My Life with the Spirits: The Adventures of a Modern Magician

by Lon Milo DuQuette

A rare glimpse into the fascinating, sometimes terrifying, sometimes hilarious world of a modern ceremonial magician. Hailed by critics as the most entertaining author and one of the most widely respected members of the magick community, Lon Milo DuQuette provides a beacon for aspiring magicians everywhere.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578631203
• ISBN13: 9781578631209
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: Weiser Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

Very Exciting Autobiograpy of an Expert Magickian!

This first-hand account of Lon Duquette's Magickal life and personal life is very, very interesting. His whimsical style and unabashed Honesty are thrilling. This amazing man can switch from seriously discussing the intricacies of Magickal operations, to making you laugh until you nearly cry. Every Magickian, Wiccan, Witch and whatnot should own this book for the autobiographical dissertation on how he created his first Wand! Don't get me wrong, this book isn't written to be placed in the humor section--he obviously takes his Work very seriously. However, Lon has discovered one of the Greatest Keys of occultism (don't take yourself too seriously). This definitely is not a typical "I'm a big dark, brooding Occultist" story. this guy has his stuff together, and I have it on good word that he is just as jovial in person as he is in real life--yet, can switch to Magickian Mode, as if taking off a hat and putting another on. I have never enjoyed an autobiography so much. Crowley's autohagiography was wonderful, yet his style is not exactly easy to read....Crowley is more like College Courses of study. Duquette's book can be read in one sitting, yet leaves a tremendous Impression upon the reader. You really feel as-if you know this guy and could actually talk to him. I learned a lot of very, very useful information from this great book and I will highly recommend it to every Magickal person I know. The lessons to be learned regarding various Magickal Practices are priceless. No matter what type of Magick you practice, this book will be a useful addition to your library (tell your friend's to get their own copy, or you'll probably never get it back).

Whether you're Magical or not, it's a true must-read!!

Frankly, whether your interested in the genre or not, I'd highly recommend this book. It's truly an enjoyable read from beginning to end. I ended up reading this book out loud to my wife while she was pregnant, because I just couldn't keep the little gems to myself. I'd laugh to myself, she'd say "what?" I'd read her a paragraph, she'd laugh... three minutes later, we'd repeat the scenario. After a few times around, we just said the heck with it... read it all out-loud! What a purely enjoyable experience for both of us. DuQuette's humorous and down to earth writing style is a much needed breath of fresh air to this genre where many take themselves far too seriously. DuQuette understands how to write about life changing activities and heavy philosophies without putting on the much used pompous tone. I can't say it enough, I love this book, I love this author, I love his style. Through it all, you come to feel as if you actually know this man. His style imparts so much familiarity that you come to feel you've known him for years and wouldn't think twice about asking him to coffee if you bump into him on the street.If I could offer one book to a friend to help them understand this world I live in, it would be this one, without a doubt. It's truly a FUN book, and you can't help but come away with something of value, no matter who you are. Buy it, read it, laugh and learn! I'd give it six stars if I could.

FINEST ACCOUNT OF CEREMONIAL MAGIC I HAVE EVER READ

When it comes to magical memoirs, two major failings often arise. First, when a magician attains some level of fame through success (much like other artists, this usually happens posthumously), he or she seems to instantly achieve, whether merited or not, legendary status. Objectivity on their life and accomplishments becomes obscured by all the accompanying hyperbole. And second, the works produced about the individuals seem to have a universal lack of wit. Neither of these shortcomings are reflected in the brilliant autobiography My Life With the Spirits: The Adventures of a Modern Magician by Lon Milo DuQuette. DuQuette, who is undoubtedly, like Robert Anton Wilson and Phil Hine, one of the most entertaining authors writing today, skillfully fends off the trait that has spread like a virus through our modern world - the fear of introspection. With both savage honesty and practiced style, DuQuette reveals both the heart and history of a true spiritual seeker. He openly delves into his "agonizing" years in "accepted" religion and, with the fortitude of a soldier gazing at his own battle scars, shares the progress of his metaphysical self through the trenches as well as the Samadhic peaks. Having dabbled in the entheogenic craze of the sixties and having encountered the truths inherent in the then-newly-emergent flood of eastern traditions, he advanced through the Rosicrucian Order AMORC, the O.T.O. and Crowley's Thelemic system (in fact, his The Magic of Thelema is arguably the finest introduction to Thelemic magic available) and finally into the depths of Dee's Enochian model and modern ceremonial magic. In a time that finds the bookshelves rife with languid how-to manuals on evocation and frustratingly short on personal accounts of evocation, in terms of both successes and failures, the last half DuQuette's book is priceless. The narrative of his evocation of Orobas is the finest account of ceremonial magic, in terms of both objective practice and subjective meaning, that I have ever read. The book itself, whether the reader is schooled in thencraft or simply curious, stands alone among magical biographies.

ANY MAGICIAN, ASPIRING OR EXPERIENCED, SHOULD READ THIS ONE!

Trust me on this one, folks! I read this book and immediately had every one of my personal students read it! They all loved it, not to mention the fact that it gave them hope (and provided a beacon of light) that they WILL succeed; in life AND in Magick. If you take any of my reviews seriously, please make it this one.