(no subject)
I have been reading three or four books at the same time for the last few months.
In my last "my books" post I mentioned that I had been intending to read AC's Magick, aka Liber ABA, aka Book 4, aka The Big Blue Brick. This book measures about 9"x11"x2 1/4" and must weigh 8 lbs. It is filled with a wide variety of Crowley's writing on magick, most of which I have read elsewhere. Reading this has not been easy since the book is neither portable nor discreet so I only get to it while I am home. I would say that I am about 20% complete on this after about 60 days worth of lax effort.
For something slightly more portable I have worked my way through 50% of the Crowley/Adams Astrology book. I have never ever studied astrology before. I have only learned the planetary symbols in the last year or two with my Qabalah study. The Crowley method seems to rely on as many QBL attributions as one could find and comparing your own findings with historical figures with similar charts or results. I will be getting some astrological software soon. If you are reading this and want me to cast your chart please email me at bioentropy at hotmail dot spam and I will get to it when I get the software.
I have been ordering books like crazy too. I ordered The True Quest for the Holy Grail, Liber 31 and The Story of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Light Tau Allen Greenfield via John Crow's attic sale. All three arrived signed though I hope to get them personally dedicated one day by both the author and the publisher. Looks like any future trip to the Southeast US will be laden with bookish luggage. I have already read True Quest, a short work containing the author's abridged journal entries regarding sex magick, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Everybody who has sex should read this book.
I also ordered Motta's Astral Attack and Defence and have been reading it in the bathroom. It is said that this is Motta's best work, and this is the first published english translation completed by one of his adherents. Motta lived in Brazil and wrote mostly in portugese, and the differences in culture and language come through in this translation loud and clear. The content is very dense and covers a wide variety of subjects from what mundanes would call hypnosis and suggestion to "remote entity manifestations". Reading this has been an eye opener for sure. Motta writes in a very direct manner, and the additions of his recent editors/translators are different enough in style to be easily spotted, though they are also differentiated by italics. I would suggest any serious student of occult pick this book up, though collectors will be disappointed by the quality. I also ordered Calling the Children of the Sun from H.O.O.R. and, although the quality of the book doesn't look any better, the brief flip through I made seems to indicate that this work will also be a good read, though a little less sobering than AA&D.
This week I will have the cash to purchase a pair of Picatrix leather bound editions. I am fairly certain that the limited edition will go up in price so I will leave one copy in the box and bookplate one for me. I have no idea what the contents are like. I have only seen this work referenced a few times in my research, but I do look forward to reading it. I think we will pick them both up next weekend in Seattle. I wonder if they will nail me at the border if I take them both across at the same time.
I have been ripping through the audio books as well. I have recently completed the first volume of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon. The first of four volumes, this recording is over 19(!) hours long! It was a fascinating "read". I am still working on my second pass through it. Nietzsche's Twilight of the Idols, Beyond Good and Evil and The Antichrist were awesome. I think I will put some Twain on for a break from the heavy non-fiction for this week.
In my last "my books" post I mentioned that I had been intending to read AC's Magick, aka Liber ABA, aka Book 4, aka The Big Blue Brick. This book measures about 9"x11"x2 1/4" and must weigh 8 lbs. It is filled with a wide variety of Crowley's writing on magick, most of which I have read elsewhere. Reading this has not been easy since the book is neither portable nor discreet so I only get to it while I am home. I would say that I am about 20% complete on this after about 60 days worth of lax effort.
For something slightly more portable I have worked my way through 50% of the Crowley/Adams Astrology book. I have never ever studied astrology before. I have only learned the planetary symbols in the last year or two with my Qabalah study. The Crowley method seems to rely on as many QBL attributions as one could find and comparing your own findings with historical figures with similar charts or results. I will be getting some astrological software soon. If you are reading this and want me to cast your chart please email me at bioentropy at hotmail dot spam and I will get to it when I get the software.
I have been ordering books like crazy too. I ordered The True Quest for the Holy Grail, Liber 31 and The Story of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Light Tau Allen Greenfield via John Crow's attic sale. All three arrived signed though I hope to get them personally dedicated one day by both the author and the publisher. Looks like any future trip to the Southeast US will be laden with bookish luggage. I have already read True Quest, a short work containing the author's abridged journal entries regarding sex magick, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Everybody who has sex should read this book.
I also ordered Motta's Astral Attack and Defence and have been reading it in the bathroom. It is said that this is Motta's best work, and this is the first published english translation completed by one of his adherents. Motta lived in Brazil and wrote mostly in portugese, and the differences in culture and language come through in this translation loud and clear. The content is very dense and covers a wide variety of subjects from what mundanes would call hypnosis and suggestion to "remote entity manifestations". Reading this has been an eye opener for sure. Motta writes in a very direct manner, and the additions of his recent editors/translators are different enough in style to be easily spotted, though they are also differentiated by italics. I would suggest any serious student of occult pick this book up, though collectors will be disappointed by the quality. I also ordered Calling the Children of the Sun from H.O.O.R. and, although the quality of the book doesn't look any better, the brief flip through I made seems to indicate that this work will also be a good read, though a little less sobering than AA&D.
This week I will have the cash to purchase a pair of Picatrix leather bound editions. I am fairly certain that the limited edition will go up in price so I will leave one copy in the box and bookplate one for me. I have no idea what the contents are like. I have only seen this work referenced a few times in my research, but I do look forward to reading it. I think we will pick them both up next weekend in Seattle. I wonder if they will nail me at the border if I take them both across at the same time.
I have been ripping through the audio books as well. I have recently completed the first volume of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon. The first of four volumes, this recording is over 19(!) hours long! It was a fascinating "read". I am still working on my second pass through it. Nietzsche's Twilight of the Idols, Beyond Good and Evil and The Antichrist were awesome. I think I will put some Twain on for a break from the heavy non-fiction for this week.