Customer Reviews

The Magician's Companion: A Practical and Encyclopedic Guide to Magical and Religious Symbolism (Llewellyn's Sourcebook)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The author's knowlege is truly encyclopedic and extremely impressive. This thick tome is the equivalent of a doctorate in metaphysics. That is because it is not merely a reference work (though it is probably the best single volume reference on symbolism and correspondence), but it is truly intended to be a self study course. In the "How to Use this Book" section he makes it clear that he is a serious practitioner with a first-hand knowlege of what such studies take (i.e. Meditation, Intense Intellectual Study, Centering, and Grounding.) The reading list for further study is both first rate, and surprisingly eclectic (varied, and not what you'd ordinariy expect.)

You can find all of this information in other sources such as the hermetic, cabalistic, and alchemical source works, but it will take you years. Whitcomb has sumarised everything in amazingly clear tables, lists, and diagrams without trivialising anything. He even shows the cross correspondenses between various systems and cultures (Egyptian, Greek, Tibetan, Native American, Hebrew, Chinese, etc.)

My only criticism is that there is not a leather bound hard cover edition for my permanent library- I know I'll have my own copy custom bound at the first opportunity.

Mr.Whitcomb has done an excellent job of putting together a resource you will use over and over again. The book is oversized, so you can write your own notes in the margins. Not a day goes by that I don't pick up this book and look up the correspondences of a planet, or information on one of the 28 Lunar Mansions of Chinese Astrology. No kidding, this book is fantastic and you will definitely get a lot of usage out of it. Yes, there are a couple of errors in these almost 600 pages -- but what book of this type doesn't have an error or two? Finding them will help you grow and learn, so it might be that Mr.Whitcomb has done you a favor. But, as I said, there are only a couple -- don't wear yourself out trying to find them. ENJOY !!!

I've found this book to be a really good reference book. Whitcomb includes ethics without preaching and he covers many traditions without appearing scattered. However, this book is not for the fluffy pretend witch or the teenager who thinks this stuff is cool. There are many books for those folks. Instead, this is for those who are serious practitioners. Whitcomb does not tackle this subject tentatively. For example, he includes a bibliography on the ritual use of hallucinogens (albeit with the proper disclaimers). On the down side, I have also found typos and errors. A revised edition is a great idea. But, all in all....a must have reference!

If you're interested in meditation, the occult, or symbolic systems in general, pick up this compendium of useful information. It includes charts and articles summarizing different symbolic structures used in magical and mystical traditions from around the world, from Tantric Buddhism and Hebrew Qabalah to Sufism and Hopi shamanic traditions, and much, much more, from overviews of alchemy to occult alphabets. In addition to all this, there is also an excellent recommended course of study in the book, directing students of magick to some of the best titles for further information on the systems in the book, as well as applying them in one's practical work.

This book should be of great use to anyone with an interest in occult sciences and philosophies, whether a magician or not: it contains a truly massive amount of information! While not organized in the manner of a "traditional" encyclopedia, it does indeed cover that kind of a wide range of material. There's everything in this book from a discussion of general theories of magick through various "views of reality" to a listing of what stones have what symbolic asociations, just as examples. The full range of subjects is too wide to discuss here!

However, don't expect a "how-to" or introductory text, that isn't what this was intended to be. Much of the material seems to me to be written from the assumption that the reader would have at least a passing familiarity with the general subject matter, from some perspective. Still, it will be a wonderful jumping-off point even for a beginner, as it will give you something to start from in any search for more information. I highly recommend this book.

The book covers a wide variety occult names, symbols, diagrams, alphabets, etc. The book contains both western occult and also eastern occult symbols. This is great book to be kept for reference especially if you are studying magick. Consider this an encyclopedia of the occult. I find this book very useful when you need to look up certain things.

Need a Magickal alphabet? It's here! Looking for a hexagramor geomantic sign? Look no further! Ok, enough of the cliche c**p.Let's get down to business. This book really does have all the essentials for the experienced magician. If you need to find a Magickal symbol or need to translate one to it's meaning, this book will probably have it. It's extensive and easy to use, and pretty inexpensive for how much information it contains. It's more than worth the time and cash.

This Book is an excellent book for reference but as others mentioned there are several mistakes and so I think that while an excellent book one which ALOT of care and research obviously went into I have to say it could still use some revisions but if you are looking for a general reference and source for further reading and just about anything else I heartily reccommend this book though I believe they shoudl releasea second revised edition so the typos and such do not ruin the quality of such a massive, well done, informative and beautiful work I believe that it has truly earned its name and should be in the library of any interested in magick new age anthropology cryptography or a million other things

An essential reference book for the occultist. In it contains magickal systems, laws of the universe, list of deities, an exhaustive glossary, suggesting outline to begin following a magickal path, and it even gives you an outline on how to devise your own magickal system. It has very few errors in it, but you should have no problem identifying them if you know the system in which you are working in (I've found 2 thus far). Overall, it is a must-have reference book for the practicing occultist.

I have been studying religions, philosophies and spiritual paths for years, forming my own beliefs into something cohesive. Having finally gotten to the point where my spiritual beliefs are somewhat established, I decided to investigate the various magickal systems in order to aid me in working ritual and magick into my spiritual practices. I wasn't sure where to start until I came across this book.

It encompasses information that one would usually have to purchase several books to acquire. The explanations are detailed enough to get a good feel for the system being described and the charts, diagrams and symbols are thorough and well-drawn (though one will come across a few typoes here and there, but even as a relative novice, I found them rather obvious and easy to circumvent).

If you're looking for a good reference guide of magickal systems or are just curious about them, this is the book to buy.