The Ritual Magic Manual: A Complete Course in Practical Magic

Summary: By far the best book on "how-to-step-by-step" PRACTICAL Golden Dawn Ritual magick!!!
Rating: 5

Up until this book, there have been few books to teach a step by step, start to finish, Golden Dawn Practical Magick Ritual Instructional Book that went beyond the LBRP-LBHP-ROSE CROSS-MIDDLE PILLAR, save John Michael Greer's book "Circles of Power" (which would be second to this book on practical GD magick).

This book is my main source for magickal practices because it has everything you need all in one place to perform a Golden Dawn ritual that will get you results!

This plus the Cicero's "Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn" book(for the theoretical background on caballah, astrology, etc), will get you a good grasp on what the Golden Dawn system is all about.

Of course there are sooooooo many others to mention, but if you wanted the bare minimum to start working the Golden Dawn system, then these two books would be it!

Yes, there's a few typo's, like during the Magical Eucharist Ritual, you have to change the direction your calling every move you make to a different quarter, but that's human. That tiny mistake can NOT make this book anything less then 10 stars of possible. Dave Griffin did the occult community a favor by releasing such a high caliber/high level book!

Thanks Dave!


Summary: A useful and exhaustive programme in the GD tradition
Rating: 4

I've read through this book, and the only real errors I have found are in: (1) The Magical Eucharist section, whereas Griffin claims that the example given is for the full SIRP, it is actually for GIRP (Air); and (2) in the First Call Griffin renders ZNRZA inexplicably as ZURZA. A very useful feature of the Ritual Magic Manual is the ritual explication of Regardie's Invocation and Assumption of the Highest Divine Force. The revised Enochian Calls are invaluable, with a common sense approach that eliminates the extraneous GD pronunciation rules – such as always pronouncing z as zoad – thus restoring the beauty and efficacy of the language. The Calls as they are here published represent a significant scholarly revision to Dee's rules of pronunciation. As to the overall accuracy of names and sigils in this book, Griffin notes the instances where he corrects (or deviates from) established sources: examples of this include (much-needed) revisions to the Hebrew spellings of Qlipothic hierarchy given in Crowley's 777.

Although it might be true that some of the positive reviews were placed by members of Griffin's temples, I suspect that some of the nay-sayers likewise have an agenda displayed by some of the unreasonable claims made in some of the more vehement reviews. Could this be fallout from the HOMSI wars?