- Joined
- Jul 7, 2023
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So what are people's thoughts on this book? For the record I have not completed the course within, though I have read it in its entirety and also tried out the first month. I bought this when it was first released; I was very eager to try ceremonial magic through an ancient pagan lens rather than the usual Judeo-Christian one. I never completed it for 3 reasons. a) after the first month I realised my life at the time was too hectic to fully commit to it (it's intensive) b) I've chosen a different path since (the left hand one) and c) the more I re-read and flicked through it, the less impressed I was. I'd like to expand on c).
While it's clear the author is indeed very knowledgeable, and I do appreciate his having put together so much information in a compact little book, the sheer amount of typos drove me insane. I can handle some typos, but from what I remember, it's a little much in this book. For contrast I'm currently reading Grant's Nightside of Eden, I'm 130 pages in and have yet to see a single typo. Again I can understand one every now and then, but when it's repeated, it's not a good look. Maybe later editions have fixed these typos as I got the first press, as I say I was eyeing up this book before it was ever officially released (have there been more presses since?). Another thing that I was unimpressed by is that in the first month of programming, he instructs you to do a certain ritual. The thing is this ritual is nowhere to be found in the book. Nor is it a case of him just phrasing it differently; all the other rituals for month 1 were included in the instructions, but not this one. It seems that he just flat out forgot to include it in the book.
So between the typos and the glaring omission of a ritual you're instructed to do, the book kind of just reeked of desperation. Desperation to get the book out as fast possible, which when you're dealing themes like esoterica, really should not be the case. Esoteric manuals should be carefully dwelled upon and worded. They are often, and in this case it is, a guide to achieve higher states of consciousness and understanding... not something to be taken lightly.
That aside, I found the program slightly unrealistic, though again that is mitigated by the fact I haven't actually completed it. The first month was busy. It was very hard to juggle work-chores-hobbies-etc while doing the first month, and after the first month the intensity increases. To be fair the author does warn that it will be hard to balance all these things, but really, it strikes me more as a program that should be completed when you have a lot of free time, like when you're unemployed. Reading the instructions for month 6, it seemed really unlikely that I would remember every step and word that needs to be uttered in order to achieve the desired effects. There was a lot going on and I mean a lot. It felt as if you'd have to reach for the book again to remind yourself of the steps, which as we know, really breaks immersion.
I don't mean to totally disparage the book. There's a lot of good knowledge in there and I like how it offers a pagan alternative to typical occult exercises. The cover is nice, too. But between the apparent lack of professionalism and what I felt was unrealistic expectations, I lost interest in this book. I would give it a 3/5 though, because overall it is a nice book, but maybe not for the reasons Nick intended.
I'm curious to hear other people's thoughts on this book, especially if they completed the 6 month course; what was the experience like?
While it's clear the author is indeed very knowledgeable, and I do appreciate his having put together so much information in a compact little book, the sheer amount of typos drove me insane. I can handle some typos, but from what I remember, it's a little much in this book. For contrast I'm currently reading Grant's Nightside of Eden, I'm 130 pages in and have yet to see a single typo. Again I can understand one every now and then, but when it's repeated, it's not a good look. Maybe later editions have fixed these typos as I got the first press, as I say I was eyeing up this book before it was ever officially released (have there been more presses since?). Another thing that I was unimpressed by is that in the first month of programming, he instructs you to do a certain ritual. The thing is this ritual is nowhere to be found in the book. Nor is it a case of him just phrasing it differently; all the other rituals for month 1 were included in the instructions, but not this one. It seems that he just flat out forgot to include it in the book.
So between the typos and the glaring omission of a ritual you're instructed to do, the book kind of just reeked of desperation. Desperation to get the book out as fast possible, which when you're dealing themes like esoterica, really should not be the case. Esoteric manuals should be carefully dwelled upon and worded. They are often, and in this case it is, a guide to achieve higher states of consciousness and understanding... not something to be taken lightly.
That aside, I found the program slightly unrealistic, though again that is mitigated by the fact I haven't actually completed it. The first month was busy. It was very hard to juggle work-chores-hobbies-etc while doing the first month, and after the first month the intensity increases. To be fair the author does warn that it will be hard to balance all these things, but really, it strikes me more as a program that should be completed when you have a lot of free time, like when you're unemployed. Reading the instructions for month 6, it seemed really unlikely that I would remember every step and word that needs to be uttered in order to achieve the desired effects. There was a lot going on and I mean a lot. It felt as if you'd have to reach for the book again to remind yourself of the steps, which as we know, really breaks immersion.
I don't mean to totally disparage the book. There's a lot of good knowledge in there and I like how it offers a pagan alternative to typical occult exercises. The cover is nice, too. But between the apparent lack of professionalism and what I felt was unrealistic expectations, I lost interest in this book. I would give it a 3/5 though, because overall it is a nice book, but maybe not for the reasons Nick intended.
I'm curious to hear other people's thoughts on this book, especially if they completed the 6 month course; what was the experience like?
