I found it enjoyable and inspiring in its simplicity.
What I got most out of reading it was seeing how one person has assimilated what they have studied and turned it into their own system, and it inspired me to do the same.
At the time I was reading a lot of different stuff around the subject of chaos magick and PFM felt like a breath of fresh air and along with Advanced Magick for Beginners by Alan Chapman it got me from the stage of reading about it to starting my own system and practising it.
That‘s an interesting question if it‘s a goal or an order. Actually I never thought about it. In the end it‘s about realigning yourself so the universe will fall in place so if it is an order then it‘s an order to myself. I‘ve charged sigils with meditation, mastrubation & even sex with my wife. I feel like mastrubation is adequate for „quickhacks“, whenever I need something greater I put way more work into making a beautiful sigil, charge it with meditation & then burn it with some kind of sacrifice. Weed mostly.
I can really recommend to you this book. It was the most important one for my magickal practice so far
Thanks for the book recommendation. I will check it out. Yes, if you follow a negative path definitely expect to meet those low vibrational entities. They are as much a part of universal consciousness as anything else but definitely not for me, though some people will be attracted to that path.
Personally the occult journey that resonates most with me is Chaos Magick. On this path secret societies, ritual and theatrics can be used if you like (it can make things a bit more aesthetic, fun and build community) but not actually 100% necessary. It is more about the belief in the means of manifestation.
I got into Chaos Magick through Alan Chapman. If anyone is interested his books are a fantastic introduction. https://www.amazon.ca/Advanced-Magick-Beginners-Alan-Chapman/dp/1904658415
I'm highly surprised no one's mentioned Advanced Magick for Beginners yet. It's one of the best chaos magick books I have ever read, and would recommend reading it before even diving into Gordon White's stuff. And this comes from my 7 years experience in new age/new thought/occult studies and practices. Also, the Psychonaut Field Manual gets an honorable mention.
If you're looking to start fooling around, I'd pick up a few books of different thought within the magick sphere.
Advanced Magick for Beginners - by Alan Chapman, a Chaos Magick perspective.
Initation Into Hermetics - by Franz Bardon, a western ceremonial magician. I'd pick up a Bardon Companion while you're at it. The english translation of IIH can get funky at times.
The Chicken Qabalah is hilarious, written by Lon Milo Duquette. I cried laughing with this one a few times.
The Teachings by way of Dr. Robert Gibson is a great and direct mode of doing the work. It is difficult for a time, but once you're 7 weeks in it becomes a pleasant ride. This one requires you to figure out how to use the lessons to perform miracles, but its pretty obvious.
Good luck, have fun, and don't forget to write everything down!
I think this will help: https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Magick-Beginners-Alan-Chapman/dp/1904658415
Chapman, Alan
Liber Null & Psychonaut: An Introduction to Chaos Magic
Carroll, Peter J.
Modern Magick: Twelve Lessons in the High Magickal Arts (not chaos magick....but good)
Kraig, Donald Michael
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From what I've read magick requires the following: An intention turned into a symbol, and then an act making the symbol relevant.
Ritual is the act, the intention is your desire filled with Will. The symbol is the declaration of the act and Will creating the triad - the unity of both, and the manifestation of the unity is the tetrad.