From the editor: Aleister Crowley possessed far too much technical knowledge of magick to readily understand the problems of ordinary students. He frequently asked his younger colleagues to help make his teachings more accessible, and once explained that "it's the sort of thing I can't do myself, not knowing the scope of the mind of the `gentle reader.' "

Like other "gentle readers" who have delved into Crowley's system on their own, Brother DuQuette found many of the gaps and pitfalls in the system by the time-honored method of falling into them, scrambling out, and trying again until he crossed them. The present work incorporates many of the results of his personal work.

What is true of science holds true for scientific illuminism. DuQuette is the first to allow that while some of his findings may be replicated by future experimenters, others are subjective personal interpretation. But even the tatter are invaluable as suggesting other lines of investigation, and as examples of the kind of personalization of the system that enables the magician to make it his or her own.

DuQuette also drew on recent research by other students that will be formally published in the forthcoming one-volume edition of Crowley's Book Four. Speaking of Lon Milo DuQuette's mythical eponym, Crowley wrote in Part 11 of his Book Four that "Milo began by carrying a newborn calf; and day by day as it grew into a bull, his strength was found sufficient." It is not stretching the metaphor too far to suggest that the present work will be useful to many students as an introductory guide to those portions of Crowley's magnum opus dealing with ceremonial magick.

Pages: 261
Special Interest: OTO, Crowley, Occult, Magick, Study & Application, Divination, Psychic Development, Ritual, Sorcery.