Condensed Chaos: An Introduction to Chaos Magic Paperback – 1 Jan. 2010

A seemingly condensed book yet with a lot of depth if you take the time to read and absorb. This is not an off the shelf 'spell book', this is a work that sparks and ignite inner worlds while providing basic, yet solid, structures for the journey.Read once through, then read again with notes, then apply.Highly recommended.JRH.

A someone who has read many a book on magic over the years, going on my own journey, I found this book helpful in confirming what I already know in a down to earth, matter of fact way. With the occasional inspired insight it describes what chaos magick is so that the reader comes away with a feeling of achievement and the desire to learn more...

Amazing book! It is as it says. Introduction...if you are novice in magic business this book will take you from 0 to...whatever your scale is. Personally I found very useful, I hope you will too.

I was interested to know more about Chaos Magic. I didn't realise how practical it can be. It has useful strategies for problem solving and accepting your emotions much like other forms of personal development.

It’s a heavy read but good if you’re interested in Choas Magick

Phil Hine, very well done, fantastical magical read, the coverart takes me back to a young innocent perceptive happy experimental, free time in my life, Brilliant read Phil.

Author at times condescending and arrogant. His writing style is also very monotonous, with few paragraphs and sometimes a whole page with no paragraph break. Felt myself falling asleep trying to get through this book.I have only given this 3 stars because the sections on servitors and sigils are pretty in depth and there are some good techniques. Overall though, the other authors on this subject are just more enjoyable to read when it comes to theory and have equally good techniques.

A wonderful starting point into Chaos magic. Informative and amusing, it comes highly recommended for anyone interesting in finding out the basics.

Phil Hine is a respected author in this category for a reason — his writing is clear and concise, he has bits of instruction, and he's a knowledgeable fella!If you're like so many others looking for a "perfect" introduction to thinking with magic(k), you can't do much better than this in terms of accessibility.

Very good intro to chaos magic!

Straight to the point and very clear.The downside is that I feel like he could have gone far more in depth in many aspects.

Now let me preface this by suggesting that you also read books by Robert Anton Wilson, he introduces concepts of 'reality tunnels' that make the concept of a 'meta paradigm' more accessible. Not everyone will need Robert Anton Wilson's writing to 'get' chaos magic, but his books are quite valuable anyway - and if you do have a problem, his writing should clear it up.And after you read Condensed Chaos, I'd suggest Pete Carrol's Liber Null and Psychonaught. Liber Null and Psychonaught is meant to be the introduction to Chaos magic, but 'Pope Pete' (he did 'invent' chaos magic, cribbing from Austin Spare to do it) tends to be pretty BAD about creating very specific paradigm concepts that can fool a person into thinking it's a 'one right way', and also he is very intelligent and a science buff and his metaphors and use of language can be intimidating to many. So read this AFTER Condensed Chaos, please!Chaos magic is a 'meta paradigm', it suggests that every 'magical act' from prayer to Voudon works the same way : Belief + Gnosis + desire = result! Gnosis in this sense means a state of 'not thinking', such as when you are absent minded, experiencing sexual orgasm. And the 'Belief' is unrelated to truth and indeed can be temporary, as in suspending your disbelief as you might to enjoy a not entirely realistic action movie!So when any author writes about chaos magic and suggests specific ideas, they are shared because they work for the author, not because it is an ONLY way to work. What works best for any chaos magician may be unique to that chaos magician, it takes some practice and focus on the results you get to find what works.That said, this Condensed Chaos is EXCELLENT! And much of what Phil Hine shares will work for YOU and anyone else! I also appreciate that Phil Hine presents a coherent and practical approach to magic that will definitely help you realize positive results sooner rather than later! This is the chaos magic introduction that will excite you and get you using the unfair advantage of magic in your life!

前半にケイオスマジックの歴史やシジル等の特徴について分かり易くまとめられている。最初にケイオスマジックについて知りたい向きには国書刊行会で邦訳が出ているPeter J CarrollのLiber Nullよりもむしろ分かり易いと思う。さらに読者が著者のPhil Hineのエンジニアリング的な部分が気に入れば一気に引き込まれると思う。COBOLやS.W.O.T.分析などの用語の出てくる魔術書など想像できなかった。ましてやSERVITOR PROGRAMMING LANGUAGEにいたっては、コンピュータ関連書籍を読んでいる気にさせられた。ただこの文脈で説明されてわかることが出来れば、願いをプログラミングするという概念を理解しやすいと思う。Kildle版を読んでから結局ペーパバック版を買ったのは、後半のガネーシャについて書かれた章が特に気に入ったから。グラント・モリソンのThe InvisiblesのなかでKing Mob が I WORSHIP A GOD WITH AN ELEPHANT HEAD!と叫んでいるのを思い出した。