This little document is my response to the numerous requests I've seen on Usenet and various electronic mailing lists for help in getting started in the secretive world of magic and the occult. I've written it in a question and answer style asking the following questions:

1. How do I get started in the study of magic?
2. What Books do you recommend for the beginner?
3. Holy smokes! There's no way I can afford all those books!
4. I'm poorer than dirt, got anything that's basically free?
5. What about on-line discussion groups?
6. Can you recommend any correspondence courses and esoteric Orders?
7. There are an awful lots of terms thrown about here. What do they all mean?

You may disagree with my answers to these questions. That's your right. If you think Crowley's cool or are looking to fry someone with lightning bolts, this may not be to your tastes. If you are looking to draw closer to God and explore the "occult" without losing your soul. You may want to keep reading.

If this work helps you in some way, please drop me some email at cward@think.com. If you have any constructive criticisms, I'm interested in those as well. Flames to /dev/null.

Q1: How do I get started in the study of magic?

While this is a common question, it's not the first one you should ask yourself. First ask yourself, "Should I take up the study of magic?", and "Why do I want to study magic?". What is your goal?

The path you are seeking has been called "The Great Adventure" and "The Great Work". There are many voices which will call to you to turn left or right and even to turn back. A maze of pathways is awaiting you. Some will take you closer to your goal, others perhaps in a more roundabout route, still others away from your objectives and quite a few will take you into dangerous peril. This is merely one of the voices.

This small document is meant as a help to those True Seekers who desire to develop in themselves the skills, attributes and knowledge necessary to become an Initiate in the Western Mysteries. The Western Mystery Tradition of the esoteric Orders is not the Path for the dilettante or the dabbler! Initiation requires a serious dedication to take your own evolution in hand and become fully responsible for your own actions. If this is not your intention or you feel this is not your Path then it is better for you to wait or find another Path. As I said, there are many Paths. I can only recommend this one.

So, how do you get started? First answer these three questions:

1. What is your goal?
2. What do you want?
3. Why do you seek Initiation?

Q2: What Books do you recommend for the beginner?

The New Age Movement (NAM) has muddied the waters and flooded the area with more paths than you can shake a stick at, however, one positive aspect is that books on the Western Esoteric Tradition are more easily obtainable than ever. The problem, of course, is which among the tens of thousands of titles are worth the paper their printed on? The following is a short list of my recommended books for beginners. Don't let that fool you, however. These books are no easy read but they will get you started on the Path. The list is grouped roughly by subject for convenience.


Beginner Books

1. "Experience of the Inner Worlds", Gareth Knight
Recently reprinted in the US by Weiser (1993, ISBN 0877287872).
If you have any fondness for both the esoteric and Grail Myth, you'll really like the approach of this book. Each chapter is well written yet concise and concludes with easy but practical exercises which build upon each other effectively. The approach is more mystical than magical (which may be better for the solitary practictioner). The author is coming from a decidedly Christian viewpoint and the first chapter has some very interesting distinctions between Christian and pagan magic and religion. Not only is this an excellent beginner book but it also contains insights which may be mined by those farther on the Path.

2. "Apprenticed to Magic", W. E. Butler
Another classic reprint by Aquarian Press along with "Magic & the Qabalah" (1990, ISBN 0-85030-961-1).
It is written in the style of letters to a student beginning on the study of magic. There are not great secrets revealed here but it helps build a firm foundation of spirituality needed to carry out The Great Work.

3. "First Steps In Ritual", Doloris A. Norwicki
The revised expanded second edition was published by Aquarian Press in 1990 (ISBN 0-85030-874-7).
This is a good beginners practical book. It details several rituals covering a range of Western Paths.


General Occult books

1. "The Esoteric Orders and Their Work", Dion Fortune A new edition published by Aquarian Press in 1987 along with "The Training and Work of the Initiate" (ISBN 0-85030-664-7).
This book provides an excellent insiders look at what a balanced Order is like. This book describes the workings of secret societies, traditionally jealously restricted to admitted members. It is an excellent book to understand an overview of the Inner School of the Western Esoteric Tradition and a must to review before joining any Order.

2. "The Training and Work of an Initiate", Dion Fortune. Now republished with "Esoteric Orders and Their Work" by Aquarian Press in 1987 (ISBN 0-85030-664-7).
This book outlines the broad principles of the Western Esoteric Systems that have been handed down from Adept to Neophyte for centuries. Dion Fortune attempts to illuminate obscure and often misunderstood aspects of the Path. Even if you can't give up your whole life to the pursuit of the esoteric sciences, this book can give you a good idea of the esoteric philosophy of life and what can be expected of you as you follow the Path.

3. "Sane Occultism", Dion Fortune
Another classic, balanced work on the Western Esoteric Tradition republished by Aquarian Press along with "Practical Occultism". This book reviews some of the more practical aspects of this Path, in particular, how to avoid becoming one of those NAM flakes.

4. "The Complete Book of Spells, Ceremonies & Magic", M. Gonzalez-Wippler Published by Llewllyn first then 1978 then updated in 1988 (ISBN 0-87542-286-1)
This book gives an excellent history and overview of magic across a wide range of traditions. It's a kind of Reader Digest Encyclopedia of Magic, the Occult, organized religions, secret societies, shamanism, and famous practitioners. Besides history and theory, there's also plenty of practical material covered as well as many samples spells and charms from a broad range of traditions. An excellent book if you are still looking for your particular Path.


Tarot

1. "Meditations on the Tarot" (anonymous) This book, published by Element in 1991, is a translation of Meditations of an anonymous French Priest released after his death. Although the chapter topics follow the Major Arcana, the book weaves in a vast amount of Christian Hermeticism throughout. The book is thick and pricey, but well worth every penny. Amazingly, it has garnered acceptance both from the esoteric and mainstream religious.

2. "Highlights of the Tarot", Paul F. Case This booklet comes with the BOTA Tarot deck.
This deck along with the Rider-Waite deck, is one of the most balanced decks published and an excellent first deck for beginners studying the Tarot.

3. "The Tarot - Key to the Wisdom of the Ages", Paul F. Case Another BOTA publication (ISBN 0-938002-08-2), the revised edition published in 1990, adds color plates of the cards in the Major Arcana. Case is perhaps the best author on the Tarot presenting it's deep mysteries with clarity and balance while still preserving it's mystical nature. A definite must for anyone seriously interested in the study of the Tarot.


Qabalah

1. "The Mystical Qabalah", Dion Fortune The definitive work on the subject and usually referenced by all other works on Qabalah. Republished in the US by Weiser in 1991 (ISBN 0-87728-596-9), it is Dion Fortune's most famous work. This book presents the revelations of Jewish Mysticism (Kabbalah) in its tradition as incorporated into the Western Esoteric Tradition and as taught by Golden Dawn related Schools.

2. "A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism", Gareth Knight The single volume set now published by Weiser (ISBN 0-87728-397-4) is an excellent addition to one's esoteric reference library. This is more of a reference book than a straight read but excellent none-the-less. It makes an excellent companion to Fortune's "The Mystical Qabalah". It covers each Sephiroth in detail as well as the mystical attributions of the paths between them. It also details the correspondence between the Tree of Life and the Esoteric Grade system of the Golden Dawn. It is of special value for developing your own personal practical Qabalistic work.


An Outside Perspective

These books present some balanced perspectives on the occult and the broad range of NAM beliefs and groups. It's important to include these books because popularity of the NAM has ushered in its share of opportunists and con artists which thrive upon the secrecy of Esoteric Traditions and the ignorance and hunger of the masses. These books will help you put a little more caveat in your emptor...


1. "America, The Sorcerer's New Apprentice", Dave Hunt & T.A. McMahon Published by Harvest House in 1988 (ISBN 0-89081-651-4), these authors have reviewed a wide range of NAM cults and snake oil in a balanced manner. Although little of the Western Esoteric Mysteries Schools is covered, the side influences, especially from pagan and Eastern religions, are well covered. The authors ask probing questions and show how much of the NAM is hype, how much is dangerous, and what positive aspects it might hold as well.

2. "The Fringes of Reason"
This is an excellent, non-partisan debunking of many of the major NAW myths. It provides documented, scientific evidence showing how much of the NAM is snake oil and how much might have merit.

3. "Straight Answers On The New Age", Bob Larson This is a somewhat dated book published in 1986 by Intervarsity Press (ISBN 0-8407-3032-2).
It presents a definite Fundamentalist Christian viewpoint but does a nice job of breaking down the various NAM themes and groups into identifiable compartments. Each chapter ends with some direct and tough questions that you not only should ask yourself but are likely to be asked along the way. You may not agree with everything in the book but its light is revealing.

4. "Unmasking the New Age", Douglas Groothius Also published by Intervarsity Press in 1986 (ISBN 0-87784-568-9),
This book takes a look at the more societal rather than specifically personal aspects of the NAM. It references some other interesting books by authors who have been deeply involved in one of the NAW cults or Eastern religions and converted to Christianity. The book is not as reactionary as the cover blurbs.

5. "The Bible", God Various publishers, dates, and translations. I prefer the "Jerusalem Bible" myself. A good interlinear Bible can help you get at the heart of those sticky passages and you can verify the translation yourself. Don't discount this book on your Journey. It's not just for thumping on street corners. It is perhaps the most esoteric and powerful of spiritual books.


Fiction

The magic of the Western Esoteric Tradition is not the flashy special effects of Hollywood and most spell-slinging fiction. A few books, however, do an excellent job of teaching esoteric mystery in the vehicle of an entertaining story.

1. Any works by Dion Fortune.

2. "The Seed Bearers", Peter Timlett
An Atlantis story with it's facts based on esoteric teachings.

3. "The Inheritor", Marion Z. Bradley
An intriguing tale of first encounter with the occult.

4. "Lammas Night", Katherine Kurtz
A fanciful tale of how occultism played a positive role in WWII.

5. "The Adept" series, Katherine Kurtz & Deborah Harris
So far three books in the series present a modern day
occultist who also dabbles as a detective.

Q3: Holy smokes! There's no way I can afford all those books!

This is a common malady and one which I am also afflicted. I've built up a nice library over many years of study (and no you may not borrow any of my books). I have two answers to this question:

1. The Top Three Books.

If you could only buy three books (other than the Bible) the ones I put at the top of my list are:

"Meditations on the Tarot" - covers both the Tarot and esoteric Christian Hermeticism.

"America: The Sorcerers New Apprentice" - for balance.

"The Esoteric Orders and Their Work & The Training and Work of the Initiate" - This 2-for-1 reprint covers the true philosophy of the Western Mystery Schools and will help you discern other works.

2. Free Books

Perhaps one of the more important magical tools you will need to obtain in your initial pursuit of magical texts is a Library Card. You may already have one of these powerful devices. If not, proceed to your local public library and perform their appropriate ritual. Then check the local catalog for the books listed. Many smaller libraries may not have most or even any other books listed above. These books also have a high theft rate from libraries. To obtain books your local library doesn't have, seek out the reference librarian and ask about an interlibrary loan. Remember that anyone can cough up a title, a dabbler can provide an author perhaps even a publisher, but to show the librarian you are a True Adept be sure to give the ISBN. It usually takes a week or so to locate and ship the book. Many libraries provide this as a free service. Some may ask you to cover the shipping cost.


Q4: I'm poorer than dirt, got anything that's basically free?

There is a wide variety of occult related material available on Usenet and via anonymous FTP. The same warnings apply to materials found there as in your local bookstore or only more so. Most of what I've found are the poorly organized musings and questionable practices of occult dabblers who are apparently neither skilled Initiates nor accomplished writers. Still there are a few works I can recommend:

"Notes on Kabbalah", Collin Low

Q6: Can you recommend any correspondence courses and/or esoteric Orders?

There are lots of "mystery schools" out there who will gladly take your money in exchange for telling you what you could discover with a little patients and a good bookstore. One look through "Gnosis" magazine will tell you that these "secret societies" are not as secret as they used to be. The advantage of belonging to a group is that you can network with others on a similar Journey. So, the best Order to join would be one which is a true mystery school (a la Dion Fortune's description in "The Esoteric Orders"), which has members locally you can interact with directly and which work in a style acceptable to your discernment.
Just one of the many good schools: Do a search for: S.O.L. (Servants Of the Light); which gives serious courses, also through long distances.

Q7: There are an awful lots of terms thrown about there. What do they all mean?

The esoteric realm is difficult enough of a subject to deal with given the limits of language and few definitions give complete understanding to the concepts unless experienced firsthand. Still the following definitions are provided though there is no guarantee that all authors will use them the same.

Exoteric - that which is publicly taught, known and practiced.

Esoteric - that which is privately or secretly taught, known or practiced. Can also refer to knowledge or meaning hidden within something exoteric.

Hermeticism - relating to the teachings of Hermes Trigestes.

Kabbalah - the esoteric system of Jewish mysticism and basis for much of the Western Esoteric Tradition.

Magic(k) - there are many definitions. The dictionary includes stage magic (i.e. magic tricks) and uses more skeptical language in its definition but that is not the context here. Here are the opinions of some experts:

"the art of causing changes in consciousness at will."
-Dion Fortune

"the art of determining the forms and shapes which shall be taken in the outer world by the veil of Reality"
-Paul Case

"the art of producing desired effects, initiated by changes in consciousness, by directing or aligning with the secret forces of the Cosmos"
-Paul Clark

"Magic is by no means, as most outsiders imagine, the negation of science. Quite the contrary, Magic is Science, but Science with synthesis, almost integral Science, its horizons being the absolute, the Infinite in Unity. ...In truth Magic is the knowledge of the action and combination of the forces of the Universe, the study of their conduct, their involution, their evolution..."
- Jollivet-Castellot

Magick - an alternate spelling of magic used by some people to differentiate "true magic" from stage magic or inferior forms.

"Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will."
-A. Crowley, _Magick_ (_Book Four_)

"The Anglo-Saxon *k* in Magick, like most of Crowley's conceits, is a means of indicating the kind of magic which he performed. K is the eleventh letter of several alphabets, and eleven is the principal number of magick, because it is the number attributed to the Qliphoth - the underworld of demonic and chaotic forces that have to be conquered before magick can be performed. K has other magical implications: it corresponds to the power or *shakti* aspect of creative energy, for k is the ancient Egyptian *khu*, *the* magical power. Specifically, it stands for *kteis* (vagina), the complement to the wand (or phallus) which is used by the Magician in certain aspects of the Great Work."
- Symonds and Grant, in their introduction to _Magick_

Occult - literally "hidden", typically of or pertaining to hidden or secret knowledge or lore In many Christian circles this also implies forbidden, even sinful, knowledge or work but not necessarily here.

Qabbalah - an esoteric "Christian" variant of Jewish mysticism including elements of Hermeticism.

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