The Three Dangerous Magi: Osho, Gurdjieff, Crowley

by P. T. Mistlberger

The Most Dangerous man since Jesus Christ, the Sex Guru, the Ambassador from Hell, the Black Devil of Ashkhabad, The King of Depravity, and the Wickedest Man in the World. These were some of the labels given to three of the most notorious figures of 20th century Osho (formerly known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh), G.I. Gurdjieff, and Aleister Crowley. Beneath the controversies and scandals that swirled around all three the author argues that these men, egocentric tendencies notwithstanding, were brilliant thinkers and extraordinary masters of their craft, that of the science of inner transformation, and in particular the art of balancing the so called Left and Right Hand spiritual paths. These men were not humble sages. They were bona fide crazy wisdom masters and consistently went where angels fear to tread. They did not teach with the faint praise of new age fluff or the stuffy platitudes of religious sermons, but rather with a flaming sword, and were a genuine menace to all seekers who fear to face the abyss of their own egos.

Genres: Spirituality, Occult, Biography, Nonfiction, Philosophy

714 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comprehensive, sympathetic yet often skeptical recounting of the lives and ideas of Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh), Gurdjieff, and Crowley by a very well-read practitioner. I'd give it another star except that I think the author gives too much credence to unsubstantiated metaphysical claims and it is sometimes a bit repetitive. Still, the amount of material in this book, including background on philosophers and traditions that influenced each of these "dangerous magi" is impressive.

[Ludo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this book I was already somewhat familiar with Gurdjieff's teachings, and wondered why anyone would write a book on him with the names Crowley and Osho also mentioned in the title.
Osho didn't interest me because through the media my perceived idea was that this wasn't a genuine teacher.
Crowley was a name I would avoid because of the reputation generally being connected to black magic and weird stuff.
The author has thoroughly changed my vision on Crowley - a very interesting personality was portrayed, totally different from what I believed at first about the man sometimes referred to as The Beast 666.
Osho's life story was also described in a fascinating way; I'm still not interested in his methods of teaching, but understand better what the Bhagwan-commotion was all about in the 1980's.
Most interesting was that the author actually delved into all three characters teachings personally for years, thus having a good idea what points of comparison to bring up.
The book is bulky, but the writing is casual enough (meaning not full of academic jargon) to make it a very pleasant read.

[Lainie Petersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging book in need of an editor. The author conducted painstaking research, well-synthesized with his own considerable experience in esoteric practice. The trouble is that sometimes the text wanders into trivia that would have best been relegated to an appendix. Still, this book was crafted with great wisdom. Recommended.

[Lina Slavova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow.

[Carlos G · Rating 4 out of 5]

very clear , interesting and important information about the three gurus.
particularly the appendix where he traces 10 parallels between Osho and Crowley.
I never had the idea to compare both, but it was very insightful to do that.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

They may have possessed wisdom and clever ideas and been (semi) tragically misunderstood, but above all else the book reinforces one thing: these guys were assholes.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this book as over the years I've read so much about the subjects. I'm glad I did though, this man brings experience to the table and his insights are pretty sharp so there was much food for thought. This book is so well written and researched it must be a work of love. It will be useful to anyone looking to explore Crowley, Gurdjieff or Osho. He offers a fine analysis of their position on the world stage and gives due respect to these men who are often vilified by lesser minds. Covering their historical influences, achievements and showing why such people are important to the well being of humanity .All in all a great book that has been an informative pleasure.

[Jönathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview and analysis of the lives and the systems of three controversial modern spiritual teachers. Honest about their all-too-human faults but not critical of the value of their systems for the spirituals seeker. This is an excellent book if you are interested in these guys.

[Hock Chye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thick book needing time to read.At times I think it is hard to read even.

[Antonio Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 3 most favorite Magis! Great coverage and insights here.