Customer Reviews

Basic Magick: A Practical Guide

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Mr Cooper writes well. His style would appeal to the scientist and those who feel there should be a rational, logical approach to things, rather than a cloak-and-dagger mystical necessity which would just be silly mumbo jumbo (as the author often calls it). Before opening this book, you'll cower and hide it as if it were a copy of Penthouse! Amazingly, it reveals itself to be as 'respectable' as a book by Freud or Einstein. As a physician, I must confess, I was surprised. More importantly, and almost reluctantly, I have to say that not reading this book and dying would almost be a tragic pity.

This is a valuable introduction to the basics of magickal work. Mr. Cooper describes very powerful techniques for tapping into the powers of the subconscious mind. He consistently emphasizes the fact that the individual bears the ultimate responsiblity for how he or she fares in life, not some external power or deity. In making his point, however, he ends up trashing such concepts as "karma" with what I feel is an incomplete understanding of its nature, or how it works. Worse, he uses such hackneyed adjectives as "silly" or "utter nonsense" or "rubbish" to describe that which he objects to. His criticisms are aimed at those ideas and notions we might subconsciously adopt to avoid taking reponsibility for our lives. Notions such as "God is punishing me," or "my luck is bad and there's nothing I can do about it," are justifiably trashed by Mr. Cooper. His goal is to help us empower ourselves, and quit blaming external causes for what we find lacking in our lives. I can't help but feel that he lacks a certain depth of understanding when it comes to those "externals" he objects to, and that's why his criticisms seem a bit harsh and unskillful. Still, he does an excellent job describing the planetary powers, and his techniques for accessing the subconscious mind are truly effective. Overall, he takes a positive and healthy approach to his subject, and the book is well worth reading. I highly recommend it, just keep a pinch of salt on hand while you read.

The general feeling I've had throughout the years, is that popular magic and its supposed practice are ridiculous goth fads. And for the most part they are, safe enough to say. Take a look through the "new age" section of your local bookstore, it is easy to see what I mean. 95% of the books sold on the topic of magic, or "magick" if we're being pretentious and annoying about it, strike me as somewhere between amusingly dismissable and disgustingly moronic.

Still, I'm smart enough to know that mankind's most distinctive characteristic is his astonishingly willful ignorance, and that it is simply common sense to realize that the human mind houses a great deal of unharnessed potential. The American educational system, the American government, popular media, and Western religion are, needless to say, pointedly unhelpful when it comes to learning to explore and utilize our full potential.

Philip Cooper's "Basic Magick" was the first book on this subject that I came across that struck a genuine chord. In many respects it's no different than most books on the subject, which is to say that it's haughty in tone, sometimes pretentiously prophetic, and frequently just too silly to take seriously. Its arguments and reasoning are confident and, at the same time, notably underdevloped, whimsical, and ill-supported. Additionally, it's just as stupid looking as any other "magick" book on the shelf; I admit I would've been a trifle embarassed purchasing this at a bookstore. Insecure? Maybe; but maybe with a valid reason.

However, if a bit arrogant and often questionable, the author is not a fool; the ideas, exercises, and attitude of the book all have a great deal of merit. Cooper's interpretation of magic in a metaphorical vein, and his assertion that mystical concepts like gods, demons, angels, magical paraphenalia (rings, knives, wands, etc.) are helpful strictly in terms of being symbols to the mind--is refreshing. Not everything he has to say bears close scrutiny, but one detects a tangible (and rightful) degree of sympathy for the skeptic.

Additionally, the book is fun to read. If the ideas aren't always rock-solid, the author's vitality and attitude *are,* and he manages to inspire without seeming preachy. His exercises are, at least at their core, notably useful and worthwhile. His frequent encouragement that the reader ignore magical systems mired in literalness and fad in favor of personal creativity is also refreshing.

The book isn't exactly a comprehensive tome--it is brief and introductory in nature. But for me this was fine. While hardly an ideal investigation of the topic overall, Cooper's book does house many helpful ideas and provides an interesting and less ridiculous angle on the idea of magic than I've seen elsewhere. His book gave me hope and inspired in me a great deal of thought and interest in the possibilites of the human mind, as well as exercises detailing how to begin to explore and perhaps utilize them. I recommend this book to beginners who have equal measure of enthusiasm and skepticism for magic in general.

Frankly I am surprised by the number of people who like this book. While the magikal techniques are certainly tried and true and the importance of positive mind sets, I was really turned off by his dogmatic and pompous statements. For example he "Categorically states" (his words) that 'astral' entities outside our own creation do not exist. That would include Angels, Devas, Nature spirits, what have you, along with demons and devils. While I would agree that we do indeed, for the most part create our own demons, metaphorically speaking anyway, it is arrogant to essentially say we (that of the physical world) are the only entities in existance, and that there are no other intelligences outside our dense vibration. Also, as one other noted, his dismissal of reincarnation and karma as being "silly dogmas" Well, they aren't even dogmas. But I guess if you treat magik as a science, you best alleviate the metaphysical, which somehow seems a contradiction, to me.

This is one of the greatest simple books on magick, you could ever read. Phillip cooper demonstrates again and again, that less is truly more, debunking all the complications and ritual hullabaloo. He has written an effective guide to magick, in simple laymen's terms, that can be understood and used by the common man. Out goes all the bizarre incantations and invocations, and all that arcane mumbo jumbo, in comes super cooper the new age sage, advising you not to say or do anything you do not fully understand, and giving you a very workable, and effective system of magick. This is the only book you'll ever need, a lifetime worth of magick, the occult bible for the ages. Thank you Phillip cooper.

this is a very safe book to start out with even if you've been in the art for a long time this book has opened so many other doors for me,the author is pretty incredible,guiding you threw everything and is so darn honest and straight to the point that it makes you feel like he's right there talking to you,it's definatly a great book for starters and it's a good book to those who have studied and are interested in some new veiw points on this incredible way of life.Highly reccomended.

I would definitely recommend this book for a person who is not a leader nor a follower - but an independant. This book focuses on forming your own ideas and opinions and beliefs. A person with a strong independant mind and a desire to find the truth for themselves will enjoy the tips that Cooper can offer. Excellent book.

For a young pre-med student with a strong belief in "science" as the truth, this book blew my mind. It makes perfect sense, and should be read by anyone who is interested in the concept of human beliefs and emotions affecting their lives. It is also free of the more wishy-washy new-age trappings that keeps so many people away from this sort of thing. A MUST BUY!

Phillip Cooper has been one of my favorite occult authors for a number of years now, and I have been waiting to write a review of one of his works in order to clear up many misconceptions that pepper his reviews. First I'm going to give a review of the work in question, and then move on to answering some of the criticisms against him.

"Basic Magick" is that, and more. Of all Cooper's works, save for maybe "The Magician" which is out of print, this book is his most complete. It focuses on what Mr. Cooper makes as the foundation of his entire magical practice - right beliefs. Cooper is one of the newer generation of magicians in that he approaches magic from an almost "New Thought" perspective. He puts strong emphasis on positive thinking, imaging, belief, and repetition of rituals. These themes and many of the initial practices in the book run throughout all of the Cooper's other books. For example, the Cosmic Ring exercise, which works as a slightly more advanced version of the Golden Dawn's Kabbalistic Cross minus the Hebrew words and the Lord's Prayer, is repeated in every one of his books; as is the basic structure of the opening of the four elemental gateways. The particulars of the presentation of these rituals sometimes differ slightly from work to work, but this is because Cooper puts a powerful emphasis on working out one's own system of magick using the basic structural and symbolic tools he presents to the reader. He insists that it is not his job to create a personal system of magic that works for each individual. That is their own responsibility, he only tries to give clear and effective techniques.

Beyond the basics of the system (the Cosmic Ring, the Inner Temple, the Four Elemental Gateways, and the Pool), Cooper introduces the reader to a magical system of symbology based on the planets. This is were "Basic Magick" takes off from the author's other works. The planetary system is simple, but encompassing, and appears to be something of practical use to anyone interested in side-stepping the more traditional, esoteric and judeo-christian stamps of such systems as the Golden Dawn or the classical Grimiores. The system is based on the kabbalah, but not to such an extent that one must learn ancient Hebrew or memorize 777. All of the correspondences given are clear, and straightforward with enough substance to inspire one to expand the lists based upon his or her own work and life experience.

This is where Cooper really shines, in my opinion. He does in fact give very basic outlines of what is necessary in modern approaches to magick. From the foundation he builds one is free to go in any direction one is interested in, as Cooper himself does in his other works on Candle Magick, and Sigil Magick. But this is also where many people get offended. Since Cooper is confident that he has found the most basic underlying structure to most magickal rituals, readers often see him as arrogant. When he uses the word Truth, they get turned off. But I think a careful read with an open mind will make it clear that what he means by Truth isn't so arrogant as it is useful.

But what Cooper does come down hard on is the superstition that has attached itself to magick for so long. He is NOT of the religious bent, be it Judeo-Christian or Eastern/Karmic school of thought. He views magick as a scientific, ultimately practical, and universal approach to reality. He does believe in God, though in a personal version of God that each individual must approach on his or her own. He doesn't believe that one should accept dogmatic symbolic systems from others, that is why his system is so universal and symbol-simple.

All in all, I think Cooper breathes fresh air into the stagnant Wiccan/Golden-Dawn/Crowley magickal field - fresh air and a strong whiff of common sense.

If you are new to the craft like me, or
experienced. This will definatly be a unique
book to read. prepare to set aside any
supersistions or dogma, this guy lays out the
art of magick so that nothing remains but
the heart.

I recommend it, it can be taylored
to your beliefs, but will open up a while new world
It has definatly worked for me.