Angels, Demons & Gods of the New Millennium

Rating:
Summary: A true magician relates his career.
Review: Although Angels, Demons, and Gods of the New Millenium is not directly about the classical Golden Dawn System, it is none-the-less a valuable book for the student of Western Magic to have. And while the author is a Thelemite, the material in this book is not presented in an overtly Thelemic fashion. Lon Milo DuQuette has been practicing magic for over 30 years, currently heads the Heru-Ra-Ha O.T.O. temple in Southern California, and has vast insights and experience with the Qabalah, Enochian Magic, and techniques of magical evocation.

         As the subtitle of the book, "Musings on Modern Magick" suggests, this is actually a collection of essays on a variety of magical subjects including Qabalah, the Emerald Tablet of Hermes, the Procession of the Equinoxes, the pantheons of the Astrological Ages, Initiation, and the Goetic system of evocation. These essays are very easy to read because while Mr. Duquette takes these subjects very seriously, he does not take himself seriously. His light-hearted and self-effacing style is a welcome relief in a world of dauntingly deep and difficult texts on magic.

         Along with the essays in the book are a number of illustrations, tables, and diagrams. Most notable among these is a full-color fold-out diagram of the 72 Angels of the Shemhamporesch and the 72 Demons of the Goetia. This diagram shows their correlation in a way that is suitable for creating practical workings and is worth the price of the book alone.

         Mr. DuQuette's book is also very insightful in that it provides a glimpse into the creation and growth of a magician. His journey is presented in such a way that it is not over the head of a Neophyte, yet is filled with enough magical knowledge to keep the seasoned magician interested. Overall, Angels, Demons, and Gods of the New Millenium is a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening look at the world of a true magician.


Rating:
Summary: A Star for EVERY magical / esoteric bookshelf !!
Review: DuQuette does it again, where 'My Life with the Spirits' is an autobiographical account of his life, this work goes deeper into his practice and philosophy in a series of essays and articles bound together in one little volume. It's more informative and informational, less entertaining, but still with his unmistakable whimsical style that educates you through your giggles. The last chapter of the book is sincerely invaluable to the practicing Mage. Plus, finally a decent last word on the 'Are demons actual external entities, or internal psychological constructs of the human psyche' question.

An outstanding work that is sure to be an Occult Classic deserving of a prominent place in EVERY magical bookshelf, regardless of your preferred magical/philosophical current.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Material!
Review: DuQuette has offered both a theoretical and pragmatic view of the Thelemic worldview for the would be Occultist. He begins with a brief explanation of his own Thelemic ideal in chapter one appropriately entitled "Confession" and as he progresses thru the book, each chapter subsequently offers his own opinion on how he has assimilated these theories into a workable and reliable form of personal Occultism.

When we arrive in chapter two - "Qabalah, Zen of the West" - we shown that one can indeed feel not only comfortable with using but also with applying the Qabala to our daily lives by one who is as Western as it gets. What will help the neophyte is how DuQuette explains the complex arts of Gematria & Notariqon & Temura. These are Occult techniques whereby the student can take a word and translate it into a number and by doing so, see how it is related to other words that add up to the same number. Notariqon has to do with generating words from the beginning letters of a passage of scripture and Temura has to do with substituting one letter for another. While I have read
the methodology from other authors, DuQuette does a fine job of explaining in simplified terms.

One of my favorite chapters is the third one wherein DuQuette discourses on the nature of the Holy Guardian Angel that each one of us allegedly has. Interestingly enough, the author shares his thoughts on how some non-Occultists have apparently achieved success without any Occult rites or practices. In fact, DuQuette gives his own theory as to how the individual can make the necessary contact with his/her own HGA purely thru constant thought and desire. His logic is well founded and workable.

Finally the last chapter I truly enjoyed was "Demons Are Our Friends"! Here again this from a man who has DONE the requisite work and experienced first hand accounting of the Spirits. He is not a sit-by type of armchair theorist whose only pretending knowledge of the Goetia Spirits is purely speculative. And he confirms my own belief that "the whole technique of summoning and evocation is purely a matter of artistic taste." One can venture into the realm of needing pentacles of protection, robes, wands, etc., and vocalizing all of the conjurations by rote memory because they're romantically enflamed by that mindset OR the practitioner can use Occam's Razor to cut to the quick of the matter and use only what is absolutely necessary to call for such Spirits.

All in all, this book is excellent and well worth the investment. I give it five stars as it does include a nice bibliography and an index.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Book
Review: Duquette imparts knowledge to the seeker with a sense of humor and common sense. Not really an essential book at all, but entertaining and intriguing. I prefer his other books, the Illustrated Geotia and The Magick of Aleister Crowley. This is more for the intermediate student. I am more advanced and I didn't get much out of this book aside from a few nice laughs.

Rating:
Summary: a nice read, but not essential
Review: I enjoyed reading this book. It was entertaining, but had little weight to it. It is not like 777 or The Golden Bough, so it won't be used for reference. It is a rather light read.
I would recomend it if you are a magician and would like to do some recreational reading.
It is not a bad book, it is humorus and well written; it flows well too. It is simply that I expected it to contain some new revelations on the nature of Thelema or magick, but in reality, it contains mostly things that are in the core book.
Might be usefull to someone who is entirely new to magick or Thelema.

Rating:
Summary: BEST BOOK YET FROM THE MOST ENTERTAINING AUTHOR IN THE FIELD
Review: I have to admit, I am a fan of Lon Milo Duquette. His 1993 THE MAGICK OF THELEMA is unquestionably the best introduction to the work of Aleister Crowley ever written. My only complaint is that he didn't write it ten years earlier. He not only filled in countless gaps in my magical education he did it with an easy-going manner that made this complex and serious subject seem more than interesting...he actually made it fun.Now, to my absolute delight, in his new book ANGELS, DEMONS & GODS OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM, Lon Milo Duquette surpasses all his earlier efforts and unleashes his wit and insight on the most fundamental elements of modern magick and the spiritual significance of the New Age. The publisher, Samuel Weiser, calls it a "liberal arts education in Wester Hermeticism." That is not an exaggeration, However, ANGELS, DEMONS, etc., is much more. It is a magical experience in and of itself.Is the Hebrew Qabalah the Zen of the West? What are angels and demons? Why on earth would a sane person want to deal with them? What makes the New Age the "New Age?" With disarming charm Duquette gently draws you into the introspective world of the modern magician, tickles you with hilarious observations and self-effacing confessions, then (often in the same paragraph) he slams you in the heart with breathtaking profundities.The book is fully illustrated with charts and timelines including a magnificant full color fold out diagram of the angels of the Shem ha-mephorash, Goetic demons and their place in the zodiac and the tarot.I have no doubts ANGELS, DEMONS & GODS OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM (like THE MAGICK OF THELEMA) will become a classic. There is nothing in the field of esoteric literature quite like it...Perhaps because there are no modern magical writers quite like Lon Milo DuQuette

Rating:
Summary: not really a bad read but...
Review: i've found him to repeat himself from other publications and well although i don't remember any key points out of this book, i didn't really enjoy it. even though most of the book is nothing but compiled essays, it didn't reach me with interest as "my life with the spirits" did.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable read
Review: If you like reading -about- magick, this is an enjoyable read. However, there is very little in it on actually doing it.

Rating:
Summary: A multiple view
Review: It was an interesting read and would be worth it for many people wanting to learn. I have a few problems with his Kabbalah information, but I tend to have those with almost anyone who dosn't get it right by Jewish standards. :)

Rating:
Summary: A VALUABLE AND NECESSARY ADDITION TO ANY ESOTERIC LIBRARY
Review: Lon Milo Duquette has done it again! He's given us another straight-ahead and witty exposition of several key topics in the occult sciences, a field traditionally shrouded by obscurity or cloaked by enigmatic double-talk that requires astute cryptographic skill to decipher. In his earlier landmark work, THE MAGICK OF THELEMA; A HANDBOOK OF THE RITUALS OF ALEISTER CROWLEY, Duquette presented the material in such a clear and user-friendly fashion that it opened the door for many an aspiring ritualist to start a program of practical work. ANGELS, DEMONS & GODS OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM belongs to the same body of work, continuing a common sense approach to a very convoluted field of endeavor, only now with a much broader platform. Though confessing up front to a Thelemic bias, Duquette doesn't confine himself to this point of view, bringing his considerable magickal and life experience to the subjects at hand. His adroit humor which sometimes has a cutting sarcastic edge to it and the liberal use of personal anecdotes has the effect of making this material extremely relevant to everyday life.

Essentially this book is about raising consciousness. "The Great Work of the initiate/magician is overcoming imbalances and imperfections in his or her being, thereby achieving exalted states of consciousness." It also has the added effect of gently debunking some common superstitions, among them demons, viewing them as portions of our own brain which we project upon the world. It is interesting to see how Duquette utilizes these demons in his account of goetic magic though I personally don't recommend that kind of work.

Other subjects include Qabalah, The Emerald Tablet of Hermes, The Precession of the Equinoxes, Egyptology and The Book of the Dead, and more. Having been a student of esoteric literature for over 15 years I've encountered these topics in a variety of forms, yet I received many fresh insights from these musings. I consider this book to be a valuable and necessary addition to any esoteric library. Oz Fritz Inner Journeys, The Independent Press Book Review Vol. VII, issue 3 Spring/Summer, 1998