Nothing New Under the Sun

Yesterday I received an advanced copy of the new edition of Modern Magick. All I can say is, “WOW!” It’s incredible. Just showing you the cover doesn’t do it justice, but here it is, on the left:

This image really doesn’t indicate just how large and solid this book is. For those of you who have the previous edition, the new version is about the same thickness but a full 8.5 x 11 in size. It literally dwarfs the previous edition, shown on the right.

This is not just a small change in the book. The new edition is completely re-written. The language has been fully updated. It also has about 40% new material, including tips, ideas, personal experiences, four new forewords, stories, appendices, and a completely new 12th chapter. For a more thorough description of what’s new, see my website.

Where Does It Come From?

An entirely new chapter?
You may be asking yourself where it came from.
Did I make it up?

The originality of Modern Magick isn’t based on me inventing things, but rather, in the way everything is presented. Each section, each concept, is built upon what came earlier in the book. That’s why I suggest the best way to use it is to read through it once, quickly, and then take your time working through it. This isn’t just another book, it’s a true course of lessons.

I did create some things, such as the I.O.B. technique. However, it was successfully used by myself and by dozens of my students before it was originally published. Since then it has been used by many thousands of people. Although the full technique is originally, it is completely based on traditional magickal methods.

The new chapter is an introduction to new magickal techniques that are gaining in popularity. I name all of the sources of those techniques. In an earlier section on magickal evocation, even in the first edition I listed all of my sources. Years ago, one person was very upset about this chapter, attacking me and falsely claiming that I didn’t give my sources. He claimed he invented the technique. However, the technique was in existence before he was born. I wrote a bit about this in a sidebar in the new edition.

Frankly, I don’t care who claims they invented something. I can only give my sources, and if they aren’t listed in the sources I used, someone with a complaint should contact them. What I do claim as original is my presentation. I take people from knowing nothing about magick to being well versed and capable of practicing any magickal system. My contribution is sharing methods, backgrounds, and theory in a logical, understandable way, giving people the ability to use the traditional techniques of magick. Credit and notoriety isn’t what’s important. Doing the work and spiritually advancing is what’s important.

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If you have ordered the new edition of Modern Magick directly from Llewellyn, it is probably being shipped to you right now. If you ordered from another store, the store’s copies are being shipped to them now. If you have a local shop, contact them and tell them to order it for you.

Once you have a copy of the new edition, tell us what you think by commenting below.