Circles of Power: Ritual Magic in the Western Tradition

Rating:
Summary: Best book on magical reality
Review: Dr. Israel Regardie's greatest literary legacy, _The Golden Dawn_ (also known as _The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magick_), has cast an often-imposing shadow over the heads of those who would seek the illumination high magick can bring.

Known for being at the very least dense and in some cases positively perplexing, Regardie's presentation of the techniques and once-secret papers of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn has still managed to stand the test of time as the definitive collection of the Order's work.

One might describe this volume as sort of an "Israel Regardie Lite," but the distinction would not be one of dismissal or derision. Instead, what Mr. Greer has accomplished is rather remarkable in the field Kabbalistic magery. He has managed to create a work which distills the Golden Dawn tradition down to its absolute essentials without losing a single drop of its majesty, beauty and effectiveness in the process.

In clear prose, with careful exposition given in each chapter, Greer leads the would-be Initiate through the heart of the Golden Dawn system. All of the basics and the vast majority of the advanced systems are represented, with Greer's commentary acting as the clear voice of an Adept leading the reader toward greater pathways of understanding.

I will not, tempting as it is, say this is "The Only Golden Dawn Book You'll Ever Need!" or similar, quote-worthy hyperbole. Every student will eventually want to delve into certain subjects in greater detail, and there is only so much information one volume by one author can hold.

But Greer has given us a rare and unusual gift: a clearly-written primer on high magick that doesn't talk down the reader or oversimplify to the point of losing essential material. _Circles of Power_ should appeal to anyone with a interest in the magical legacy and work of the Golden Dawn.

Rating:
Summary: Best book on magical reality
Review: I have one complaint with this book, and that is John Michael Greer's approach to the explination of the rituals he highlights in his book. They combine discussion with the steps, which I found more confusing than perhaps spliting each ritual into steps and then discussion of the steps. But this is hardly more than a gripe when you look at the way Greer has opened up magic in a real way. He doesn't hold back, letting people know what magic is really about and encouraging those who are truly interested in magical studies to dive in for themselves. Also, when supplemented with Paths of Wisdom, his book on the magical cabala, the full complexities of the Golden Dawn system becomes very accessible.

Rating:
Summary: OK, but...
Review: Not a bad book, but the cover! Surely they could have given such a book a better cover than a bunch of trees.
Once you get over the disappointing cover, if you still feel mystical enough to read it, then there's some useful information on hermetics and golden dawn, spelled out quite simply. Good for beginners I would suggest.

Rating:
Summary: Fills in Gaps
Review: Probably Greer's best work to date. I have to say I'm a fan of Greer's even though I have disliked a couple of his other works but this book should be read and studied by those who're interested in working ritual magic. I say should be because every ceremonial magical text is generally suggested to be obtained and read by the novice if you take a look at the average website on this topic. Sadly though many of those sites don't mention this book and I'm not sure why.

The book is from a straightforward Golden Dawn approach to the Western Mystery Tradition & ritual magic. Oh I hear the groans now but let me say that the rites are pared down to their core and stripped of all that ballyhoo traditionally associated with the G.: D.: material! That alone is worth the time to read thru this manual. Also like Kraig's

"Modern Magick", "Circles of Power" is intended to be a manual used by the solitary practitioner though it can be adapted easily enough for group workings.

Is there anything in here that's not covered elsewhere? Not really and yet he does touch on some interesting aspects regarding the Telesmatic Imagery techniques usually only mentioned in other works. Also he does a nice job of explaining the rituals and why they're used instead of just saying "practice this three times a day for the next two years" and leave it at that.

One of the best things about this book is the simple language the author uses to express his views and understanding of the subject which in most cases one has to really struggle at first to get the gist of. Not so here. For instance, on page 109 under the heading of "Contemplation" Greer writes: "The central factor in contemplation, and the only aspect of it that can be called a 'technique' at all, is bare intention." Nicely said. Now if you read Israel Regardie's book on the Golden Dawn, it's not written as simply as that. Why? The style evoked by Regardie - and sadly other ceremonial magical authors - is one of the snooty scholar. "Either keep up with me or give it up" tends to be their way of weeding out those who aren't worthy of the "many petaled lotus". For a novice student, Greer's simple language is a God-send. Had I had this book back in 1988 when I started my inquiries into Ritual Magic and G.: D.: material, I think I'd have made a lot more progress.

One thing I wasn't happy about is the lack of detailed analysis of the Sephiroth's correspondences. For instance there's no mention of the scents listed for each sephira. So if you had only this book at your disposal, you wouldn't know that tobacco is the traditional scent used for the sephira of Geburah. I have to wonder if the author's intention was to use this book in conjunction with say Regardie's "Golden Dawn" manual.

Another oddity offered in the book is the line drawing of the magical sword. On page 206 a trident is shown but it is referred to as a sword. Why I haven't a clue. Perhaps the company made an error in line drawings, I don't know. The trident is normally used in ritual magic and is rarely mentioned outside of the Solomonic grimoires so its inclusion here leaves a mystery to be answered by the author.

In the chapter about Evocation under the heading of "Dealing With Spirits", the author provides some excellent advice on dealing with the Spirits. Pages 243-247 should be read several times before the novice runs off casting his circle of power to summon the Spirits of Riches and Wealth. Mind you Greer does not give you duck billed platitudes on ethics unlike some of the other authors on this subject, rather he gives you some good, solid, clear ideas to think about regarding dealing with the Spirits themselves.

Finally I give him five stars on this effort. This is a subject that is very difficult to digest into one simplified work as this but Greer has made some strides doing so. I highly recommend this book to all who're interested in the subjects of Ritual Magic, Evocation or the Golden Dawn.

Rating:
Summary: excellent book
Review: This book gives all the necessary basic rituals, as well as a selection of more advanced rituals and outlines for creating more advanced rituals. Greer's explanation of the formula of the equinox is worth the price of the book alone.