Ritual Magic: What It Is & How to Do It (Llewellyn's Practical Magick Series)

Rating:
Summary: Simplistic and judgmental.
Review: A simplistic and overly moralistic work, in which Tyson states his own theories as fact (a tendency indulged in his other works as well). Watch out for Tyson's own innovations, which directly contradict most accepted theories/practices of other magickal schools of thought. Also painfully ignorant of Crowley/Thelema.

Rating:
Summary: A good overview
Review: The first 8 chapters of this book focus on the science of magic, which is a rare and valuable find. The next 9 chapters briefly explore a variety of magical traditions, a good start for a beginner to get a feel for what they might find personally appealing. The last 5 chapters have to do with the actual practice of magic rites, and may or may not be helpful depending on the individual.

The entire book has solid information, and I would definitely recommend it for even the first 8 chapters!

Rating:
Summary: Clearly written, some good material, but a lot of biases
Review: This book is primarily useful for the history, which makes up its bulk. The best chapters are perhaps 3 and 4, which trace the roots of magick from the classical era to the present; the information contained there basically agrees with what I know from both occult and academic resources. Tyson's choice of illustrations -- mostly woodcuts from old manuscripts and a few evocative photographs -- are especially excellent and add a great deal to the text. Overall, I liked Tyson's approach, which was practical, down to earth, and very sane.

That being said, this book has some problems. It doesn't live up to its title, namely the "How to Do It" part -- Tyson gives good general information on what to expect from magick and what not to, as well as some good general principles, but the actual rituals he gives are extremely preliminary. The treatments of various magickal paths vary a great deal in quality and in length. Further, Tyson is very free with expressing his personal opinions. He makes sweeping, negative generalizations about chaos magicians, heavy metal fans, and Thelemites that, while they have a grain of truth, insult the many members of these groups that are pleasant, sane, and responsible people. His ringing endorsement of Witches, while rather sweet, is also a bit strong.

Tyson makes some effort to differentiate his own theories from those of others, but I suspect he doesn't always succeed. Overall, this is a good introductory book, but the serious student will want to check into primary sources (Tyson's list in the back of the book is a decent place to start).