Book: The Magick Of Thelema A Handbook Of The Rituals Of Aleister Crowley by Lon Milo Duquette
This practical Handbook of Thelemic rituals is a perfect Introductory guide, or quick-reference guide for Thelemites and other Crowley Enthusiasts. "The Magick of Thelema" --a collection of Aleister Crowley's Rituals, with commentary-- is perfect for the beginning Thelemite, Working Magickian (ritual scripts / instructions), Researchers of various occult schools, and others-especially, those who do not have the time to devote to doing this research on their own, yet....or for people who are just curious about Thelema, and do not have the inclination to spend a lot of money the subject, until they determine if their money would be well-spent (Crowley was a very Prolific writer). Basically, this is a "Thelemic Primer" which explains everything from the concept of "Aeons" to the reason Duquette saves the best Ritual for last: "The Gnostic Mass."Anyone who has ever read Crowley is painfully aware of his rambling, self-aggrandizing (dare I say, babbling?) style, which is not conducive to the beginning researcher or Thelemite's comprehension of the subjects Crowley attempts to teach. Crowley's style is rather humorous and endearing to those of us who have devoted endless hours to reading his works, and those of us who have ingested "Magick Without Tears," but to the average reader, Crowley is almost incomprehensible (I think he enjoyed "teaching" in this manner).
However, Duquette has the wonderful ability to teach Thelema and Thelemic Ritual with a more rational, easy to comprehend method. Instead of rambling for numerous pages, then saying something of relevance, he cuts to the chase, and gives the reader the goodies, without all the extraneous verbiage (and rarely pats himself on the back, for his good work).
As one reviewer noted, "Magick: Liber Aba: Book 4" is the Ultimate resource book for Thelemites--and, yes, it contains many of the important books Crowley contributed to the field of Magick. However, it is not a good book to recommend to the Beginner and it is not a good reference book to pack-around in the Temple, due to it's size. Yet, Duquette's Handbook is amazingly concise, and portable (unlike the hefty "Big Blue Brick" -which, if dropped on your foot, will probably ruin your ritual with a broken toe!).
I know for a fact that it sometimes takes an essay just to explain to someone the convoluted history of "Magick: Liber Aba: Book 4" (ISBN: 0877289190)--and the book contains hundreds and hundreds of footnotes to explain Crowley's thinking process (not exactly a "Beginner's" introduction to Thelema). "Magick: Liber Aba: Book 4" is the perfect book to purchase after a person decides that they are interested in pursuing Crowley's Magickal teachings-but, personally, I will always recommend Duquette's books as an Introduction to "Thelema," instead of throwing them into the Deep End, with Crowley.
Duquette is one of the greatest personalities to become associated with Thelema and the works of Crowley. I have a lot of respect for Duquette and his writing style--he gets to the point, and doesn't waste my time congratulating himself with endless tangents. His humor is infectious and his Magickal endeavors are renown, without shameless self-promotion and exaggeration (as in Crowley's own writings).
Due to the complicated nature of the study of "Thelema," I recently created a "How to guide" which is a synopsis of a battle plan to tackle Uncle Al's legacy of Magickal Teachings--yet I believe Duquette's works are, truly, the best introduction to the study of Crowley / Thelema, because of Crowley's eccentric writing style. Duquette, thankfully, warns prospective Thelemites of the various pitfalls involved in the study of Thelema and teaches Common Sense approaches to the subject and Rituals.
I would not suggest throwing The Big Blue Brick ("Magick: Liber Aba: Book 4") at a New Student, until the Individual has read Introductory material such as "The Magick of Thelema." Duquette's concise, comprehensive exposition of the subject will save the beginner a lot of trouble and give the reader a great (and Safe) start along the Thelemic Path of Magick.
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