Product Description

This book has everything you need to begin your exploration into the fascinating world of flame and wax. Using Cooper's techniques for training your mind and working with the energy of candles, you can change your life and help others.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #822891 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 163 pages

Customer Reviews

Useful introduction but a rehash of earlier material
Phillip Cooper's book on Candle Magic provides a useful overview of the subject, including some sample rituals. Those familiar with this writer may be surprised at the amount of material reused from his earlier books.

Cooper is good at demystifying magic, trying to provide a 'scientific' basis for the way it operates. He sees the subconscious mind as 'the god within', connected to the past, present and the future. By communicating with the subconscious in the right way (via symbols and imagery), it is possible to manifest our desires. This, of course, is the argument of many personal development books, such as Joseph Murphy's 'The Power of Your Subconscious Mind', Napoleon Hill's 'Think and Grow Rich' etc. In Cooper's view, there are no gods, devils, angels or elementals - these are merely archetypes of the deep mind. This is certainly one magical paradigm, indebted to Jung's theory of archetypes and the collective unconscious. There are many others, and it is unfortunate that Cooper effectively dismisses these. However, this degree of simplification may be due to the introductory nature of this book.

The candles, and other trappings of the magician, have no inherent power themselves. Their value is purely symbolic, in terms of focusing the will, concentration and imagination. True power comes from within, and any magical tool is nothing more than a way of accessing and utilising that immense reservoir of potential energy. Communication with the subconscious mind, according to Cooper, can only be achieved by imagery and symbolism. He also makes the interesting and valid point that a ritual should be backed up by regular sessions of positive thinking. Many writers consider that the ritual should be forgotten once performed so that the energy remains focused and the internal chatter of the conscious mind ('this will never work') does not interfere with its outcome. Cooper's idea of positive reinforcement ensures that both conscious and subconscious should work in harmony.

The author's prose style can be very dogmatic; he is dismissive of other beliefs and ideas, and insists that he is telling you 'the truth' about magic. This is fine up to a point, but it is simply a matter of his belief, and belief is a very relative and mutable concept. This territory is covered more effectively in his earlier book, the excellent 'Basic Magick', which concentrates on belief, life energies, inner temples, sigilisation, servitors, planetary energies etc. His 'quickening the subconscious' exercise is an update of the classic Middle Pillar ritual, and there is a distinct qabalistic feel to his writing. Cooper also draws very heavily on the Chaos Magic paradigm but does not acknowledge it as such.

In summary, the book provides a good introduction to the subject; the logic is impeccable, the exercises well thought out and easy to follow. Much of the work can be done using the imagination (or on the astral, if you like), thus the only equipment required will be candles of the colour relating to the appropriate energies, and an altar on which to put them (a table will do). The book is short, sharp, direct and very pragmatic - no New Age waffle or obscure mystification for its own sake. Once you get past the authors opinionated prose style (which is very entertaining at times), there is much useful information here.

not original
The 5 pages of this shown on amazon.com are almost word for word copies of a magic course taught by UK occultist Lee James. I have the tapes. would have given 0 stars if possible.

I understand you may not publish this but it makes me wonder about your policy re selling books

copyright?
as another reviewer says excerpt shown is mostly a copy of the work of L James. What does copyright mean? The most laughable part is his copyright notice.Zero stars