More on Modern Magick

I’m home from Pantheacon, and what a great event it was. I had a chance to talk with many eager attendees as well as with writers such as Deborah Blake, Lon DuQuette, T. Thorn Coyle and many others.

In my workshop on “Future Trends in Magick” I made some comments about my Modern Magick and how, in fact, it was dated. Certainly it’s not as dated as books from many hundreds of years ago. But there is a major difference between the ancient grimoires and my book. Their goal was simply to present what is. One of my goals with Modern Magick was to present magick—as it is practiced by people all over the world—in a modern fashion.

The truth is the language that I used isn’t that modern any more. Certainly many of the illustrations are simplistic: yes, they’re informative but they really don’t “grab” you. Plus, I’ve learned so much more since Modern Magick was originally published. I don’t even mention the three systems I described in my Pantheacon workshop within the text of my book.

Other goals I had for my book were to give readers and students a solid, basic understanding of magick and the ability to move ahead on any magickal path. I think it achieved those goals. It’s still a valid resource and quite frankly, I know of nothing better.

Science and Art

I do keep up on new books and magickal paths that become available. Since Modern Magick appeared I’ve seen the development of new magickal technologies and new paradigms. A few of them have made a splash, but most of them eventually failed and vanished. I think the cause of this is that their founders and supporters failed to understand that magick is both a science and an art. Their “new magickal discoveries” were simply personal artistic expressions of the scientific aspect of magick that already existed. It wasn’t new, just a new description or approach. People eventually realized this and drifted away.

If a reader studied my book, he or she would have learned the basics of practical and theoretical Kabalah, ceremonial magick techniques, banishing techniques, meditation techniques, methods of Pagan magick, divination, evocation, talismanic magick, sex magick, the techniques of A. O. Spare, astral projection, and much more. I’m still excited about it. I still feel honored that I was a part of it. But one thing was clear: although everything in Modern Magick is still valid and vital, it just wasn’t as modern as it was when it was first published.

Over two years ago, Elysia (acquisition editor at Llewellyn) asked me to do something about this. A year ago I turned in a manuscript that, in my opinion, takes the best of Modern Magick and combines it with twenty years of further research, further practice, further understanding, further study, working with individuals and groups, conversations and practical work with some of the leading occultists in the world, and my own personal development.

“Book X”

I’ve been referring to this new book as “Book X” over on Facebook. In my next blog post I’ll finally reveal the name of this new book. When the current printing of Modern Magick is sold out, this edition will be officially out of print. If you want a genuine collectors’ item in pristine condition, you should consider getting your copy now before they’re gone forever.

By October of this year, “Book X” should be available. In my next blog post I’ll not only tell you the name but also reveal a bit more about it. But let me tell you a couple things now: The dimensions of the current edition of Modern Magick (as a reference) are 6″ by 9″. “Book X” is going to be almost 8.5″ by 11″ (as a reference, this is the same size as Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft). Modern Magick is 600 pages. “Book X” is also scheduled to be about 600 pages (more than 60% larger than Buckland’s book).

Quite literally, this is going to be huge, and because you’ve supported me in the past, Llewellyn has promised to keep the price as low as possible.

You’ve got to read my next blog post to get all the details and the title. Yes, I’ve written “Book X,” so my opinion is one sided. However I honestly think this will be a major and important contribution to the world of magick. So get your copy of Modern Magick before the printing of the current edition is gone.

And get ready for something amazing! Get ready for “Book X!”