Tarot Magic: Ceremonial Magic Using Golden Dawn Correspondences

This book is not for everyone. This is a complex how to book about magic and the tarot. He teaches how to build a magical altar A magical triangle and A zodiac magical circle. Then he explains how touse these to perform spells. I have over 30 years experience with magic and thetarot This book has taught me someinteresting things I did not know before. Iwould suggest that you buy a deck oftarot cards called "The Hermetic Tarot"based upon the Esoteric workings of theSecret Order Of The Golden Dawn byGodfrey Dowson. These cards aredesigned to be used for magicalceremonies and are a perfect companion to go with this book. Also a knowledge ofAstrology and Zodiac signs are very important. The last thing I have to say is that this is a book that has to be studied.

Excellent book! Donald Tyson's "Portable Magic" gives you what it claims: a system to perform magick virtually anywhere. It does so by presenting bridges between Tarot deck history and modern construction, parts of Qabala, the Hebrew alphabet, and magickal practice itself.I am new to magick. Therefore, I am also new to any kind of magickal association. I also have a life not conducive to adopting full-fledged altar maintenance, all-out rituals, and circle casting; my close relations and friends would think I went crazy. So, "Portable Magic" seemed the best fit for my needs.So I purchased it.An excellent choice.The author assumes a basic familiarity with magickal concepts. As I had less than basic when I began, I did have to use other works in tandem reading; not a huge hurdle--Tyson does a great job expressing his Craft.I found I could do magick, serious ritual magick, using the information, understanding, and formats provided here by Tyson.What this book brings to the Magick Table:1. History, structure, and working descriptions of the Tarot.2. A definition of Consciousness as selective symbolic meanings using objects and events from one's environment3. Magick circle foundation, structure, and execution - in the privacy of your own Tarot astral world.4. 3 rituals: Union, Banishing, and a Business ritual.5. How to make Tarot Card Charms6. A process to evoke an Elemental.Donald Tyson does an excellent job of effectively communicating a complex system in common words. Being so new to the whole magickal process, I was glad to find he wrote this book like a fun High School teacher, rather than a technical Harvard Law professor. I say High School, because you have to: a) have a desire to learn and practice this, or it will be a complete waste of resources, and b) it's taught so people across a vast selection of ability can put it to use.Naturally, those well-versed in Tarot, Qabala, and Magick traditions would fly through it--those would be your "easy A" students.As a complete novice, if there were grades, I think I would have earned at least a B: I understood most of the material, had to work hard at the new concepts, and pulled off a few rituals at home. I even used his symbolism in one on-the-fly ritual at WORK, in my HEAD! And the results were nearly INSTANTANEOUS! Which I never would have been able to do (or, of course, benefit from) if I hadn't read this book.I believe those who practice ANY form of magick would benefit from reading and employing the information found here, simply because they would be learning a new way to do what they thought they already knew. It will stretch you. If you want to learn a great way to do magick using completely nonordinary techniques, GET THIS BOOK!

I recently finished Portable Magic. It was a very interesting book and the goal of it was basically to compress an entire system of ritual magic into Tarot cards so that you can perform simplified rituals on the fly without all the excess baggage.I feel i can say to a large extent i feel he has succeeded in this goal (i have yet to test any of his methods). It was very interesting to see how he managed to construct the circle and triangle with the cards and utilize an astral space for his working, i actually thought it was quite and ingenious. I have no doubt that the system he works with is effective.Also what i also found very interesting is that although he works purely with Tarot for the sake of the book. If you open it up to utilizing tools in combination with the tarot, simple things like candles, bowls...etc....it would seem to greatly enhance ones flexibility in doing work.The only bad thing i would say was the amount of repetition in the book, it got a bit annoying sometimes. Also for someone who knows very little about ritualistic magic and the Golden Dawn i found the introductory chapters very interesting. Others whom are more well informed than i might find them extremely boring.Also i would also say that in general i am not a fan of ritualistic magic and the Golden Dawn. Therefore in regards to using their system of correspondences as well as using triangles and circles i was a bit skeptical. I think a lot of using circles and triangles is fear-based and comes from a Judeo-Christian/Medieval perspective which did not encourage healthy and balanced relationships with spirits. Though that is just my extremely novice opinion given i have never used any ritualistic methodology.Overall, this was a good book on using the Tarot for Ritualistic Magic albeit at times it could get a bit complicated and it is my personal preference to keep things simple. I have already ordered Tarot Spells by Janina Renee in order to give me a taste of the opposite side of spectrum of using Tarot cards for very simplified magical workings in order to balance out my perspective. I may also read Tarot Spell Caster by Terry Donaldson if it ever comes out on kindle. I gave it 4 stars simply due to to the excessive repetition.

This is a good book for anyone interested in taking their tarot to the next level.Sensible advice on how to approach the ritual practice of tarot magic - clearly written in an accessible manner.A basic method of magical practice is described here, with meanings well explained.I can even carry over some of what I've learned into my tarot reading which makes it all the more worthwhile.If you are familiar with meditation techniques and have a knowledge of the cards then you are ready to start working with the rituals described here.

I enjoyed the concept of Tarot being the only tools necessary, and that this dude had the balls to alter correspondences based on research and experience. I also found the book very readable and applying his techniques and insights should be straight forward. I have a feeling some purists will be pulling their hair out by the end of this book.Tarot is most certainly my kit, this form of magick is not my style but the book still held my interest and found lots of useful golden nuggets to broaden my own practice.

A powerful Grimoire and a good way to learn Golden Dawn correspondences, although there is far more to to the GD than Tarot this is a very practical and interactive way to learn Tarot and learn about the GD system of Magic. It works very nicely with the Thoth deck or the Initiatory Tarot of The Golden Dawn. I think it would of been good also to perhaps go into more detail about how the Tarot could be used in Initiation as the Golden Dawn (Outer Order) does not focus so much on practical magic.

Superb all rounder.

To be honest, I have been too lazy to dig the details of the Golden Dawn's Tarot system out of Regardie's tome 'The Golden Dawn' so this was a welcome explanation of what turns out to be a well conceived cosmology. Based on the GD correspondances, Tyson details his own system for ritual use of the cards. It is interesting and a nice addition to the usual divinatory use (he suggests using a separate deck if you want to practice both.)I think it entirely acceptable to adapt the system to one's own ideas and the book gives a clear basis to build on if you wish to do so (it is complete in itself if you don't.) The author gives his own modifications of the order of the Tarot trumps in an appendix but sticks to the GD order in the text. I am personally not too happy with the physical interlacing of the cards to form an altar but it occured to me to create miniature ritual 'furniture' from cardboard, with all the possibilities to colour and mark with symbols that would then be possible; indeed, to make a tabletop temple similar to a miniature theatre. This book would form a very good starting point for such a project.