Magick has evolved tremendously over the past few years. It has stood the test of time, overcome the slander of contrary opinion, and it has taken a very deep position in the mainstream community. The new faces and names to the occult remain loyal to their traditions, but are not bound by it, and all of us have built our foundation from the techniques of elder work. We take it with great respect and humble appreciation for all of the hours spent discovering the secrets that have paved the way for all modern magick. Yet, these secrets are still hidden. They are hidden in plain sight; not by covetous protectors of secret knowledge, but by our own non-action in seeking the truth.

Nowadays there are so many "cure all" products of claim mixed with the occult collection of knowledge. It seems so much easier to take the easy way out, and buy that book or product of future disappointment from the guy who looks honest enough, standing on the street corner with nothing to claim himself besides a sly look in his eyes. But we do not ask any question or use our common knowledge; we just give him our hard-earned money with no doubt entering our mind. But it doesn't have to be that way.

The only thing that we as new magickians really need to do is rely on a made-by-reputation company like Llewellyn Publications, because nothing is as easy as it seems. The "cure all" that has intoxicated your mind will soon show you its true colors; you will find it to be fruitless and black. I say that the true color of a panacea-type book is black because you will still be in the dark if you think that a promise to succeed is all that you need in magick.

The real "secrets" are out there, even now. And if you really want to do the work, and see the fruits of your labors, you should begin the process of change right now!

Israel Regardie wrote his discoveries of illumination in a vast and mighty collection of books. If you look within the pages of his writings, I am sure that you will quench your appetite for enlightenment. But he is not the only great mind of the occult. The list of contributors is endless with names and proof of practice; you must search for yourself. Once you do, the truth will stand out like wallpaper in an outhouse.

Please do not let the foundation of so many others slip through the cracks of time. Do not let empty promises lead you to the wrong path, and please, let the magick of proven value guide you to the hallway of truth.

I am rather new to the occult, and to writing for that matter, but I love practicing both arts. I do not judge anyone in the self-help market, although, I do stand for what I believe in. And if I did not believe in the things that I write, I would not write them. Period. I come from a very strong-valued and traditional Christian family, but like the New Age, I am not bound by it. I practice any kind of occult system that I know will benefit me; I even write a lot of my own rituals and techniques, for personal use, that have proven to be very useful, and that are beyond the scope of traditional practice. That is not to say that I am more intelligent or creative than the older contributors. I am only saying that I went beyond the discoveries of old techniques, and discovered my own; this is something I could not have achieved without a good foundation of traditional knowledge. Take this understanding, go out and create some new knowledge, and make it tradition.