Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Disinformations "wicked warlock" Richard Metzger gathers an unprecedented cabal of modern occultists, magicians and forward thinkers in Book of Lies. Whereas past Disinformation volumes like "You Are Being Lied To," "Everything You Know is Wrong" and "Abuse Your Illusions" focused on secrets and lies from the mainstream media, government and other establishment institutions to rethink what a political science book could look like, "Book of Lies" redefines occult anthologies, packaging and presenting a huge array of magical essays for a pop culture audience.

- Terence McKenna asks if we can contact "aliens" with the smokable drug DMTthe answer may surprise you!

- The Executable Dreamtime by Mark Pesce explores the relationship between spellcasting and computer programming.

- Comics genius Grant Morrisons Pop Magic! Explains how YOU can become a practicing magician!

- Memento Mori: (Remember You Must Die) by Paul Laffoley examines the growing fascination with death in our culture and describes "Thanatonic" energy.

- Artist Joe Coleman on the occult aspects of his work in Joe is in the Details.

- Are You Illuminated? by Phil Hine takes the novice magician thru the stages of Initiation and beyond

- Daniel Pinchbecks psychedelic and magical experiences recounted in an extended excerpt from Breaking Open the Head

- Chapel of Extreme Experience author John Geiger on the harrowing psychic explorations of William Burroughs and Brion Gysin

- Calling Cthulhu: Techgnosis author Erik Davis on H. P. Lovecraft

- The Road to Excess sheds some light on a spooky little known incident in the life of Timothy Leary

- Robert Anton Wilson on the similarities between Crowley and Leary

- Tim Maroneys beginners guide to Aleister Crowley

- Genesis P-Orridges personal memories of his magical education under William Burroughs and Brion Gysin (an instant classic!) and his essay on British occult artist Austin Osman Spare

- Donald Tysons The Enochian Apocalypse. Were the seeds of the end of the world sown in the Elizabethan era?

- The Crying of Liber 49, Richard Metzgers essay on rocket scientist and occultist Jack Parsons

- Julius Evola on Occult War

- Cameron: The Wormwood Star by Brian Butler tellsfor the first time everof the life and times of Jack Parsons "Scarlet Woman," witch and Beatnik artist Marjorie Cameron

- Magical Blitzkrieg: Tracy Twyman and Peter Levenda on Nazis and the Occult

- Did fallen angels mate with humankind during the time of Noah? Boyd Rice on The Book of Enoch, one of the "forgotten books" of the Bible.

- Allen Greenfields Secret History of Witchcraft goes to the "roots" of Wicca and modern paganism. They might not be as deep as you think!

- Nevill Drury on Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton

- Michael Moynihan conducts a fireside chat with the Black Pope of the Church of Satan, Anton LaVey

- Season of the Witch by Gary Lachman examines the dark side of hippie and the "Age of Aquarius"

-Hakim Bey on Sorcery and Occult Terrorism

Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

The One They REALLY Don't Want You to Read December 19, 2005
36 out of 38 found this review helpful

If the occultophobes of the world had any sense, they would leave the Harry Potter series alone and forget all about it. THIS is the book they should be trying to burn.

Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult is a collection of essays and articles by leading voices in the occult world. A total of 40 written pieces take up roughly 350 pages here. A small sampling of these includes Phil Hine on magickal initiation, Donald Tyson on the Enochian Apocalypse, and Boyd Rice on the connections between the Biblical Leviathan and the mythic Dagon.

An entire section is devoted to the infamous Aleister Crowley, his life's work, and those who took his ideas and ran with them. Fiction writer Grant Morrison (The Invisibles) delivers his philosophy on modern magickal practice as a lifestyle. Erik Davis discusses the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft and its significance to the practicing occultist. Tau Allen Greenfield debunks the popular history of Wicca, and P.R. Koening exposes the fraudulent "Caliphate" Ordo Templi Orientis.

This book reprints an interview with late Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey by author/musician Michael Moynihan (Lords of Chaos, Blood Axis) and Dr. Stephen Flowers's essay "The Secret of the Gothick God of Darkness." Only Robert Mason's article on the "Ahriman Consciousness" seems strangely out of place; it reads more like a vaugely Christianized version of David Icke's conspiracy theories than the work of a practicing magician.

Be advised this is not a "spellbook" as such; a few articles give practical advice for starting points and point the way to futher study, but the book as a whole is an exhibit, not a seminar. But it's a very well-assembled and stimulating exhibit; read it to learn, evaluate, and be inspired.

Young readers or newcomers to this area of interest may be surprised to learn here there is much more to the world of magick than astrology, Wicca, and themed-deck Tarot cards. This book is a joy in that it not only acknowleges the existence of a darker, more volitile side to the occult, but gives it legitimate coverage beyond a cursory two-sentance summary in dismissive, generalized terms. This is not commericalized, superficial reading. No Three-Fold Law. No love spells, vampire poetry or tips for naming your "familiar" (cat). This is a challenging and colorful showcase that gives a small sampling of the forbidden knowledge shamans of the Lost Age knew firsthand and embroyonic quantum science is only beginning to point to. Get your copy now... before the book burners do.

4 out of 5 stars

Quite the Shock April 16, 2006
21 out of 23 found this review helpful

Because I consider it my duty to buy any book with the words "Magick" or "Occult" in the title, I picked this one up against my better judgement. On the whole, my initial fears were that this would be cartoonish, poorly written and obtuse. Even the name, cribbed from one of Aleister Crowley's works, worried me. That being said, I am very lucky that I purchased this book anyway.

Richard Metzger, the compiler and editor of this collection, has done the occult world a great service by bringing together this series of articles and publishing them in one soft cover. Containing the works of authors such as William S. Burroughs, Aleister Crowley, Anton LaVey, Timothy Leary, Donald Tyson and Robert Anton Wilson, this collection isn't any sort of theoretical discussion of magic. What you'll find here instead is a series of examples from fairly famous people who have actually practiced magic.

Many people who've been practicing or living magically for some time will still have a lot to learn from this book, just as I did. The examples are eye-opening in some cases, and at the very least thought-provoking in others. I often found myself saying "Wow... I've never thought of doing it THAT way."

My only real objection is the heavy emphasis on the use of illegal and illicit drugs. I understand that the use of these substances has been linked very closely with the occult, especially in the United States, but the way this book seems to promote the use of these substances upsets me. Still, there are enough examples of magic without drugs to satisfy my tastes.

All in all the book is very well put together, with a lot of detail, good editing and nice illustrations and pictures. I whole-heartedly recommend it to students of magic from intermediate to advanced. Beginner's might want to get a little more grounding before experimenting with some of these ideas, though. Good luck!

5 out of 5 stars

Completely worthwhile February 11, 2004
15 out of 17 found this review helpful

Even if you have a bookcase full of every stripe of esoterica (and really, how many times did you need the LBRP explained to you, anyway?), you will find unique and varied wonders to entertain and delight you in this fantastic anthology. Really, there is nothing else like it in print.

On the other hand, if you are just starting to explore magick and the occult (and lean more towards William Blake and William Burroughs than heavy metal), this is a wonderful, literate place to start.

Finally, if you simply enjoy reading intelligent writing about revolutionary ideas and individuals, you'll find plenty here to interest you.

This anthology almost makes up for the fact that you can't find archived episodes of "Infinity Factory" on the web anymore.

5 out of 5 stars guide to self-knowledge December 25, 2003
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

Intuition drove me to buy this book: I've always been skeptical about anything containing the words "magick" and "occult", as western propaganda is effective at doing its work, and they still aren't words I would use if I wrote a book on the topics deployed in the Book of Lies.

This book talks about philosophy, social change, drugs, history, mind and conscience, world abstraction,... I was gladly surprised by many of the articles, but I think the one which describes best what this book is about is "Are you illuminated?" by Phil Hine, which depicts the process in which westerners get near the edge of their own culture and begin a journey which penetrates deeper beyond the bounds of normal life and can initiate a process of self-destruction in our highly structured lives.

I used to think about Buddhism as a godless philosophy disguised as a religion; now I'll have to review my concepts on "western magick", and acknowledge the very reason why it is called "Occult".

5 out of 5 stars Which Side are You On? November 19, 2003
11 out of 18 found this review helpful

This handsome, encyclopedic volume is probably the best place to start if you, like me, are wishing to develop your "magical consciousness" and use it proactively against the Modern World of Coporate-inflicted Boredom and Normalcy, of Mind-Violence and Social Control. Don't allow the Agents of Medieval Superstition to dissuade you from confronting your Self and Soul via Understanding of Magic and the Occult. It's still their world but books like this are out to severe their connections to you with hot,angelic astral bullets fired from the Guns of Personal and Spritual Freedom. Only complaint is lack of contribution from the Master Magus Alan Moore, but otherwise this is a powerful and startlingly diverse anthology of modern Occult Philosophy. Grant Morrison's contribution "Pop Magic!" is probably the best 'How-to' introduction I've yet come across and is worth the price of admission alone. If Politics, Science and Religion have failed to give you the answers you seek, as they have (utterly) failed me, give this beaut a spin, and see if you arent changed, in large or small measures, in The Process. Have you decided yet? Which Side ARE you on?

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