I have this book at home. As far as historical occult writing goes, its a gem. Its a snapshot of what occultism was like at the time. Just like the many great books that precede it. However, the longer I study mysticism, metaphysics, spirituality, the occult--whatever you want to call it--the more I realize how much of personal gnosis or group gnosis is placed in such books. Crowley's works are rife with it. And he makes as many if not more ridiculous claims than Bardon. What I can say about Bardon's work is: at least the subject matter is well organized. So many grimoires and instructional texts of the time do not seem to follow regimented thought patterns. One thing that I think is true about works such as Bardon's is the old-time belief that you had to suffer to get anywhere. Not to mention the tasks, criteria, and time involvement usually was beyond the reach of anyone other than the wealthy. To some extent, that is true today. That is not to say that putting time into study and practice are not fruitful endeavors, they certainly are. However, I suspect that the road to spiritual progression is less rigorous than most of these men make it out to be. After all, blinds were commonly placed into such texts as a way to keep secret information away from the uninitiated. Having read books of antiquity, there seemed to be a consensus amongst these writers that such information should never fall into the hands of some amorphous unworthy. Abramelin the Mage is clear on this point and it seems to be something that rippled down through to the Golden Dawn and others. However, with abuse being common amongst supposed masters taking advantage of truth seekers, this is not a recommended path anymore. As they say in Buddhism, nature becomes one's master. So the point I am trying to make is that times have changed. Bardon's instructions might work for some. Others don't have the time, as they are busy trying to survive in an economy that wants to eat them alive. This is a critique I've held against many monastic or ascetic paths. It might work for the monk who has time to dedicate to the practice, but for the rest of us its a bit more complicated. Even Buddha said that someone can gain enlightenment instantly. Or it might take several lifetimes. Current price on Amazon is $40. If you are interested in the work, I'd suggest getting it on Kindle for $14 instead.
@@lisaevenson3551 Blinds are intentionally misleading information in the text that only someone who had been initiated and taught would know was not true. One good common example of this is the Golden Dawn's placement of the wand and knife.
IMO the reason Bardon is mandatory reading is because many modern occult books are heavily inspired by IIH assuming they haven't just taken exercises from him verbatim without attribution. Like reading Agrippa, knowledge of Bardon will help you navigate modern occultism even if you never adopt any of his practices.
This was one of the first occult books I read and followed the exercised in. It made my head explode. I read it in 1984-85? I did not complete the entire book. It was too hard, but many of the things I learned from it, never left me. Glad to see you review this classic, Ivy!
It's like reading translated stereo instructions. However it has a TON of value. The Pore Breathing alone is worth the price of admission. I would also like to add his Fluid Condenser is magic soup. So soup is magic
I was literally contemplating stopping the initiation into hermetics practice. I had so many false starts, I thought about giving up. I’m not new to this so I question what I’d get out of it. But you definitely gave me the answer I need. It’s too obscure of a book to be a coincidence to me lol. Also, for anyone interested, the book can be read for free; the pdf is everywhere and there are communities with a bunch of insight on the practice.
I will say, it feels soooo boring and drones on and on for the first half of the book. But once you get to about Step 5, things really start to get interesting!
After WW2, many initiates all across the board didn't have access to Physical Lodges or ways to receive their study lessons for obvious reasons. This book filled that gap & hence was praised and passed down till the modern day. The exercises are similar to what you'd find in various Rosicrucian, Theosophical & Sufis Orders, and if you ask the mystics in those traditions they will tell you it's better used as a compliment to those who already formerly received some form of traditional Initiation, which i 1000% agree. IIH was not written for aspirants, which is why it seems too "Hard" and "Rigorous" to many.
The differences in some of the elemental associations between this book and what I'm used to was also a put off for me when I first started reading it, but after reading further in, the book itself answered my question, on page 106: "Making use of the above colors during your exercises by applying the respective colors to their particular element is an individual choice; it is not absolutely necessary." I am also big on discipline so this type of format works for me as well, but many in the Bardonist community will tell you that the rigorousness towards the exercises that he espouses is less important than the consistency that he espouses.
I really liked your review and to me Bardon's book is a classic, even though it has its flaws. You should do an interview with Franz Bardon specialist Clint Sabom, who has an excellent youtube channel where he guides Bardon practioners through the practice of the Ten steps. Clint has many interesting perspectives that sheds vsluable light on the book. Also Rawn Clark's book A Bardon Companion is also highly recommended for anyone interested in Bardon's system.
Bardon is somebody... he tells these stories and gives these methods, and if you just engage your intuition and imagine what he's telling you and don't strain with it... At some point, maybe years down the line, it'll pop up out of nowhere and you realize he's taught you this marvelous complex thing that had nothing to do with the surface elements of what he was saying at all. And you go back and re-read and this time you put yourself in the story and walk yourself through and imagine yourself in the role and doing these things, and you practice them over and over, and you do the whole thing yourself, and you get even more of it. Imagination is the key to the whole thing.
I love "Hermetic Philosophy and Creative Alchemy" by Marlene Seven Bremner. I also read "Hermetic Philosophy Collections" by various authors. My interest is the principles and thinking of how to apply those to my life and belief systems. My goal isn't personal power. My value is mind and soul development. My energy work came through meditation and breath work.
Do my Virgo placements in astrology I enjoy discipline and routine, I am all about the details, I notice everything lol, my dad was in the army , my mom was very strict, so I didn’t notice it in the book, lol. But I can see what you talk about. I am enjoying the reading.
This is why I love and appreciate your book reviews. The occult market seems flooded with material that has a slew of problems and sometimes it's hard to sift through. Your book recommendations are fabulous. For example I just finished Spellcraft and Spellwork by Ariana Carrasca and it was excellent. Thanks Ivy!
Thank you for a very successful presentation of this important book. A rigorous approach to magical mental, psychic and physical training can bear many fruits and inspire much greater freedom in magical practice. 🍒🍎🍇🫒🍓
Woke up with abilities after not believing in anything. I asked God to show me what to do with all of this. The next thing that happened was a TH-cam video popped up with this book. That was 5 years ago and since then I have mastered his books and teach it to others. It’s not flawed it’s exactly as it should be. Not everyone should have this. But EVERYONE can do it!
Completing this system is not easy-it takes not months or a few years-it's a lifetime commitment. But the end result is most probably more than worth it. It's not some cheap trick, like levitation; it is the union with the divine. It takes at least 5-6 years to complete for a few lucky ones, 10-20 years on average, and probably more than one lifetime for many people. 90% will be stuck on level 1 or 2, like me, because you don't get much incentives to go through it and there are almost no ways to measure the results until you reach at least steps 3-4. Feels like going through a desert. So, the form of the book is not important, who the f... cares. Just outgrow the form. Go straight into the essence. Rawn Clark has a good guide on his channel and it helps to anyone who is interested to clear some misconceptions and the difference between his time and ours. Btw his approach and his time were much better than ours, no softness and politeness, just raw essence and much more time to do the real thing.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book and Bardon's system of magic Ivy! Been working slowly through the first module of Josephine McCarthy's Quareia course (in the Apprentice book), and it similarly has a very disciplined gradual approach which is sure to take me years and years to move through as a system. Was also really curious of Bardon's system as an alternate pathway, so glad to have seen your review!
If I'm not mistaken, I think Quareia might be a more complete system from the perspective of the modern magician. I haven't flipped through McCarthy's stuff in a while but you might find it more rewarding. Bardon's system of magic was revolutionary at the time but flipping through it now, it might be underwhelming for you!
So two things... 1. Do you have any videos where you go into more depth regarding thaumaturgy, as well as sources where we can see how it is applied within Neoplatonism? 2. I used this book as part of a study course and I beleve (I might be wrong, but others have said this as well) that this text was the first time that elemental correspondences were presented as energy. That's part of the reason why it was revolutionary back in the fifties. Before then, elemental correspondences were considered occult virtues and properties of things, but was not specifically called energy. The individuals I talked to also said that the idea of elemental energies we see in the Golden Dawn was influenced by this book. So that might be something to take into consideration while looking at the text.
To your first point, I do not have any videos that go into thaumaturgy with sources as to how it's applied in a neoplatonic sense. But I will say, thaumaturgy varies vastly. I acknowledge that unlike other forms of thaumaturgy (that may focus on achieving material gains) Neoplatonic thaumaturgy is more grounded in harmonizing with the divine in order to elevate the soul. I once attended a neoplatonic theurgy seminar and it was so interesting. From my understanding, neoplatonic thaumaturgy can be considered very close to theurgy. To your second point, I loved hearing your thoughts. Thank you for sharing!
Honestly, I couldn't read it without moral support as well. 😂 If you ever feel called to read it, we have all our zoom meetings up for channel members to watch later on as they read the book. And you can jump in on the discussion in discord any time as people work through the exercises!
Cute! Cute! Cute turtle neck! You don’t have to hide vamp bites from us Ivy! J/K 🤭 fr though cute turtle neck. (Don’t worry my comment is not a reflection on attention to your educational content. Your magickal experience, wisdom and opinion is something I very much look forward to.)
Initiation Into Hermetics is basically the book that opened the path to all energy work we do now 🙌🙌🙌🙌
I have this book at home. As far as historical occult writing goes, its a gem. Its a snapshot of what occultism was like at the time. Just like the many great books that precede it. However, the longer I study mysticism, metaphysics, spirituality, the occult--whatever you want to call it--the more I realize how much of personal gnosis or group gnosis is placed in such books. Crowley's works are rife with it. And he makes as many if not more ridiculous claims than Bardon.
What I can say about Bardon's work is: at least the subject matter is well organized. So many grimoires and instructional texts of the time do not seem to follow regimented thought patterns. One thing that I think is true about works such as Bardon's is the old-time belief that you had to suffer to get anywhere. Not to mention the tasks, criteria, and time involvement usually was beyond the reach of anyone other than the wealthy. To some extent, that is true today.
That is not to say that putting time into study and practice are not fruitful endeavors, they certainly are. However, I suspect that the road to spiritual progression is less rigorous than most of these men make it out to be. After all, blinds were commonly placed into such texts as a way to keep secret information away from the uninitiated. Having read books of antiquity, there seemed to be a consensus amongst these writers that such information should never fall into the hands of some amorphous unworthy. Abramelin the Mage is clear on this point and it seems to be something that rippled down through to the Golden Dawn and others.
However, with abuse being common amongst supposed masters taking advantage of truth seekers, this is not a recommended path anymore. As they say in Buddhism, nature becomes one's master. So the point I am trying to make is that times have changed. Bardon's instructions might work for some. Others don't have the time, as they are busy trying to survive in an economy that wants to eat them alive. This is a critique I've held against many monastic or ascetic paths. It might work for the monk who has time to dedicate to the practice, but for the rest of us its a bit more complicated. Even Buddha said that someone can gain enlightenment instantly. Or it might take several lifetimes.
Current price on Amazon is $40. If you are interested in the work, I'd suggest getting it on Kindle for $14 instead.
Such great points. I really loved reading your thoughts!
Interesting! What does "blinds were commonly placed" mean?
@@lisaevenson3551 Blinds are intentionally misleading information in the text that only someone who had been initiated and taught would know was not true. One good common example of this is the Golden Dawn's placement of the wand and knife.
IMO the reason Bardon is mandatory reading is because many modern occult books are heavily inspired by IIH assuming they haven't just taken exercises from him verbatim without attribution. Like reading Agrippa, knowledge of Bardon will help you navigate modern occultism even if you never adopt any of his practices.
This was one of the first occult books I read and followed the exercised in. It made my head explode. I read it in 1984-85? I did not complete the entire book. It was too hard, but many of the things I learned from it, never left me. Glad to see you review this classic, Ivy!
Excellent analysis. Thanks for all your work.
I've really enjoyed this book and I look forward to going through the steps and seeing how my practice evolves through it.
It's like reading translated stereo instructions. However it has a TON of value. The Pore Breathing alone is worth the price of admission.
I would also like to add his Fluid Condenser is magic soup. So soup is magic
I was literally contemplating stopping the initiation into hermetics practice. I had so many false starts, I thought about giving up. I’m not new to this so I question what I’d get out of it. But you definitely gave me the answer I need. It’s too obscure of a book to be a coincidence to me lol. Also, for anyone interested, the book can be read for free; the pdf is everywhere and there are communities with a bunch of insight on the practice.
I will say, it feels soooo boring and drones on and on for the first half of the book. But once you get to about Step 5, things really start to get interesting!
It's not a book to be _read_ . It's a training curriculum... its value can only be appreciated by those who have _done its work_ .
This really a hidden gem... I might check it out. Good stuff as always Ivy! 🤘🍎🐍
After WW2, many initiates all across the board didn't have access to Physical Lodges or ways to receive their study lessons for obvious reasons. This book filled that gap & hence was praised and passed down till the modern day. The exercises are similar to what you'd find in various Rosicrucian, Theosophical & Sufis Orders, and if you ask the mystics in those traditions they will tell you it's better used as a compliment to those who already formerly received some form of traditional Initiation, which i 1000% agree. IIH was not written for aspirants, which is why it seems too "Hard" and "Rigorous" to many.
I could levitate when I was a child and wish I could do it now. This sounds intresting.
I would love to hear your experience as an adult attempting to do this!
The differences in some of the elemental associations between this book and what I'm used to was also a put off for me when I first started reading it, but after reading further in, the book itself answered my question, on page 106:
"Making use of the above colors during your exercises by applying the respective colors to their particular element is an individual choice; it is not absolutely necessary." I am also big on discipline so this type of format works for me as well, but many in the Bardonist community will tell you that the rigorousness towards the exercises that he espouses is less important than the consistency that he espouses.
😊
P
It is so true... consistency is often more important than perfectly following each step! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. 🖤
I really liked your review and to me Bardon's book is a classic, even though it has its flaws.
You should do an interview with Franz Bardon specialist Clint Sabom, who has an excellent youtube channel where he guides Bardon practioners through the practice of the Ten steps.
Clint has many interesting perspectives that sheds vsluable light on the book.
Also Rawn Clark's book A Bardon Companion is also highly recommended for anyone interested in Bardon's system.
I'll have to check that person out. Thanks for the recommendation!
I adore your book review videos! 💕
Aw thank you! I'm glad!
Bardon is somebody... he tells these stories and gives these methods, and if you just engage your intuition and imagine what he's telling you and don't strain with it... At some point, maybe years down the line, it'll pop up out of nowhere and you realize he's taught you this marvelous complex thing that had nothing to do with the surface elements of what he was saying at all. And you go back and re-read and this time you put yourself in the story and walk yourself through and imagine yourself in the role and doing these things, and you practice them over and over, and you do the whole thing yourself, and you get even more of it. Imagination is the key to the whole thing.
I love "Hermetic Philosophy and Creative Alchemy" by Marlene Seven Bremner. I also read "Hermetic Philosophy Collections" by various authors. My interest is the principles and thinking of how to apply those to my life and belief systems. My goal isn't personal power. My value is mind and soul development.
My energy work came through meditation and breath work.
Do my Virgo placements in astrology I enjoy discipline and routine, I am all about the details, I notice everything lol, my dad was in the army , my mom was very strict, so I didn’t notice it in the book, lol. But I can see what you talk about.
I am enjoying the reading.
Same here... Military father. I hardly noticed the discipline aspect until others pointed it out and I read that section on asceticism 😂
This is why I love and appreciate your book reviews. The occult market seems flooded with material that has a slew of problems and sometimes it's hard to sift through. Your book recommendations are fabulous. For example I just finished Spellcraft and Spellwork by Ariana Carrasca and it was excellent. Thanks Ivy!
Oh yay I'm so glad you loved Ari's book! And thank you so much for the kind words!!
Thank you for a very successful presentation of this important book. A rigorous approach to magical mental, psychic and physical training can bear many fruits and inspire much greater freedom in magical practice. 🍒🍎🍇🫒🍓
💜 your content, thank you.
🖤🖤
The title of this video sucked me in 😂 awesome review, def gonna read it (and probably then have to get the rest of his books too 😅)
Haha please update me on your thoughts after you read it!!! I thrive on book reviews 😂
Woke up with abilities after not believing in anything. I asked God to show me what to do with all of this. The next thing that happened was a TH-cam video popped up with this book. That was 5 years ago and since then I have mastered his books and teach it to others.
It’s not flawed it’s exactly as it should be. Not everyone should have this. But EVERYONE can do it!
Nice story
glad its still being passed around.
If you liked this, I think you would also enjoy Josephine McCarthy's Quareia course, which is available for free on her website, in its entirety.
@@lakshyas_library oh yes, I'm familiar with it! 🥰 Thank you for the rec regardless! 🖤🖤
How funny, I follow you for a while, and just few days ago I started IIH exercises :D
Divine coincidence!
❤❤❤
Have you completed the training in IIH?
Completing this system is not easy-it takes not months or a few years-it's a lifetime commitment. But the end result is most probably more than worth it. It's not some cheap trick, like levitation; it is the union with the divine.
It takes at least 5-6 years to complete for a few lucky ones, 10-20 years on average, and probably more than one lifetime for many people. 90% will be stuck on level 1 or 2, like me, because you don't get much incentives to go through it and there are almost no ways to measure the results until you reach at least steps 3-4. Feels like going through a desert.
So, the form of the book is not important, who the f... cares. Just outgrow the form. Go straight into the essence. Rawn Clark has a good guide on his channel and it helps to anyone who is interested to clear some misconceptions and the difference between his time and ours.
Btw his approach and his time were much better than ours, no softness and politeness, just raw essence and much more time to do the real thing.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book and Bardon's system of magic Ivy! Been working slowly through the first module of Josephine McCarthy's Quareia course (in the Apprentice book), and it similarly has a very disciplined gradual approach which is sure to take me years and years to move through as a system. Was also really curious of Bardon's system as an alternate pathway, so glad to have seen your review!
If I'm not mistaken, I think Quareia might be a more complete system from the perspective of the modern magician. I haven't flipped through McCarthy's stuff in a while but you might find it more rewarding. Bardon's system of magic was revolutionary at the time but flipping through it now, it might be underwhelming for you!
So two things...
1. Do you have any videos where you go into more depth regarding thaumaturgy, as well as sources where we can see how it is applied within Neoplatonism?
2. I used this book as part of a study course and I beleve (I might be wrong, but others have said this as well) that this text was the first time that elemental correspondences were presented as energy. That's part of the reason why it was revolutionary back in the fifties. Before then, elemental correspondences were considered occult virtues and properties of things, but was not specifically called energy. The individuals I talked to also said that the idea of elemental energies we see in the Golden Dawn was influenced by this book. So that might be something to take into consideration while looking at the text.
To your first point, I do not have any videos that go into thaumaturgy with sources as to how it's applied in a neoplatonic sense. But I will say, thaumaturgy varies vastly. I acknowledge that unlike other forms of thaumaturgy (that may focus on achieving material gains) Neoplatonic thaumaturgy is more grounded in harmonizing with the divine in order to elevate the soul. I once attended a neoplatonic theurgy seminar and it was so interesting. From my understanding, neoplatonic thaumaturgy can be considered very close to theurgy.
To your second point, I loved hearing your thoughts. Thank you for sharing!
Thank u queen! I have this book and I’m always postponing it for later. I will read it asap!!
Prepare to be really bored until you get to about Step 5; then things get weird and interesting! 😂
@ thank you for the spoiler 😂😂😂
I’ve had this book for years and have tried to read it several times but just can’t get into it! Wish I’d been in your book club for moral support. 😆
Honestly, I couldn't read it without moral support as well. 😂 If you ever feel called to read it, we have all our zoom meetings up for channel members to watch later on as they read the book. And you can jump in on the discussion in discord any time as people work through the exercises!
Cute! Cute! Cute turtle neck! You don’t have to hide vamp bites from us Ivy! J/K 🤭 fr though cute turtle neck. (Don’t worry my comment is not a reflection on attention to your educational content. Your magickal experience, wisdom and opinion is something I very much look forward to.)
Haha thank you!!
We. Are. Screwed!!!!
Yep