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- "Temple of Set Reading List:
- Category 23 - Lesser Black Magic" (1/24/87CE)
- Reprinted from: _The Crystal Tablet of Set_
- (c) Temple of Set 1989 CE
- Weirdbase file version by TS permission
-
- by Michael A. Aquino, Ipsissimus VI* Temple of Set
- Electronic mail: MCI-Mail 278-4041
-
- There are Lesser Black Magical principles to be found throughout this
- reading list, to be sure, but there are also works which focus primarily or
- principally on the concept or technique itself. LBM is defined and discussed
- in "Black Magic in Theory and Practice" in the _Crystal Tablet of Set_, and
- generally embraces what ordinary human minds conceive as "magic". Hence this
- category begins with four books on stage-magic, which will (a) enable the
- Setian to satisfy those who ask to "see some magic", and (b) offer the
- Setian excellent training in the basic techniques of attention control and
- behavior & attitude manipulation so crucial to more serious applications of
- LBM. Following the stage-magic works are books dealing with the social
- environment so conducive to LBM operations. Setians are advised to pursue
- active operations of LBM only after they have schooled themselves in the
- relevant ethical fields as treated in category 16.
-
- 23A. _The Great Book of Magic_ by Wendy Rydell with George Gilbert. NY:
- Harry N. Abrams, 1976. (TS-2) MA: "There are a great many stage-magical
- manuals on the market, but I have recommended this one because it fills a
- great many requirements: It is a large, well-printed, clearly illustrated,
- quality paperback. It is reasonably priced ($10). It contains instructions
- for over 150 very effective tricks. It contains an excellent introduction
- (the first half of the book) dealing with the history and major
- personalities of stage-magic, with major sub-sections on the Black Arts
- [including some rare photos of the Church of Satan's Central and Lilith
- Grottos ca. VII]."
-
- 23B. _Thirteen Steps to Mentalism_ by Corinda. NY: Louis Tannen, 1967. (TS-
- 3) MA: "This and #23C are the recognized classic texts in the stage-magic
- art of mentalism. It is one of the more difficult fields to master, but it
- is also one of the most impressive - even frightening - to use in a non-
- entertainment setting. The same principles used for these mentalism tricks
- can be adapted to a great many LBM situations. Both this and #23C are
- usually stock items in stage-magic shops. Despite this, it is surprising how
- few people read the books, hence know their secrets."
-
- 23C. _Practical Mental Effects_ by Theodore Anneman. NY: Tannen Magic, 1963.
- (TS-3) MA: "The second classic in the mentalism field. Since it is a reprint
- of a 1944 work, I would recommend #23B as being more clearly printed and in
- general easier to read. But either work is excellent from a technical
- standpoint."
-
- 23D. _The 1985-86 Magic Directory_ by Christopher Monson (Publisher). Monson
- Productions, P.O. Box 5324, Madison, WI 53705. (TS-3) MA: "This is a
- magazine-size, annually-revised paperback directory of almost every store,
- association, publication, company, club, and venture associated with stage-
- magic. It is subdivided into state and national sections, as well as English
- and foreign-language sections. There is nothing else quite like it. Even if
- you are not a stage- magic devotee, it is a good book to toss into your
- suitcase when traveling, since local magic shops are always good points of
- interest and contact in unfamiliar areas. [And many of them, particularly in
- Europe, are impressive mini-museums as well.]"
-
- 23E. _The Prince_ by Niccolo Machiavelli. NY: Washington Square Press, 1963.
- (TS-3) MA: "You'll find a summary of The Prince in #16A, but if you're going
- to get seriously involved in the social jungle, you should probably read the
- book itself, since it is still the classic of practical power politics. A
- short, succinct work written in a crisp, no-nonsense style. Nevertheless it
- is not, as the vulgar assume, an argument for viciousness or callousness in
- political affairs, but is predicated upon the prince's underlying ethical
- goals for his country."
-
- 23F. _The B.S. Factor: The Theory and Technique of Faking It in America_ by
- Arthur Herzog. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1973. (TS-2) MA: "In Machiavelli's day
- the world was sufficiently lawless to make force a viable alternative in
- day-to-day affairs. In a highly ordered nation such as the United States,
- however, manipulation must often take more subtle and psychological forms.
- This book is one of the best analyses of them. It focuses on the twisting
- and warping of language to mold opinions and behavior. Written humorously,
- but with serious underlying principles."
-
- 23G. _A Primer of Politics_ by James E. Combs and Dan Nimmo. NY: Macmillan
- Publishing Company, 1984. (TS-3) MA: "A political science textbook dealing
- with the study of power according to the definitions, maxims, and
- recommendations of Machiavelli. Individuals, episodes, organizations,
- governments, and ideologies from ancient times to the present are offered as
- case studies. Mini-biographies of the various political leaders used in the
- case studies are included, with the result that this book reads like an
- anthology of dramatic episodes in the shaping of history - which in a way it
- is. Some leaders treated: Walter Lippman, Jefferson, Catherine the Great,
- Charles de Gaulle, Hitler, Madison, Madame de Pompadour, Disraeli, John
- Marshall, Elizabeth I, Eva Peron, Gandhi, Richard III, Mao, Cicero, Lincoln,
- FDR, Richelieu, Bismarck, Jackson, J. Edgar Hoover, Henry II, Tallyrand,
- Lenin, Goebbels, Stalin, Augustus Caesar, and Nicholas II. Whenever I have
- prescribed this text for a Political Theory course, students have gone wild
- over it, reading far more than assigned and using its concepts as a knife to
- cut through the jungle of doubletalk, deceit, hypocrisy, and inertia of
- modern political society. A book for the 1980s - in some ways regrettably
- so."
-
- 23H. _The Hidden Dimension_ by Edward T. Hall. Garden City, NY: Doubleday &
- Co., 1966. (TS-3) MA: "The best study to date of 'proxemics' - the LBM
- technique involving, in the author's words, 'social and personal space and
- man's perception of it'. Included are both a discussion of the principles
- involved in the design, control, and manipulation of proxemics, and a number
- of case studies - several ethnic and/or national/cultural in orientation -
- illustrating these principles. #23H is reviewed in _Runes_ #III-4."
-
- 23I. _Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In_ by Roger
- Fisher and William Ury. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981 (Penguin paperback
- edition available). (TS-3) MA: "This is a succinct (160 pages) manual on how
- to win arguments, particularly in a group or organizational setting. The
- step-by-step process results from studies and conferences by the Harvard
- Negotiation Project, a group which deals continually with various levels of
- conflict resolution. This is a book which raises what for most people is a
- 'blind, stumbling' (_Pistis_) experience to a deliberate, controlled
- (_Dianoia_) exercise."
-
-