"There is no truth, only stories." ~ Zuni saying.
Duquette opens Low Magick with the above quote, and you're in for an unexpectedly joyful journey through magick and life. It isn't quite a biography, but the liberal use of personal anecdotes makes it feel like one . . . one that will make you laugh out loud, a lot. But Low Magick isn't just stories (as good as they are) there is a LOT of useful information in here. Particularly the
insights about why DuQuette did certain rituals and why in certain ways. For example, when discussing a curse on a friend, rather than just using some standard ritual to undo it, or to just say what he did, the author explains his thinking (its all in your head, remember?) to show why he decided to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream as the foundation elements.
Switching back and forth bewtween traditional ceremonial magick sense and something more free form, DuQuette's stories flow all over the place -- which may be frustrating to the more linear thinkier out there. Personally, I found the links between Goetic demons to invoking Ganesha to the tune of “Pop Goes the Weasel,” from the Hermetic Rose Cross to gorging on quiche for astral adventures to be . . . well, not logical, exactly, but I 'got it.' As a devotee of Mercury, I found his story utterly hilarious. I'm not one for ceremonial magic most of the time, but I found Low Magick to be a useful addition to my magickal practice in many ways.
Highly enjoyable and absolutely recommended.
~review by Lisa Mc Sherry
Author: Lon Milo DuQuette
Llewellyn Worldwide, 2010
pp. 206, $16.95
