Book suggestions for a COMPLETE begginer?

[savs165]

Hi guys, Im new here. Ive been looking around the forums and have found some great resources! This is a great site! But heres the thing, Im a complete begginer when comes to the occult. In other words, Im very interested in and want to learn more and decide what path is right for me, but I dont know where to start. Ive been looking on Amazon and have found countless books on the occult. Can anyone reccomend some good ones to start with for someone who basically knows nothing about the occult? I know thats a broad question, but I thought Id ask to see if you guys (who are more knowledgeable about this than I am) could help.

I was curious about reading THE GOLDEN DAWN, but Im concerned that for someone like me who knows nothing about it, that it might not make a lot of sense too me. What do you guys think?

Also, I thought LORDS OF THE LEFT-HAND PATH sounded interesting. Anyone read that one?

Thanks for your help, and sorry to make another begginers thread. Take care!
-Kevin

[Asurendra]

Hello Kevin,

Part of your reading material will depend on your orientation towards a path. I will give you a list here of some books that are a broad selection for you to consider. Some will be more theoretical and some will have exercises. In practicing the occult it is very important to have a solid knowledge base. My recommendation to you at this point is that you focus on study and practice some form of mediation and the energy work system I will recommend ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTLCdIkDaAk ).

Videos

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/the-hermet ... -broadcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zwZ6TobhPA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfJfikp6iWg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO1uGF6KeUY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qtn6D_Z_EuM

Books:

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Esoteric- ... sotericism

http://www.amazon.com/Magical-Imaginati ... magination

http://www.amazon.com/Low-Magick-Your-H ... o+duquette

http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Magick-Twe ... QTMEFF0BN3

http://www.amazon.com/New-Hermetics-Cen ... +hermetics

http://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Raja-Will ... +raja+yoga

http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Work-Secre ... 075&sr=1-4

http://www.amazon.com/Deva-Handbook-Nat ... ords=devas

http://www.amazon.com/Way-Shaman-Michae ... the+shaman

http://www.amazon.com/Witchcraft-Today- ... ld+gardner

http://www.amazon.com/AGHORA-Left-Hand- ... and+of+god

http://www.amazon.com/Tantra-Path-Ecsta ... of+ecstasy

[Desecrated]

Modern magick by Donald Michael Kraig.

Now, this book is not perfect. The arrangement of the book is horrible. The author is full of himself and the book is full of false facts.
BUT, this is pretty much every book about the occult so you might as well get used by it.

The reason I do recommend the book, is because it covers all the areas of a novice. The entire first year of training. Most of the book is based on the golden dawn. But he also touches on some wicca, chaos magick and religion.

I would start by reading that book from cover to cover, and then use it more as a dictionary for future reference. It's great when you need to refresh your memory and each chapter recommends more books on the same subject.

[savs165]

Thank you guys so much for the reccomendations! Keep them coming!

The Donald Michael Kraig book popped up on Amazon and it seemed like a good place to start,

Just curious, has anyone read Three Books of Occult Philosophy? Would that be a good one to start with as well?

I plan on ordering 3-4 books and reading them over the next few months to decide which path is right for me. Thanks again!

[Asurendra]

I think that Paracelsus and these Medieval writers are going to be too archaic and impractical for you. In the history book I recommended he is covered and you would get a good introduction to him there.

[Desecrated]

Just curious, has anyone read Three Books of Occult Philosophy? Would that be a good one to start with as well?

Not really beginners level.

[Desecrated]

The satanic witch by lavey is an actual recommendations just because it so damn funny.

Liber Null & Psychonaut by Peter J. Carroll is one of the most important books about magic.

If you want to read one of the older books that actually makes some sense. The Kybalion is very easy to understand-

[Cybernetic_Jazz]

If you want a good book that gives you good general history, shape, and character of the Western Mysteries and kind of acts as a Sears Catalog for everything Western Esoteric - read Manly P Hall's Secret Teaching Of All the Ages. It's not how-to, people debate how crisp the details were or whether some of the research was outdated/superseded in his time, but overall it gives the context and flavor of things quite well.

On Agrippa's 3 Books on Occult Philosophy - back when I tried reading it I was mostly interested in the content of the first book, ie. natural magic, because I was still trying to figure out the cosmology and ontology of what it was and how it worked. The second book is numerology which could bore you to tears and odds are you won't retain much, the third book if I remember right was a big hodge-podge of theosophies he had learned and to some extent goetia. After reading that, I found much more of what I was looking for in 'Secret Teachings' by MP Hall because he wrote precisely what I was looking for - ie. a book that described what exactly this all meant, where it was coming from, etc. etc.

As for a starting magic book for practice - I'd agree with some of the other people's suggestion of Modern Magic. I haven't read the whole thing but I got to see the 'look inside' and it sits pretty well with western mystery practice in general. If you really want to go Cadellac after that there's Franz Bardon's Initiation Into Hermetics or some of the Golden Dawn books that are built for self-initiation; with either of those it seems to take a certain amount of mental discipline already built and I think you'll have more fun if you take your time rather than trying to train for the Olympics off the starting block.

[Eremita]

Hello, friend!

Donald Michael Kraig - Modern Magick - As stated by others, this is valuable. It is very easy to read compared to most books on the occult, and is aimed at the newcomer. The book layout leaves a little to be desired - jumping between topics and going on tangents, but it covers most of the basic concepts of western Ceremonial Magic, and teaches you exactly how to perform some lovely rituals (with illustrations). Kraig does make a number of baseless assertions. You will also not find any great detail on the subjects covered (particularly Kabbalah and the Tarot, which are only touched upon). But this is a very good starting point for those interested in so-called high magic.

Raymond Buckland - Complete Book of Witchcraft - This is more or less the Wiccan equivalent of Modern Magic. It is written in very similar style, the chapters are presented in the same 'lesson' format (with questions and all), and the goal is the same - to give a broad introduction to all the basics of Wicca. Very easy to read, with some good practical exercises. Buckland's book I would recommend if you're interested in Wicca - but, as usual, there is a bit that ground my gears. For starters, he repeatedly asserts that Wicca and Witchcraft are the same thing, which I think is incredibly pretentious (the book should more aptly have been called "Buckland's Complete Book of Wicca"). He also makes baseless claims about the origins of human religion (basically that Wicca is the first religion - riiiiight). Very large portions of the book are devoted to detailing lengthy religious rituals of the type that are performed in Wiccan covens and have nothing to do with practical magic. I found this rather tiring. Still a good book.

Peter Carroll - Liber Null and Liber Kaos - There is little in these books in the way of practical exercises but Carroll makes a superb effort of explaining the various kinds of magical practice and the ways in which they may or may not be effective. He has a lovely, analytical yet twisted little mind. For Chaos magic, he is the go-to man.

[Ramscha]

Here is a link toa gigantic pile of knowledge:
http://www.occultforum.org/forum/viewto ... 57&t=36162

[savs165]

Thanks so much for all your help! Im going to purchase a few books and let you guys know my progress. Ive been interested in the occult for ages, so I dont know why its taken me so long to actually start reading books about it and hopefully start practicing it. Ive got a lot to learn, but Im looking forward to starting my journey!

[savs165]

Sorry to ask another question (I forgot to ask this), but has anyone read THE GOLDEN BOUGH? William Gaddis - one of my favorite authors (though not an occult writer by any means) - had mentioned this book as a major infulence on him. Im still not 100% sure what its about, but it seems to touch upon magick. Just wondering if its worth picking up. I know its probably not good for a begginer, but I thought it would be an interesting read nontheless.

[Asurendra]

The Golden Bough is a study in mythology. I don't think it is directly relevant to occult practices. The books we have listed are a better place to start.

[Desecrated]

Sorry to ask another question (I forgot to ask this), but has anyone read THE GOLDEN BOUGH? William Gaddis - one of my favorite authors (though not an occult writer by any means) - had mentioned this book as a major infulence on him. Im still not 100% sure what its about, but it seems to touch upon magick. Just wondering if its worth picking up. I know its probably not good for a begginer, but I thought it would be an interesting read nontheless.

It's a snooze-fest.
But if YOU like his writings, get it.
I bought mine in paperback pocket size. Under 10 dollar for 700 pages.

Unless you need the 4900 pages 12 volume edition for 300 dollars.

[Asurendra]

If you're intent on such a tangent when you have a nice list above, then read 'The White Goddess' by Robert Graves. It has a deeper and more poetic analysis of mythology than 'The Golden Bough.' But, as a complement to Graves and to have an occult resonance with his book you have to read 'Yogic Secrets of the Dark Goddess' by Shambhavi Chopra at the same time.

[Eremita]

Sorry, I have one more recommendation to make which I forgot to include in my earlier post:

Dion Fortune's The Mystical Qabalah.

This is not a book of "practical" occultism, but the Western ceremonial magical traditions (like the Golden Dawn, which you mentioned) are heavily based on the Qabalah. Therefore, a basic understanding of the Qabalah, and what it means from the magician's point of view, is needed to understand a lot of occult concepts.

Put another way, you will run into a lot of Qabalistic concepts throughout occult books.

The Mystical Qabalah will give you more than a good enough grasp of the subject to make sense of other authors and recognise the significance of many rituals. Even for those not interested in magic, I would still recommend it, as it is an absolute masterpiece of a read. I bought a new copy of this book for about 10 dollars online, an absolute steal. I can't recommend it enough.

[savs165]

Thanks again guys for all your help! Im going to order a few books today from your guys suggestions and start there. I cant thank you all enough for your help.

As far as The Golden Bough goes, it was just something I was curios about. I dont think Ill read that one right now. In retrospect I realize now that it was probably off topic bringing it up. Sorry for any confusion. Thanks again!

[AnnaBolton]

Personally I think a must have reference book for all things occult is "the new encyclopedia of the occult by john Michael greer. That and modern magick would be a great starting point but if you want more than I have three other recommendations depending on your interests.
As someone else said Bucklands complete book of witchcraft if your interested in witchcraft or wicca.
"the essential golden dawn "by chic and Tabitha Cicero is awesome for beginners if your at all interested in the golden dawn or ceremonial magick in general (get this before you get the Regardie book!)
and lastly "The Mystic foundation by Christopher Penzack or any book by him! This is an awesome book for getting a good foundation of knowledge about mystical and occult traditions and it ties them all together and compares and contrasts them as well as giving practical exercises.
Hope this helps, but seriously get the first book I mentioned you won't regret it! Its great for beginner's, intermediate, advanced...its like the Wikipedia of the occult only better

[Desecrated]

Sorry, I have one more recommendation to make which I forgot to include in my earlier post:

Dion Fortune's The Mystical Qabalah

Then I kinda want to mention Dion Fortune - Psychic Self Defense.

It's a very easy and logical book that has a good mix of theory and practice.
Starts with smaller things like aura strengthening and goes all the way to the invocation of the four holy angels.

[savs165]

So, ok...I have a question. Ive been reading THE ESSENTIAL GOLDEN DAWN (Cicero), and so far it has been great. Everything is laid out in an easy to understand way. However, Im noticing a lot themes about Christianity. Is the GD Christian? Do you have to believe in Christ to be a part of it? I only ask because I am not a believer of Christ. Maybe I should just shut up and keep reading?

[Ramscha]

Well, GD has its roots also in hermetic orietations. Considering that hermetics has its first blooming time during the late middle ages and the renaissance what did you expect? This time was still strongly influenced by the christian church which of course also influenced almost all philosophical and spiritual ideas present through that time. It is not so much about the direct idea of Jesus christ, but you will find probably a bunch of christian values and ideas. Deal with it!

[Desecrated]

So, ok...I have a question. Ive been reading THE ESSENTIAL GOLDEN DAWN (Cicero), and so far it has been great. Everything is laid out in an easy to understand way. However, Im noticing a lot themes about Christianity. Is the GD Christian? Do you have to believe in Christ to be a part of it? I only ask because I am not a believer of Christ. Maybe I should just shut up and keep reading?

Most Occult are christian or jews.
It's kinda hard to study the kabbalah if you don't believe in angels. And if you don't believe in demons the grimoires are kinda worthless.
Tarot, Astrology or any Golden Dawn rituals are also christians.

You can study it and then change it to fit your point of view. Chaos Magicians do this all the time.

[Eremita]

So, ok...I have a question. Ive been reading THE ESSENTIAL GOLDEN DAWN (Cicero), and so far it has been great. Everything is laid out in an easy to understand way. However, Im noticing a lot themes about Christianity. Is the GD Christian?

I sincerely doubt that many of the Golden Dawn generation were Christians (although certainly some of them were).

The whole ceremonial magic thing uses loads of Jewish/Christian themes, but it also borrows a hell of a lot from earlier pagan religions (particularly Egyptian). Hermeticism is a mystical tradition, thus it is certainly not Christian in the orthodox sense of the word. You can identify with and use themes and images from a religion as a way of coming to grips with mystical ideas, without having to believe in the literal truth of that religion (I mean jeez, does anyone actually believe the Bible is literally true anymore?).

Do you have to believe in Christ to be a part of it? I only ask because I am not a believer of Christ.

I don't believe in Christ, either - at least not in the same way that your local church priest believes in Christ. That doesn't stop me from being able to honour him as an archetypal figure, or from attempting to wrest spiritual truth from the words written in the Gospels.

It's all just a system.

Am I making any sense? It's hard for me to tell, sometimes.

[oldspirit]

what about BIG BBLUE Raymond buclands complete guide to witchcraft evryone. granted this book is very soft but a great introduction to the real basics of almost any cult or group. Really dives into in my opinion the only history of the old path that makes sense to me. very practical and very informative but like i said just on the softer side of things. But as far as Raw info goes for a newbie it is really the best buy

[Ramscha]

what about BIG BBLUE Raymond buclands complete guide to witchcraft evryone. granted this book is very soft but a great introduction to the real basics of almost any cult or group. Really dives into in my opinion the only history of the old path that makes sense to me. very practical and very informative but like i said just on the softer side of things. But as far as Raw info goes for a newbie it is really the best buy

Just because a story makes sense does not mean it is true and actually happened. Especially since history is often fragmented [wink]