Outlook on Our Inner Western Way

William Gray is a very approachable author and acccomplishes a lot in conveying the history and tradition of the Western Way. The challenges faced by the reader will be the general dry writing style, the dated material, and the somewhat shallow approach. On the other hand, it is a great primer for someone new to the tradition, and would be a great second or third book to read if looking to pursue this path.

I found William G. Gray's summation of the Western Inner Tradition enlightening and enjoyable. It is a short book consisting of nine (9) chapters tracing the roots of the tradition to possible futures. A recurring theme is that of the 'Sacrificed King' from it's former practice to it's modern development of change in ourselves to become one with the divine. He speaks of temples and how they are but the physical symbols representing an inner condition. He will clarify many things in this book about the basic beliefs of the Western Inner Tradition. I'm glad William G. Gray wrote this book. If you want to learn more of this tradition and Gray's own particular organization his books should be purchased. These include the Sangreal Sodality Series which present the bare bones of the Tradition and his other complementary books.

Ever wonder why the Western Inner Tradition seems like such a muddle of magic, occult and other esoteric traditions? This can be very confusing for the initiate. William Gray clears the fog by explaining the begginings of the western esoteric tradition and its development in comparison to the eastern way. He gives a nice sensible history of the western way from the beginnings of humanity to the present, and shows what "magic" means to the tradition. While this is not a manual of magical practice, he gives sound and clear advice to get the initiate started along the path. He explains the three streams of practice, the intellectual, mystical, and emotional, and how different people are better suited for one or the other. I think he does a good job of cutting through a lot of the nonsense associated with magic and gets to the core of what the practice is, and can be about. This book is well suited for those who have an intellectual thirst for knowledge and seek understanding of the western path. It helped me to understand and claim the western tradition for my own, and gave me a solid basis and starting point for magical practice.