I’ve posted mine - Psycho-Cybernetics, and a few others - but I know sometimes people don’t feel confident just starting a thread saying “Hey, cool book I found!” so this is for YOU! Come on, jump in, and please post them in this thread, include whatever seems meaningful to you, that you want to share, in whatever kids of length - could be a 1500-word essay with bold sub-headers, as some of us do, could also be a few lines, and that’s also cool, because people will pick up if on it, that piques their interest.
Take your best book - and give it your best, whatever that is.
Ok I guess the first book that Ive read about Magic was a book called: “Visions and Prophecies”. That book talked about prophecies and visions caused by magic in nature(Nostradamus,John Dee etc). In one chapter there was an exercise called “Using the pendulum”. I started practicing the way that the book described and to my amazement the pendulum started rotating like crazy! At first I beleived that the answers that it gave me must be produced by my own self because I already knew the answers. But when I tried it for an upcoming test (6th grade) and it gave me the upcoming right questions of the test I was shocked that it atually worked! The pendulum had gave me the right questions and answers to the test! Thats how my journey to the study of the occult began. I was 12 at the time.
The 2nd book that was verry helpfull to me was: “Encyclopedia of Minerals and Gems”. It helped me alot since Ive learned the properties of many mineral rocks and gems and helped my further down to the Elemental magic path wich I was at the time. I could bind elementals there and I could use their help when needed.
The 3rd book which really helped me alot was “Become A Living God” wich helped me reach new grounds both in meditation exercises and in ritual work respectively.
The 4th book was “Works of Darkness” and helped me understand better the nature of Darkness itself.
The 5th book “Kingdoms of Flame” helped me reach a new level in working with gateways and contacting spirits and communication with them also. My evocation(s) became better and I was satisfied with the results that spirits gave me. I received much more that I bargained for and I mean that in a good way~
I have read a bunch of other books but those 5 was the most satisfying (in contents) and in manifesting results books.
Also forgot to mention about The Exorcist’s Handbook. It revealed alot to me and helped me with visualization magic.
I think the two most influential authors I’ve every read were Ruth Montgomery (various books about automatic writing & her spirit guides) and James Redfield’s the Celestine Prophesy. I discovered Ruth’s books when my mom died and I was trying to conquer my fear of death, all my life I have had contact with spirits, angels demons it seemed just as normal as talking to people that were alive, I realized at some point after reading her books that spirits ect could do more than just appear, they could commicate…I hadnt thought much about automatic writting in years I was talking to a fellow magician last night about a problem he was having & I realized I was automatically writing questions to ask him & giving him guidance through a spirit source.
Jame Redfields book came totally by sychonicity ( one of the strong themes of his books) I found it at a yard sale and its take on man’s current situation in relation to science & religion as well as knowledge about how we view and interact in the world through intention, energy synchonicity, help me in the magical sense even today. Although neither is magic based per se the created a strong foundation for the path Im currently on.
@BaskervillesDog Kingdoms of Flame is an amazing book I had stronger contact with spirits after reading it. And a lot more frequent contact with spirits and demons wanting to communicate more, during temple work I find I don’t have to spend ad much time evoking as I used to.
For me it was Lobsang Rampa books.I have this strong feeling that everything he writes is truth.He was a tibetan monk specialized in astral travels and all of his books are personal experiences and first hand knowledge.
i don’t know about being the best book I’ve ever read, but the one that changed my life the most was EA’s Works of Darkness. It completely changed the way I look at my place in the Multiverse, and helped to upend the Judeo-Christian ideas so prevalent in Western society.
The Konstantinos set Gothic Grimoire & Nocturnal Witchcraft
Good books for those just getting started with darker magick, dark energy work, conjuring familiars sort of a mini intro to creating thoughtforms, mind reading techniques and so on…
E.A.'s Works of Darkness
Dragon Magick by D.J. Conway
Practical Candleburning Rituals & Advanced Candle Magick by Raymond Buckland (I believe? it was him)
These were the most insightful with the least amount of wiccan fluffy stuff
It was the same with me too.