Reddit reviews Aleister Crowley And the Practice of the Magical Diary

Ah! A fellow DTFHer! I'll be seeing him in Chicago this Saturday for his live podcast. :)

I own a copy of "Aleister Crowley and the Practice of the Magical Diary." I bought it shortly after I became fascinated by Crowley via Duncan's episode with James Wasserman. (The book is edited by James Wasserman.) Unfortunately, I've never gotten around to reading it in its entirety yet... The major diary portion of it is called "John St. John", and I'm not sure if that is another one of Crowley's aliases or if its one of his students or something, but it's very interesting.

An example from pages 14 - 15:

>12.17. Trying meditation and mantra.

>12.18. I find thoughts impossible to concentrate; and my Asana, despite various cowardly attempts to "fudge" it, is frightfully painful.

>12.20. In Hanged Man posture, meditating and willing the Presence of Adonai by the Ritual "Thee I invoke, and the Bornless One" and mental formulae.

>12.28. I'm hopelessly sleepy! Invocation as bad as bad could be — attention all over the place. Irrational hallucinations, such as a vision of either Eliphaz Levi or my father (I can't swear which!) at the most solemn moment! But the irrational character of said visions is not bad. They come from nowhere; it is much worse when your own controlled brain breaks loose.

>12.33. I will therefore compose myself to sleep: is it not written that He giveth unto His beloved even in sleep? "Others, even in sleep, He makes fruitful from His own strength."

>7.29. Woke and forced myself to rise. I had a number of rather pleasing dreams, as I seem to remember. But their content is gone from me; and, in the absence of the prophet Daniel, I shall let the matter slide.

Sidenote — Diary writer wrote and forced himself to rise at 7:29 am... just like Ferriss recommends in the podcast. :] Synchronicities...