There are lots of books that can function as powerful resources for magicians, from my own, wide-ranging Modern Magick or The Complete Magicians' Tables to books going into depth on more specific topics such as Geomancy in Theory & Practice, Hands-On Chaos Magic, or Magickal Self Defense. In my experience, however, many magicians today don't start research into magickal practices by going into their book collections; some, quite frankly, don't have many books at all. Instead they depend upon that ubiquitous internet repository of information, Wikipedia. I love Wikipedia. I think it's a great tool. But as I have repeatedly pointed out, Wikipedia is a great place to start research but

In recent days I've been thinking a lot about alternative forms of divination. Most of you reading this are familiar with Tarot and astrology. Some of you may also be familiar with how to use runes, palmistry or ways to "read" a crystal ball. There are, however, some lesser-known forms of divination that are every bit as powerful as the better-known methods. One form I've been looking at has intrigued me since my parents took me to L.A.'s Chinatown when I was a child. It's a sort of silly, fatalistic game consisting of a bunch of narrow wooden strips each having a number printed on it. These were all kept within in a cylindrical container. You'd think of a question and shake the

When I was very young I was fascinated by my grandfather's books. Some were incredibly old and smelled funny. Years later I learned that the acrid smell was a type of mold often found on old books. Many used book stores reek of it. Initially, I wasn't allowed to touch "Grampa Bill's" books. After I learned to read when I was four, I was permitted to look through them only if supervised. When it was seen that I took care of the books, I could look at them on my own. Most of the books were fairly standard. There was a collection of Shakespeare that was very old and rare. They are now in my library and, regrettably, they're in very fragile condition. One book that intrigued me, and that

Today I received an email from a musician. He explained, I need to get jobs in music etc: getting to Music Festivals playing at Church`s and playing at other venues people are not calling me to play at these events, I am sending out emails and letters and calling and still no work...Could you tell me what kind of ritual to do so I can get work in music ? As I explained in a previous post, my goal is to help people become empowered. Since merely waving wands or mumbling words isn't going to accomplish anything, I suggested that he begin practicing the techniques in Modern Magick (he wrote that he had a copy) and by the time he finished he would have enough knowledge to design and