The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic

I've been waiting for this book almost as long as Squire Alan and the late Sire Steve have been engaged composing it, now finally everything they ever fabricated is laid bare in 349 pages of exquisite Art that is expressed in a multitude of forms, designed to decorate the walls of our Numinous Psyche and Subconscious. Snapshots of the Thaumaturgic adorn every nook and cranny of this latest composition, replete in graphic detail so the bibliophile can acquire an accurate and detailed understanding of Alan and Steve's life work, and by extension the entirety of all their enterprises. The message is simple: Do what thou will, but make certain the thing you will is generated wholly by the strength of your own cognisant mind. Inform yourself about your surroundings and the state of your current existence, and arm yourself with the Truth, no matter how dire it might be; veritas libertat is the ultimate companion to the tool that is your Mind. Stop squandering it on distractions and regard the human condition as it really is, warts and all. Conjointly, don't forget to have some fun in the process. As with all of these Mages work, there is a semblance they are conversing directly with you; pages become windows through which they instruct with opinions, solutions and candid translations, illuminating multiple obfuscate shadows that have plagued alchemical terrains for millennia. Personally it took a multitude of decenniums to be able to comprehend a fraction of what is being promulgated in The Bumper Book of Magic, much of this time clouded over by personal tragedies and triumphs that sweep us from the Path we are destined to amble. Fortunately an upgraded Map to the Mind has been machinated with this latest act of Wizardry, one that extinguishes any doubt about the multifaceted nature of reality, while simultaneously confounding it further for those whose unfortunate imagination is limited to the decaying atrophic nature of this artificial calcifying material existence +++++++++ Humble thanks to whatever phantoms reside within the confines of Alan's perspicacity; truly they are not to be messed with unless you hold the keys to your own. Additionally, massive gratitude to Steve who never surrendered the thing he loved the most, even at the expense of this convoluted thing we term sanity. Also Ave to their Muse; whomever they might be.

I first heard about this book about 14 years ago when Alan Moore announced he was planning it . I heard rumors in the years since that first announcement but I didn’t know if anything was going to come from them . Then about 6-8 months ago I found out that this book was going to hit the shelves. It was certainly worth the wait when I got it ! It was exactly as the great Mr Moore had described it and some . It is a wonderful piece of work - not quite a beginner’s book on Magic but not an obscure text either. This book is a wonderful piece of piece of art (both visually and graphically ) with a mixture of comic-book artwork and beautiful writing along with wonderful graphics! All in all brilliant . If you like Alan Moore’s work or are curious about Magic this is a must have .

Great book to read in spare time.

I love this book. Its large and beautifully illustrated. A real 'dip in and out' book, reminiscent of an old fashioned annual, but full of interesting article stye sections.

A history of, and how to do, of ceremonial magick, from The Magus of Northampton.

Very in depth and incredibly written

Another excellent book by Alan Moore, Steve Moore . I’ve followed Alan Moore’s writings for almost 50 years - starting with 2000ad , Marvel UK and Warrior in the late 1970s early 1980s . Marvel Man / Miracle Man was so groundbreaking, It took the superhero genre to a whole new level and that was only one of many he wrote in the 1980s that helped change or progress the comic art form . Alan Moore is a master of his craft and has always created stories/ideas/concepts that inform, entertain and make you think .

Amazing long-awaited book from the Great Northampton Magus himself, Alan Moore, & his co-writer & friend, the late Steve Moore (no relation). Book is beautifully presented in a sumptuous "old-fashioned xmas annual" style, beautiful artwork, interesting ideas, well worth the wait indeed. Highly recommended.

As described, arrived on time.

was für ein tolles Buch für „Magie mit K“ interessierte 🔮 es ist informativ und unterhaltsam, schön und auch lustig illustriert, abwechslungreich und lädt auch zum quer lesen ein. Eine in mehrere Kapitel unterteilte und durch den Band verteilte Story, wurde meine Gutenachtgeschichte. Auch Praktiker kommen voll auf ihre Kosten 🪄🎊

El libro es una maravilla. Tengan cuidadl con los envios porque las esquinas del loml venian un poco rozadas

It’s not often I read an entire book, disagree with the author’s entire belief system due to numerous logical inconsistencies, and still find it charming to strongly recommend it to anyone curious about the theoretical underpinnings and cultural motifs of said belief system. The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic should NOT be read if you want to turn people into frogs or fly on broomsticks. What it IS useful for, as the author himself states, is passing the time on a raining day or trying to find some measure of solace when you’re feeling adrift in life. The author approaches magic as a means of almost-meditative spiritual self-discovery, framing the reality of the supernatural is irrelevant compared to the meanings and associations of what it represents. To that end, he jumps from Sumerian to Egyptian to Greek mythology-even positing figures such as H.P. Lovecraft (someone he seems to tacitly admire despite also cheerfully admitting his status as a magician-never supported by Lovecraft himself-is questionable!) to describe recurring systems, symbols and what kind of mood he thinks they bring when reaching various degrees of altered consciousness. It is clear this product is a labour of love both from the sheer wealth of information conveyed, as well as the EXTREMELY high quality of the illustrations. An academic might start pulling out hair at the lack of citations for the more speculative claims within, but Alan would seem to cheerfully retort that academia and magic are as entwined as magic is with every facet of the human desire for transcendence. The book includes a fictional story to try to illustrate some of the principles expressed throughout it, the quality of which I would rate as a solid 4/5 with strong characters, vivid experiences, convincing dialogue…and, the trademark “everything and everyone is magically happy at the end!” Moore writing cliche that readers of Promethea, Moore’s Miracleman run and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’s finale may recognise. Personally I find it somewhat infuriating that two characters who are shown to barely interact are suddenly reconciled in romantic infatuation with no context for how that came about after Moore showed many flourishes and nuances to the focal character’s journey of self-discovery. But again, Alan would probably say that is in fact a point being made about magic’s transformative experience on the human condition, if not the physical world. I have to admit the author’s cheerful celebration of irrationality and dream logic is at odds with my own sensibilities. Which is why I have to admire the book’s final written section (apart from the lovely cut-out paper temple at the end) is the author’s bold claim that when he decided to become a practicing wizard, he had no idea what he was doing, and didn’t take the thing too seriously. As the author states, this book is ultimately Moore’s attempt to explain what passes for the method behind the madness in his creative endeavours, and in many ways I feel readers already familiar with his body of work may get more out of seeing how the themes correlate rather than the intended audience that Moore hopes to elicit a renewed interest in spirituality and meditative transcendence in. Ultimately, my highest praise for this book is that despite absolutely not being the target audience (a skeptic, from a completely different culture and country to the author, with a low opinion of some of his body of work) I was charmed, educated and ultimately impressed by the author’s overwhelming passion for a subject it is manifestly impossible to describe in perfectly objective terms enough to at least humour his point of view and reflect on how the subject he has described has influenced human society over the years. And that too, according to Alan Moore, is magic in a way.

Um belo livro de magia que é um presente para a arte e suas figuras de influência. É, no geral, um livro sobre a relação da humanidade com o místico e a subjetividade. Dá algum norte ao "não iniciados", porém é mais algo como um material de ajuda até mesmo motivacional para quem quer começar mas está desistimulado, por isso carece de muitas técnicas e estudos mais afundos, focando muito mais no esoterismo ocidental e europeu do que os de origem oriental e africana. No geral, um ótimo livro!