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Pop Magick: A Simple Guide to Bending Your Reality
“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 Talent is great if you have it and luck is fine if you can find it, but Alex Kazemi learned it would take something more to make dreams come true. It would take magick—a real, spiritual force that anyone can learn to harness. You have the power within you. “Alex Kazemi is a boy wonder.” —Shirley Manson “My favorite millennial provocateur.” —Bret Easton Ellis 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 balanced, awakened life? Magick offers this and more. Follow Alex on his journey from troubled outsider to an enlightened young man as he shares the secret power of pop magick. “Alex Kazemi has his finger on the pulse of magick and all its wonders." —George Noory, Host of Coast to Coast AM “I want to heal. This book should help me along my treacherous path to better understanding myself.” —Bella Thorne “If Alex is a magician, then he would disappear.” —Marilyn Manson “Alex’s creativity is off the charts.” —The AstroTwins, Ophira & Tali Edut (Astrostyle.com)
177 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 18, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 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 28, 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.
September 6, 2026
"ARIANA GRANDE IS A POWERFUL MAGICKAL ALCHEMIST"
"Ariana Grande went into the studio and alchemized her grief and trauma into her most successful album yet, thank u, next."
oh great, the ariantors are writing books now. his connections to Manson and Ariel Pink also make this complicated and makes me wonder how much of this was shock value that i'm misreading. either way, i will give his novel a chance eventually but do not think this was a good read.
"Never treat anything you read or hear about magick as fact." - says this after chapters of telling us what to do and think about various subjects.
"Magick is not about adhering to dogma or defining yourself through aesthetics or binaries."
"Something you must accept now before you begin practicing this science is that all of magick is theory. There is no evidence as to why it works."
"No one knows how magick works. We simply know that it does. I’m sure most of us can’t explain how a phone charger cord works to charge our iPhones, but we still do it every day."
im going to try not to tear into this book. my one star review is enough, working in tandem with the other negative reviews on here that cover the bases of why i disliked this. it made me fear that zillenials/gen z will not produce truly great writers. the internet raised us and now we have stan culture manifestation.
I picked this up due to Madonna's endorsement of it by being photographed with it paired with my interest in manifestation (and how magick seems to be a form of it) and left with some new manifestation tools but also feeling that the celebrity portions of this felt like fan fiction.
tools:
"During the light of the moon, the two weeks following the new moon (when the moon is waxing), we perform rituals to draw things into our lives. During the dark of the moon, the two weeks after the full moon (when the moon is waning), we perform rituals to alchemize what no longer serves us."
"Create magickal connections! If the full moon is in a water sign, try doing water rituals for powerful results."
"Sigil magick is like setting an intention and assigning meaning to a bunch of code, like “953XZzew-062295-erp039r4o0-epd.” It looks like hacker code, but to the practitioner, it might mean, “I am strong enough to move past the situation I got myself into with Aidan.” There is a powerful feeling when you are turning a desire into a symbol that only you can understand, and something cathartic about turning something only you can feel in your body into something physical. You feel free when you dispel and release your intention."
"You know that weird reaction you felt in your body the first time you saw Aphex Twin’s logo? That’s the power of sigil magick at work."
"1. SOM: Specific outcome magick is the intention to materialize a specific outcome into the material world.
2. AOM: Abstract outcome magick is the intention to materialize an abstract outcome into the material world."
"What I learned practicing SOM is that the material things I accrued through ritual were never going to make me happy, and the good things I received through ritual that were spiritually nourishing likely would have happened anyway."
"Moon in Taurus: Things begun now tend to last a long time. Value will increase over time and will become hard to change. Brings out an appreciation for aesthetics and sensory experience. An ideal time for magickal workings involving money, abundance, and fertility."
"Green represents health, growth, money, and the material plane. • Magickal workings include enhancing job opportunities for financial gain, starting a health regimen, bringing forward results, and materializing goals. • Element: Earth • Sign: Taurus"
"Silver represents magick, alchemy, receptivity, and secrets. • Magickal workings include enhancing synchronicity in your life, finding magick within yourself, bringing forward wonder, and all forms of alchemy. • Sign: Cancer"
celebrity fan fiction:
"What you’ve heard is true. Magick has led to a collaboration with Selena Gomez and Petra Collins on a piece for Dazed, a conversation with Taylor Swift, a dinner in Beverly Hills with American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis, becoming pen pals with Camille Paglia, and Madonna publicly expressing excitement on Instagram about an image that wouldn’t exist had I not willed it into existence."
"“Madonna. She commented on your Diplo cover.” “WHAT? NO. THERE IS NO WAY. MADONNA? NO!” I received the screenshot and there it was, Madonna commenting from her official account, a simple, beautiful “Wow.” I texted the screenshot to Diplo and he responded with a row of heart emojis. In that moment, I felt a true convergence of life and magick. Madonna, a pioneer of unconventional pop imagery and one of my favorite artists had just endorsed my vision. I went to the mirror, looked at myself, rubbed water on my face, and said, “I just impressed Madonna. Something from inside of my mind that would not have existed without my will to create it was just transmitted to Madonna, and she is impressed. Magick is real.”"
"I have always felt a tremendous connection to Selena since we are both Cancers, and, to my magickal shock, Selena and I got to talk about what it’s like to be a Cancer and how it can be frustrating feeling so much, that we end up creating perceived feelings and have to sort through our emotions to figure out what is real and what is not. That was a magickal moment."
"When I was seventeen, Lana Del Rey told me that I reminded her of the kid from the movie Almost Famous. “You’re fucking crazy. You know everyone. It’s amazing.” This was when I was the Music Editor of SuperSuper! Magazine, a UK pop culture and fashion magazine that was a cult hit in London’s trendiest scenes. Lana and I used to email each other when I was in high school. She would check in to see how I was doing and encouraged me to watch American Beauty. I talked about everything with her: art, her music, my aspirations as an artist, films, and astrology. I told her that her music inspired me to sneak out and be bad in the suburbs but also how sad it made me that there was a self-awareness to my choices—that I felt as if I was art directing my teen experience. That felt depressing and impure because of the conscious focus on aesthetics of all the people around me. I remember talking to her on my Blackberry in class, checking to see if she was going to respond and feeling anxious if she wasn’t replying. “Did I do something wrong? Does Lana hate me now?” I felt like I had to push to receive reassurance from her so that I would feel good, or safe, again. I felt special when I spoke to Lana even though I realized she was talking to a lot of people all the time. I felt addicted to the validation I received from her because I felt like I was whole when we talked. I look back now feeling sad for my seventeen-year-old self. I deserved to see myself and feel valid without an external source making me feel real or good enough."
"Last Summer, I briefly met David Lynch at a private event in LA. When I spoke to him, I told him that he taught me that “internal bliss and peace comes from within since I had been practicing TM.” The reality glitch is that I hadn’t yet practiced Transcendental Meditation, but I wanted to will it into existence so that I would be able to re-order the events of reality. I knew back then that I was thanking him for something I fully believed was going to manifest itself."
"“Please send positive healing energy to Taylor Swift, and please get this piece over to her so she can experience a moment of feeling understood amidst all this chaos.” Her fanbase loved it and made it go viral. Many people felt like I was articulating their own feelings about Taylor, and this was a powerful moment for me. On May 22nd, 2019 (Twenty-two is my magick number!), I attended Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour in Seattle. On the day of the show, I got an email asking if I’d like to come backstage to say hello. I immediately felt like I was inside of a spell. When I met Taylor, one of the first things she said to me as she hugged me was, “Thank you for making me feel understood.”"
"I was consciously mimicking Manson himself, who as a journalist had strategically interviewed Trent Reznor as a way to advance his own music career."
"Alex Kazemi is a boy wonder.” —SHIRLEY MANSON “My favorite millennial provocateur.” —BRET EASTON ELLIS “Reading this book casts a light on the chaos within, and the part that plays in self-discovery. Alex shoves society’s expectations and bullshit aside and shows the paths to finding what’s real and true. Anyone can approach this book and find something true in it. I’m sure of it.” —JONAS ÅKERLUND “An introduction to Transcendental Medication for restless disaffected tweens!” —ARIEL PINK “There was Bob Dylan and his surrealist voice under helium back in 1965, you will soon have Alex Kazemi and his poetic visions intravenously…” -MIRWAIS"
sentences i never thought i would read:
"You can use sex magick to invoke a pop archetype, modern entity, god or goddess that you feel connected with—whether it is Chris Hemsworth, Ezra Miller, Hayley Kiyoko, or Ariana Grande. You can visualize yourself as them or how you imagine they’d act in the bedroom to try to spice up your own sex magick. If you don’t feel comfortable doing sex magick with someone else, try to imagine a sexual experience with a god, entity, or goddess you want to be with. Thank the energy, and maybe they’ll come back for seconds!"
"In today’s culture, we’ve seen a resurgence of the group-magick technique that gained fame in the occult world in 1940, when a group of British witches organized a group-spell against Hitler to protect Britain from a Nazi invasion. To this day, this ceremony is cited as evidence by some as to why Hitler never crossed over. This technique can be seen today in everything from young witches joining powers to hex the Stanford rapist, Brock Turner; to the out-of-the-broom-closet, all-American pop artist Lana Del Rey, who helped organize a worldwide group spell on Donald Trump. It’s also common for young witches to go on websites like Reddit or becomealivinggod.com and ask magickal practitioners to assist them with their intention."
"If you are interested in going deeper on astrology, try downloading the CoStar app, as it’ll teach you about your natal birth chart and the cosmos’s influence on your life."
"As a culture, and as we enter the next magickal age of pop magick, we need to listen to the voices in the digital communities of young men (NoFap, No PMO) who are talking about the harm they intuitively feel porn is doing to their lives. We should champion them for questioning the consensus. Instead of responding to their psychic pain by saying, “This is weak and typical male appropriation, trying to bring up male issues during a time of radical feminism,” we should instead ask, “How can we help you? How can we deliver some compassion and understanding" - so disses feminism and then we immediately get
"Society may view strip clubs as taboo or a contributor to the objectification of women; however, I find it similar to entering a sacred temple of femininity, to honor the women invoking the divinity of the goddess and displaying female power. You can witness the helplessness in men as they are captivated by the power vibrating off of the dancers’ bodies. Throwing bills on stage is like kneeling and giving thanks to the power of femininity. This is divine femme magick at work."
"I also seriously fucking live for the conspiracy theory that spilled semen attracts demons, just because it’s hilarious and, honestly, filled with truth. Maybe that’s why I’ve always felt so sad after cumming. “Oh, no! I’ve summoned a semen demon.”"
"After being straight up gaslit by a Hollywood producer who had set up fake meetings........The end result, Snapchat:Mudditchgirl91, was a social experiment that centered around the concepts of “real” and “fake.” It came from my belief that Instagram and social media are designed to exploit traumatized people. It was inspired by Amanda Bynes’s public meltdown and because I recognized traits of Histrionic Personality Disorder in young people today and saw a lack of empathy in how people were responding to the situation."
"I swear the only reason I met Taylor Swift was because I did spells at my friend’s house using tap water from his kitchen sink."
Not ariel pink...."This is what the song “Not Enough Violence” that I wrote with Ariel Pink was about."
"On a full moon, though, I religiously dance to “Hands to Myself” by Selena Gomez. I bang my body in the air, spin in circles, and close my eyes."
"In pop magick, this is how we alter our state of consciousness, by dancing to pop music under full moons. Crazy, right? You can use dancing, trance, any type of music, colors, and symbols to alter your state."
"I remember the first time I heard “Sleep to Dream” by Fiona Apple. There was a rage that filled my body to the point I felt like I could stab someone."
sentence i enjoyed:
"This either might disappoint you or make you super stoked, but the same kind of visualization that Oprah talks about is the exact same technique that witches, occultists, and magickal practitioners have always used to cast out and charge the energy for a specific outcome via ritual or spells. (Cue cultural appropriation occult versus new age debate here!)"
Also i love Rose McGowan, but this was hardly a foreword.
"Ariana Grande went into the studio and alchemized her grief and trauma into her most successful album yet, thank u, next."
oh great, the ariantors are writing books now. his connections to Manson and Ariel Pink also make this complicated and makes me wonder how much of this was shock value that i'm misreading. either way, i will give his novel a chance eventually but do not think this was a good read.
"Never treat anything you read or hear about magick as fact." - says this after chapters of telling us what to do and think about various subjects.
"Magick is not about adhering to dogma or defining yourself through aesthetics or binaries."
"Something you must accept now before you begin practicing this science is that all of magick is theory. There is no evidence as to why it works."
"No one knows how magick works. We simply know that it does. I’m sure most of us can’t explain how a phone charger cord works to charge our iPhones, but we still do it every day."
im going to try not to tear into this book. my one star review is enough, working in tandem with the other negative reviews on here that cover the bases of why i disliked this. it made me fear that zillenials/gen z will not produce truly great writers. the internet raised us and now we have stan culture manifestation.
I picked this up due to Madonna's endorsement of it by being photographed with it paired with my interest in manifestation (and how magick seems to be a form of it) and left with some new manifestation tools but also feeling that the celebrity portions of this felt like fan fiction.
tools:
"During the light of the moon, the two weeks following the new moon (when the moon is waxing), we perform rituals to draw things into our lives. During the dark of the moon, the two weeks after the full moon (when the moon is waning), we perform rituals to alchemize what no longer serves us."
"Create magickal connections! If the full moon is in a water sign, try doing water rituals for powerful results."
"Sigil magick is like setting an intention and assigning meaning to a bunch of code, like “953XZzew-062295-erp039r4o0-epd.” It looks like hacker code, but to the practitioner, it might mean, “I am strong enough to move past the situation I got myself into with Aidan.” There is a powerful feeling when you are turning a desire into a symbol that only you can understand, and something cathartic about turning something only you can feel in your body into something physical. You feel free when you dispel and release your intention."
"You know that weird reaction you felt in your body the first time you saw Aphex Twin’s logo? That’s the power of sigil magick at work."
"1. SOM: Specific outcome magick is the intention to materialize a specific outcome into the material world.
2. AOM: Abstract outcome magick is the intention to materialize an abstract outcome into the material world."
"What I learned practicing SOM is that the material things I accrued through ritual were never going to make me happy, and the good things I received through ritual that were spiritually nourishing likely would have happened anyway."
"Moon in Taurus: Things begun now tend to last a long time. Value will increase over time and will become hard to change. Brings out an appreciation for aesthetics and sensory experience. An ideal time for magickal workings involving money, abundance, and fertility."
"Green represents health, growth, money, and the material plane. • Magickal workings include enhancing job opportunities for financial gain, starting a health regimen, bringing forward results, and materializing goals. • Element: Earth • Sign: Taurus"
"Silver represents magick, alchemy, receptivity, and secrets. • Magickal workings include enhancing synchronicity in your life, finding magick within yourself, bringing forward wonder, and all forms of alchemy. • Sign: Cancer"
celebrity fan fiction:
"What you’ve heard is true. Magick has led to a collaboration with Selena Gomez and Petra Collins on a piece for Dazed, a conversation with Taylor Swift, a dinner in Beverly Hills with American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis, becoming pen pals with Camille Paglia, and Madonna publicly expressing excitement on Instagram about an image that wouldn’t exist had I not willed it into existence."
"“Madonna. She commented on your Diplo cover.” “WHAT? NO. THERE IS NO WAY. MADONNA? NO!” I received the screenshot and there it was, Madonna commenting from her official account, a simple, beautiful “Wow.” I texted the screenshot to Diplo and he responded with a row of heart emojis. In that moment, I felt a true convergence of life and magick. Madonna, a pioneer of unconventional pop imagery and one of my favorite artists had just endorsed my vision. I went to the mirror, looked at myself, rubbed water on my face, and said, “I just impressed Madonna. Something from inside of my mind that would not have existed without my will to create it was just transmitted to Madonna, and she is impressed. Magick is real.”"
"I have always felt a tremendous connection to Selena since we are both Cancers, and, to my magickal shock, Selena and I got to talk about what it’s like to be a Cancer and how it can be frustrating feeling so much, that we end up creating perceived feelings and have to sort through our emotions to figure out what is real and what is not. That was a magickal moment."
"When I was seventeen, Lana Del Rey told me that I reminded her of the kid from the movie Almost Famous. “You’re fucking crazy. You know everyone. It’s amazing.” This was when I was the Music Editor of SuperSuper! Magazine, a UK pop culture and fashion magazine that was a cult hit in London’s trendiest scenes. Lana and I used to email each other when I was in high school. She would check in to see how I was doing and encouraged me to watch American Beauty. I talked about everything with her: art, her music, my aspirations as an artist, films, and astrology. I told her that her music inspired me to sneak out and be bad in the suburbs but also how sad it made me that there was a self-awareness to my choices—that I felt as if I was art directing my teen experience. That felt depressing and impure because of the conscious focus on aesthetics of all the people around me. I remember talking to her on my Blackberry in class, checking to see if she was going to respond and feeling anxious if she wasn’t replying. “Did I do something wrong? Does Lana hate me now?” I felt like I had to push to receive reassurance from her so that I would feel good, or safe, again. I felt special when I spoke to Lana even though I realized she was talking to a lot of people all the time. I felt addicted to the validation I received from her because I felt like I was whole when we talked. I look back now feeling sad for my seventeen-year-old self. I deserved to see myself and feel valid without an external source making me feel real or good enough."
"Last Summer, I briefly met David Lynch at a private event in LA. When I spoke to him, I told him that he taught me that “internal bliss and peace comes from within since I had been practicing TM.” The reality glitch is that I hadn’t yet practiced Transcendental Meditation, but I wanted to will it into existence so that I would be able to re-order the events of reality. I knew back then that I was thanking him for something I fully believed was going to manifest itself."
"“Please send positive healing energy to Taylor Swift, and please get this piece over to her so she can experience a moment of feeling understood amidst all this chaos.” Her fanbase loved it and made it go viral. Many people felt like I was articulating their own feelings about Taylor, and this was a powerful moment for me. On May 22nd, 2019 (Twenty-two is my magick number!), I attended Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour in Seattle. On the day of the show, I got an email asking if I’d like to come backstage to say hello. I immediately felt like I was inside of a spell. When I met Taylor, one of the first things she said to me as she hugged me was, “Thank you for making me feel understood.”"
"I was consciously mimicking Manson himself, who as a journalist had strategically interviewed Trent Reznor as a way to advance his own music career."
"Alex Kazemi is a boy wonder.” —SHIRLEY MANSON “My favorite millennial provocateur.” —BRET EASTON ELLIS “Reading this book casts a light on the chaos within, and the part that plays in self-discovery. Alex shoves society’s expectations and bullshit aside and shows the paths to finding what’s real and true. Anyone can approach this book and find something true in it. I’m sure of it.” —JONAS ÅKERLUND “An introduction to Transcendental Medication for restless disaffected tweens!” —ARIEL PINK “There was Bob Dylan and his surrealist voice under helium back in 1965, you will soon have Alex Kazemi and his poetic visions intravenously…” -MIRWAIS"
sentences i never thought i would read:
"You can use sex magick to invoke a pop archetype, modern entity, god or goddess that you feel connected with—whether it is Chris Hemsworth, Ezra Miller, Hayley Kiyoko, or Ariana Grande. You can visualize yourself as them or how you imagine they’d act in the bedroom to try to spice up your own sex magick. If you don’t feel comfortable doing sex magick with someone else, try to imagine a sexual experience with a god, entity, or goddess you want to be with. Thank the energy, and maybe they’ll come back for seconds!"
"In today’s culture, we’ve seen a resurgence of the group-magick technique that gained fame in the occult world in 1940, when a group of British witches organized a group-spell against Hitler to protect Britain from a Nazi invasion. To this day, this ceremony is cited as evidence by some as to why Hitler never crossed over. This technique can be seen today in everything from young witches joining powers to hex the Stanford rapist, Brock Turner; to the out-of-the-broom-closet, all-American pop artist Lana Del Rey, who helped organize a worldwide group spell on Donald Trump. It’s also common for young witches to go on websites like Reddit or becomealivinggod.com and ask magickal practitioners to assist them with their intention."
"If you are interested in going deeper on astrology, try downloading the CoStar app, as it’ll teach you about your natal birth chart and the cosmos’s influence on your life."
"As a culture, and as we enter the next magickal age of pop magick, we need to listen to the voices in the digital communities of young men (NoFap, No PMO) who are talking about the harm they intuitively feel porn is doing to their lives. We should champion them for questioning the consensus. Instead of responding to their psychic pain by saying, “This is weak and typical male appropriation, trying to bring up male issues during a time of radical feminism,” we should instead ask, “How can we help you? How can we deliver some compassion and understanding" - so disses feminism and then we immediately get
"Society may view strip clubs as taboo or a contributor to the objectification of women; however, I find it similar to entering a sacred temple of femininity, to honor the women invoking the divinity of the goddess and displaying female power. You can witness the helplessness in men as they are captivated by the power vibrating off of the dancers’ bodies. Throwing bills on stage is like kneeling and giving thanks to the power of femininity. This is divine femme magick at work."
"I also seriously fucking live for the conspiracy theory that spilled semen attracts demons, just because it’s hilarious and, honestly, filled with truth. Maybe that’s why I’ve always felt so sad after cumming. “Oh, no! I’ve summoned a semen demon.”"
"After being straight up gaslit by a Hollywood producer who had set up fake meetings........The end result, Snapchat:Mudditchgirl91, was a social experiment that centered around the concepts of “real” and “fake.” It came from my belief that Instagram and social media are designed to exploit traumatized people. It was inspired by Amanda Bynes’s public meltdown and because I recognized traits of Histrionic Personality Disorder in young people today and saw a lack of empathy in how people were responding to the situation."
"I swear the only reason I met Taylor Swift was because I did spells at my friend’s house using tap water from his kitchen sink."
Not ariel pink...."This is what the song “Not Enough Violence” that I wrote with Ariel Pink was about."
"On a full moon, though, I religiously dance to “Hands to Myself” by Selena Gomez. I bang my body in the air, spin in circles, and close my eyes."
"In pop magick, this is how we alter our state of consciousness, by dancing to pop music under full moons. Crazy, right? You can use dancing, trance, any type of music, colors, and symbols to alter your state."
"I remember the first time I heard “Sleep to Dream” by Fiona Apple. There was a rage that filled my body to the point I felt like I could stab someone."
sentence i enjoyed:
"This either might disappoint you or make you super stoked, but the same kind of visualization that Oprah talks about is the exact same technique that witches, occultists, and magickal practitioners have always used to cast out and charge the energy for a specific outcome via ritual or spells. (Cue cultural appropriation occult versus new age debate here!)"
Also i love Rose McGowan, but this was hardly a foreword.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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.
July 14, 2020
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 27, 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
Read
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.
March 29, 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.
December 23, 2023
the only book in history madonna has ever read a passage from on her instagram = a serve
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