preface xix
with many of them, including Israel Regardie, Grady McMurty, L. Ron Hubbard, Jack Parsons, and others. He also was in communication with Aleister Crowley who issued him a chart for an autonomous O.·.T.·.O.·. lodge which he turned over to Carroll (Poke) Runyon of the O.·.T.·.A.·., which claims to possess the “secret rituals of the Ordo Templi Orientis in Crowley’s original holographs.”
About Carl Llewellyn Weschcke My intent in this new edition is not only to “bring back a CLASSIC” but to take this as an opportunity to get rid of the misapprehension and misunderstanding of what is communally called “Ceremonial Magick.” Much of the complexity found in the rituals and practices of the Golden Dawn and other orders should be understood as voluntary—to be used as needed in the same way a symphony director can call upon more musical instruments to enrich the presentation, or a good chef can add other seasonings to please different pallets. The object of ceremonial magick is to stimulate the senses, to powerup the emotions, and to firmly conceptualize the purpose of the operation—which is to create a transcending experience to unite Personality with the Divine Self. To this end, rituals, symbols, clothing, colors, incenses, sound, dramatic invocations, and sacraments are selected in accordance with established “correspondences” of one thing to another to transport the magician towards a mystical reality. While some groups and individuals insist on “rich recipes,” I suggest that you can strip them down to what works for you. Even more, I suggest that sometimes all those extras can get in the way of your intended goal, just as too much incense can cause an asthma attack. The G.·.B.·.G.·. rituals in this book are pretty much “bare minimums” just as the whole intention is “A Shortcut to Initiation.” What does this statement of intent have to do with “about me”? I’ve been a publisher of metaphysical books for a half century, and a student of metaphysical subjects for three quarters of a century. But, more pertinent to this, just like Ben Franklin I’ve never seen something that