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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Contemporary Guide To Magic(k) Available, August 3, 2006
This review is from: Postmodern Magic: The Art of Magic in the Information Age (Paperback)
I don't like Chaos Magic, and for years I've seen this book on shelves and haven't purchased it because I suspected it was more of the same tripe that Peter Carroll popularized in the later decades of the twentieth century. I was so wrong.
This book is solid gold. While there are some things in it I disagree with, Patrick Dunn presents the information every magician *must* have if they are going to be successful in their magickal endeavors. His style is smooth, entertaining, and he presents everything I wish I had known when I was starting out in my magickal career sixteen years ago. If I had started with this instead of Donald Michael Kraig's Modern Magick, I'm sure I'd be further along in my Work today.
This book is not a genre-specific approach to performing magick, as it may appear to be. It provides the basic processes of every magickal path, a strong philosophical understanding of the information exchanged in ritual workings, and intermediate-to-advanced information as well. While I suggest it more to beginners, long-time practitioners will find nuggets of gold on every page as well. Reading this book spackled up the cracks in my understanding on some aspects of magickal theory that have eluded me for years.
It's an excellent companion for Agrippa-esque ceremonial magicians, Solomonic practitioners, and even Golden Dawn or Thelema initiates looking for more practical information that won't be found in the dogma so prevalent in initiatory systems. And it's so much easier to read than Regardie or Crowley.
This book has not received the appreciation it deserves in the occult community. I strongly recommend it to anyone who practices magick.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Useful for the beginner, enjoyable for the more experienced, June 14, 2005
This review is from: Postmodern Magic: The Art of Magic in the Information Age (Paperback)
This book presents a fairly straightforward system of magical practice which draws on such diverse sources as the Golden Dawn, classical Greek magic, Zen Buddhism and Chaos Magic. It is a suitable read for those who have had little or no magical experience, as well as for more experienced traditionalists who might find that some of its material could provide new perspectives. Readers who are highly experienced in modern magic techniques might not find anything new, but might still find this an enjoyable read.
The active, daily practice of magic in the real world is encouraged, as is a great deal of creativity in the construction of rituals and working tools. Each chapter contains practical exercises pertaining to its subject matter, including topics such as evocation, divination, astral travel, and linguistics. Further questions for study and research are also presented in the appendices.
In my opinion, the most notable and enjoyable feature of the book, is the way in which semiotics, and communication theory are woven into the magical system. I have long believed that an understanding of both of these disciplines is vital to the successful practice of magic, and I was pleased with the way in which each was presented. Not too much information for a newcomer to these respective concepts to digest, but enough to provide a useful foundation for further exploration. I do disagree with Dunn's dismissal of memetics as merely a metaphor, and his aversion to applying scientific principles to magical study, but these are small matters of conflicting opinion which did not spoil my appreciation of the book overall.
The chapter on occult networking includes guidelines for etiquette, as well as a survey of various types of magical groups, which although somewhat brief could be very useful to a solo practitioner who is looking to meet others with whom to work.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, a book that encourages you to think for yourself, May 31, 2005
This review is from: Postmodern Magic: The Art of Magic in the Information Age (Paperback)
From the beginning, this book captivates through ample use of humor backed with an informative, comprehensive dialogue that the author forms with the reader. Although it seems to be written for beginners, Postmodern Magic is open-ended enough to allow for the practicing mage to branch off and form his/her own ideas. Instead of lauding this book as a manual to be used for magical reference, I see it as a physical embodiment of an informal teacher/student discussion about magic. Many people have trouble "learning" from an instruction book; however, Patrick Dunn's Postmodern magic interacts with the student, encouraging personal growth and experience over "how things ought to be."
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