Newbie Help
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Hi all!
I have a few newbie questions that maybe some of you could help me with. I've been through most of the "beginners" topics and jotted down the reading lists some of you have provided in them. I have the Liber AL vel Legis and was looking to purchase the commentaries on it. I found The Law Is For All by Israel Regardie and another version by Frater Superior Hymenaeus Beta. Are there any differences between these books that I should know about before reading them? Also, I read online that Israel Regardie's version of Magick Without Tears is heavily edited. Is that true? If so is there anywhere I may find a complete version of this text? And finally: can anyone recommend a book that I should start with? Thank you for your time and I look forward to your answers!
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Greetings brother, sister, or whatever hermaphroditic pronoun by which you call yourself! Welcome to the forum.
Crowley wrote "The Law is For All," so you refer to the editor not the author. Of the two I prefer Regardie, but this is a personal preference. This Commentary should be read and studied well. The Regardie version of "Magick without Tears" isn't overly edited (if I remember correctly, as I haven't read it in a while.) I like his introductions, however.
Besides these books, the most important book in my arsenal is "Magick in Theory and Practice," especially Book IV. Buy it, steal it, pawn your mother's wedding ring but acquire and read this book! It will guide your steps through all the main aspects of Magick, providing you with a firm basis from which to undertake the Great Work.
Again, welcome.
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I'll also point out that on the "Recommended Links" of this forum there are links to sites that have some resources on books and commentaries there as well, if it helps.
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93,
Welcome! I am not sure how much of a "newbie" you are, but, I'm still considering myself one (a couple years into it!). So, I'll throw my 2 cents in.
If you're looking to pursue a strictly Thelemic/ A .'. A .'. styled path of spiritual growth, than I can recommend without question, "The Mystical and Magical System of the A .'. A .'." by Jim Eshelman. This book has been indispensable to me, as it really provides an in-depth look at the A .'. A .'. system/ grades, etc. More importantly (for me anyway), is that it specifically breaks down what the aspiring Student should start with (there is a whole breakdown of the "Student Reading Curriculum", with specific breakdowns on many of the actual works). If you haven't familiarized yourself with at least the core points of the books listed there, than I would say that's a good place to start (you can also find much of those works online as PDF's).
I'd also recommend checking out other works, such as Fortune's "The Mystical Qabalah", as well as Regardie's "The Tree of Life" and "The Middle Pillar". These works clarified a lot early on for me, as a lot of Crowley's works on the same subjects are difficult for the newbie to understand/ absorb (at least for me).
The web also has a ton a resources available; with a little work, you can find a plethora of documents/ PDF's online.
Hope this helps.
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@Veganforseitan said
"And finally: can anyone recommend a book that I should start with?"
You'll find that a great deal of the answers you're going to get are going to ignore/dodge this question. That's simply because there isn't any good answer. Almost every book out there that can be recommended requires you to have some knowledge of the contents of another book. Assuming that you're entirely new to magick/thelema in general, you'll be in the middle of reading a book on magick, and it will referrence the tree of life. So you go out and pick up a book on Qabalah. Then, that book will begin mentioning number values to various words. So you find yourself getting a seperate source to read on Gematria to understand this process(es) too, and so on...
Honestly, it seems to be one of the things most 'newbies' look for is a beginners book or a recommendation of where to start with the gigantic reading list most recommend. While I will second that the books recommended already in this thread are great sources, you won't be able to fully understand any one of them until you've pieced together the whole picture. I'm assuming this slow process is what Ash described in this post.
Perhaps one day, us newbies will get lucky and Jim will be able to complete his beginner's book he briefly mentioned in a post at the start of this year (thread has since been delete/can't find). Until then, we'll have to chip away at the daunting amount of material out there and abide our time in patience.
Good Luck,
-ANEA
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Excellent! Thank you for your advice and guidance! I have Book 4 and Magick Without Tears is on its way from amazon. I am going to order Gems From The Equinox and The Mystical and Magical System of the A.'.A.'. with my next pay check. Thank you for the link I've stashed it in my favorites to peruse if/when I am feeling stuck. Thank you again!