Customer Reviews

Little Essays Toward Truth

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Crowley wrote this treatise as a commentary to the Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster. Depths of Insight are contained herein, making this an ultimately excellent text-book of the experiences of the Inward and Outward Paths - anyone interested in this book should try to join the A.'.A.'.'s subtle plan to raise the levels of Mankind's Spirituality above any past levels in the rememberable History.

A book written late in Crowley's life (if memory serves) cryptic essays on several Magickal emotions. Some will be accessible to non-magicians. Some will not. (Some may not make sense to anybody.)

This is definitely a fantastic commentary on magical philosophy. It is a good primer for beginners but as Crowley's writings usually are, it requires rereading and meditation.

I love this wee book because it is the foundation of Aleister Crowley's philosophy. You will not find 'magick' in here... no formulas, no magickal mumbo-jumbo, just a straight-forward 'this is how the world/universe works' collection of philosophical essays on various topics.

Being a long-time fan of Aleister's I, too, have had to deal with the plethora of obfuscation in his prolific expression of genius. Always looking for that kernal of 'just what is it this man believes?' has been painstaking indeed. And then I stumbled across this book and purchased it. What a great find!

This book is for anyone inquisitive about what Aleister believed in, and what he based his entire life's work & journey on, whether it was writing, mountain climbing, or magickal doings.

The book is small, only 87 pages, which proves a virtual miracle of succinct genius for Aleister to be so short-winded! *lol*

There is a small Glossary in the back, which is very helpful, along with a Bibliography and Index. There is also included, in the front, a picture of the Tree of Life.

The essays themselves, 16 in all, are titled thusly: Man, Memory, Sorrow, Wonder, Beatitude, Laughter, Indifference, Mastery, Trance, Energy, Knowledge, Understanding, Chastity, Silence, Love, and lastly, Truth.

This book ultimately puts in context, and to rest, all those wild claims about Aleister being a Beast, or 'the most dangerous man alive'. Anyone to have penned these philosophical musings knows more about love, life, and the universe than any carnally depraved hedonist could possibly know, even if they possessed an ounce of desire to know it.

This book should be considered as THE FIRST book to read concerning Aleister. It will provide a firm foundation for understanding just 'why' Aleister did all the things he did, persevered in the face of failure and condemnation, and ultimately attained to great success {in our eyes, if not in his own}.

The second book of Aleister's to read is: 'The World's Tragedy'.

Once those two have been consumed, let the formal magickal work begin, and not until.