92 Books Like Magick

Urban was among the first scholars who took seriously connections between Indian Tantra and some strands of Western occultism, even while remaining critical of the latter’s take on the former.

This book is a study of Western fascinations with (often amounting to a series of misunderstandings about) Tantra and its conflation with sex, in the process of which it is misconstrued as “the cult of ecstasy.” Urban applies to the Victorian discovery and captivation with Tantra, the well-known Foucault’s contention about sexuality–that, far from being repressed by a scandalized silence, it is, in fact, incessantly and obsessively talked about. 

To say that Kenneth Grant’s (1924-2011) writing style is idiosyncratic would be a huge understatement, for to read him often equals entering into a dream state shot through with sinister overtones and illumined by the morbid light of witch’s Moon. Grant is mostly known for his “Typhonian Trilogies”–nine volumes that explore Crowley’s Thelema in connection with Lovecraftian mythos, Haitian Vodou, Austin Osman Spare’s art and sigil magic, Asian Tantra, and a number of related subjects.

Grant casts a wide conceptual net over the topics he explores by integrating them as aspects of a putative “Typhonian” or “Draconian” tradition, with its roots in pre-dynastic Egypt, that focuses on the mysteries of sexual magic and gives preeminence to the mystical power of female sexual vibrations. His argument is that this tradition often glossed over as the “left-hand path” sans negative moral connotations in its nomenclature, suffered historical repercussions by the representatives of… show more.

This book is based on the series of articles that Dion Fortune (1890-1946) originally published in The Inner Light Magazine in 1939-1940. It was published in a book format with an added contribution by Gareth Knight (1930-2022), who continued and made more widely known Fortune’s work and ideas.

Fortune is mostly associated with championing the “Western Esoteric Tradition,” and she was critical of those Westerners practicing foreign spiritual systems, such as Indian Yoga, arguing that cultures should not mix. Nevertheless, this particular series of essays on “the circuit of force" displays her deep familiarity with Yoga, in particular as it concerns subjects such as the kuṇḍalinī and prāṇa. “I have tried both methods,” wrote she somewhat surprisingly, “and in my opinion, the Eastern method is incomparably the more efficacious.”

Knight’s comments benefit the book, as is usual, because they are based on his deeply personal experience with the subject matter… show more.

This book chronicles the changing landscape of Western spirituality as it encounters “the wisdom of the East,” primarily India’s religious heritage, alongside its fascination with and assumed similarity to the archaic and “pagan” European past.

The ideas of the primacy of solar worship are entertained side by side with the notions of the importance of phallic worship and fertility cults. The title of the book is a tip of the hat to Frances Yates’ study of Rosicrucian Enlightenment–in both cases, the suggestion is that the project of Enlightenment does not consist of the “cult of reason” exclusively but that it contains important undercurrents best described as esoteric, which in Godwin’s book have their focus on the Theosophical Society of Madame Blavatsky and its many associated propagators. 

This book is a wonderful blending of historical fiction and fantasy. With an intriguing mystery that isn’t the standard “murder mystery” fair, this book sets up for a fantastical series that will lead the reader deeper and deeper into mystery and magic. I love the mixing of genres and the historical setting.

Some guy in Egypt realized long ago that you can create illusions, fly through the air, change your body into whatever you want, or “demolish buildings and castles,” all by writing out little crossword puzzles.

Like a fool, he recorded his method and handed it to some German dude, who passed the information along, and now it’s just in a book anyone can buy? All those secret crossword puzzles of power? Oh, man, if they catch you with this one, watch out, because people are really fond of their buildings and castles, and they do not have a sense of humor about their unscheduled demolition.

This is an easy-to-read introduction to magic for people who don’t want to join organized groups or participate in spiritual traditions in order to learn. It allows readers to experiment with practices and techniques on their own and includes everything a beginner needs to know about the art and craft of magic, including visualization, ordinary ethics, ritual practices, and vital safety measures.

I'm always reluctant to recommend occult books (there's definitely a weirdness factor that will turn some off), but this isn't like any other. Don't worry: you don't have to purchase a wand, crystals, salts, oils, or herbs. Scott Cunningham was a widely respected practitioner that always advocated for age-old tools of natural magic—like water from a spring. For those interested in exploring the Craft, this is the perfect starting point because it reminds us of the fundamentals: nature is magic. It doesn't get more complicated than that.

Told from a total of six perspectives, this book begins with the single most amazing prologue I’ve ever read. We learn that the clairvoyant family members of the FMC have predicted her whole life that one day, she will kill her true love. And it just so happens that a relative has come for a visit and immediately announces that this is the year the FMC will fall in love.

It’s so freaking good!

Of course watching that unfold from both the FMC and the MMC’s POVs kept me flipping pages fast, but I also enjoyed the other friendships, struggles, and romances happening in the other POVs. A solid multi-POV series I frequently recommend!

Mya Spalter is a New York witch who learned the ropes by way of her ancestors as well as the Enchantments occult shop. Learning from both guides and NYC witches, I love the way this book shows how Spalter’s magic was conjured by personal connections to survival and home.

Gaining knowledge on both our magic and ancestral practices can be a difficult journey for queer folks, navigating the ultra-conservative laws of mainstream spirituality. However, magic is not conservative nor heterosexual—it is universal and a tool we can all access. This book showed me the divine connections between Wiccan history, self-care, and surviving as a queer person of Color in America.