Paralibrum.
Independent reviews of bibliophile occulture.
‘Practical Sigil Magic’ by Frater U∴D∴
Becoming an instant classic when the English translation was released in 1990, Practical Sigil Magic: Creating Personal Symbols for Success by Frater U∴D∴ remains the most accessible and, yet, the most thoughtful work on the subject.
‘Pathways in Modern Western Magic’ by Nevill Drury (ed.)
Pathways in Modern Western Magic is a fine anthology of texts covering a wide range of topics related to the subject matter evident from its title. There is no doubt that many will find this collection of texts informative, interesting, and appealing. In this review I will make brief comments on each individual essay in the collection.
‘Austin Osman Spare’ by Phil Baker
(…) Spare, the unfathomable paradox: what may seem like a limp, lazy-minded cliché at first glance, is to this day probably still the best explanation we have for the unmitigated fascination irradiating from Spare the artist, the sorcerer, the visionary, the dreamer, the human being.
‘Fearless at Work’ by Michael Carroll
Fearless at Work actually isn't a book about work. It's a book about cowardice. The kind of cowardice most of us comfortably have forgotten about, and to aid that process we conveniantly began to call it everyday life. It's the cowardice that masks itself as numb acceptance or bitter withdrawal, as grudging tolerance or thick-skinned suffering.
