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Temple of Set Reading List
"Temple of Set Reading List:
Category 23 - Lesser Black Magic" (1/24/87CE)
Reprinted from: _The Crystal Tablet of Set_
© 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."
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