Customer Reviews

THE BIBLE OF THE ADVERSARY

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't always agree with Michael Ford, one of the things that bothers me is he does not believe in Lucifer as a literal being, but then again traditional orthodox Luciferians are hard to come by these days. This is one of his better books. It does not try hard to shock you with blood rituals and seemingly cruel animal rites, like the toad ritual in his Luciferian Witchcraft book. It is a book that features beginer rituals, but most of it is his philosophy on Luciferianism. I said his philosophy meaning not all Luciferians share his view. It has the holidays, demons and fallen angels you can work with. Over all It is a good book to start with as oposed to his other works.

It is a refreshing aproach to The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey and a good edition to any Occult library.

I recently purchased this Bible and was pleased with Michael W.Fords style of writing. Once I started reading this book I could not put it down. His detailed writings on the GODS especially Lilith was the BEST I have found in years. Very happy with this purchase! I highly recommend this Bible to the Adept and Beginner. Great work!

There is little doubt that for better or worse Mr. Ford is filling a void in the much neglected world of Satanism/Luciferianism. He is what is happening now. This particular book and it's companion "Beginning Luciferian Magick" are primers in his unique approach.

While there are nay sayers in the Satanic community, my response is that at least he's out there keeping things fresh. And he is.

He is a little over the top for me and he is in desperate need of an editor. However he is (as this and his other works demonstrate) a very well thought out and bright young man bringing much to the table. I for one salute him and wish him well. Oh and yeah, aside from some editorial problems, I endorse this book.

This book is principally useful to two groups of people: beginners in left hand magick, and adepts who are looking more for inspiration than for specific material to work with. For the beginner, this book offers a good set of rituals, prayers, etc. for practice and development, far more useful than what one finds in LaVey's "Satanism for Dummies", aka, the Satanic Bible. The book largely swings between Persian sources, invoking frequently Ahriman, and Qliphotic magick on lines similar to the Qabalistic methods of the Golden Dawn. Both systems and methods are expanded in Mr. Ford's other books, particularly Liber HVHI. For a truly experienced sorcerer, an Adept of the Left Hand Path, there is useful food for thought and inspirational material, but an Adept has evolved sufficiently to be able to operate without the elaborate speeches and so forth of "grimoire Magick."

For a truly aspiring sorcerer, I'd encourage supplementing the study of this book with Libri Null and Kaos, by Peter Carroll, and even more so, NAOS and the Black Books of Satan from the Order of Nine Angles. So armed, you may be set upon the path to Adeptship, maybe even Mastery of the Earth.

Don't get me wrong: this book is GOOD. However, to offer a bible to the sorcerer is needless, as each of us finds truth in his own path, and none can give it to another. Further, one would expect a Bible to contain anything and everything one might need to explore one's chosen spiritual path, and, as evidenced above, I think this particular book is best studied in association with other materials.

In any case, Do what thou Wilt.

Though it's not quite as dark or in-depth as 'Luciferian Witchcraft'... this book makes for a good companion to the aforementioned tome.

Few books or grimoires have been written about "the dark side." However, as a Spiritual Satanist, I find his title "Bible of the Adversary" to be a bit much. For one thing, he is a chaos magician, who believes that we are our one and only God. I know and believe in the entity known as Satan--and I know Him as a real being, not a concept or a way to ascend to a higher plane. One can indeed ascend with Satan, but it is a partnership. I do not believe humans can elevate themselves very far without going through the Source, who is Satan in my case. I like the hymns in the back of this book, and Mr. Ford has done much research esp. with regards to demons in different cultures. I wonder though, when he talks of using "toad skins"--what happens to the toad? I would find it unethical if the toad was killed just so I could practice a bit of magick. I think a better title for this book would have been "The Bible of Dark Chaos Magick." Calling it the bible of the Adversary, when he does not even acknowledge Satan as a living being, is misleading. And he speaks of Luciferians being "predatory"--I think that is unethical. One last thing--he speaks of some of the demons as "bloated, dripping [...]," etc. I don't see any reason to think of them that way--that seems like the same old saw of the Christians--that demons are ugly and monsters. I know a few demons and they are not "filthy" in any way--in fact they are gorgeous. I am glad to be able to use some of the hymns in the back of the book in my own rituals, but I sometimes have to change a few words. I'm not sure if I would buy it again, not at the prices listed here anyway.

I really don't practice any of this stuff, But I am writing a Book(Fiction)...and the info in the book was very helpful to me on the subject...I liked how it covered Lilith...and other Demons...So once again, a Mild Thumps Up!

Comparing it to The Satanic Bible this book for me was highly disappointing. The Satanic Bible (especially the first half of the book) explains what Satanism is all about. The Bible of the Adversary was to me more of an encyclopedia of occult deities, as well as a how-to-book of magic(k) & sorcery. It explained very little on what Luciferianism is.

Author needs an editor worth a damn. This book had the potential to be something far greater than what it is.

This book is filled with symbolism right from the start. Michael Ford's Luciferianism is rooted in the Adversarial Current, being a collective approach to the Adversary (Lucifer, Ahriman, Lilith, Az, etc.) in mythology. He describes this Current in varying cultures - from Hebrew to Persian. After a lengthy explanation of the symbolism of Lucifer/Lilith/Ahriman/Az we get to the rituals. Ritual seems to be an essential part of Luciferianism including Ahrimanic Yoga, Meditation, and Primal Sorcery. He also includes alot of sigils for which you can meditate upon the Archetype's attributes. I, myself being a LaVeyan Satanist find myself being inspired from Michael Ford's magical practice and have adopted some of his formulas to my own personalized rituals.

His Luciferian Docterine is much like LaVey's Satanism but with a spiritual twist to it - spiritual being "A higher articulation of thought or consciousness." He points out numerous times throuhout the book "Experience and validate! Do not place trust in blind faith." The last chapter in the book had little importance to me, it is a collection of Luciferian prayers but could be viewed as invocations. I cannot bring myself to even arive at termonology being "prayers," let alone pray. I don't think he intended it to be a "knee bending" thing, but I still could not bring myself to use the prayers.

Other than needing an editor this book is a really good read. I give 5 out of 5. I originally bought this book for insight into his magical practice and now I hold the much of the same views on the subject.