Modern Magick: Twelve Lessons in the High Magickal Arts

DM Kraig's essential masterwork is one of the key texts which has taken magick and again thrust it into the daylight. Magickal orders worldwide, from pagans, to Wiccans to the Golden Dawn, owe the tremendous rise in interest in magick in large part to Kraig's influence through this phenomenal volume. Unlike other texts, most characterized by Crowley's habit of talking around magickal theory, Kraig's text emphasizes the "DOING" in magick, and gets the reader/student performing rituals and making magick from the very first chapter. While heavily influenced and almost wholly based on the Golden Dawn system, Modern Magick also incorporates other systems, with a whole lotta pagan workings and a dash of tantric thrown in, to boot. Kraig was one of the first authors to address the much lamented tendency that ceremonial magicians talk ALOT about magick, but actually DO very little. This book is FUNDAMENTALLY focused on doing, and, while a course for the beginner, takes the student through sufficiently advanced magick to satisfy the depth of knowledge any novice is likely to aspire to. Also, Kraig doesn't spend tons of pages on the theoretical aspects, instead giving a cliff notes overview, then pointing the student to other, more comprehensive texts by authors more erudite on them than Kraig wishes to be so he can get the student back to doing magick! It's still the best course in magick out there, and anyone aspiring to learn magick of any sort should purchase this text and pursue the regimen of study and practice within!

MODERN MAGICK by Donald Michael KraigThere is a problem with the first edition of this book. In lesson 7 the olympic/planetary seals are totally messed up. Meaning he assinged Hagith (venus to the the seal of Phalec (mars) and so on and so forth. Now to the experienced magician they could spot this right away, but the beginner will have absolutly no clue that there is a mistake here. Now it does not matter if this is the authers fault or the editor's fault there is a mistake. Otherwise the book is very, very good but not excellent. I give the first edition four stars. Plus the talismans are ok I like the way he describes a way on how to make talismas and amulets in a pagan way.It has pretty good info on the subject of amulets and talismans. If you are interested in making talismans get Making Talismans by Nick Farrell. This may be the only book you may need for powerful and postive magick using talismans and amulets. The second edition is much better where the mistake is corrected. But the auther from what I read did not mention there was a mistake in the first edition. Now on to the more postive review. The book is excellent for those who are interested in Ceremonial Magick. It deals with the magick of the Golden Dawn tradition. The chapters are divided in lessons. There are a total amount of 11 lessons. There is information of the Qabalah and the Tree of Life. He gives many rituals throughout this book, including the ritual of the pentagram, the hexagram ritual, the rose cross ritual and much more. The Watchtower ritual he gives is a more simplified version although very effective. You will find a lesson on sex magick here as well (you may not want to have your youngster read read chapter 10). In lesson 9 you will learn a bit on the Goetia. Also you will learn how to make some of the tools used in CM. Although he does give a brief history on wi! tchcraft and the oppersion of it throughout time this book does not have anything to do with Wicca at all. You will learn about talismans and amulets and how to create your own. You will learn so many thing from this book. This is suitable for the beginner who knows nothing about magick and is suitable for those who know about magick and has a lot of experience and wants to get into Ceremonial Magick. This book also makes a wonderful reference as well. Also I would like to mention that the second edition has a section on the frequently asked question on magick as well. Also at the end of each lesson this is refering to the first and second editions there are questions at the end of each chapeter about each lessons. I find this book to be valuable and intelligently written. This book is a hot seller the first edition has over a 100,000 copies in print! This is a book that I seriously recommed to anyone who is interested in learning CM. Kraig did great work with this! one!Five stars for the 2nd edition *****

Yes, this book may oversimplify a bit, but Crowley and Regardie are hard reads to someone with no Magickal background. This book will get you started with good basic simple info on the main subjects you need to know, and has an excellent bibliography to keep you going. This is the "1st grade primer" for aspiring magicians- if you have any prior knowledge, an unnecessary book, but if looking for a 1st book for your occult library, buy and read before spending money on the "classics" because you probably wont understand them yet anyway. Also, for Pagans and Wiccans, a good view of a slightly different path. In other words, buy this FIRST, then dive into "Magick in Theory and Practice" or "The Golden Dawn", it will make them much easier to grasp. Will also make those cool Grimoires you bought like the Keys of Solomon usable.

As it is written in the title of my review, this book is the bestbook on ceremonial magick on the market. It is primarily written for the practitioner and almost every aspect of magic is coveredin a very comprehensive way. No ambiguity here but all subjects perfectly explained and detailed. Simply the best.I also want to take this opportunity to recommend some other few books for all the seekers out there:1) "Initiation into hermetics" by Franz Bardon (without any doubt a very good competitor to Kraig's book). Prodigious! A summit in Western magical literature. 2) "Western mandalas of transformation" by Soror A.L.. Simply the best book ever written on talismanic magic. I have read many books on talismanic magic including those written by I. Regardie, Migene Gonzalez-Whippler, Sepharial, Budge, Gregor, and Farrell, but this one is clearly the best. Every aspect of talismans construction is covered in details and in an absolute comprehensive manner. This work will be a tough one to surpass. A pure gem!3) "Making Talismans: living entities of Power" by Nick Farrell. Also a MUST in talismanic magic. In fact this book was my all time favorite before I found Soror A.L. book. Like the book above, everything here is clearly covered and unnumerable tools are given for the construction of almost any type of talismans. A very good book indeed!4) "Tibetan book of living and dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche. Surely one of the best book I have read in my life. Spirituality at its HIGHEST. If I could give five stars to only one book, (and as a poet and French author, I have read a lot and a lot), then I would highly consider this one. Deep, heartful, compassionate, moving, pure, filled with hope and desinterested love. These are some words that can described this book. WHAT A LESSON FOR US WESTERNERS!! No Hocus Pocus here, no spells performed to attract love or money but a work of REAL love. Please give yourself an incomparable gift and buy this book now. You will thank me (and yourself) for that. God blessed you Mr. S. Rinpoche, cause you try to help peoples find (or rediscover) hope, compassion and love in their hearts.5) Finally, I will suggest all works by St-John of The Cross or St-Francis of Assisi for (here again) their marvelous works filled with hope, humility and love. God bless you all!!