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“Beyond the Books”
By Psyche | December 2, 2007
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Recently a thread was started in a forum I regularly participate in1 regarding books and the value of reading. Much to my horrified amazement, the suggestion was made that reading might be “over-rated” with the assumption, it seemed, that what was read would be blindly “absorbed like a sponge”, which, of course, would fundamentally negate the point of it.
Here are a few tips:
Read indiscriminately.
Don’t just read occult books, read history, philosophy, biography, science as well as literature and sci-fi – read everything you can get your hands on. Read books on topics you’re interested in, but read outside your favourite genre for a more well-rounded perspective. This broadens your contextual reference points to those outside your personal experience and typical media intake. You’ll notice allusions pop up that previously slid by and you really will have a greater understanding of the world in which you live.
Engage in your reading.
Read critically.
Take notes. Don’t just highlight passages you agree with, take note of those you don’t and figure out where the disconnect is or how you’d phrase a passage to suit your understanding. Read for subtext; what’s said but not written. Check it against your experience, the experience of your friends, family or colleagues.
Acquiring an understanding of the material is critical.
This does not equate to agreeing with a given text, but it does involve being able to discuss points with an intelligence demonstrating reflective thought rather than parroting. If you’re challenging yourself rather than surface reading Dick and Jane books you’re going to find that you don’t understand some of the material – recognizing this demonstrates an understanding of your gaps. Don’t let them linger. Read more, do more, discover more. (Hint: There will always be more, and you can always delve deeper.)
There is no substitute for personal experience.
If you’re reading an occult text, for example, and it describes a magickal technique you’ve not tried before, but find intriguing, try it out – several times. The author’s account is not a substitute for your own experience.
In a field where self improvement and self mastery are goals, there is no such thing as being “beyond the books” - there will always be a fresh take which settle experience in perspective or challenges old patterns and inspires action. How can this be “over-rated”?
The only limits are those you allow and set in your own thinking - consciously or not. Don’t blame the books.
Footnotes:- Yes, this is the same semi-private occult community of ninjas, pirates and reality hackers riddled with secret cabals so elite whose name I dare not speak referenced in Tarot and accuracy. [back]
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December 4th, 2007 at 12:08 am
“take note of those you don’t and figure out where the disconnect is or how you’d phrase a passage to suit your understanding.”
This is the heart of one of my sayings “You learn as much from a bad book, as you do from a good book” If you don’t agree with something in a book, try to understand why you don’t agree, why the author would say it, and is there a way what they said does suit your view if perceived another way?
I think the only time reading is “over-rated” is when you let it become that passive absorption like television (in this case the armchair magician).
Now I’m just wondering if there is a book on how to read critically, heh.
[Reply]
Psyche reply on December 5th, 2007:
“You learn as much from a bad book, as you do from a good book”
The potential is certainly there, but if all one ever reads are “bad books”, the lack of exposure to “good books” will reveal itself in conversation. (”Tarot comes from the Gypsies”, “Satanists eat babies”, etc.)
This is where variety comes in. Wide exposure to many different fields will enrich every avenue of passionate interest. You never know how that genetic book will influence your philosophy and magickal practice, or when that novel will spark new modes of thinking.
What’s funny about this is that one of the most celebrated magickians of the nineteenth century was essentially what we would today call an armchair magickian: Eliphas Levi - but that’s a blog for another day. (Though I agree with you this is not a desirable state - it rather negates the point of bothering with it at all.)
Regarding reading critically, there are many books, I’m sure. Northrup Frye offers a lot of insight, and books about authors writing can reveal a lot about the process (one of my favourites is Berton’s The Joy of Writing). For me though, most of it comes from talking about what I’m reading, sharing it with whoever’s around me, and writing about. Writing allows me to clarify my thoughts, set them in order, and (hopefully!) get feedback on how others interpreted the material.
This has me thinking about the book club I wanted to start, but haven’t quite gotten around to sorting out yet.
Regarding practical magickal work, of course, nothing beats trying out what’s written, either as is or stylized (ideally both at some point, or a combination).
I miss Northrup. Perhaps its time for another visit.
[Reply]
Gesigewigus reply on December 5th, 2007:
And yeah, you are right, without the good books to help your understanding, then the bad books aren’t as useful.
And of course, with the whole thing about reading more to expand your views, it’s not often, but there are a few rare tv shows, that help push you too, and help you explore your worldview, or expand it.
“This has me thinking about the book club I wanted to start, but haven’t quite gotten around to sorting out yet.”
I was actually thinking about that on the bus home tonight, I remember you polling about it, and then, it dropped off the radar.
[Reply]
Psyche reply on December 7th, 2007:
Yes, this was expanded in my initial argument on the forum to include all media, but books do provide an opportunity for depth not easily achieved with other recorded media.
That said, the living context that can be grasped from a movie filmed in the 40s, or a documentary on Alexandrian witches from the seventies can give a sense of the period - the people, their movements, the props, etc. - that can’t be adequately expressed through books.
Books aren’t the be-all end-all - but they’re a hell of a start.
Re: Book club…this will have to be something I revisit in the new calendar year. I envision a pretentious group lounging in my living room with arcane texts, cocktails and stunning intellectual debates, but the reality is more likely to be shouting in a pub whilst attempting to avoid spilling lager on some Llewellyn title. I haven’t found somewhere that would serve as a suitable median between the two extremes.
[Reply]