Book Review
Title: Learning Ritual Magic
Author: John Michael Greer, Clare Vaughn, Earl King Jr.
Genre/Type: Hermetic, Beginner
My Personal Thoughts: This book is formatted similarly to a workbook for beginners to learn fundamental skills to practice ritual magic. The book follows the initial teachings of the order Companions of the Rose, an established magical group. There are a lot of exercises that practitioners of any witchcraft tradition can use, as well as the basic theory for Hermetic magic. I will say, there is less of the theory of both Hermetic tradition and ritual magic than I expected, given the title. Most of the theory work was offloaded onto other books which are mentioned in the earliest chapters, and I wish for a book on fundamentals that it would have included more. I do appreciate though, that the book creates a framework for the practitioner to develop a daily practice of their own moving forward, even beyond the book.
Technical: The information is presented in a way that is easy to understand, and progresses through the lessons in a way that builds on the ones before them. There is a heavy Hermetic influence on the work, understandably, which is not immediately made clear unless reading the blurb on the back carefully. The authors are trained in teh Companions of the Rose tradition, and several are well-known authors in the witchcraft spheres in their own right. There is a bibliography in the back for further reading, as well as a list of Hermetic theory books early on in the process. There are diagrams scattered throughout the book to help with understanding the content, and the book chapters are organized by lesson. Each chapter is further divided by the type of lesson being taught in several categories, including theory, divination, meditation, and more.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
