The Aleister Crowley Manual by Marco Visconti
An honest to God Book Review by Rob of Magick.tv
“In the tenebrous darkness lies a vessel which waxes and wanes within the depths of our corporeal body. Within this temporal being lies a deeply obfuscated yet quotidian struggle between embracing the old or emancipating it into the chthonic depths of the urban underworld so that the vessel of our souls inhabitance may be free of past burdens”
Yeah… what ever!
If you’re wondering what all this English gobbledygook means its simple. Someone needs to take a crap daily..(Now why just not say that?? Well my sentiments Exactly)
I start this review with this because this kind of writing is exactly what needs to be flushed with modern occultism. Buy why did I start Marco’s review with such a weird sounding statement.. I’ll get to that
I did to prove a point.
The Occult community NEEDS authors who write in UNDERSTANDABLE language in order to reach new markets and bring in the new generations of potential occult seekers. And it should not sound like something that sounds like it was processed by a droid or a computer operating system on Chat-GPT. And I am glad to Say Marco is one of those authors that the occult community needs!
And that more importantly this is a book that does what it says.. and does NOT hold any punches.. In my last book review I gave a stellar review about what I would consider to be the best BEGINNERS book for any serious student of occultism (Shout out to The Dancing Sorcerer again) However my only qualm of that text was that it lacked practical methods to get the genuine student started. Marco’s book is a LOGICAL next step and let me show you why.
Because the name alone of this book says it clearly it’s the ALEISTER CROWLEY MANUAL. Anyone who takes their study of occultism seriously will INEVITABLY come across the name and teachings of Uncle Al and his rituals. And if not it’s like saying your a Buddhist but you’ve never heard of the Dalai Lama.
The contributions of Aleister Crowley’s practices and work have become a staple for all aspiring students of occultism. However the writing style he and his contemporaries implemented during this time turned the classic works of occult literature into lack for a better work a literary scavenger hunt where you are literally digging to find an understanding.
In a world where the fast paced media of the internet and social media world was NOT present this did just fine. however with the instant gratification of the age of Social media, tiktok and such we need to find a way of making teachings of the past more accessible and understandable to the new audiences. And the Aleister Crowley manual does just that.
We had the honor of interviewing Marco before our copy of the book arrived and with such I got to see how Marco expressed himself both as a scholar and a teacher and I’m happy to say that he writes the way that he speaks. Intelligible and clearly. He doesn't try to “obfuscate” his English as my dear friend Denis of the Foolish Fish Podcast would say but instead does away with the need to “sound” smart in exchange for clearly transmitting the knowledge he has into written form. He is a messanger and a teacher and this is his message.
Written during the time of the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic there are anecdotes of how he successfully translated his learnings to the on line world in order to give the readers a glimpse of what he was going through during the time but this did not take away from the value the text has to offer.
Within this book are essential theories, correspondences and practices for anyone who is interested in taking the first step in the footsteps of the legendary Aleister Crowley and this book offers a CLEAR and understandable layout on how these practices work complete with amazing visuals to keep the readers stimulated.
In other words the book does what Marco intended it to. It offers ANYONE from ANY WALK of life a doorway into the world of the magick of Uncle Al without needing to join the O.T.O or any Thelemic lodge and is a valuable next step book for anyone who has discovered that they want to learn more about Magick and occultism. And this (Along with its companion book the Adventures of A Magus Nox Edition) are MUST haves in the library of the members of the new occult generation
NOW: If you are already a fully initiated 99th Degree OTO member who has been in your lodge for 30 years then I feel these are not the droids you’re looking for. But if you are a newcomer who feels they want to understand the fundamentals of how Aleister Crowley practices and taught his magick then I have but 1 bit of advice for you
Get this book NOW!
To learn more about the Author visit his official website at https://www.marcovisconti.org/ there you can read all about his upcoming courses, events, public appearances and even find some of his amazing music.
