"Temple of Set Reading List:
Category 23 - Lesser Black Magic" (1/24/87CE)
Reprinted from: _The Crystal Tablet of Set_
(c) Temple of Set 1989 CE
Weirdbase file version by TS permission

by Michael A. Aquino, Ipsissimus VI* Temple of Set
Electronic mail: MCI-Mail 278-4041
 
There are Lesser Black Magical principles to be found throughout this 
reading list, to be sure, but there are also works which focus primarily or 
principally on the concept or technique itself. LBM is defined and discussed 
in "Black Magic in Theory and Practice" in the _Crystal Tablet of Set_, and 
generally embraces what ordinary human minds conceive as "magic". Hence this 
category begins with four books on stage-magic, which will (a) enable the 
Setian to satisfy those who ask to "see some magic", and (b) offer the 
Setian excellent training in the basic techniques of attention control and 
behavior & attitude manipulation so crucial to more serious applications of 
LBM. Following the stage-magic works are books dealing with the social 
environment so conducive to LBM operations. Setians are advised to pursue 
active operations of LBM only after they have schooled themselves in the 
relevant ethical fields as treated in category 16.

23A. _The Great Book of Magic_ by Wendy Rydell with George Gilbert. NY: 
Harry N. Abrams, 1976. (TS-2) MA: "There are a great many stage-magical 
manuals on the market, but I have recommended this one because it fills a 
great many requirements: It is a large, well-printed, clearly illustrated, 
quality paperback. It is reasonably priced ($10). It contains instructions 
for over 150 very effective tricks. It contains an excellent introduction 
(the first half of the book) dealing with the history and major 
personalities of stage-magic, with major sub-sections on the Black Arts 
[including some rare photos of the Church of Satan's Central and Lilith 
Grottos ca. VII]."

23B. _Thirteen Steps to Mentalism_ by Corinda. NY: Louis Tannen, 1967. (TS-
3) MA: "This and #23C are the recognized classic texts in the stage-magic 
art of mentalism. It is one of the more difficult fields to master, but it 
is also one of the most impressive - even frightening - to use in a non-
entertainment setting. The same principles used for these mentalism tricks 
can be adapted to a great many LBM situations. Both this and #23C are 
usually stock items in stage-magic shops. Despite this, it is surprising how 
few people read the books, hence know their secrets."

23C. _Practical Mental Effects_ by Theodore Anneman. NY: Tannen Magic, 1963. 
(TS-3) MA: "The second classic in the mentalism field. Since it is a reprint 
of a 1944 work, I would recommend #23B as being more clearly printed and in 
general easier to read. But either work is excellent from a technical 
standpoint."

23D. _The 1985-86 Magic Directory_ by Christopher Monson (Publisher). Monson 
Productions, P.O. Box 5324, Madison, WI 53705. (TS-3) MA: "This is a 
magazine-size, annually-revised paperback directory of almost every store, 
association, publication, company, club, and venture associated with stage-
magic. It is subdivided into state and national sections, as well as English 
and foreign-language sections. There is nothing else quite like it. Even if 
you are not a stage- magic devotee, it is a good book to toss into your 
suitcase when traveling, since local magic shops are always good points of 
interest and contact in unfamiliar areas. [And many of them, particularly in 
Europe, are impressive mini-museums as well.]"

23E. _The Prince_ by Niccolo Machiavelli. NY: Washington Square Press, 1963. 
(TS-3) MA: "You'll find a summary of The Prince in #16A, but if you're going 
to get seriously involved in the social jungle, you should probably read the 
book itself, since it is still the classic of practical power politics. A 
short, succinct work written in a crisp, no-nonsense style. Nevertheless it 
is not, as the vulgar assume, an argument for viciousness or callousness in 
political affairs, but is predicated upon the prince's underlying ethical 
goals for his country."

23F. _The B.S. Factor: The Theory and Technique of Faking It in America_ by 
Arthur Herzog. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1973. (TS-2) MA: "In Machiavelli's day 
the world was sufficiently lawless to make force a viable alternative in 
day-to-day affairs. In a highly ordered nation such as the United States, 
however, manipulation must often take more subtle and psychological forms. 
This book is one of the best analyses of them. It focuses on the twisting 
and warping of language to mold opinions and behavior. Written humorously, 
but with serious underlying principles."

23G. _A Primer of Politics_ by James E. Combs and Dan Nimmo. NY: Macmillan 
Publishing Company, 1984. (TS-3) MA: "A political science textbook dealing 
with the study of power according to the definitions, maxims, and 
recommendations of Machiavelli. Individuals, episodes, organizations, 
governments, and ideologies from ancient times to the present are offered as 
case studies. Mini-biographies of the various political leaders used in the 
case studies are included, with the result that this book reads like an 
anthology of dramatic episodes in the shaping of history - which in a way it 
is. Some leaders treated: Walter Lippman, Jefferson, Catherine the Great, 
Charles de Gaulle, Hitler, Madison, Madame de Pompadour, Disraeli, John 
Marshall, Elizabeth I, Eva Peron, Gandhi, Richard III, Mao, Cicero, Lincoln, 
FDR, Richelieu, Bismarck, Jackson, J. Edgar Hoover, Henry II, Tallyrand, 
Lenin, Goebbels, Stalin, Augustus Caesar, and Nicholas II. Whenever I have 
prescribed this text for a Political Theory course, students have gone wild 
over it, reading far more than assigned and using its concepts as a knife to 
cut through the jungle of doubletalk, deceit, hypocrisy, and inertia of 
modern political society. A book for the 1980s - in some ways regrettably 
so."

23H. _The Hidden Dimension_ by Edward T. Hall. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & 
Co., 1966. (TS-3) MA: "The best study to date of 'proxemics' - the LBM 
technique involving, in the author's words, 'social and personal space and 
man's perception of it'. Included are both a discussion of the principles 
involved in the design, control, and manipulation of proxemics, and a number 
of case studies - several ethnic and/or national/cultural in orientation - 
illustrating these principles. #23H is reviewed in _Runes_ #III-4."

23I. _Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In_ by Roger 
Fisher and William Ury. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981 (Penguin paperback 
edition available). (TS-3) MA: "This is a succinct (160 pages) manual on how 
to win arguments, particularly in a group or organizational setting. The 
step-by-step process results from studies and conferences by the Harvard 
Negotiation Project, a group which deals continually with various levels of 
conflict resolution. This is a book which raises what for most people is a 
'blind, stumbling' (_Pistis_) experience to a deliberate, controlled 
(_Dianoia_) exercise."