
It was a fun read that cover all the basis and entertains at the same time.
I liked the style of writing and the humour.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I liked the style of writing and the humour.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
May 4, 2020
Not What I Expected... Isn’t That Great...
To be honest I only skimmed through Pop Magick... In Acknowledgement found some things I’ve experienced... Very touching & honest book... I did enjoy what I did read... Not gonna say... Some surprising names mentioned...
To be honest I only skimmed through Pop Magick... In Acknowledgement found some things I’ve experienced... Very touching & honest book... I did enjoy what I did read... Not gonna say... Some surprising names mentioned...
January 19, 2022
This book is interesting to me and honestly it’s not horrible it’s just not one I would recommend to anyone asking about magick and how to get started. Most of the reviews took the words right out of my mouth, so read those!
January 1, 2025
Lots of good ideas and methods, but very individualistic with loads of spiritual bypassing. Some really strong opinions about masterbation and porn. He also contradicts himself a bit. I feel the vibe in general could actually be dangerous for someone less discerning or are new to the topic.
May 11, 2025
Based on the reviews, felt like the book left its intended audience. As an outsider to the alt lit genre, this was the first book I genuinely enjoyed. More pop culture relevant than actual magic, but that's exactly what makes it great.
May 13, 2025
Emotions are potent and transmutable, and have the magical ability to create. One can redirect feelings like ammo, to catapult one's energy as one pleases- in the direction that best suits one's needs.
December 21, 2019
Funny, entertaining and irreverent. Alex takes all the mysteries of the Craft and presents them in a simple way. Perfect for the Millenial Witch!
February 28, 2021
This book came highly recommended but the majority of it was very basic. It is interesting how celebrities are using glamor and certain intentions but for the most part it was “here’s what I did”
February 20, 2022
I thought it was very informative!!! it feels like a great reference for beginners, easy to read, and exactly what you’d think “pop magic” would be
April 1, 2022
3 stars because it is good but the critical reviews are also accurate
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August 8, 2024mixed w/ some of the same criticisms i had with new millenium boyz, but i think there's something very genuine in how Kazemi expresses his perspective. a lot easier to read than crowley.
March 7, 2025
A lot of woo-woo, wokery and name-dropping of people I’ve never heard of. Only read because of his later novel.
May 23, 2023
I was provided a free copy of Pop Magick in exchange for a review.
Upon my first read, I thought it was an interesting book. It touches on a lot of really basic, beginner witchcraft, such as color correspondences and manifestation. But, after reflecting on it, I have to say it wasn't that good. Nothing about the book is original. Kazemi did not provide any new take on modern witchcraft in this book. He name dropped constantly and claimed his witchcraft made him famous. There was no acknowledging of any privilege he has as a white man. I wouldn't suggest anyone seriously interested in witchcraft read this.
Upon my first read, I thought it was an interesting book. It touches on a lot of really basic, beginner witchcraft, such as color correspondences and manifestation. But, after reflecting on it, I have to say it wasn't that good. Nothing about the book is original. Kazemi did not provide any new take on modern witchcraft in this book. He name dropped constantly and claimed his witchcraft made him famous. There was no acknowledging of any privilege he has as a white man. I wouldn't suggest anyone seriously interested in witchcraft read this.
March 13, 2024
the only book in history madonna has ever read a passage from on her instagram = a serve
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