Magick Without Tears, a series of letters, was the last book written by English occult

Occult

The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...

ist Aleister Crowley

Aleister Crowley

Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...

 (1875–1947), although it was not published until after his death. It was written in the mid-1940s and published in 1954 with a foreword

Foreword

A foreword is a piece of writing sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the writer of the foreword and the book's primary author or the story the book tells...

 by its editor, Karl Germer

Karl Germer

Karl Germer was the Outer Head of the Order of Ordo Templi Orientis from 1947 until his death in 1962...

.

Summary

The book consists of 80 letters to various students of magick. Originally to be titled Aleister Explains Everything, the letters offer his insights into both magick and Thelema

Thelema

Thelema is a religious philosophy that was established, defined and developed by the early 20th century British writer and ceremonial magician, Aleister Crowley. He believed himself to be the prophet of a new age, the Æon of Horus, based upon a religious experience that he had in Egypt in 1904...

—-Crowley's religious and ethical system—-with a clarity and wit often absent in his earlier writings. The individual topics are widely varied, addressing the orders O.T.O.

Ordo Templi Orientis

Ordo Templi Orientis is an international fraternal and religious organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century...

 and A∴A∴, Qabalah, Thelemic morality, Yoga

Yoga

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...

, astrology

Astrology

Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...

, various magical techniques, religion, death, spiritual visions, the Holy Guardian Angel

Holy Guardian Angel

The term Holy Guardian Angel was possibly coined either by Abraham of Würzburg, a French Cabalist who wrote a book on ceremonial magick during the 15th century or Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, the founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, who later translated this manuscript and...

, and other issues such as marriage, property, certainty, and meanness. The book is considered by many as evidence that Crowley remained lucid and mentally capable at the end of his life, despite his addiction to heroin (prescribed for his chronic emphysema

Emphysema

Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...

).

Allusions

• The title is after the 1936 play French Without Tears by Terence Rattigan
  Terence Rattigan
  Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan CBE was one of England's most popular 20th-century dramatists. His plays are generally set in an upper-middle-class background...
  
  
• The work is alluded to by the band Klaxons
  Klaxons
  Klaxons are a British indie rock band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007....
  
   in their 2006 single "Magick
  Magick (song)
  "Magick" is a song released by London new rave band Klaxons on October 30, 2006. It reached #29 in the UK singles chart, released on November 5...
  
  "
• Robert Anton Wilson's Audio series, consisting of a collection of interviews on topics such as language and consciousness, entitled "Robert Anton Wilson Explains Everything (or, Old Bob exposes his Ignorance) may have been a reference to the title of Crowley's work.

Editions

• Thelema Publications, First edition, 1954, with a foreword by its editor, Karl Germer
  Karl Germer
  Karl Germer was the Outer Head of the Order of Ordo Templi Orientis from 1947 until his death in 1962...
  
  
• Llewellyn, 1973 (first edition by Regardie-Falcon Press reprinted this exactly except for new aterword by the publisher)
• New Falcon Publications, April 1, 1991, introduced and edited by Israel Regardie
  Israel Regardie
  Israel Regardie, born Francis Israel Regudy was an occultist and writer, author of books on the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.-Early life:...
  
  ISBN 1-56184-018-1
• Falcon Press, 1982. ISBN 0-941404-17-X

External links

• Magick Without Tears, full text of first edition