Scan barcode
scarletcarnival's review against another edition
5.0
Once upon a time, I threatened to write a review about a book where I told people to throw away every book they owned on the subject of Thelema and buy the book I was reviewing. There are a lot of books on magick in general and Thelema specifically that are utter rubbish. And I do means lots.
But, here, David Shoemaker pops out with Living Thelema and takes the cake, the field, the storm, the whole kit and kaboodle. Separated into three sections, David takes us on a journey through the whole foundation of theory and practice, pulls back the curtain to reveal some of the broader ideas on the Thelemic path, and wraps up with some practical advice on a number of real world concerns.
In the first section, there is some of the most basic concepts of Thelema explained in a simplistic manner but with a mature voice that neither speaks down to the reader nor waters down the material to the lowest common denominator of the intended audience. Common myths of the Holy Guardian Angel, True Will, sexual magick, and even meditation are explored and exploded with a sense of clarity and a lack of sensationalistic nonsense that preoccupies lesser works.
The second section talks about various concepts of initiation, the formula underlying much of the doctrine of Thelema, and touches base with many different aspects of the practices of the A∴A∴ The subjects are important—no doubt—but my interest level in some of the material is less than in others. So at no fault of its own here, this was an inconsistent read for me because of my inability to keep focused on what I consider to be very dry topics in the first place.
David finishes up the book with some exploration into practical applications into the realms of relationships, cognitive therapy, magical work, and all of it bound together with his expertise in psychotherapy. This is the shortest section of the book and I would have been pleased to see it twice the size and delving into other areas, but for a book of this depth, I think it was a good start.
While I would almost say that one should go ahead and toss all other books on Thelema into the trash, DuQuette’s are full of too much humor and great wisdom to be lightly dismissed. If it wasn’t for the need to reference Crowley’s material throughout the book as well, his too might be regulated to a back burner of irrelevancy for a modern age. So, no tossing out whole libraries here. However, if you are looking for a serious approach to Thelema, a dedicated and mature exploration of the Thelemic path, you aren’t going to find a better book anywhere.
But, here, David Shoemaker pops out with Living Thelema and takes the cake, the field, the storm, the whole kit and kaboodle. Separated into three sections, David takes us on a journey through the whole foundation of theory and practice, pulls back the curtain to reveal some of the broader ideas on the Thelemic path, and wraps up with some practical advice on a number of real world concerns.
In the first section, there is some of the most basic concepts of Thelema explained in a simplistic manner but with a mature voice that neither speaks down to the reader nor waters down the material to the lowest common denominator of the intended audience. Common myths of the Holy Guardian Angel, True Will, sexual magick, and even meditation are explored and exploded with a sense of clarity and a lack of sensationalistic nonsense that preoccupies lesser works.
The second section talks about various concepts of initiation, the formula underlying much of the doctrine of Thelema, and touches base with many different aspects of the practices of the A∴A∴ The subjects are important—no doubt—but my interest level in some of the material is less than in others. So at no fault of its own here, this was an inconsistent read for me because of my inability to keep focused on what I consider to be very dry topics in the first place.
David finishes up the book with some exploration into practical applications into the realms of relationships, cognitive therapy, magical work, and all of it bound together with his expertise in psychotherapy. This is the shortest section of the book and I would have been pleased to see it twice the size and delving into other areas, but for a book of this depth, I think it was a good start.
While I would almost say that one should go ahead and toss all other books on Thelema into the trash, DuQuette’s are full of too much humor and great wisdom to be lightly dismissed. If it wasn’t for the need to reference Crowley’s material throughout the book as well, his too might be regulated to a back burner of irrelevancy for a modern age. So, no tossing out whole libraries here. However, if you are looking for a serious approach to Thelema, a dedicated and mature exploration of the Thelemic path, you aren’t going to find a better book anywhere.
More...