Customer Reviews

Angels, Demons & Gods of the New Millennium

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Finally, an advanced book of magick! So much of what we get from the publishers today are works for beginners. In Lon Milo DuQuette's Angels, Demons, and Gods of the New Millennium we are fortunate to receive a work written for those who have more than a passing knowledge of Kabbalah, sorcery, and other arts of magick. Here is a book written with the authority of experience, yet without the overbearing weight of received truth. DuQuette speaks to us as if we were guests in his home who share his love of magick. Knowing the groundwork is already covered, he shares the fruit of long thought about, and experience of, magickal practice.

DuQuette writes with a different voice from those of the greater lights of early in this century. His style has the personal qualities of Israel Regardie's but in the '90s it is just not possible to speak with such certainty. Instead DuQuette writes from experience, from successes and failures. He digests all this down to what he feels is important, even if the outcome doesn't fit the usual interpretations.

For example, DuQuette plays with both conceptions of the AA (Argenteum Astrum): the group of people who worked with Aleister Crowley and his students on the one hand, and, on the other, the body of initiates that has been guiding humanity towards enlightenment since time immemorial. DuQuette raises the logical point that if this organization has been present "since the dawn of consciousness" and has been embodied in such great souls as Lao-Tse, the Buddha, and Pythagoras, then how can access to it be limited to those with pieces of paper signed by Crowley and his heirs? DuQuette moves the AA to a more immediate plane, where any student with right aspiration can find herself in the great chain of initiates.

DuQuette's chapter on the Kabbalah is more basic than most others in this book, but it is pithy enough to give anyone a leg up on the study and practice of the discipline. He avoids the usual formulaic definitions of the sefirot and other components of this tradition by speaking from the distilled essence of his experience. One excellent display of his skill is his presentation of the Shem ha-Mephorash, the 72-fold divided Name of God from which a series of spirit names are generated. DuQuette boils down the abundance of turgid writing on this subject to a few pages accompanied by a chart, which Weiser obligingly prints in color in a foldout sheet. This, combined with the methodology presented in the later chapter "Demons Are Our Friends," provides a sufficient, though sparse, basis for sorcery, the practice of spirit conjuring.

A practice more common in theology than in magick is textual exegesis. DuQuette engages this discipline by explicating the Emerald Tablet of Hermes in light of the doctrine of the Holy Guardian Angel, the practice of seeking contact with the divine through a personal source, one's own angel. In his analysis DuQuette interprets the alchemical process of the Tablet as a way of attaining to knowledge and conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel - a key component of Crowley's magick.

Such analyses are a necessary step in the evolution of magickal thought and practice. We can only improve on our methods by engaging with classical texts and practices in the light of our own experience; doing so illuminates the depths that we have intuited in these sources. Having no formal academy in which to share our insights, we are aided by DuQuette's book. He has moved our understanding of magick forward.

Reviewed by Sam Webster, GNOSIS MAGAZINE

This book by Lon Milo DuQuette surprised me. Not because it is well written - I'd heard Lon's presentation at the Denver ATA in 1998 and had experienced the eloquence and energy he commands (whether aided by unnamed entities or not I do not know). What surprised me is that for the first time the Qabalah came alive for me. I had read parts of the major works on it before - Waite, Knight, Fortune and others - but it has always seemed a dry, over-elaborate, even disembodied, system to me. My study and practice, except for Tarot has been in Eastern systems. I am still not a Qabalist but now I am able to understand the appeal the Qabalah holds for others.

Lon explains the methods of Qabalistic scriptural exegesis - system for transforming words into other words - in a way that brings out their spiritual power. The text derived by these methods is not necessarily more profound than the exoteric one. What is important is that the process reveals a universe rich in interconnections which increase the more one seeks them.

The value of the method is the process of seeking and finding these interconnections. This was an important insight for me because it does away with the objection that the correlation's found are arbitrary. They may seem arbitrary but the divine becomes present in the act of finding these correlation's. What starts out seeming to the random if found unexpectedly to reveal the cosmic order.

Although Lon does not discuss Tarot, something like this occurs in Tarot divination. Suppose the spread includes the 4 of swords. Somehow a piece of cardboard with a peculiar picture connects to a late twentieth century person's need for respite from conflict. This is the miracle of divine intelligence operating in our lives and Lon's book made me able to see for the first time how Qabalah manifests this. His way of using Qabalah also resembles Tarot reading in that it is an active process, not simply study.

Lon wears his extensive learning lightly in contrast with too many books on Qabalah which are ponderous, humorless and inflated. It could be said that the combines the authority of the Hierophant with the skill of the Magician and the playful charm of the Fool.

Buddhism divides students into those of superior, average and inferior ability. With respect to Qabalah, I must acknowledge that I fall into the last category. This book's achievement is that it can reach even students like myself. I recommend it highly to anyone curious about Qabalah.

Review by Geoffrey Redmond, CTR From The ATA Newsletter A publication of the American Tarot Association Vol. IV NO. 1 Winter, 1999

I have to admit, I am a fan of Lon Milo Duquette. His 1993 THE MAGICK OF THELEMA is unquestionably the best introduction to the work of Aleister Crowley ever written. My only complaint is that he didn't write it ten years earlier. He not only filled in countless gaps in my magical education he did it with an easy-going manner that made this complex and serious subject seem more than interesting...he actually made it fun. Now, to my absolute delight, in his new book ANGELS, DEMONS & GODS OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM, Lon Milo Duquette surpasses all his earlier efforts and unleashes his wit and insight on the most fundamental elements of modern magick and the spiritual significance of the New Age. The publisher, Samuel Weiser, calls it a "liberal arts education in Wester Hermeticism." That is not an exaggeration, However, ANGELS, DEMONS, etc., is much more. It is a magical experience in and of itself. Is the Hebrew Qabalah the Zen of the West? What are angels and demons? Why on earth would a sane person want to deal with them? What makes the New Age the "New Age?" With disarming charm Duquette gently draws you into the introspective world of the modern magician, tickles you with hilarious observations and self-effacing confessions, then (often in the same paragraph) he slams you in the heart with breathtaking profundities. The book is fully illustrated with charts and timelines including a magnificant full color fold out diagram of the angels of the Shem ha-mephorash, Goetic demons and their place in the zodiac and the tarot. I have no doubts ANGELS, DEMONS & GODS OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM (like THE MAGICK OF THELEMA) will become a classic. There is nothing in the field of esoteric literature quite like it...Perhaps because there are no modern magical writers quite like Lon Milo DuQuette

Although Angels, Demons, and Gods of the New Millenium is not directly about the classical Golden Dawn System, it is none-the-less a valuable book for the student of Western Magic to have. And while the author is a Thelemite, the material in this book is not presented in an overtly Thelemic fashion. Lon Milo DuQuette has been practicing magic for over 30 years, currently heads the Heru-Ra-Ha O.T.O. temple in Southern California, and has vast insights and experience with the Qabalah, Enochian Magic, and techniques of magical evocation.

         As the subtitle of the book, "Musings on Modern Magick" suggests, this is actually a collection of essays on a variety of magical subjects including Qabalah, the Emerald Tablet of Hermes, the Procession of the Equinoxes, the pantheons of the Astrological Ages, Initiation, and the Goetic system of evocation. These essays are very easy to read because while Mr. Duquette takes these subjects very seriously, he does not take himself seriously. His light-hearted and self-effacing style is a welcome relief in a world of dauntingly deep and difficult texts on magic.

         Along with the essays in the book are a number of illustrations, tables, and diagrams. Most notable among these is a full-color fold-out diagram of the 72 Angels of the Shemhamporesch and the 72 Demons of the Goetia. This diagram shows their correlation in a way that is suitable for creating practical workings and is worth the price of the book alone.

         Mr. DuQuette's book is also very insightful in that it provides a glimpse into the creation and growth of a magician. His journey is presented in such a way that it is not over the head of a Neophyte, yet is filled with enough magical knowledge to keep the seasoned magician interested. Overall, Angels, Demons, and Gods of the New Millenium is a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening look at the world of a true magician.

DuQuette does it again, where 'My Life with the Spirits' is an autobiographical account of his life, this work goes deeper into his practice and philosophy in a series of essays and articles bound together in one little volume. It's more informative and informational, less entertaining, but still with his unmistakable whimsical style that educates you through your giggles. The last chapter of the book is sincerely invaluable to the practicing Mage. Plus, finally a decent last word on the 'Are demons actual external entities, or internal psychological constructs of the human psyche' question.

An outstanding work that is sure to be an Occult Classic deserving of a prominent place in EVERY magical bookshelf, regardless of your preferred magical/philosophical current.

DuQuette has offered both a theoretical and pragmatic view of the Thelemic worldview for the would be Occultist. He begins with a brief explanation of his own Thelemic ideal in chapter one appropriately entitled "Confession" and as he progresses thru the book, each chapter subsequently offers his own opinion on how he has assimilated these theories into a workable and reliable form of personal Occultism.

When we arrive in chapter two - "Qabalah, Zen of the West" - we shown that one can indeed feel not only comfortable with using but also with applying the Qabala to our daily lives by one who is as Western as it gets. What will help the neophyte is how DuQuette explains the complex arts of Gematria & Notariqon & Temura. These are Occult techniques whereby the student can take a word and translate it into a number and by doing so, see how it is related to other words that add up to the same number. Notariqon has to do with generating words from the beginning letters of a passage of scripture and Temura has to do with substituting one letter for another. While I have read
the methodology from other authors, DuQuette does a fine job of explaining in simplified terms.

One of my favorite chapters is the third one wherein DuQuette discourses on the nature of the Holy Guardian Angel that each one of us allegedly has. Interestingly enough, the author shares his thoughts on how some non-Occultists have apparently achieved success without any Occult rites or practices. In fact, DuQuette gives his own theory as to how the individual can make the necessary contact with his/her own HGA purely thru constant thought and desire. His logic is well founded and workable.

Finally the last chapter I truly enjoyed was "Demons Are Our Friends"! Here again this from a man who has DONE the requisite work and experienced first hand accounting of the Spirits. He is not a sit-by type of armchair theorist whose only pretending knowledge of the Goetia Spirits is purely speculative. And he confirms my own belief that "the whole technique of summoning and evocation is purely a matter of artistic taste." One can venture into the realm of needing pentacles of protection, robes, wands, etc., and vocalizing all of the conjurations by rote memory because they're romantically enflamed by that mindset OR the practitioner can use Occam's Razor to cut to the quick of the matter and use only what is absolutely necessary to call for such Spirits.

All in all, this book is excellent and well worth the investment. I give it five stars as it does include a nice bibliography and an index.

His website shameless promotes himself, more people need to shamelessly promote this book. Chock full of brilliant insights into Cabalistic and Thelemic magic (and my fave, "Demons Are Our Friends" about Goetic Magick). This book is written for the more experienced practicioner which, in itself--in an time when nearly all books on Magick include mindless crap like arguing for the legitimacy for magick and then introducing the basics, like the LPBR--makes this book a Diety send!

Buy it.

Students of the Western Mystery tradition and fans of DuQuette will be eager for this newest offering from one of the foremost Thelemic ritualists of our day. Seven chapters, each one a separate monograph, address topics critical to understanding modern magic. Though the author takes the subject of ceremonial magick very seriously, he tries not to take himself too seriously at all. He writes from his own experience, and his work is filled with humor, common sense, and valuable insight into this arcane world. Among the many diagrams and charts that illustrate the text is a never-before-published full-color foldout of the 72 Qabbalistic Angels of the Shem ha-Maphorash and the 72 Demons of the Goetia. The comprehensive bibliography enables further investigation, and a comprehensive index facilitates the use of this essential reading for worshippers of the New Millennium.

Lon Milo Duquette has done it again! He's given us another straight-ahead and witty exposition of several key topics in the occult sciences, a field traditionally shrouded by obscurity or cloaked by enigmatic double-talk that requires astute cryptographic skill to decipher. In his earlier landmark work, THE MAGICK OF THELEMA; A HANDBOOK OF THE RITUALS OF ALEISTER CROWLEY, Duquette presented the material in such a clear and user-friendly fashion that it opened the door for many an aspiring ritualist to start a program of practical work. ANGELS, DEMONS & GODS OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM belongs to the same body of work, continuing a common sense approach to a very convoluted field of endeavor, only now with a much broader platform. Though confessing up front to a Thelemic bias, Duquette doesn't confine himself to this point of view, bringing his considerable magickal and life experience to the subjects at hand. His adroit humor which sometimes has a cutting sarcastic edge to it and the liberal use of personal anecdotes has the effect of making this material extremely relevant to everyday life.

Essentially this book is about raising consciousness. "The Great Work of the initiate/magician is overcoming imbalances and imperfections in his or her being, thereby achieving exalted states of consciousness." It also has the added effect of gently debunking some common superstitions, among them demons, viewing them as portions of our own brain which we project upon the world. It is interesting to see how Duquette utilizes these demons in his account of goetic magic though I personally don't recommend that kind of work.

Other subjects include Qabalah, The Emerald Tablet of Hermes, The Precession of the Equinoxes, Egyptology and The Book of the Dead, and more. Having been a student of esoteric literature for over 15 years I've encountered these topics in a variety of forms, yet I received many fresh insights from these musings. I consider this book to be a valuable and necessary addition to any esoteric library. Oz Fritz Inner Journeys, The Independent Press Book Review Vol. VII, issue 3 Spring/Summer, 1998

I hate to see this book limited to New Age categories, if for no other reason that it narrowcasts its appeal. Of course, Magick has little to do with "New Age" moralizing and everything to do with the timeless science of consciousness expansion. FEW, appreciate this more than Lon Milo DuQuette. His essays, "Demons Are Our Friends" and "The Emerald Tablet of Hermes" must be considered amongst the finest and funniest ever written on the subject.