High Magic II: Expanded Theory and Practice

Hey I can do High Magic too….. (sorry), March 26, 2012

This book is the second (so far) in Frater U.:D.:’s High Magic series and I reckon that in many ways it is better than the first. He continues with his pragmatic and ecclectic approach to the occult and for that I am gratefull. The fact that no one system is seen as king is extremely fresh.

Once again, the book is organised so the reader gets information piecemeal so that it can be properly cognized and worked with. In this fashion he covers yoga, mirror magic, mudras, divination, shamanism, evocation, the Abramelin operation and much more. One of the issues that people seem to have in regards to the previous book is that there is no Qabalah, well that has certainly been rectified here. While it may not be as in depth as other books it serves as a good introduction (truly the Qabalah deserves its own book as there is so much to learn and do). The historical information regarding different orders and their practices is interesting but just remember that history is subjective and different sources will tell you different things. Frater U.:D.: also discusses combat magic in this book which is a first for most introductory texts. My personal opinion is that knowledge is the best protection and knowing how someone could attack you will help you protect yourself far better than putting your head in the sand.

As you can probably see from the star rating, I really like this book. It has given me a different outlook on some of my practises and I have actually gained NEW information from it (compared to most introductory books that seem to just rehash old material). Frater U.:D.:’s take on morality is refreshing and realistic and his take on demonology is quite interesting, maybe not how I would tackle the subject but who am I to judge. I also like his reports from magical practice, it’s nice to see how others work and to see their successes and mishaps. It lets us know that they are humans too.

The debate about whether this is truly High Magic will continue however as there are a lot of “low magic” techniques in this book but at the end of the day who really cares? As long as the information is correct and helpfull then it shouldn’t matter and if it really matters to you then pick up The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites & Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order (Llewellyn’s Golden Dawn Series) or something similar and have at it!

So as it stands, High Magic I and this book are one of the few good introductions to high magic and if you follow the system in it’s entirety then you shant go wrong…. too often.

Wizrd

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