Need guidelines, trying to familiarize myself Options

Hello, people.

I won't waste many words on introduction Actually, I hope you don't mind if I proceed straight to the topic.

I'm really new to stuff of this sort - occultism and such - but lately I've been having a desire to educate myself in this field. Not really in-depth; what I had in mind was more of a general knowledge, which I could then deepen according to the means available. I guess it probably wouldn't be a good idea to try to learn everything from the web, anyway. It's also worth noting that it's not my goal to become a wizard or mystic or anything of the sorts. You could say my interest is based partially on sheer childlike fascination (or what's left of it, sadly) but mainly it's a consequence of the psycho/socio/anthropological leanings of my present, adult (well, kind of), mind.

Now, what I had in mind was if one of those who are versed enough in this field, could compile a list of books (preferrably those available online) which would serve as a basis of sorts; which would provide me with a general knowledge of various magical systems, schools, history, etc. I have, for instance, pdf copies of the three books on occult philosophy by Agrippa somewhere on my drive, and I must admit they have me defeated (you would have thought, from the title, that they were more of an introduction, heh), so what I'm looking for is much more basic. The kind of book that you would perhaps expect to find in a window of a new-age store. Occultism 101 sort of thing. But it has to be relevant, non-mainstream - meaning not watered down, and most of all - non-biased. I don't want to read preaching.

That's about it I guess. I hope you have at least a vague idea of what I'd like.... I'm not an english speaker and my english can be, at times, unintentionally over-elaborate, for a lack of a better word (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) .

That's it for now. Thanks in advance.

Greetings KWC! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

Welcome to Sacred-Magick Forums!
We have numerous posts similar to yours that pass our way! I invite you to take some time to peruse the various threads and see/read what strikes your fancy. The Book Review section is nice, for starters...
On the down side of things, I'd be more inclined to be helpful to someone who is more inclined to take the occult abit more seriously rather than a passing fancy to occupy your minds whimsy. That may not be the case here though...in which I'd like to direct your attention to the Library where we have amassed quite a sizable and comprehensive collection, available for download (for a fee, stated in that section).
I hope that you will find what you are looking for! Our members post some rather interesting topics here on Forum and I hope that you will feel comfortable enough to join in! Again, take time to read the guidelines of the Forum and acquaint yourself with the Library and the various topics listed! BTW, your English is quite good!
On a side note, you had mentioned that you'd rather not read 'biased' or 'preaching' based work. Alas, most literature out there has some bias, especially books based on faith or belief systems. You'll just have to separate the wheat from the chafe like the rest of us. Perhaps one or more of our members will be willing to compile such a booklist with such stringent parameters. Good Luck! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Topic moved to Coffee Shop as being a more suitable intro site - Mod Squad

This post has been edited by bym: Oct 18 2005, 03:42 PM

Thank you for your quick reply, bym!

I'd be more inclined to be helpful to someone who is more inclined to take the occult abit more seriously rather than a passing fancy to occupy your minds whimsy.

I can understand that, and if I'm honest with myself, I don't know how far I'm ready to go here, seeing as occultism is such a vast subject. I like to think, though, that I'm neither your typical wannabe witch teenager nor a disgruntled sociologist who takes occultism for a mere marginal element and is more amused than interested in it. I do have the desire... I just don't know if I'll have the time and will... We'll see.

Library where we have amassed quite a sizable and comprehensive collection, available for download (for a fee, stated in that section)

I've taken a peek into your digital library and I think it's very comprehensive, but the fee is going to be a bit of a problem, because I very much dislike dealing with cash over internet. I've never even bought anything that way. Let's say it's a bit of a whim on my part... Thanks anyway!


And on a more general note... thanks for your welcome. I'm not going to be a very active member of this community, I'm afraid... It's just the way I am - I've never participated in any forum for more than a month, and then I just lost the drive... I'm a more of an observer... I hope you won't take taht as a sign of condescension(sp?) or anything. You see, I'm not really a believer as of now - I've been gifted (cursed?) with a mind most sceptical, but I think that something must be behind all this complex knowledge and lore, and I am determined to find out what. Besides, deep inside, I really really want to believe fully.

I hope you know what I'm trying to say...

Good night to you all.

i did the same as you before i started diving into more advanced books.

Many skip the part of exploring everything first, wich leaves them without the basics.
What you call scratching the surface i call the basics of all occultism.

books:
modern magick, donald micheal kraig
complete book of witchcraft, raymond buckland
Tao te Ching, can be found online, read multiple translators

these 3 will provide the very basis of different occult worlds.
Buy more books on different streams, but about all authors are fine for that. browse around on amazon, they have a huge list of occult books.

Most books are aimed at people who are going to practice. As your interest seems to be more akin to curiosity then a book like Modern Magick will not (imho) be very useful.

You may wish to purchase a biography of Crowley, read 'The Golden Bough' and also 'The Queen's Conjuror : The science and magic of Dr Dee'.

If you are only after free stuff rather than books then just try any P2P network. As a bibliophile I don't like reading pdf's on a computer screen, I much prefer to have a book.

Many skip the part of exploring everything first, wich leaves them without the basics.
What you call scratching the surface i call the basics of all occultism.

That's what I'm trying to do, really, start at the basics...

If you are only after free stuff rather than books then just try any P2P network. As a bibliophile I don't like reading pdf's on a computer screen, I much prefer to have a book.

Oh, I know what you mean. I, too HATE reading books from computer screen. Believe it or not, I often print them out, if they're not too long. I think I'll take a look in some local libraries here, they have some neat stuff on every subject. Thanks for your suggestions, I'll look them up...

I find The Magician's Companion by Bill Whitcomb an indispensable starting-point. It's a work of reference rather than a sit-down cover-to-cover read, but it's very comprehensive and, I find, admirably unbiased. There's an excellent introductory section on magick theory, followed by a large compendium of information on many different systems. Each chapter comes with a reading-list, which is perhaps the most useful part, and there's a directory of organisations in the back. It's also very well indexed.

Personally, it's where I begin when I want to get the 'basics' of any new system; but it's so well-organised that I also still use it as a desk reference for systems I know very well. It's not online, but in my opinion well worth the cover price.

Thank you, SlowLoris... This looks to be exactly what I need.