I don’t believe I’ve spent as much time reading 68 pages as I have with John Wilson’s Lesser Magic. I have read and reread it several times since acquiring it a few months ago.
“Reading a second time leading to a different shift than the first, the coordinates having shifted, the perspective experiencing them having changed by encountering them before.”
John Wilson, Mirrors
John Wilson is a Dallas, Tx. based magician, tarologist, physicist, and hypnotist. His publisher is Dark Arts Press that he runs with Jared Kopf. The books, both physical and digital, aren’t the typical fare – although they have been distributed by some of the major magic vendors.
Lesser Magic is a collection of magic effects and essays. The magic is close using cards both standard and tarot and coins. The card plots range from a variation of Out of This World to applying a Chris Kenner idea to tarot cards. Personally I don’t know if I would perform magic with tarot cards as there is a chance one might be messing with someone’s beliefs. The coin effect is an approach to Hakuin Ekaku’s koan: what is the sound of one hand clapping?
“The coins we vanish are all imaginary coins that were switched real ones (or in very special cases we only hold the imaginary coins!) Once the coin we hold an imaginary coin, it is very easy to vanish. All we have to do is stop imagining it.”
John Wilson, Vanish
The essays are influenced by Eastern thought specifically Alan Watts and Lao Tsu. However they’re quite magical and thought provoking.
His thoughts on the tarot are shaped by the writings of Enrique Enriquez. A name that I was introduced to in John’s interview on the Magical Thinking podcast.
I greatly enjoyed this book. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea as John’s thinking might be a bit esoteric for some. Additionally the price point may be off-putting as it’s priced to warn off the mildly curious. I will return to this often. You might too.
