Magical Reading to Disrupt Your Life
The goal is disruption and excitement. Books that fucked up my life (for good!) and some reflections on how to go about experiencing books in a way that helps you develop.
Happy May, gang. 2023 continues to surprise me by showing me things in myself I didn’t know I needed to see. I’m currently in the process of grieving a lot of shit my younger self went through and letting parts of my adult identity that were crafted by that shit, disintegrate. It’s not a fun process. But it is a completely necessary one for the life that I want to live. I’m not trying to be overly mysterious here (just a little!) but I will be talking about it in more detail soon. Inner child, cultural de-programming, the necessary surrender to the abyss, and finally(!?) rebirth.
For now, a short piece that I hope will be fun and helpful to you!
Magical Reading to Disrupt Your Life.
The goal is disruption & excitement. Disruption from your workaday thought patterns. Excitement to actually try something new and creative in your inner (and outer) world.
I was asked by a Patron for some book recommendations. The things that I have read that actually had the most impact on me have always been books I “found” – not ones that someone told me I should read. They were books that seemed to occur to me, erupting out of the ether and disrupting my intellectual rhythm, provoking curiosity, inspiration, and sometimes action.
If you stumble upon this post and one of these titles incites your attention, perhaps make a note of that. Explore that spark, see what happens.
Most of these are books of magickal practice or inquiry.
I have not read very broadly on any particular topic, even my deep “special” interests like magick or lifting. This is partially because I like to apply what I read, as deeply as I can. I want to experience it. If it’s a magickal practice that grabs my attention, I am going to try it, and that’s not a simple one and done matter.
In the case of what I took from High Magick, that could be the work of over a year in experimentation. And when I am working on integrating a practice, I tend to give it my sole attention, so that I can fully explore and be sensate to what it is doing for me/with me.
It’s like in lifting: if you try to do everything at once, nothing is going to work very well. Your energy and your focus is too fragmented. Pick ONE thing, and see how deeply you can experience it and let it experience you. See if what that yields is in harmony with your big picture. This is how I tend to do things.
And when I do find something that grips me around the shoulders like an excited drunk lover, I see how far I’m comfortable to let it take me. I fool around, and sometimes we go all the way. But, if I’m not turned on, I abandon ship quickly. I do not owe any book (or film or media) my attention, and neither do you.
These works I include specifically because they have had a direct impact on my life for the better. They introduced me to an idea or practice that I put into action to the fullest degree I was capable.
That’s often how I like to do things. Nothing wrong with just tasting information, but I can have a hard time engaging with ideas casually. Sometimes, it’s easier for me to completely submerge in just one thing.
A note on authors: I've had the pleasure of chatting online or actually meeting a few of them - Aidan, Gordon, and Mitch (the former two online, the latter, both). My gut tell about them was that they're genuine, heart-centered people doing their best to share valuable intel from their experiences. One of the things I’m really grateful for here at the beginning of the internet epoch is being able to pretty easily connect with all the other artists, authors, and seekers out there.
Aidan Wachter:
Six Ways
Weaving Fate
Phenomenal books on approachable, powerful magick. The Black Book work from Weaving Fate played a huge role in some major personal changes from 2020 through 2021. The Reclaiming Rite from Six Ways is still a go-to ritual I typically incorporate after ritual cleansing.
Gordon White: Chaos Protocols
I performed the Headless Rite as it’s described in this book in Februrary 2020 and demanded that my entire life change in a way that facilitated the highest calling of soul. You know, casual stuff. February 2020. Just saying. Be careful what you wish for, you’ll get it (#NoRegerts #FuckEmWeBall). This was also I think the first book about magick that I bought for myself, and it helped stir a lot up. Sometimes that’s what a work of art is for: to disturb you into action or inspiration, or just to throw a molotov cocktail into your default stream of consciousness. Highly recommend.
Damien Echols: High Magick
Intro to western ceremonial magick. The Middle Pillar ritual has been invaluable. I did the solar meditation and Middle Pillar daily during Werewolf Game pre-pro and through filming, and it 100% helped me perform at a level far beyond anything heretofore. After filming I started incorporating the LBRP daily as well, for about six months straight, and it got me through a really challenging time. All of those practices combined opened me up to training myself to use my inner vision more specifically and with more focus.
Lee Morgan: Standing and Not Falling
Speaking of grenades and drunk lovers. This book is for witches. This book will shake up and fuck up your commercial-polluted inner world. I’m due for a re-read. It’s delicious and weird and might fuck you up a little bit. As a good book should.
Mat Auryn: Psychic Witch
I actually haven't read the whole thing, but one practice I took from it (that I read while standing in the book store, skimming it) was so helpful that I had to throw it on here. It was a simple ritual to arrive at some potent personal symbolism to help you navigate both day to day and your inner state. I just cracked it from the beginning and it’s full of sound, approachable techniques from the get go.
Rachel Pollack: 78 Degrees of Wisdom
Basically the essential modern Tarot text. Introduces and explore a lot of western esoteric ideas that could be helpful to any new practitioner or dabbler. It has been a really helpful general tool for developing my understanding of western symbolism, archetypes and is full of really beautiful Tarot spread prompts that have been very fruitful for personal reflection.
Mitch Horowitz: Miracle Club, Secrets of Self Mastery, Daydream Believer
I could list most of Mitch’s books here because I binge-read most of them this winter to get me through my psychic molting/metamorphosis. His writing is crystal fucking clear and has a way of galvanizing creative, proactive, positive thought. What works? What should we be asking of ourselves if we are striving to embody and actualize our full potential? Daydream Believer is also helpful for cutting through a lot of 20th century material assumptions that don’t bear out and can hamper magickal operation. Destroy reactive skepticism, employ discerning curiosity. He also introduced me to Neville Goddard (more on him in a moment).
Grant Morrison & Others: The Book of Lies
“Declare yourself a magician, behave like a magician, practice magic every day.” - Grant Morrison, Pop Magic
This compendium introduced me to Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth as well as a tasty spread of provocative and helpful ideas. That Morrison quote landed a fatal blow on the cancerous Hierarchy Control program that told me that I could only ever be powerful when an old man approved of what I did and gave me permission to be. Words are magic, and some are meant to destroy and shake up stale conditioning (you’re probably sensing a theme here). Thanks, Grant.
Neville Goddard
I’ve read a lot of Neville. Just look up a title and dive in. He will fuck you up and challenge you. He writes with the kind of authority and personal sovereignty that itself will shake you up a little bit, even/especially if you are reflexively closed to his ideas. His understanding of the mind as the supreme architect of reality is provocative and exactly the kind of shit most of us need to read to snap us out of our default thinking. Your imagination is God. Learn to focus it. Learn to wield your mind, feelings, and imagination together.
Napoleon Hill: Think And Grow Rich
Money is a collective egregore/energy current that plays hard and smells bullshit and fear (I have grappled with at times crippling fear around money and its been a major source of pain and growth in my life, so I say this with tenderness and full comprehension of how our survival fears are weaponized against us and how complicated our relationship to the wealth/security symbol is). It’s only when you’re honest with yourself about your material wants and needs that you can grow beyond them. That said, you also can easily read this whole book and apply it to almost any goal. Hill explores and outlines universal principles of energy, focus, and application that can teach you a lot about what you want and don’t want (equally valuable).
I may do a follow up to this with some fiction pieces; fiction can change and challenge us on a level that non-fiction doesn’t often touch. We immerse ourselves fully in other ways of seeing and being.
Much love, hope this list stirs you to go exploring for books to read and to experience as deeply as you can.
Thanks for reading!
Mighty vibes and love to you and yours.
Cara
ᛞ
I’m Cara Claymore, filmmaker, artist, and mystic body strategist. I help people get in touch with their inner wisdom and uncover their strength with BodyTarot. Book a one on one or get a personalized recorded reading.