Oriental Magic

First published over 60 years ago, Idries Shah’s Oriental Magic remains a classic. For five years Shah examined rare artifacts and obscure manuscripts, travelling to remote areas in a dozen regions where magic persists. Neither credulous or skeptical, he takes the hocus-pocus out of magical texts, beliefs & practices. Yet he deepens its mystery, maybe even its use, with some intriguing and fruitful questions. Could the startling similarity in magical belief, practice and terminology around the world hint at a single origin? Could it’s universality and persistence together with confirmed eye-witness reports point to under-recognized, extraordinary mental and physical processes worth investigating objectively? Loaded with illustrations this brand new edition is sure to intrigue a new generation of readers.

One of the better comments on this book (and, I assume Shah’s The Secret Lore of Magic) is that provided by the publishers at their website[Idries Shah Foundation], presumably by Shah himself.“…..The main purpose of my books on magic was to make this material available to the general reader. For too long people believed that there were secret books, hidden places, and amazing things. They held onto this information as something to frighten themselves with. So the first purpose was information. This is the magic of East and West. That's all. There is no more. The second purpose of those books was to show that there do seem to be forces, some of which are either rationalized by this magic or may be developed from it, which do not come within customary physics or within the experience of ordinary people. I think this should be studied, that we should gather the data and analyze the phenomena. We need to separate the chemistry of magic from the alchemy, as it were.”The writer doing the reviewer’s job. Good book

Oriental Magic is a relatively early work by the great Sufi writer, Idries Shah. It examines magical practices and beliefs across a wide range of cultures - Indian, Persian, Egyptian, etc - identifying the ideas and beliefs that unite them. It's a fascinating book, especially when one considers the extraordinary variety of approaches to worship and the search for meaning by different people at different times. To me, the stand out chapter of the book is "The Fakirs and their Doctrines" which presents a very clear explanation of Sufic beliefs and practices. As always with Shah's work, the entire book leaves the reader with a lot to think about and to work with.

The anthology is clearly presented. The reader will have to do individual interpretations to apply the magic.

Nice item, thank you

Who seeks information about magic? To name just a few:1. Those who passionately desire to use it for their own achievement or to better the world: seekers of power, secrets and special knowledge, those who desire deep knowledge of and control over the invisible.2. Those who wish to debunk its public forms and help others not to be fooled by it: Illusionists, for interest, who reveal or duplicate the tricks, misdirection, and mild hypnotic suggestions that make up so much of the typical stage magician, guru, public faith healer, and other miracle worker's amazing feats.3. Those looking for information about the roots human psychology. Magic, ritual, and trance states have been with humans since earliest paleolithic times. They seem to be an ancient natural part of the developed human brain, possibly with biological roots.4. Those who see magic as either a metaphor for something else, like exterior evidence of an inner development or raised consciousness.Each of these groups will find treasures galore in this scholarly collection of obscure and fascinating magical practices and beliefs collected from a wide variety of sources, both written and oral, and likely existing in toto nowhere else. For some, the contexts, history, and reasons behind the beliefs, which are as well-researched as the practices themselves, will be the most interesting part of the book, as they provide some very interesting clues to the mystery that is humanity.By the way, although there is plenty of good information in Oriental Magic, this book is not a traditional textbook or reference work. It is chock full of with intriguing tales of magic: stories passed down from ancient and modern times about magical events, what transpired with people who practiced magic, and what happened to those who encountered magicians. These fascinating stories were fun to read and provided examples of the more abstract material. They kept things very lively for this reader!

ORIENTAL MAGIC is a fascinating, clear-eyed look at a difficult and potentially confusing subject. Author Idries Shah avoids the twin pitfalls of knee-jerk skepticism and foolish credulity, approaching the topic with an open yet critical mind. He makes accessible, in a highly readable way, the results of extensive and wide-ranging research, leavened with firsthand accounts of his own experiences. The result is an instructive book that’s well worth reading, regardless of what one’s beliefs about magic may be.

This early Idries Shah book seems like an experiment, yet it is also full of information and knowledge about magic from the Ancient Egyptians to China. One clear lesson built into its text: magic is not for everyone, maybe not even many magicians.

Learn magic as you would Chemistry...pun intended!

A very interesting book. Idries Shah explains briefly but eloquently many types of eastern magic. There're many useful things for the modern magicians.

Muito bom e bem completo! Fui recomendado por uma divindade e adorei o livro! Simplesmente completíssimo, tem tudo que se precisa saber.

Oriental Magic to me is another indispensible source of knowledge pertaining to the forgotten rituals and rites around the world.In this case, Asia is the area of the world where unknown practises are come to light and personal illumination.Ergo, a valuable rescource.

Sufis champion the right to know, and magic, shrouded as it has been in ignorance and secrecy, is one of the things about which we know little. Magic is connected to a wisdom, handed down through countless generations. Even though we may not want to admit it, traces still adhere to beliefs we think have superseded it. However its essence remains elusive, hidden behind obsessions, superstitions, and the beliefs of cults.In this book Idries Shah takes us back to the magical practices of the Jews, the Babylonians, and the ancient Egyptians. Then we go on a journey east, from North Africa, through Asia to China, Tibet, and Japan. On the way we see the diverse manifestations of the occult as they occurred in the mid-twentieth century. Shah’s account is detailed, entertaining and humorous, but behind the numerous spells and alchemical formulae, he detects a little known force. He sees no reason why this force cannot be investigated scientifically, but doubts that orthodox science will undertake the task. The serious students and investigators, he concludes, will be those who believe that in magic lies vast potential use and meaning.