Living Thelema: A Practical Guide to Attainment in Aleister Crowley's System of Magick
Paperback – August 4, 2013
Description
Dr. David Shoemaker is a clinical psychologist in private practice, specializing in Jungian and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. David is the Chancellor and Prolocutor of the Temple of the Silver Star (totss.org), a Thelemic initiatory and educational organization. He is a long-standing member of O.T.O. and A.'.A.'. (onestarinsight.org), and has many years of experience training initiates in these traditions.David's popular "Living Thelema" podcasts (livingthelema.com) have appeared regularly since 2010, and his widely praised Living Thelema book was published in late 2013. His 2016 publication, The Winds of Wisdom , contains a full record of his scrying of the Thirty Enochian Aethyrs, and his latest work, co-edited with Lon Milo DuQuette, is Llewellyn's Complete Book of Ceremonial Magick . David has co-edited many volumes of the writings of Thelemic luminaries such as Phyllis Seckler, Karl Germer, and Jane Wolfe.xa0In addition to his work in magick and psychology, David is a composer and musician.
Features & Highlights
- The system of spiritual attainment developed by Aleister Crowley is notoriously challenging in its scope. Adapted from the popular podcast segment of the same name,
- Living Thelema
- brings a welcome approachability to Crowley's material, without diminishing the depth of the system. The author focuses on the practical and experiential aspects of the path of Thelema, allowing the reader to grasp the true transformative power of the system.
- Beginners and advanced practitioners alike will find much useful advice here, as Shoemaker brings his characteristic down-to-earth style to bear on topics such as ritual and meditation practices, sex magick, astral projection, psychotherapy for magicians, the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, and that pinnacle of attainment known as the crossing of the Abyss.
- The author's background as a practicing psychotherapist allows an entirely unique fusion of esoteric wisdom and cognitive science.
- Living Thelema
- is an invaluable handbook for any modern magician.
- Here's what other prominent Thelemic authors have to say about
- Living Thelema
- :
- "Dr. Shoemaker's
- Living Thelema
- is in my opinion the most thorough and understandable exposition of the underlying theories and the practical applications of the spiritual disciplines of Thelema currently available to the public. Serious students of the magick of Aleister Crowley in general, and of the A.'. A.'. in particular, will not find a more masterful and authoritative work on the subject issuing from a post-Crowley commentator. My highest recommendation for this landmark work."
- —
- Lon Milo DuQuette
- , renowned author of
- The Magick of Aleister Crowley
- ,
- Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot
- , and many other titles.
- "In this entertaining and (dare I say it?) lively book, David Shoemaker reminds us that Thelema is not just a philosophy or a study, but a spiritual practice. From applied 'how to' advice to thought-provoking 'how about' posers, Dr. Shoemaker offers his personal take—informed by twenty years of walking the talk, along with his incisiveness as a professional therapist—on how to get the most out of the fundamental Thelemic practices of yoga and ritual, both inside and outside of the temple."
- —
- Richard Kaczynski
- , author of
- Forgotten Templars: The Untold Origins of Ordo Templi Orientis
- and
- Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley
- .
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Part One: Tools for the Journey
- An Introduction to the QabalahThe Holy Guardian AngelThe True WillGetting Started with a Basic Magical RegimenThe Lesser Ritual of the PentagramThe Lesser & Greater Rituals of the Hexagram
- Liber Resh vel Helios
- Methods of Ritual ConstructionAsana & PranayamaMeditation & Visualization PracticesAstral Projection & Control of the Body of LightDevotional Practices
- Liber Samekh
- & the Invocation of the Holy Guardian AngelSexual Magick & Sexual Mysticism
- Part Two: Perspectives on the Path of Attainment
- The Methods & Tools of A.'.A.'.Tarot & the Path of InitiationInitiation & TetragrammatonThe ChakrasThe Role of the Ego in the Great WorkThe Formulas of LVX and NOXThe Right Use of Magical Power21st Century AlchemyThe Practical Use of Alchemical Symbolism
- Part Three: Life Outside the Temple
- Patterns & Cycles in Magical PracticeDreamworkRelationshipsQabalistic Coping TechniquesPsychotherapyThe Anima & AnimusCognitive Therapy for Magicians
