Customer Reviews

Kabbalah, Magic & the Great Work of Self Transformation: A Complete Course

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In his very first published book, Lyam Thomas Christopher provides a comprehensive system of self-transformation based on the Golden Dawn system which uses the Kabalistic Tree of Life as a model for spiritual awakening. The book provides a complete study and training course into Western Magic and Mysticism which, if followed properly, can lead to an enlightened state of awareness of ones existence where happiness can be derived not from material gain or social status but from the knowledge and conversation with ones Higher Self.

The very first chapter of this book provides a very good argument for the need for self-transformation and the search for spiritual enlightenment. The author shows that even with our advanced technologies, scientific advancement, longer life-span, and modern comforts there is much more suffering and misery in our world and we are even more confused about our purpose and place within the Universe. The author proposes that the reason for this unhappiness is that we have built our world around the survivalist mentality where men and women buy prosperity. We have shunned away our spiritual birthright where imagination flourishes where we can, as mortal men, can achieve realization of our immortality in exchange for the material comforts of the modern world which are all too often fleeting and temporary.

The author puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of developing a new kind of existence that rises above the survivalist mindset bent on the prestige and comfort of gaining status in our miserable and confused society. The recommended practical work provided in this book allows the student to learn and become consciously aware about the inner workings of the human psyche. This allows the student to develop an intimate relationship with his/her lower and animalistic nature not to destroy or banish it but to make it subject under the authority of the Higher and Immortal self so one can achieve happiness not in the afterlife but in the here and now within ourselves - the true Heaven on Earth.

The book offers a new perspective and approach in spiritual development within the Western Mystery Tradition. The work to be undertaken is divided into various grades or levels identical to the traditional grade system of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn from which a good portion of the teachings and practices are taken from. In each grade the author prescribes specific exercises, rituals, and assignments to be performed for a given period of time which can last anywhere between 6 months to 1 year. When done with sincerity and diligence the work will cause noticeable and significant life changes.

The author is very eloquent yet unpretentious and humble. Lyam Christopher has the ability to articulate complex psychological and spiritual concepts that can be easily understood by anyone. This book is highly recommended for beginners and advanced practitioners of magic and those who are searching for a path to enlightenment that does not require them to sell all their belongings and live in the mountains eating berries or subjecting themselves to the authority of some self-professed guru. This book should be part of every practicing magician's bookshelf.

I had my doubts about the author at first because he's a consultant to my teacher. When she started using his suggestions and prescribing them in my work, I didn't like it. Lyam Thomas Christopher demands a lot out of his students.

But then the changes started happening. This stuff works, and you needn't wonder how. Lyam lays it out for you in the pages...and by the time you're done reading, you have a grand view of the whole spiritual process. And you're faced with the choice of whether or not to go down the road that this book offers. The haunting thing is that this is nothing new to anyone in the west. We've all known all along that the road was there.

Lyam's approach is grand, but it's not in the least bit overwhelming. The book is grand in scope, but thankfully piecemeal and step-by-step.

I thought I knew what magic was. I've read a lot. I know a lot. But in this book the details come together differently. I realize that I've learned almost nothing...yet.

I think this book is pretty good, when I got it I could'nt put it down for some reason. I like how it uses the rituals to slowing bring you into balance with the elements instead of just showing you a quick way to get there. It really takes alot of work for the reader who wants to pursue the goal in the book. I can say though the title can be alittle misleading as I thought at first I was going to be dealing with traditional kabalah, when I saw that it was Based off the Golden Dawn I had my doubts, but I decided to give it a try, ive been practicing it ever since and I quite enjoy it. So if you are looking into a style of magick that is towards the Golden Dawn but without all the unecessary Rif Raf from the traditonal GD, then this is a good book to get. It strips everything down only to the bare necessities. And you stay pretty busy as well.

thats all I'll say....its true that this book is more GD than "traditional" Kabbalah(if there is such a thing!!)...but as a self study guide it is amazing and I would even dare say more accessible than DMK's "Modern Magick"...it particularly scores over "Modern Magick" in the fact that this book is tailored for the SOLITARY practicioner...for the 1st time is there a book with clear and practical course of study for a modern person living in the city...
and for the 1st time has someone made Regardie's "The Golden Dawn" accessible...

When I first opened the book I thought "Well here goes another run of the mill GD Book". I looked through the book and read what is never found in many Golden Dawn Books, a solid practical study and practice plan on how work directly with the Golden Dawn current.

Too many books like the Cicero book on Self Initiation is hardly practical and doesn't show how to work with GD rituals and hook up from a personal basis with that energy. This book provides a step by step plan on how to work with pentagram and hexagram rituals in their many elemental and planetary varients and embody those energies in the practioner. It also gives a different Middle Pillar exercise at the end of every Grade to build a tree of life in the magician's aura therefore rendering the magician an embodiement of the tree of life and activating those forces within.

By no means is the GD Current just elemental and planetary forces in an GD initiation. Many other forces are at play in the current. But all to often the individual magician without a lodge has no recourse to self practical work without a lodge this book provides that basis. In my opinion this book is a powerful addition to "Modern Magick" by Donald Kraig.

Now this is the reason I give this book 2 stars.

The problems I have with this book is that when I purchase a book I want it to be about the occult and its study and practice. When I purchase a book on the occult it better be on the occult. If I wanted social commentaries I will spend a couple of dollars and buy the New York Times.

This book is littered throughout with constant social comments about society, revisionist diatribes about history, just plain boring and stupid societal comments, which adds nothing and takes away from what would otherwise be a very good book. You can't escape these stupid social commentaries because they are embedded in every lesson and between what should be explainations of his curriculum.

I hope this book gets revised in the future and these comments are edited out completely and replaced with indepth explanations of his course.

I have been following this curriculum for over two years and will be for two more years. If you decide to commit yourself to the process of transformation, be ready to have all of your expectations and concepts shattered, dismembered, and destroyed mercilessly. After all, the alchemists say "Solve et Coagula". Is it easy? Hell no. Is it worth it? Hell yes.

I have been reading books on the occult for fifteen years and this is the best book on self initiation that I have ever come across since Modern Magic by Donald Micheal Kraig. Mr. Christopher goes into much more depth and detail than any other author that I have read. I can tell you from personal experience that the format for change that Mr. Christopher prescribes works. If you follow the methods that he discribes you will become more human than human.

One reviewer described the author as "unpretentious and humble". Strangely, I found the exact opposite to be the case. The tone is too preachy. I don't know why he randomly chooses the age of 31 years as the cut-off point for people to know what they're talking about when it comes to Magick. As I am 57 years old this isn't a personally motivated comment. Age doesn't matter, but maturity does. He's right about one thing - there are a lot of frauds and charlatans out there, not to mention just plain nutballs. But why spend so much time pointing that fact out? I'd like to see a new edition that sticks more to the lessons with less focus on social commentary.
The lessons themselves are excellent.

My copy of this books is dogeared and filled with notes and underlining and half a dozen bookmarks. Obviously you'll want to hear more than this, but I write this to demonstrate how important of a book this is to my life. I want to say it's the best of the Golden Dawn self initiation books, but perhaps it's best looked at as an alternate to the Ciceros' book. Maybe the greatest difference between it and the method used by the Ciceros is with Christopher you tend to study the original rituals rather than reenact them imaginatively.

A caveat, I've been a self initiate since 2004 and therefore don't have any idea what this book will look like to someone only vaguely familiar with the Golden Dawn The Golden Dawn, at this point, is almost like a nascent Christianity with all kinds of "denominations" and factions popping up, so its incumbent upon the seeker to sort the wheat from the chaff. A powerful spiritual system should change the seeker in a holistic manner, so what I'm personally looking for are the writers who understand what the work of the Golden Dawn does to you on a psychological level. Christopher understands that when you start this system, you're probably going to go through some phases that will totally redefine what you thought suffering was like. Let me tell you, for some of us this is almost excruciatingly painful and it's even harder when you're constantly reminded (for good reason) to keep silent. But if you stick with the program it's likely to change your life in ways that are specific and profound to you. I had an experience after working with this book that was so stunning that it completely changed my life.

Christopher structures the book by grade, the main curriculum is introduced in chapters that he equates to each grade of the Golden Dawn. The curriculum is possibly one of the most involved in the tradition and its method of dragging all sorts of (previously) inner order rituals into the outer is sure to be the matter of debate. But what I think Christopher does brilliantly here, a point I totally disagree with on at least two previous reviewers, is the commentary, the way he weaves texts, teachings and mythology as a narrative that ties in to the particular grade work. This is the type of thing self initiation books need because as essential as books by Regardie and Zalewski are, the perhaps hidden assumption is that most of the psychological angle comes from working with teachers in a temple or organization. If you're a self initiate, you may not have these resources and if there's any (major) glaring weakness in self initiation books its a clear warning that what you're about to undergo isn't the same thing as receiving a sermon in church, or debating over a passage in the New Testament or discussing spirituality with your friends.

This book makes clear the work and I can't imagine anyone who applies themselves to this system won't find their life changing in a way beyond their wildest imagination. But it's incredibly hard and often very painful work, especially in that your progress correlates to your persistance. However one thing that becomes clear is once you get started, it gets a lot easier to sort the wheat from the chaff.

I am over halfway through this book (Currently in Practicus), and have already decided to use the exercises within as tools to facilitate Self Actualization. So you may wonder why I gave the book only 3 stars? And so soon at that?

Well, it mainly has to do with this: When the author sticks to MAGICK, it's processes, it's applications within the self and purposes, it's obvious he knows what he's talking about......but when he strays into social commentary and revisionist history...and uses it to TEACH this same magick, well, there are some problems.

I use those 2 sets of words "Social Commentary" and "Revisionist History", because the reviewer beneath me (Regular Joe - 2 stars) used them. I read his review, and thought to myself "Come on, it can't be that bad!"

....Well, it is.

Mixed in with his lessons in magick are his self hating opinions on men and masculine energy in general, blaming it for all the ills of society and our current spiritual predicament of being enmeshed in matter without a conscious realization of Self. You read that last part right. He seriously believes this, and what makes this (and other statements) so serpentine is that he mixes it with truth (such as the feminine side of us, inner mind, subconscious, is the gateway to the soul) He is a Goddess worshiper, which is evident, and this would be fine if he kept it to himself, but he doesn't, and he pushes his Goddess Worship down the readers throat while teaching a system that advocates Union of Opposites.....yet he leans heavily to the Pillar of Form.

Now, under normal conditions, men like the above piss me off (yep), because they remind me of soft "man things" that look like men, but want to run back up into their mother's womb, and even, the spiritual womb, and stay there.....you'll recognize them as men who are either gay, or, they are the "friend" that women like to keep around while they themselves (the women) pursue real men. If those men do enter relationships, they are often led and controlled until the proverbial life is sucked out of them.

At this point, I must say I'm not a Homophobe (If he's gay, so what), I'm not a Misogynist (Equal rights and such are good things, obviously), however I am VERY Male and so I notice the Male bashing as glaringly obvious as if I was at a N.O.W. meeting

It's obvious the author has some sort of unresolved emotional issues regarding masculinity in general, within himself and others.

It's also obvious that the Grade of Adeptus Minor does indeed leave the ego intact, replete with personal faults with the universe. I suppose then, that it isn't until Adeptus Major then, that one has achieved true Union with the Godhead?

Point blank, if you are 1. Gay 2. Female 3. Not in touch with your Masculine side, then what I'm saying will mean nothing, and the book should deserve 5+ stars (Magickally speaking, it's really that good)

Oh, wait, I almost forgot to say something about the revisionist history bit. First, he proclaims evidence of an "Ancient Pervasive Goddess Cult" that was mercilessly cut out from existence.....and all historical records obviously.....even from caveman drawings (lmao, this is ridiculous) He even uses modern science to attempt to prove the subservience of the masculine energy to the feminine (development of the brain/intellect as an outgrowth of the body/feminine), while ignoring the "subservience" of the feminine in all animal life barring insects. (On a side note, this fact can be seen that both energies can be weak and strong, as evidence by the Tree of Life and Yin/Yang symbol...for some reason though, the feminine is only "strong" in some life forms, at least on Earth, but that's an aside) Further, he ignores that both energies, masculine and feminine, serve the One Life.

He gives a slant of the Sumerian/Babylonian religion from a decidedly feminine point of view, demonising the god Marduk for killing Tiamat...and on, and on, and on, LOL Ridiculous.

Make no mistake, I understand what he is communicating, it's just that his message isn't for me, or, anyone proud to be a man...or who at least worships BOTH aspects of Divinity truly...(My patron goddess, ironically, is Artemis)

So, in the end, for you fellow male readers out there that may be off put by the authors opinion's that are stated as fact......ignore them, and get on with the work. The value within is too much to pass by, so you'll just have to sift through the information as if looking for gold. It is worth it. Buy the book.

EDIT: I suppose I should say something positive about the book, because I DO want people to buy it. Well, for one, his clarity is so crystalline that you cannot mistake his meaning, and that is a blessing when he get's into talking about the Great Work.

His use of imposing Tree's of Life from the 4 worlds is beautiful.

Through his writing, he seems to have patience mixed with high standards. He expects you to do the work.

He also seems to have a healthy remembrance of what it was like to go through the grades himself. It shows with how well he communicates, it's almost as if he knows what you're thinking in some cases.

Okay, now, get the book, and make up your own mind.