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- Oct 6, 2025
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Hello, I know this post may stir up some controversy, since criticism is very subjective and one person may dismiss what another values, and vice versa. However, within a spirit of tolerance for differing opinions and mutual respect, I would like to share a couple of reviews of authors whose works I have read extensively. After reading them, practicing some of their methods, and comparing their information with other sources, I have formed my own opinions.
I would also like you to share your views on other LHP authors—or on these same authors—and to mention what you agree with and what you disagree with. Let this be a way for us to exchange ideas and learn from one another.
Michael W. Ford: He is an author who has taken basic ideas and concepts from Thelema, certain LaVeyan influences, elements of Chaos Magic, the Kabbalah, Kundalini Yoga (in a very basic form), as well as a great deal of philosophy from Nietzsche and Carl Jung (particularly the concept of masks/personae), and blended all of this into a simplistic amalgamation with a Persian or Egyptian mythological backdrop, depending on the book. The end result is a set of ritual practices built upon a spiritually infantilized framework and an air of superiority, which in practice claims to help the practitioner become a deity, while ultimately leaving them just as much of a worm—or even more so—than they were before.
As for Michael W. Ford, I should say that despite these criticisms, he does an excellent job of helping readers break down mental chains and social masks, clearly reflecting the influence of Carl Jung. For that reason, I would still recommend reading him, as his work is both entertaining and capable of offering something genuinely positive.
Peter J. Carroll: His books are entertaining and easy to read. He is truly a representative of Chaos Magic in the sense that he takes ideas from everywhere, simplifies them, and presents them in a way that makes for an accessible and enjoyable manual, allowing anyone to understand the concepts and begin practicing from day one, especially in Liber Null. He draws from so many different sources that much of what he presents ends up being inaccurate or imprecise. As the saying goes: jack of all trades, master of none.
For example, in Liber Null he makes statements such as: “Physical laws have been shown to be statistical rather than precise.” This is completely false; physical laws are, in fact, precise. Likewise, in Psychonaut he claims that “the Gnostics sought to divert Jews and Christians from their religions by creating false information and producing their own versions of sacred texts.” This is also false, since those Gnostics emerged from already existing Jewish and Christian circles of the time, and texts such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene were not created to distract attention from the non-apocryphal writings, but rather reflected the spiritual reality of their own communities.
He also repeats claims such as the idea that Gnostics fed on the fetuses of their aborted children. This was an accusation made by the Church against Gnostic heretics, not an established historical reality. Carroll tends to accept myths and rumors as facts, which undermines the credibility of his work and makes it difficult to regard it as anything more than entertainment.
I also recommend reading Carroll because, amid his vast collage of borrowed ideas and imprecise syntheses, it is still possible to find concepts that are genuinely interesting—sigil creation being a good example. One can then take those ideas and explore them further through the works of more rigorous authors, gaining a deeper and more accurate understanding of the subject.
I would also like you to share your views on other LHP authors—or on these same authors—and to mention what you agree with and what you disagree with. Let this be a way for us to exchange ideas and learn from one another.
Michael W. Ford: He is an author who has taken basic ideas and concepts from Thelema, certain LaVeyan influences, elements of Chaos Magic, the Kabbalah, Kundalini Yoga (in a very basic form), as well as a great deal of philosophy from Nietzsche and Carl Jung (particularly the concept of masks/personae), and blended all of this into a simplistic amalgamation with a Persian or Egyptian mythological backdrop, depending on the book. The end result is a set of ritual practices built upon a spiritually infantilized framework and an air of superiority, which in practice claims to help the practitioner become a deity, while ultimately leaving them just as much of a worm—or even more so—than they were before.
As for Michael W. Ford, I should say that despite these criticisms, he does an excellent job of helping readers break down mental chains and social masks, clearly reflecting the influence of Carl Jung. For that reason, I would still recommend reading him, as his work is both entertaining and capable of offering something genuinely positive.
Peter J. Carroll: His books are entertaining and easy to read. He is truly a representative of Chaos Magic in the sense that he takes ideas from everywhere, simplifies them, and presents them in a way that makes for an accessible and enjoyable manual, allowing anyone to understand the concepts and begin practicing from day one, especially in Liber Null. He draws from so many different sources that much of what he presents ends up being inaccurate or imprecise. As the saying goes: jack of all trades, master of none.
For example, in Liber Null he makes statements such as: “Physical laws have been shown to be statistical rather than precise.” This is completely false; physical laws are, in fact, precise. Likewise, in Psychonaut he claims that “the Gnostics sought to divert Jews and Christians from their religions by creating false information and producing their own versions of sacred texts.” This is also false, since those Gnostics emerged from already existing Jewish and Christian circles of the time, and texts such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene were not created to distract attention from the non-apocryphal writings, but rather reflected the spiritual reality of their own communities.
He also repeats claims such as the idea that Gnostics fed on the fetuses of their aborted children. This was an accusation made by the Church against Gnostic heretics, not an established historical reality. Carroll tends to accept myths and rumors as facts, which undermines the credibility of his work and makes it difficult to regard it as anything more than entertainment.
I also recommend reading Carroll because, amid his vast collage of borrowed ideas and imprecise syntheses, it is still possible to find concepts that are genuinely interesting—sigil creation being a good example. One can then take those ideas and explore them further through the works of more rigorous authors, gaining a deeper and more accurate understanding of the subject.