Customer Reviews

Magick for Beginners: The Power to Change Your World (For Beginners (Llewellyn's))

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

 

 

J. H. Brennan has written more than 50 books and has lectured internationally. His latest book, Magick for Beginners: The Power to Change Your World, is an easy to understand introduction to using magic. It isn't about pulling rabbits out of hats or other sleight-of-hand tricks. Brennan defines magic as "a collection of techniques, dating back at least 70,000 years, aimed at manipulating the human imagination in order to produce physical, psychological, or spiritual results."

He emphasizes that there's more than one system of magic. Because his training was Qabalistically based, the techniques he describes include many elements from the Quabalah.

Auto-suggestion and imagination play a huge role in the success of magic. Human imagination is also described as "astral" and the astral world is as real as the physical world. Practicing magic brings one into contact with the astral plane, and sometimes with astral entities. For this reason, Brennan starts with basic safeguards that all magicians need to learn before doing anything else.

He then describes in great detail how and why magic works. He begins with "low magic," which includes instructions on how to produce a [$$$] bill. Low magic also includes divination, auras, chakras, and dowsing. Many of the low magic techniques are relatively easy to master and there are thousands of magicians practicing them.

Brennan then discusses "high magic." High magic requires far more work and dedication, but the rewards are enormous. It enables practitioners to "link [themselves] to the power and knowledge of the Universal Forces that underlie all reality." He includes instructions for rituals, pathworking, and conjuration. Brennan finishes the high magic section with instructions for making oneself "invisible."

Interwoven throughout the book are threads from the Qabalah, and quantum physics. Brennan draws parallels between the ancient and modern, and believes that science and magic will one day be recognized as one and the same.

He's used an informal approach in Magick for Beginners to help remove the dark mystery surrounding the practice of magic and show that "magic can be fun." Readers following his instructions can evoke magic to safely improve their lives. While it can be a serious endeavor, they'll find they can have fun with it also.

I had to buy this book in secret c_c because my parents don't allow it... I found it to be very well written, and the instructions for each working were exact. I haven't bought any other related books yet, but I will... that is, if they're written by the same author as this one.

I just got done reading this book. I think it explains a LOT about magick and the way it's performed. However, "Magick for Beginners" is not a good title. I think a better title would be "The Science of Magick". It's put together with a lot of examples and a lot of the authors own personality. I would definately recommend this book to others that were on the path to spirituality.

This book does have a nicely written style i might admit. As in not to cocky or high, I will say that the imformation which is usually correct is not laid out in a very good manner for a beginner. Not only that but some of the practices are not very well detailed and could be intrepreted wrong by the novice. If someone who has read more on the subject first were to read this book. He or she would find it intresting and be better able to discern fact from opinion. All in all this book takes up space on my shelf, although it does have some intresting points of view.

H.P Brennan takes the reader away from the mundanaity of this the material world; into a world of color and imagination. The book begins with the basics of low magick, and moves on to the more "mysterious" realm of High Magick. The book shows those would be magicians in it for the thrill of conjuring spirits, from the deepest realms of the abyss, and cursing their enemies, that magick is a way of truely improving one's self holistically. Brennan shows how all would benefit by letting go and embracing a more imaginative and intellectual lifestyle. Even the highest of adepts could take something away from this "beginners manual". Trust me I have read hundreds of books on the subject in hand. ;þ

This book, in my opinion, would not be much of a help to begginers, old timers, or intermediate practicers of magick. Those who practice magick must have a confident attitude or there magick wont work, So Brennen here , in the front of the entire book, " Magick rarely works...." yada yada yada, something about face to face with gods yada.It was the first book i ever bought on magick and after reading it i decided to give up the pursuit of finding real magick in the world. This book was too depressing, at the very beggining. He never explained that the planets in his "hundred dollar bill trick" were associated with the sephirot on the tree of life, nor did he give much attention at all to Tarot or any form of divination to find the outcome of your magick working(not like he explained how to do a true working in the entire book, so readers your not in danger). He discourages evocation, by saying that only a few people HE'S ever met could do one ,makeing a begginer fell sooo lowly. Thats about all i can say about this book of ... Magick? so im gone.

This book was interesting but it didn't really explain in words that some people, like myself, could really understand. They should have put in pronunciations. All in all in didn't really like this book. It seemed interesting at first but once I read it I understood that this book wasn't all that it seemed to be.

Although not exactly a begginer I bought this book because of the reputation other books written by the author had, such as "astral doorways" , considered a classic in its field (although one wonders how someone can be considered an authority on astral projection if it is clear by the contents of the book that he had never experienced it!).
In this book, just like in many other books he has written, he belabours on and on, making pointless observations that lead nowhere.Some of which are actually very far fetched.
I wrote an e-mail to the author asking a question about some serious mishap which occurred to me due to a practice of ceremonial magick in which I believe he had experience in, and he completely ignored me. Many authors in the occult field encourage questions from the readers and actually base some of their books on the questions and observations made by them. So if you have any question for this author, you are on your own.
The only "response" I obtained by sending that e-mail, was that soon after my astral environment was permeated by the most curious terrestrial, materialistic vibration I had ever encountered which basically finished with my occult practice, if that is the astral vibration which surrounds him, now I am starting to understand why he claims that "magick rarely works" or that it took him 11 years to actually attain, in the field of practical magick!!
My personal experience until then, had taught me that magick ALWAYS works, and actually many people without being conscious that they are doing magick set forces in motion under certain circumstances which can be considered magick, and the results seen afterwards (for good or for bad) in the physical plane.
With all his pomp and verbosity, I believe this author cannot contribute to the magickal attainment of any reader, and is just trying to make money at the expense of the credulous.

This is my second year of being into wicca and witchcraft. This was the first book I read and I loved it. The only thing about it is it goes very in depth into the concious, unconcious, and other scientific knowledge of the craft. It speaks about witchcraft but gives you a profound outlook towards the making of witchcraft. I suggest this book to more teen type readers so they can grasp the aspects of the materials.

It was pretty boring. I have many better books. This one was very dry.