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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Masterpiece. Best Book on the Left Hand Path Available., May 3, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Demons of the Flesh: The Complete Guide to Left-Hand Path Sex Magic (Paperback)
This groundbreaking, comprehensive, exhaustively researched, and well-written study goes much further than any other book I've ever read on this subject in providing accurate practical knowledge on the totally misunderstood area of Left Hand Path initiation and sex magick. Its promise to be the 'Complete Guide' to this area is more than fulfilled in its 400 pages of insightful text. The Schrecks draw on decades of real life experience in making the mystery that surrounds this sinister subject clear. After an introductory 'Foreplay' that sets the Schreck's irreverent and iconoclastic tone, the book is divided into 3 sections. Book One, The Sinister Current in the East, explains how the Left Hand Path began in the tantric practices of India, revealing the most radical methods of erotic magic that are so commonly distorted by politically correct New Age forms of tantra in the West. The Schreck's 5 point explanation of the essential principles of the Left Hand Path is the most accurate and useful attempt at describing the basic defining methods of this kind of spirituality I've ever seen, admirably sticking to historical fact instead of the occult gameplaying you find so much of in magical books. Book Two, The Sinister Current in the West, starts out with a practical glossary of magical terms, and gets into such previously ignored topics as the possibility that Jesus Christ was a Left Hand Path sex magician, the topic of sacred prostitution and the cult of Babylon. The Schrecks cover the Left Hand Path sexual teachings of such well-known magical teachers and groups ... Book Three, The Sinister Current In Action, guides the reader through such topics as magical masturbation, sexual deprogramming, the selection of sex partners for magical purposes, homosexuality in the Left Hand Path, orgies, sadomasoschism, and even intercourse with incubi and succubi. The use of this section extends beyond sex magic alone and works as a practical primer for magical theory in general. This section moves far from the old traditions of occultism, citing ... eclectic sources ... and drawing on scientific sexology as well as more mystical resources. The Schreck's lead us through the history, theory and practice of Left Hand Path sex magic with a refreshing sense of humor and a skeptical critique of the gullibility of occultism in general. What also makes this different than any other book on the topic I've read is the authors scholarly research and concentration on exploding the many myths and errors that previous books claiming to illuminate the Left Hand Path have helped to spread. The book is enlivened by many rare illustrations, some of which I've never seen before. Highly recommended.
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24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The first magickal classic of the century?, May 19, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Demons of the Flesh: The Complete Guide to Left-Hand Path Sex Magic (Paperback)
This beautifully produced Creation Books edition is a revolutionary classic of sexual self-initiation. The long awaited guide to the Left Hand Path's sexmagickal side is as thorough & definitive as we would expect from Nikolas and Zeena Schreck, the Demonic Duo who have been pushing the envelope of the black arts for years. One thing this must-have "Sexcronomicon" makes crystal clear in its fascinating journey through the theory practice & history of the Sinister Current in the East and West is that the Left Hand Path is really inseparable from sex magick. Rare among the few Western books available on this subject is the Schrecks' focus on the importance of the Demonic Feminine to the Left Hand Path, something this demonic female really appreciated! DEMONS OF THE FLESH describes itself as a sex magickal ritual and deliberately reflects the united male and female perspectives of the authors. This unique approach adds a seriousness of purpose that is lacking in many magical books, despite the Schrecks' often humorous take on reality. Despite some of the sensational topics covered such as magical S and M, sex vampirism, sacred prostitution & the darker side of erotic magick in general, the authors handle the material with an obvious understanding of the sacred nature of sexuality. Also unique is the authors' explanation of how every religion (including Christianity & Buddhism) has its secret Left Hand Path and the Schrecks' surprising dismissal of the overrated A. Crowley and modern Satanism as irrelevant to the authentic Sinister Current. Not afraid to spell out the radical formula of how sinister initiates must break the taboos of society, then their own taboos on the way to higher states of mind, DEMONS OF THE FLESH has become a controversial work in more conservative occult circles. Of particular use for practical magicians is the section on forming your own Left Hand Path group, which is obviously informed by the Schrecks' own experience in this field. Written with authority and expertise and bringing to light many previously unexplored areas of sinister sex magic, the Schrecks don't talk down to their readers, so my only caveat would be that this may be a better book for more advanced magicians than beginners. The extensive bibliography is a treasure trove for the serious student of Left Hand Path Sex Magic. The illustrations are a sensuous delight. It's the complete guide alright, but I'm already waiting for the sequel.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not what it promised, December 13, 2010
This review is from: Demons of the Flesh: The Complete Guide to Left-Hand Path Sex Magic (Paperback)
I was willing to pay $60 for this out of print book, with high hopes that it would be well worth the price based on the description and other reviews. While the book is well-researched and well-written, it is not at all what it promised to be, and not what I was looking for. First, forget the description offered by Amazon, as brief as it is. Forget the title and subtitle of the book. This book is not so much a "Complete Guide to LHP Sex Magic" as it is a "complete overview of the history of practices that may or may not be LHP sex magic." The first third of the book is devoted to the history of the LHP in Eastern traditions. Although the Schrecks properly criticize the tendency of the occult movement towards "orientalism" (romanticizing eastern practices as inherently more mystical than western ones), they appear to engage in it themselves. Although they believe the "sinister current" has been expressed in various traditions throughout time, they discuss very little about such currents in pre-Christian Western traditions, and seem to hold that study of the tantric LHP is the only way to get a "pure" understanding of what the LHP is supposed to be about, since it is the only uninterrupted expression of the LHP since ancient times. All this, in spite of the authors' notice that the goal of tantric LHP is dissolution of the self and is contrary to the goal of the Western LHP practitioner. In keeping with this, they use tantric words throughout the text, and tantric concepts and worldview as a yardstick from which to measure whether or not other practices are LHP or not. Despite all their research, they seem unable or unwilling to branch into archaeology or anthropology, or even Biblical studies to trace the sinister current in the West in any detail before the Christian era. Another huge portion of the book is devoted to the occultists of the 19th and early 20th centuries. This section is the worst waste of time in the book, because the authors essentially write each chapter as a biography of a particular occultist. And yes, that's right - biographies, not merely a discussion of their beliefs and practices. The worst part is that a majority of the occultists covered are ones the Schrecks do not consider to be true LHP practitioners. While I appreciate a good expose' of Crowley, given the tendency of some occultists to idolize him beyond what he deserves, this is not what I purchased this book for. I don't want to read an entire tedious chapter about some occultist only for the authors to conclude that obviously, this person wasn't really on the LHP, so their practices are a moot point. The last section finally discusses opportunites for modern LHP sex magic practices. However, it is the shortest section in the book, and the least detailed. There is very little practical "how-to" information, and anything beyond the 101 level is merely suggested. Since this was what I hoped the meat of the book would be, based on the book's title, description, and other reviews, I was very disappointed to see it lacking. This book is well-researched, and the historical information seems quite valid, which is more than I can say for 99% of occult books out there. This is why I'm giving it two stars and not one. However, it was not what it promised to be - a complete guide to LHP sex magic - so much as it was a focus on historical practices, with very little attention even given to how those historical practices could be implemented in a practical sense. I love history, but a single chapter on the history of tantric LHP, a single chapter on the history of older Western LHP currents, and a single chapter on RELEVANT Western occult practitioners would have been enough. The book lacks a clear direction and purpose, and as such I can only give it two stars for not following its stated purpose very well at all.
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