Reddit reviews The Black Arts: A Concise History of Witchcraft, Demonology, Astrology, and Other Mystical Practices Throughout the Ages (Perigee)

I’m currently reading The Black Arts. This shit is interesting asf

It is an... intriguing field. The only well-known source I'm aware of is Crowley, whom I understand is controversial. I know there are accounts from the Renaissance of witches having sexual relationships with spirits, but I take anything from that period with a grain of salt.
Richard Cavendish's The Black Arts is a comprehensive guide for laymen, which does touch on sexual magic, but mostly Crowley's work. Other than that, I don't have much, but I'd love to learn more.

/u/rhymes_with_pail is correct. "The Black Arts" is a synonym for practicing witchcraft and demonology. I'm sorry if the sub where I posted it made you suspect a racist joke instead of the joke I meant.

Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon (http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Down-Moon-Witches-Goddess-Worshippers/dp/0143038192) is an amazing look at Paganism and it's many iterations.

Richard Cavendish - The Black Arts (http://www.amazon.com/Black-Arts-Witchcraft-Demonology-Throughout/dp/0399500359/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376693481&sr=1-1&keywords=the+black+arts) is a really interesting look at the many facets and practices of the Occult.

I recommend those for laymen.

The Black Arts by Richard Cavendish

The following authors are well respected scholars, most are attached to academic institutions. The books listed are some of the very best and stand alone. For example Unger's epochal work "Biblical Demonology"is the only demonology book that you will ever need. Dismiss everything that is not heavily footnoted and lacking proper review.

Before you get carried away with Crowley, Blavatsky, or even Castaneda, you have to establish a firm foundation. I don't wish to overwhelm you here, but I suggest that you work your way through all of the books listed. Many of them are available on Kindle, but I would suggest physical copies if your budget allows it. I would start with "Religions of the Ancient World" Belknap Press of the Harvard University Press. It is the most expensive resource book listed, but its a bargain at $60. It will serve you as a primer, handbook and lexicon.

The Mystery Schools are a headache and a pleasure to learn about. Focus on the Mithraic, Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries. I say this with reservation, but these three particular schools function as a Rosetta Stone in a way. This will make more sense once you grasp the mysteries of death and rebirth. Both of which can be found in most religions including Christianity ("born again" believers).

"The Black Arts" is safe reading. Witchcraft is real. I have been exposed to more than I care to mention. The worst thing you can do is jump into magick totally ignorant and powerless. The hunger for power fuels witchcraft. initiates, apprentices, and the curious are all disposable resources. Example: Crowley fucked all his followers. He molested all the kids. He even fucked the animals. If the devil is the master of deception, how can you place faith in anyone involved in the black arts. Satanism is the worship of self. It is amoral rather than immoral (i.e. Machiavellian).

Biblical studies is very important in your studies. It is an unavoidable truth. "Christian Theology" by Millard J Erickson is the very first book you should purchase. It is a postgraduate textbook written in the systematic theology format. I did not include this below because I dont want to overwhelm you.

Go ahead and read "Secret Teachings" all the way through, and keep it handy. Otherwise, forget about freemasonry, the OTO, and all things that are NOT foundation. YouTube, television shows, websites, and social media make a lot of impressive noise on these issues, but it is all motivated by exposure and profit. I unplugged the TV about two years ago. Only the ignorant use keywords such as reptillian, luciferian, and illuminati. Unger's book will flesh out Atlantis/antediluvian theories as much as possible.

All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
No one remembers the former generations,
and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow them.

Ecclesiastes 1:8-11 (NIV)

The Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries

Esoteric Cosmology

The Chaldean Account of Genesis

The Black Arts: A Concise History of Witchcraft, Demonology, Astrology, and Other Mystical Practices Throughout the Ages

Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide

Mithras: Mysteries and Inititation Rediscovered

Biblical Demonology: A Study of Spiritual Forces at Work Today

I think the reply you got from the other poster is quite good, then. I know very little about high quality sources on this sort of thing.

Maybe not what you're looking for, but have you seen the first season of the HBO show True Detective? It's fantastic, and on this subject.

As far as books go, I know Arthur Edward Waite was an early authority on all things esoteric, and he does appear to have [a highly rated book on black magic.] (https://www.amazon.com/Black-Magic-Arthur-Edward-Waite/dp/0877282072/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511225241&sr=8-3&keywords=black+magic+book) Apparently [this one] (https://www.amazon.com/Black-Arts-Witchcraft-Demonology-Throughout/dp/0399500359/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1511225315&sr=8-4&keywords=black+magic+book) is also quite good (again, just based on my brief Amazon search), and may be up your alley.

EDIT: Oh, and re: general critiques of religion, stay far away from New Atheists like Richard Dawkins or Sam Harris - this stuff if tripe, and there is better atheist literature out there. Check out Bertrand Russell, or better yet, Ludwig Feuerbach, Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud. I'd be happy to provide more specific references for these thinkers as well. I'm sure there are less highbrow atheist writers who are also good, I just don't know about them, and a lot of them today fall into the "New Atheist" category.

Here's a quote from Milton's Paradise Lost: "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven"

Satanism is sort of the opposite of Christianity. Satan is the true God and Jesus is a false prophet of a falsely benevolent God. People who worship Satan do not regard him as evil. What people consider "good" is actually "evil"

This is covered pretty well in a chapter of Cavendish's "Black Arts"