Eight Lectures on Yoga

by Aleister Crowley

Book Overview

A totally new edition of Crowley's famous treatise, Eight Lectures On Yoga is still the most scientific and informative work on Yoga ever written. It focuses on the essence of the subject and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0941404366
• ISBN13: 9780941404365
• Release Date: January 1985
• Publisher: New Falcon Publications
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

for the ultimate in precision of thought

when you read a book of this caliber you must look up each and every word that you do not know the correct defination of. Aleister Crowley has a command over the english language. This book proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

An Essential Cornerstone

After some years of study of Crowley and his system of Magick I find that his writings on Yoga are indeed the first steps that one must take in order to progress in the proper direction in this particular discipline. It is even to be found in his writings on Yoga that Magick and Yoga are one and the same. Although I must say that his approach to Yoga is not one of say an orthodox practitioner, it nevertheless produces results that are just as tangible if one were to study under the tutelage of a traditional instructor who favored the ethical and moralistic aspect's that have been passed down over the ages. His detailed methods of Scientific Illuminism are structured in such a way so as to bring about the highest level of Yogic attainment in a shorter duration than was previously possible. I wholeheartedly recommend the Eight Limbs to anyone who is even remotely interested in the study of Yoga or Magick.

Clear, no nonsense approach

I find this book to be a clear exposition of yoga from someone who is one of the icons of 20th century occult mysticism. Unlike many approaches to Eastern spiritual disciplines, this book neither trivializes the subject, nor accepts every detail of Eastern nonsense. I find his explanations clear and I enjoy his humor. The type of yoga Crowley is discussing is quite different than the gymnastics we in the West associate with the subject, but I really think he gets closer to the heart of the matter than any other writer I've ever seen. If I were going to pick only 1 book on yoga, this would be it.

Easy to understand

This book by Crowley is easy to understand. It is written for the beginning and intermediate student. Theres a chapter written for the beginner and another chapter for the intermediate. Aleister Crowley was a great yogi and magician. This book will tell you what yoga is really all about. This is a great book to start out with if you are interested in Yoga. Also Sir Crowley dismisses the misconceptions about yoga. Even if you only plann to learn the basics of yoga this is still a great book to get.

Response to negative review

I'd like to briefly respond to gsibbery's negative review.Gsibbery seems to have little understanding of Crowley and the law of Thelema--"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law." Yogaic Union and the Thelema are not contradictory in the slightest. "Do what thou wilt" does not mean do whatever your foolish human body desires; it means strive to discover and achieve your True Will, which can be likened to the "voice of god" within you (in religious terms). Yogaic Union with your body and with reality is essential for discovering your True Will and your holy purpose on this planet. No contradiction there. Beware of people speaking hatefully of the "Great Beast"--it is all too likely that they are christians or narrowminded or both. Crowley was a genius--a flawed genius, sure, but a genius all the same. And besides that, he's entertaining as hell. I would not recommend this book to anyone seeking an introduction to yoga. The way to learn yoga is to do it. Once you get comfortable doing it and youve read a few introductory books & would like to think more deeply about the philosophy behind yoga, then go ahead & read this book. But you might not enjoy it unless you are familiar with Crowley's works. I'd recommend "Cosmic Trigger" by Robert Anton Wilson as a good introduction to mad Uncle Aleister.