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(I just said the "forced at gunpoint" bit to head off people replying "I am already in contact with my HGA so I see no need to do the Abramelin operation" or "I get all my holy books from the akashic records" or w/e. I'm not asking for advice on what I should read, I'm interested in people's different conceptions of what books are at the heart of their spirituality)
So: in the standard Abramelin rite, you're meant to spend plenty of time reading holy books. Contemporary practitioners who may not have a clear religion have to decide honestly for themselves.
I was just watching a Qabbalist report on his Abramelin progress, and unsurprisingly, he's choosing the Torah, the Sefer Yetzirah, the Zohar, etc.
It got me curious about what people from different paths would choose.
I think it can't just be books you hold deeply close to your heart (certain Bob Dylan songs have strongly influenced my spirituality, but it would be disingenuous for me to put on a Dylan album and say it counts)
But it also can't be any old magic book that's next on your reading list. And I don't think it can be a completely academic/anthropoligical text; the writer has to be engaged or involved with the work for it to be a holy book. I reckon it COULD be a visual artwork, some painting that you could study if it had enough complexity and emotional resonance for you.
The Helios Unbound operation doesn't require you to study holy books, but I do have the Ursula LeGuin translation of the Tao Te Ching on my reading list. My list would also include a bunch of Bertrand Russell essays. A complete stranger gave me a book of his essays when I was 10 or 11, and his moral philosophy of "love guided by knowledge" had a big influence on me.
So: in the standard Abramelin rite, you're meant to spend plenty of time reading holy books. Contemporary practitioners who may not have a clear religion have to decide honestly for themselves.
I was just watching a Qabbalist report on his Abramelin progress, and unsurprisingly, he's choosing the Torah, the Sefer Yetzirah, the Zohar, etc.
It got me curious about what people from different paths would choose.
I think it can't just be books you hold deeply close to your heart (certain Bob Dylan songs have strongly influenced my spirituality, but it would be disingenuous for me to put on a Dylan album and say it counts)
But it also can't be any old magic book that's next on your reading list. And I don't think it can be a completely academic/anthropoligical text; the writer has to be engaged or involved with the work for it to be a holy book. I reckon it COULD be a visual artwork, some painting that you could study if it had enough complexity and emotional resonance for you.
The Helios Unbound operation doesn't require you to study holy books, but I do have the Ursula LeGuin translation of the Tao Te Ching on my reading list. My list would also include a bunch of Bertrand Russell essays. A complete stranger gave me a book of his essays when I was 10 or 11, and his moral philosophy of "love guided by knowledge" had a big influence on me.