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 any modern magician.

 

Here's what other prominent Thelemic authors have to say about Living Thelema

 

"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

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

Patterns & Cycles in Magical Practice

Dreamwork

Relationships

Qabalistic Coping Techniques

Psychotherapy

The Anima & Animus

Cognitive Therapy for Magicians