Magick: Liber ABA, Book 4 Hardcover – Illustrated, January 1, 1998

This review is intended to help the reader decipher what looks like an overly complicated book. Read this review while looking at the book's table of contents.Step 1: Read the Prelimary Remarks found at the beginning of Book 4 Part 1 Mysticism. This is Crowley's major thesis for the book. His thesis is one of the most profound in the history of Religion.Step 2: Read Liber E and Liber O found in Appendix 7. Immediately undertake the practices discussed in these two libers. At least begin doing the Diary and Asana sections from Liber E and the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram from Liber O. Also recommended is a practice called Resh, which is found in Liber Resh in Appendix 7. The Ritual of the Pentagram and Resh both involve memorization, of words and movement. It will take a couple of weeks to get comfortable. Be patient and don't be too hard on yourself.Optional Step: Read the book from the beginning starting with the Editor's Introduction. If you get 5 pages in and are bored, skip it.Step 3: After beginning to put Liber E and Liber O into practice begin reading Part 1 Mysticism. This section will give you insight into the meditation practices of Crowley's system. Take notes. It will elaborate on questions you may have concerning instructions found in Liber E, and also Liber RV and Liber Jugorum (two important books both found in Appendix 7).Optional Step: There is a student reading list found at the end of Part 1 Mysticism. I suggest that you begin to get familiar with at least one or two of the works found here. They are all important. The hard work and study that you put into the works on this list will be repaid exponentially. A sufficient beginning would be The Equinox, 777, and the Eliphas Levi book.Step 4: Read Part 2 Magick (Elementary Theory). By giving descriptions of the furniture found in the temple, Crowley gives you information on not only what is necessary for a physical temple; he also talks about what is necessary for your inner temple. This book is as much about the physical temple as it is about the mental and spiritual temple found within each of us. If this section becomes boring, just think of it as a kind of discourse on ethics and ontology, Crowley style. Take notes.Step 5: Before going on to Part 3 Magick in Theory and Practice, you must read Liber AL aka the Book of the Law if you haven't already. This book is the cornerstone of Crowley's philosophy of Thelema. The Book of the Law can be found in Part 4. This section contains a photocopy of the original handwritten Book of the Law, Liber 31 or XXXI. This is the original document written down by Crowley in 1904. Also in this section is a typed print copy, Liber 220 or CCXX. I recommend reading the typed print copy Liber 220. Crowley's handwriting is very difficult to read. The handwritten copy becomes valuable once you begin to memorize the Book of the Law.Step 6: At this stage before reading Magick in Theory and Practice, I also recommend reading One Star in Sight. This can be found in Appendix 2. It gives you an overview of the A.'.A.'. training system. The reason why Crowley will be important for hundreds of years in the future is because no teacher has amassed such a beautiful system of instruction, and that system is called A.'.A.'.. Luckily most of the fundamental A.'.A.'. instructions are found in this book and another book called Gems from the Equinox.Step 7: Now you are ready to begin reading Part 3 Magick in Theory and Practice. It's a challenging read. But given time and study, it is an incredible book. Take notes. Write about insights in your diary. In my years of reading, and rereading, and studying different books, no other book presents such startling new insights for each reading. Be sure to record new insights in your diary each time you read it. It's truly a magical book.Optional Step: Highly recommended for beginners is Bill Heidrick's Study Guide for Magick in Theory and Practice. Google it and it will come up. Heidrick gives you a brief outline of the contents of each chapter and some information on the rituals in the appendices.Read Magick Book 4 at your own pace. Don't rush through it. When you are ready to expand your Crowley library, I recommend 3 books. First is Eight Lectures on Yoga. This book elaborates on Part 1 Mysticism. Secondly I recommend Magick Without Tears. This book fleshes out the system of magic that Crowley teaches. It's the last book written by Crowley, and it comments on nearly everything that came before. Third is Gems from the Equinox. This book is a compilation of material like Book 4. Gems from the Equinox is a good substitute for the Equinox set of books. It has most of the essential A.'.A.'. material that is left out of Book 4.After you've tackled these books and you're farther along in the system, read Book of Thoth. In terms of A.'.A.'. philosophy/theory the Book of Thoth is just as important as Magick In Theory and Practice. Crowley hid his last remaining secrets (those that he hadn't yet published) inside the Book of Thoth i.e. the IX° and the XI° of OTO. Resist becoming obsessed by these secrets. You will end up wasting your time. Let the truth hit you like lightning.True initiation is realization; being told an eternal truth directly is casting pearls before swine. Crowley thought his secret was important because of the shocking conflicts in history between true Christianity and the Christianity of the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Always remember that the Kingdom of God is within you. If you know the IX° then you know the XI°. They are just different recipes requiring specific ingredients. You'll find these recipes symbolically exposed in Liber 15 which is the Gnostic Mass (found in appendix 6 of Book 4). Just remember that the Gnostic Mass specifically concerns the IX°. The fully realized truth of these practices can change your life, but then again all of this stuff can. There's so much more to Crowley than the physical expression of these secrets.Keep up your practices and your diary as you see fit. I particularly recommend doing Resh daily. Read Magick in Theory and Practice once every 3 or 4 years. The book and it's insights change as you change. Good luck!

This giant text book, and it is a textbook is a big brick of meaning. The first three books have been painstakingly enhanced from the origionals being now a more accurate version - added onto it is the book of the holy papers edited at the beginnings of the Order, originally edited by Wasserman, I think - then extras upon extras. Also the book of the law and the handwritten version with commentary and still more extras - I'm glad it was finally was put together with the 4th book making book 4 literally 4 books - actually its more like 5 and so much extra essential stuff that it could have easily been broken up, but it was already - now its bound together, corrected, enhanced. A ribbon is included even though its the kind of book to be loaded with bookmarks and post-its eventually, but I like the ribbon. I remember the late Kenneth Anger holding up a copy of the very same book at a giant lecture at the Disinformation Conference in 2000 in front of hundreds of people and a video crew taping saying, this is the book, it's all in here, or something very much like that, I forget, but that image of him holding it up like a Bible made me want to get it years ago and it was always sold out wherever I looked until recently, I guess back by popular demand - it's the ultimate primer for the beginner into an advanced course as the original was in three books usually separated because of this - then it's the manifesti and history put down on paper long ago as the guidelines - it is also the holy books and the book of the law - its a reference book for everyday use and a scholar's manual - it is the history of the Order and it's core text. I think the editor did an impressive job. It is packed, jammed full of everything you could think of that should be there. I would like to thank him for putting it all in one place. I recommend this book for firstly, the Brethren to remind them of where it all came from and because of the great job on the book, also to the scholar of magick, and to the wise. It's not a time capsule, it's as relevant as it ever was because of Crowley and Hymeneaus Beta's genius.