Naturalistic Occultism Paperback – 9 March 2012

An excellent interpretation to occultism and spiritual enlightenment for those who follow a scientific paradigm. It gave me great insight

I'm new to occultism and have recently been researching magick practices. I found this book very interesting and it provided some guidance for how I could approach my occult research. I have always been a naturalist and have struggled to reconcile that with the spooky writings of typical new-age authors. IAO131 presents a naturalist framework that still recognizes and appreciates the importance of ritual without being gullible about the reality of the ritual's aspects. I'm not sure yet exactly where my position lies on the continuum but nevertheless the book is an interesting and worthwhile read.

It really is a rare jewel on my bookshelf. I would recommend this book to everyone interested in esoterism and paganism.

Great introduction to the topic - it has inspired me to research further.

This short work is an important and thoughtful addition to the corpus of Thelemic literature, and presents a well-rounded series of essays on the intersection of Thelema, science, reason, magick, and spirituality in general. The ideas presented in this little book come from the perspective of an individual who (in my opinion, rightly) views the apparent conflict between reason and religion, or reason and spirituality, or reason and magick, as essentially unnecessary or based in misunderstanding, especially in light of a deeper, and more comprehensive and considerate, understanding of magick and mysticism.My only real gripe with this book is that it DESPERATELY needed an editor: there are MANY typos and grammatical mistakes throughout the book that I find frustrating to try to "read around".All in all, IAO131 has become a deeply influential force in the Thelemic community and in contemporary Thelemic occulture. With this book he has furthered the discourse on the compatibility, or lack thereof, between science, reason, and the occult arts and sciences, especially in the context of what Aleister Crowley termed "scientific illuminism" (or "skeptical theurgy"). 'Naturalistic Occultism' offers Thelemites a richer approach to such illuminism, and is sure to be intriguing to those interested in Thelema, science, philosophy, the occult, and the Western esoteric tradition.