The Magician's Workbook: “Practicing the Rituals of the Western Tradition” by Donald Tyson

“This text contains 40 magical exercises to be done immediately, along with a progressive 40-week schedule of daily study that integrates inner mental conditioning with external words and movements. It is a primer for the further study of the Golden Dawn and other forms of Western magic.”

That at least is what Amazon has to say on the matter, and I suppose broadly speaking it is correct. The book is a magical primer, and it does break down core practices of ritual magic. It is accessible and well written. The author's introduction and preface make particularly excellent reading, arguing as he does for a more developed and accessible approach to be taken to ritual magic.

The exercises are presented well, and are explained in clear concise terms. Of particular benefit are the descriptions of the relevant visualizations during ritual, information which is often omitted in some of the older classic texts. All this being said, I don't believe that this is a book that can be read alone. Whilst it is clearly the author’s intent to present magical practices without the associated philosophy, mystical history and esoteric bumph, I personally believe that having a grounding in the background knowledge of Western occultism is vital, and this is not provided here. Also, the 40-week study program is a little ambitious especially for those who have a job and/or other work to be doing.

In general terms however an excellent beginners primer, with clear rituals and visualizations, which does, in my view, need to be read in connection with other works.