Israel Regardie wrote The Tree of Life, a book many consider his magnum opus,in 1932. It has continued to sell for decades. And no wonder. Up until the time this book was published, very little information about true high magic was available to the public.
In this book, Regardie reveals the secrets of real magic. He begins with an explanation of what magic is and, just as importantly, what magic is not. He explains that it is a spiritual study and practice which, along with forms of yoga, forms the two branches of the tree that is mysticism. Magic is not being a medium or a psychic. Then he explains the tools of the magician, what they mean, and how to use them. He explains the techniques of evocation and invocation, skrying, and astral travel. He shows how the Qabalah unites everything. He even gives a description of the secrets of sexual magick. All of this is in a clear, lucid writing style. This book is simply a must for anyone who is, or aspires to be, a real magician.
Although Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero were friends of Regardie and are Senior Adepts of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, what changes could they have made to this classic book? Well, they did change the spelling from British style to American. And they did change his transliterations of Hebrew into the more popular style he used in his later books. But nothing vital was changed or removed. Everything else they added was complementary to the text that was there. And what incredible additions they are! Extensive annotations throughout every chapter; over 100 illustrations; more descriptive contents pages; a glossary, a bibliography and an index. They've even added a biographical note on Regardie and the importance of this book to him and to the occult world.
This book contains some of the finest occult writing that has ever been produced. And with the new material by the Ciceros, it becomes a must-have for any magician!
There are two people more responsible for the rebirth of magick in the second half of the twentieth century than anyone else. The first is publisher Carl Llewellyn Weschcke. His publication of classic and new books on magick and astrology, as well as some of the first accurate books on Wicca and Witchcraft, literally changed the world. One of the things he did was purchase the copyrights to...
Magick has evolved tremendously over the past few years. It has stood the test of time, overcome the slander of contrary opinion, and it has taken a very deep position in the mainstream community. The new faces and names to the occult remain loyal to their traditions, but are not bound by it, and all of us have built our foundation from the techniques of elder work. What will the magickal foundation be like for those of tomorrow?
As a young child, in my native Puerto Rico, I lived most of my life under the towering power of the Catholic Church. I attended Mass and took Holy Communion every Sunday. I went to confessions on Saturday evenings, accompanied by my mother and other ...
Though I grew up in a modern household, my family belonged to the Orthodox branch of Judaism. We kept a kosher home, observed the major holidays, my sister and I went to Hebrew school — and yet, I never heard the word “Kabbalah.” It was not until I ...
Many years ago I purchased some copies of an old British magazine called The Occult Review. In the January 1933 issue was an article entitled “Ceremonial Magic Unveiled” by noted occultist Dion Fortune, defending the writings of a young man named ...
At a time when magic was regarded by most as suspect at best and dangerously evil at worst, Israel Regardie saw magic as a precise scientific discipline as well as a highly spiritual way of life. At the age of twenty-four, he took on the enormous ...
In my book, Modern Magick, I gave a brief introduction to one of the most important people in the history of magick, Dr. John Dee (1527–1608 or 1609). More than a magician, Dee was also one of the most interesting and fascinating figures of the Elizabethan Age. When he died, his home in Mortlake (a district of London on the southern bank of the... read this article
