Customer Reviews

New Aeon Magick: Thelema Without Tears

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I agree with "blacksun93," this book seems to be the authors "opinions" of Thelema and I noticed a few sections of the book that could have benefitted from a preface statement, such as "I think that...." or "In my opinion, Thelema...." However, over-all, this is a Great Beginner's Guide to Thelema. It is not as extensive as Lon Duquette's work, but please see "blacksun93's" review, for more info about that aspect of this Primer.

Personally, I really enjoyed this Thelemic guide, and the author made a great effort to provide the beginner with all of the basic tools, information, and diagrams to give them a start on the Thelemic path.

Also, I believe the author is involved with or Founded the "Thelemic Knights" (motto: "How we get there matters.")--which I highly respect.

I believe the author is making strides in bringing the Positive aspects of Thelema to the public, although Thelema has often been ostracized, due to misconception. Formerly, I had numerous misconceptions about Thelema and Crowley, as well. So, I speak as a formerly misinformed person.

I respect the author for presenting this information amd his view of Thelemic Spirituality and Magick.

New Aeon Magick is a book primarily focused for people just beginning to explore ceremonial magick. It was originally written for Del Campo's children, in hopes that they would follow in his path. However, it is not a childrens magick book. It contains a lot of solid information that someone new to the occult community can definately use. In addition to the instructional material, it also introduces the reader to the concept of Thelema (a growing movement dedicated to the establishment and preservation of personal freedom for all mankind), and the Ordo Templi Orientis, a fraternal Order of which Del Campo is a member. The O.T.O. is primarily made up of Thelemites (those who follow the path of Thelema), and as such it gives contact information for those interested in contacting them. Overall, this is a wonderful book for people interested in ceremonial magick and/or Thelema. It is a quick read, and written in such a way as to be easily understood by anyone.

that book is a Qabalistic primer with an *opinion* Thelema, and that the author wished to share this opinion with his children, the oldest of which was 8 years old at the time of the writing of the book. This books makes the subject of Qabalah, comparative religion and the study of mythology simple to understand, and it seems that only those Pharases who stand to benefit by keeping this harmless information from 'the profane' are the ones who appear to find fault in it.

At the very least, the author should be commended by having to guts to form an opinion, rather than resorting to the regurgitation of the accepted fundamentalist doctrine. If there are "many errors" in the book (the second printing by Luxor Press, which contains the Qabalaistic pearls of wisdom absent in the first Llewellyn edition), the previous "reviewer" has not done us any favors by pointing them out.

If you are just beginning to explore the Western Mystery Tradition, need to understand what the Qabalah is, what it is used for and how it is necessary in the study of Ceremonial Magick, you should read this book. The author's ideas on a beautiful Thelema are a wonderful contrast to the elitist, hyperintellectual socialist-darwinistic ideas of Thelema that seem to prevail today.

I read the first edition of this book many years ago, when I had first began learning of Thelema, ceremonial magick, and the OTO. I had not studied a lot of Western occult tradition before this, and was in need of a beginners book that could get me up to the point where I could share and learn from the people I was associating with at the time. This book fulfilled that need admirably. If you're an advanced student who's been practicing ceremonial magick for years, this is probably not what you're looking for, nor will it be useful if all you want to do is stoke your own ego with the thought that you are one of the chosen few who has the capacity to truly understand Thelema. However, if you're looking for an introductory book to discover some of the possibilities of ceremonial magick and Thelema, or just to find out what all this stuff is about, then I've never found a better text for that purpose.

I very seldom take the time to do these things, so you know I have to be very impressed to do so. I found this book to be an eye opening experience which has opened a door to a whole new world. Part of what makes this book so special is that it makes it's case without having to have any background in the subject matter.
Unlike other occult authors Mr.Del Campo opens the door without a lot of "in" jargon. A very sraight up approach to the subject matter. If your curious about the subject of Thelema, look no further!

I managed to get my hands on one of the first copies of this book, and I half expected something esoteric and technical (which is the usual for writings on hermetic magick). I was pleasantly surprised to find, instead, a gentle but firm introduction to Thelema. He goes into both philosophy and practise in multiple, easy pieces, and covers the most basic rituals in a manner that's accessible without skimping on the details. Del Campo doesn't put on airs in this book and will make you feel right at home. This is not an encylopedic work on magick; rather, this could be treated as a good starting point. Definitely recommended for the beginner and for more experienced magician-types (Wiccans etc.) who are curious about Thelema.

Gerald del Campo gives a great primer lesson for those who want to be serious magickal workers. No fluf-bunny crap here! This is nuts and bolts, how it's done reference. I've made this mandatory reading for all my beginner students. It's a quick and easy read, that imparts volumes of information. You wont be disappointed buying this book!

A good, if simplistic, introduction to the basic rituals and ideas of Thelema, from a proven master. This book is still in print, and can be obtained from a number of online occult bookstores, including anothermoon.com (nb: I don't work for them. I just like them.)

I am a big fan of the author in his capacity as practitioner of Thelema and magick, and as a scholar of many things. I wish he had employed those skills in producing this work.

New Aeon Magick purports to be a beginner's guide. Del Campo specifically stated in his Introduction that it started life as something to pass on to his children as their guide to Thelema and magick. In this regard, it is a decent overview of some very complex matters.

The treatments of some of the subjects are occasionally superficial, unfortunately. The reader looking to get an indepth discussion of these issues will need to suppliment his or her reading. To aid this, a bibliography would be worth having. Also some sourcing of his quotes and statements about the teachings of Thelema and of other magical schools would be helpful.

This book would serve well as a "table of contents" to other, more detailed treatments of Thelema and ceremonial magick, but has trouble standing on its own.

Finally, this little book is in print once again. Completly reworked and expounded, with a chapter on Qabalah and Mythology, this excellent manual is now available at their site.

If you ever wanted to hear an intelligent take on Thelema, this book is for you.