Announcing a new book from Dr David Shoemaker. Now taking pre-orders for the standard hardcover and limited leather edition…
Living Thelema: A Practical Guide to Attainment in Aleister Crowley’s System of Magick
Published by Anima Solis Books (2013)
The system of spiritual attainment developed by Aleister Crowley is notoriously challenging in its scope. Adapted from the popular podcast segment of the same name, Living Thelema brings a welcome approachability to Crowley’s material, without diminishing the depth of the system. The author focuses on the practical and experiential aspects of the path of Thelema, allowing the reader to grasp the true transformative power of the system.
Beginners and advanced practitioners alike will find much useful advice here, as Shoemaker brings his characteristic down-to-earth style to bear on topics such as ritual and meditation practices, sex magick, astral projection, psychotherapy for magicians, the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, and that pinnacle of attainment known as the crossing of the Abyss.
The author’s background as a practicing psychotherapist allows an entirely unique fusion of esoteric wisdom and cognitive science. Living Thelema is an invaluable handbook for every modern magician.
Publishing Formats
–Standard hardcover, 6×9, 280 pp, $34.95 plus shipping. APPROXIMATE SHIP DATE SEPTEMBER 15, 2013. PRE-ORDER NOW via http://livingthelema.com/about-the-book/
–Special leather edition, 6×9, custom full leather binding by Ars Obscura of Seattle, edition limited to 31 copies, 280 pp. $220 plus shipping. APPROXIMATE SHIP DATE SEPTEMBER 15, 2013. PRE-ORDER NOW via http://livingthelema.com/about-the-book/
And coming soon…
–Trade paperback, 6×9, perfect-bound, 274 pp. $19.95 plus shipping AVAILABLE AUGUST 25, 2013 via Amazon worldwide and selected retail outlets.
–Apple iBook, Kindle, and other digital formats. $9.99 AVAILABLE AUGUST 25, 2013.
Booksellers: Please contact sales@animasolis.com for information on wholesale discounts.
Endorsements from other Thelemic Authors
“Dr Shoemaker’s Living Thelema is in my opinion the most thorough and understandable exposition of the underlying theories and the practical applications of the spiritual disciplines of Thelema currently available to the public. Serious students of the magick of Aleister Crowley in general, and of the A∴ A∴ in particular, will not find a more masterful and authoritative work on the subject issuing from a post-Crowley commentator. My highest recommendation for this landmark work.”
—Lon Milo DuQuette, renowned author of The Magick of Aleister Crowley, Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot, and many other titles.
“In this entertaining and (dare I say it?) lively book, David Shoemaker reminds us that Thelema is not just a philosophy or a study, but a spiritual practice. From applied ‘how to’ advice to thought-provoking ‘how about’ posers, Dr. Shoemaker offers his personal take—informed by twenty years of walking the talk, along with his incisiveness as a professional therapist—on how to get the most out of the fundamental Thelemic practices of yoga and ritual, both inside and outside of the temple.”
–Richard Kaczynski, author of Forgotten Templars: The Untold Origins of Ordo Templi Orientis and Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley.
Table of Contents:
Part One: Tools for the Journey
• An Introduction to the Qabalah
• The Holy Guardian Angel
• The True Will
• Getting Started with a Basic Magical Regimen
• The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram
• The Lesser & Greater Rituals of the Hexagram
• Liber Resh vel Helios
• Methods of Ritual Construction
• Asana & Pranayama
• Meditation & Visualization Practices
• Astral Projection & Control of the Body of Light
• Devotional Practices
• Liber Samekh & the Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel
• Sexual Magick & Sexual Mysticism
Part Two: Perspectives on the Path of Attainment
• The Methods & Tools of A∴A∴
• Tarot & the Path of Initiation
• Initiation & Tetragrammaton
• The Chakras
• The Role of the Ego in the Great Work
• The Formulas of LVX and NOX
• The Right Use of Magical Power
• 21st Century Alchemy
• The Practical Use of Alchemical Symbolism
Part Three: Life Outside the Temple
• Patterns & Cycles in Magical Practice
• Dreamwork
• Relationships
• Qabalistic Coping Techniques
• Psychotherapy
• The Anima & Animus
• Cognitive Therapy for Magicians