Kabbalah, Magic & the Great Work of Self Transformation: A Complete Course

Review of: "Kabbalah, Magic & the Great Work of Self Transformation: A Complete Course Paperback," – August 8, 2006 by Lyam Thomas Christopher (Author). This is an excellent guide. The publisher's overview of the text reads: " Advancing to higher levels of ritual magic with purpose and power requires an exaltation of consciousness-a spiritual transformation that can serve as an antitode <sic> to the seeming banality of modern life. Based on Kabbalistic techniques, the teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and an Hermetic tradition spanning nearly two thousand years, this innovative new work introduces the history of the Golden Dawn and its mythology, the Tree of Life, Deities, demons, rules for practicing magic, and components of effective ritual. A comprehensive course of self-initiation using Israel Regardie's seminal Golden Dawn as a key reference point, Kabbalah, Magic and the Great Work of Self-Transformation guides you through the levels of the Golden Dawn system of ritual magic. Each grade in this system corresponds with a sphere in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and includes daily rituals, required reading, written assignments, projects, and additional exercises. Knowledgeable and true to tradition, author Lyam Thomas Christopher presents a well-grounded and modern step-by-step program toward spiritual attainment, providing a lucid gateway toward a more awakened state." Kabbalah is an ancient paradigm for living. It teaches that all of the branches of our lives - health, relationships, careers - emanate from the same trunk and the same root. It's the technology of how the universe works at the core level. It's a way of looking at the world that can connect you to the kind of permanent fulfillment you seek. Kabbalah teaches universal principles that apply to all peoples of all faiths and all religions, regardless of ethnicity or where you come from. The beauty of studying Kabbalah is that you can't be forced to think in a particular way. There can be no coercion in spirituality. All we can do is simply share information with you and hope that you will apply it to your life with the intention of bettering it. With that said this well laid out text provides a self-instructional course in the basic Kabbalistic System which serves to "initiate" the reader. The text is broken down into ten chapters with two appendices, endnotes, works cited, and index at 363 pages. The chapters are listed in descending order: One: The Only a Few Will Rise; Two: The First Steps; Three: The Secret Lineage; Four: Neophyte; Five: That Darkly Splendid World; Six: The Mind Born of Matter; Seven: The Liquid Intelligence; Eight: Fuel for the Fire; Nine: The Portal; Ten: The Work of the Adept. The basic structure of this guide/instructional is based upon the foundation of the Golden Dawn's elemental grade system. That would be the Israel Regardie GD System and not some of the other clandestine GD systems. What I admire and like about this text is that the explanations of the pathway materials is broken down for true Neophyte use. I wish I had this text decades ago. For those seeking the light, this is a good source of illumination. Five stars.

My copy of this books is dogeared and filled with notes and underlining and half a dozen bookmarks. Obviously you'll want to hear more than this, but I write this to demonstrate how important of a book this is to my life. I want to say it's the best of the Golden Dawn self initiation books, but perhaps it's best looked at as an alternate to the Ciceros' book. Maybe the greatest difference between it and the method used by the Ciceros is with Christopher you tend to study the original rituals rather than reenact them imaginatively. A caveat, I've been a self initiate since 2004 and therefore don't have any idea what this book will look like to someone only vaguely familiar with the Golden Dawn The Golden Dawn, at this point, is almost like a nascent Christianity with all kinds of "denominations" and factions popping up, so its incumbent upon the seeker to sort the wheat from the chaff. A powerful spiritual system should change the seeker in a holistic manner, so what I'm personally looking for are the writers who understand what the work of the Golden Dawn does to you on a psychological level. Christopher understands that when you start this system, you're probably going to go through some phases that will totally redefine what you thought suffering was like. Let me tell you, for some of us this is almost excruciatingly painful and it's even harder when you're constantly reminded (for good reason) to keep silent. But if you stick with the program it's likely to change your life in ways that are specific and profound to you. I had an experience after working with this book that was so stunning that it completely changed my life. Christopher structures the book by grade, the main curriculum is introduced in chapters that he equates to each grade of the Golden Dawn. The curriculum is possibly one of the most involved in the tradition and its method of dragging all sorts of (previously) inner order rituals into the outer is sure to be the matter of debate. But what I think Christopher does brilliantly here, a point I totally disagree with on at least two previous reviewers, is the commentary, the way he weaves texts, teachings and mythology as a narrative that ties in to the particular grade work. This is the type of thing self initiation books need because as essential as books by Regardie and Zalewski are, the perhaps hidden assumption is that most of the psychological angle comes from working with teachers in a temple or organization. If you're a self initiate, you may not have these resources and if there's any (major) glaring weakness in self initiation books its a clear warning that what you're about to undergo isn't the same thing as receiving a sermon in church, or debating over a passage in the New Testament or discussing spirituality with your friends. This book makes clear the work and I can't imagine anyone who applies themselves to this system won't find their life changing in a way beyond their wildest imagination. But it's incredibly hard and often very painful work, especially in that your progress correlates to your persistance. However one thing that becomes clear is once you get started, it gets a lot easier to sort the wheat from the chaff.

In his very first published book, Lyam Thomas Christopher provides a comprehensive system of self-transformation based on the Golden Dawn system which uses the Kabalistic Tree of Life as a model for spiritual awakening. The book provides a complete study and training course into Western Magic and Mysticism which, if followed properly, can lead to an enlightened state of awareness of ones existence where happiness can be derived not from material gain or social status but from the knowledge and conversation with ones Higher Self. The very first chapter of this book provides a very good argument for the need for self-transformation and the search for spiritual enlightenment. The author shows that even with our advanced technologies, scientific advancement, longer life-span, and modern comforts there is much more suffering and misery in our world and we are even more confused about our purpose and place within the Universe. The author proposes that the reason for this unhappiness is that we have built our world around the survivalist mentality where men and women buy prosperity. We have shunned away our spiritual birthright where imagination flourishes where we can, as mortal men, can achieve realization of our immortality in exchange for the material comforts of the modern world which are all too often fleeting and temporary. The author puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of developing a new kind of existence that rises above the survivalist mindset bent on the prestige and comfort of gaining status in our miserable and confused society. The recommended practical work provided in this book allows the student to learn and become consciously aware about the inner workings of the human psyche. This allows the student to develop an intimate relationship with his/her lower and animalistic nature not to destroy or banish it but to make it subject under the authority of the Higher and Immortal self so one can achieve happiness not in the afterlife but in the here and now within ourselves - the true Heaven on Earth. The book offers a new perspective and approach in spiritual development within the Western Mystery Tradition. The work to be undertaken is divided into various grades or levels identical to the traditional grade system of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn from which a good portion of the teachings and practices are taken from. In each grade the author prescribes specific exercises, rituals, and assignments to be performed for a given period of time which can last anywhere between 6 months to 1 year. When done with sincerity and diligence the work will cause noticeable and significant life changes. The author is very eloquent yet unpretentious and humble. Lyam Christopher has the ability to articulate complex psychological and spiritual concepts that can be easily understood by anyone. This book is highly recommended for beginners and advanced practitioners of magic and those who are searching for a path to enlightenment that does not require them to sell all their belongings and live in the mountains eating berries or subjecting themselves to the authority of some self-professed guru. This book should be part of every practicing magician's bookshelf.

This is an excelent work by a true adept, and a smart and sensitive human beign, a true masterpiece that will lead countless students of the magic of the light for many years to come. The book is a complete course on how to become an Adeptus Minor in the Golden Dawn tradition, often refered to as "The greatest school of magic", and it probably is( one could add the A .·. A to that list, but this one couldn't have existed without the GD). The most important acomplishment of the book is, I think, it's balance between mysticism and practical magical techniques, all very well combined to inspire the student, to take action and push through the grades. And all this is put in a complete step by step course where you have your daily rituals and asignments, required readings and additional exercises for each of the grades. If you take a look at the cover of the book the title says: "KABBALAH, MAGIC And the great work of self transformation", the funny thing is that the part with the smaller font: "And the great work of self transformation"is actually the most important, that's the treasure right there, that's The Great Work!. This book will teach you how to be balanced, in harmony, while following your true will and having the handles of your life. It will teach you how to be a magician(provided you actually DO the work), a true adept, and how not to be a power obsessed paranoid self deluded megalomaniac, like so many Saruman wannabies out there.

There is a lot of work there! A very busy and intense curriculum to follow. There is enough content and recommended practice time to make it last a few years. I got into it looking for more thorough references while reading "The Magus... by Neven Paar". Neven Paar is proposing a curriculum (for Kundalini-awakened individuals) that is a fraction of that proposed in this book. I am taking a middle path. The curriculum proposes many good readings (all not easy to get though), a great synthesis of the difficult to read Golden Dawn, well structured, practical. Still some old remains that may be dropped (e.g. ceremonies), some content that I am not sure about the value (but I play along nevertheless). And a few structural flaws (e.g. information required for some practice that is only presented later in the curriculum). Also there is fresher and better formatted information available that some of the references given.

After spending several years going through a dark night of the soul, I finally found this amazing mentor. The book is incredibly well written. Amazing results will happen through patience, perseverance and the understanding that everything he tells you to do and specifically what not to do are all there for a reason. Luckily for all of us doing the Great Work, Lyam has started a YouTube channel under the name Lyam Thomas Christopher, and also has a blog on Medium (the app) under the title Forbidden Realms. I believe he is even doing consultations now. People have complained that this knowledge has been kept from the masses, but no longer! Lyam is a true adept and he is willing to help those who will do the work.

I absolutely resonate with this book, in a way that is hard to put into words. In some of the opening pages, when the author stated that we are spiritually immortal beings who are "wounded by mortality," I knew I had stumbled upon something that expressed how I have felt, and have been unable to express adequately all my life. While I am still in the early chapters, I just wanted to write this much, so that those who are looking for something that is a compelling read and will hopefully spark their spirit like it has mine, then this is the book on The Great Work you are looking for. I was led to this amazing book by a man I consider a wise soul, and a mentor, though I have never met him in the flesh. If you enjoy this book, check out the channel "Mind and Magick" on YouTube, with Frater Xavier. This beautiful (in the spiritual sense) man, while being humorous and down to Earth, is full of awesome, practical knowledge and advice on the proper ways of manifesting magick into your reality. I hope this review helps, and as I read on, I will edit this review and add more of my opinion. NOTE TO THE PUBLISHER: It would be tremendously awesome if this was available as an audiobook ​so that I could "read" this book and do other things, as I find my time to read limited. I would love to read this as I cleaned my home or did other chores, or even leisure tasks, like adult coloring.

Great addition to my library of the occult! Great info.

Great book. It's full of information that will cater to the knowledge thirsty individual! It was in excellent condition upon arrival, and came on time.

Lyam lo vuelve muuuuuuy sencillo, si que te va a estar mandando a otros libros y lecturas pero lo vale, realmente se siente como un instructivo

A proposta é clara e objetiva: conduzir o leitor por um caminho seguro no desenvolvimento mágico. Esse caminho se torna enriquecido pelos exemplos de trabalho a ser feito e pelas sugestões de leitura, que acabam propondo que o estudante vá além com segurança...

Guter Schreibstil. Nicht langweilig oder kompliziert. Wer das LBRP, mittlere Säule usw. richtig lernen möchte, oder mit der Golden Dawn Ausbildung liebäugelt, sollte hier beginnen. Nicht umsonst oft empfohlen.

Great explanations, very actionable.