Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult

If the occultophobes of the world had any sense, they would leave the Harry Potter series alone and forget all about it. THIS is the book they should be trying to burn. Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult is a collection of essays and articles by leading voices in the occult world. A total of 40 written pieces take up roughly 350 pages here. A small sampling of these includes Phil Hine on magical initiation, Donald Tyson on the Enochian Apocalypse, and Boyd Rice on the connections between the Biblical Leviathan and the mythic Dagon. An entire section is devoted to the infamous Aleister Crowley, his life's work, and those who took his ideas and ran with them. Fiction writer Grant Morrison (The Invisibles) delivers his philosophy on modern magickal practice as a lifestyle. Erik Davis discusses the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft and its significance to the practicing occultist. Tau Allen Greenfield debunks the popular history of Wicca. This book reprints an interview with late Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey by author/musician Michael Moynihan (Lords of Chaos, Blood Axis) and Dr. Stephen Flowers's essay "The Secret of the Gothick God of Darkness." Only Robert Mason's article on the "Ahriman Consciousness" seems strangely out of place; it reads more like a vaguely Christianized version of David Icke's conspiracy theories than the work of a practicing magician. Be advised this is not a "spellbook" as such; a few articles give practical advice for starting points and point the way to further study, but the book as a whole is an exhibit, not a seminar. But it's a very well-assembled and stimulating exhibit; read it to learn, evaluate, and be inspired. Young readers or newcomers to this area of interest may be surprised to learn here there is much more to the world of magic than astrology, Wicca, and themed-deck Tarot cards. This book is a joy in that it not only acknowledges the existence of a darker, more volatile side to the occult, but gives it legitimate coverage beyond a cursory two-sentence summary in dismissive, generalized terms. Get your copy now... before the book burners do.

This book, unlike Metzger's MISERABLE TV series is a joy to have. If you are a person open to the idea of alternate realities then you will find some of the best speakers from that fringe world here. You should not think of this as a typical "disinfo" offering such as "You Are Being Lied Too". This material would more easily be imagined as a series of essays along the lines of subject matter Robert Anton Wilson might discuss. Much of it deals in one way or another with magick and alternate mind states.

Even if you have a bookcase full of every stripe of esoterica (and really, how many times did you need the LBRP explained to you, anyway?), you will find unique and varied wonders to entertain and delight you in this fantastic anthology. Really, there is nothing else like it in print.On the other hand, if you are just starting to explore magick and the occult (and lean more towards William Blake and William Burroughs than heavy metal), this is a wonderful, literate place to start. Finally, if you simply enjoy reading intelligent writing about revolutionary ideas and individuals, you'll find plenty here to interest you.This anthology almost makes up for the fact that you can't find archived episodes of "Infinity Factory" on the web anymore.

Intuition drove me to buy this book: I've always been skeptical about anything containing the words "magick" and "occult", as western propaganda is effective at doing its work, and they still aren't words I would use if I wrote a book on the topics deployed in the Book of Lies. This book talks about philosophy, social change, drugs, history, mind and conscience, world abstraction,... I was gladly surprised by many of the articles, but I think the one which describes best what this book is about is "Are you illuminated?" by Phil Hine, which depicts the process in which westerners get near the edge of their own culture and begin a journey which penetrates deeper beyond the bounds of normal life and can initiate a process of self-destruction in our highly structured lives.I used to think about Buddhism as a godless philosophy disguised as a religion; now I'll have to review my concepts on "western magick", and acknowledge the very reason why it is called "Occult".

Reminding me considerably of some of the old Rapid Eye tomes that were published by Creation Books back in the late 80s, the 'Book Of Lies: The Disinformation Guide To Magick & The Occult' certainly follows suit with a similar style and content that some of us Generation-Xers are already more than familiar with. That said and done however, the 'Book Of Lies' is primarily a work for the new generation of occultist; and yet even if you're not occulturally inclined this book would certainly not go amiss on your coffee table or on a shelf in your bathroom within reaching distance from the throne...(...)