Liber Null & Psychonaut: An Introduction to Chaos Magic (Paperback)

by Peter J. Carroll (Author) "Liber Null was written for the serious occult student, and therefore contains some powerful rituals..." (more)
Key Phrases: aetheric force, robotic level, psychic censor, Holy Guardian Angel, Dice Option Number, Applications of the Catastrophe Theory (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Two complete volumes in one. Liber Null contains a selection of extremely powerful rituals and exercises for committed occultists. Psychonaut is a manual comprising the theory and practice of magic aimed atthose seeking to perform group magic, or who work as shamanic priests to the community.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Weiser Books (April 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877286396
• ISBN-13: 978-0877286394
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #156,955 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Classic Primer On Chaos Magic, May 29, 2000

By	"killerclown" (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews

If you are new to the writings of Peter Carroll you should read this book first. It is the result of a tremendous effort to clarify the often confusing and unecessarily complicated writings of the past. In this day and age it is no longer necessary to withold this information or to write about it in "code".

Carroll presents his information in a clear, rational and pragmatic way. Readers who have read his later books will notice that some of the theories presented here have become dated, which is only natural considering that the book was written over twenty years ago and that the development of magical theory and practice has progressed since then. In spite of this, it is important to familiarize oneself with the information presented here as it gives a solid foundation for understanding the basic priciples and techniques that his later, more advanced books only touch upon briefly. For example the book has the clearest system for attaining proper mind control which is absolutely necessary for more advanced work. It also explains the different methods of going into trance as well as the procedures for creating personalized sigils or encoded desires.

The second part of the book entitled Psychonaut (great word by the way) consists of essays on a variety of topics related to the subject at hand: The use of psychoactive substances in ritual, different models for explaining magical phenomenon, etc.

In a way, I tend to regard this book as a successful clarification of what Crowley and Spare tried to say in their confusing and long-winded fasion.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The REAL magick of the New Aeon., May 15, 1998

By	"thoth93" (Texas) - See all my reviews

Peter Carroll's two classic texts are merged into one attractive volume, giving a complete, workable system of highly adaptable magick for both the interested beginner and the "old hand" who wants to refine an existing system or craft something new from whole cloth.

Valuable for occult students of any stripe, Carroll breaks the boundaries of traditional magick, redefining centuries-old theorums with fresh, insightful commentary. Particularly effective are his insights on the attainment of gnosis, i.e. achieving the proper state of mind for a ritual working, and his simple introduction to sigilization, a highly effective method of encoding one's desires into usable symbols.

Although Carroll's cosmology might not be favorable to the sensibilities of all, as will be his assertation that "nothing is true and everything is permitted," there is much here for the intelligent magician willing to re-examine his or her work in a new light, based on concepts of the new "science" of Chaos.

Stripping magick of religious and other trappings, Carroll has created both a great basic primer and much food for thought.

31 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars try elsewhere, first, December 30, 2005

By	S. E. Boone (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Peter Carroll has some interesting ideas, but they are mostly poorly-written regurgitations of what Crowley and A.O. Spare already said before he came to the table. I would recommend starting with source material if you want an understanding of those two. Israel Regardie and Lon Milo DuQuette both write some more accessible interpretations of Crowley if you don't want to wade through lengthy pontifications.

If you want a good introduction to Chaos Magick and to see some unique ideas, I highly recommend getting Phil Hine's "Condensed Chaos" (also available here on Amazon). His writing is excellent, and he does a much better job of clearly presenting the basics of Chaos Magick with a pragmatic attitude.

Carroll is interesting from a historical perspective since he was one of the early Chaos Magicians, so this is probably worth having for the completist.