Six Ways: Approaches & Entries for Practical Magic

This is a book that provides many possibilities for performing magic but doesn't overwhelm you. What I like most about the book is that the chapters are short, to the point, with little filler. When he describes a technique where there is another great reference, he gets to the salient points and then refers you to a more detailed source if that is something you want. He also gives credit where credit is due to other practitioners and authors. A quality I don't often find in other magicians. I also like how you can mix and match techniques. He doesn't bowl you over to make it sound like you have to do it a certain way. You can really be creative with his approach. His Chaos Magic background really shows here. I liked his sections on sigils, servitors, talismans, vessels, offerings, and weeding out to be the most useful for me. But the entire book is really good and you will find something that can enhance your toolbox. When he talks about calling up spirits on page 20 using invocation or evocation, he makes it sound so simple and sensible that your imagination runs with all the different ways you could possibly use it. The book is straight-forward and an easy read. However, it is complex enough to wet your appetite in trying other approaches. This is one you can read again and again. For his next book, I would like to hear more of Aidan's magical philosophy. It is definitely in this book, but such discussion could help the magician. Excellent work. Well done!

It's elegant the way that Wacher presents this spiritual path. The presentation is compassionate, non-judgemental and delivered in a relaxed manner with smile and a wink at times. By the end, I was left with the impression that I sat down and had a conversation where I asked Wacher to tell me how he approaches his path. In turn Wacher tells me without ever trying to impose it. His own path derives from exploring many different magical paths and taking from each what was needed, but unlike other sources, this is not a grab bag of appropriation. Wacher studied each of these paths and understands their context. While he doesn't always explain the context or cosmological source material, he generously credits them and provides sources for additional study. This is a great strength. As someone who has spent some time studying in this arena, I recognize the sources and don't need them spelled out again. Doing that would have detracted from the books message, which is ultimately, this is not complicated, anyone can do it and there's no reason not to be doing it right now. I wrestled for a while with this as a source for a beginner. I suppose it depends. I'm a person that wants to read *everything* before I get started and while I find that useful in the long run, it often means that I delay starting to the point where I might not start at all. I also think that as a beginner I'd have been skeptical or dismissive of the early exercises in the book aimed at working on removing self-limiting thought - this is me and not remotely everyone. So, I that if I were a beginner, I would have missed the value in this book. But for many beginners it would be a a great starting point. Beginners that took up the practices would find their value and have a working practice in a short amount of time. This practice would also be a fully formed path, but refreshingly sparse, allowing room and probably desire for further study, and the ability to add what is needed and let go of what isn't. Refreshingly sparse is such a key feature to this path. I don't know how many other books or spiritual systems describe a "simple working" and then go on to list 20 necessary tools and items, 2 hours of prep work and it all needs to happen during the 1 night a month that the moon is at the right aspect. As someone who has been doing this in a variety of forms for over 20 years, I can say that it is a kick in the butt to remind me what is important and to make me re-evaluate what I'm doing and not doing. While I frequently fail to be the magical/spiritual minimalist that I aspire to be, I think it's at the heart of everything and I have not found a better presentation than in Six Ways.

What a book. I was almost disappointed at how slim it appeared until I opened it and, I have to admit, my eyes bulged out of my head a little at the size of the text and the density. And it's not some Chumbley/Trad-Craft-esque foray into poetic mysticism and shaded metaphors. Aiden gets straight to the point and makes you take steps to begin this system of magic from the very first chapter. I'm still chewing on the first five chapters myself, and seeing how the processes laid out therein have already affected my view, requiring me to think deeper on certain beliefs and practices in which I currently partake. Though it's a slim book, it is entirely substance over style, and every page has been earned through blood, sweat, and tears. There is no filler anecdotal nonsense to make you feel inferior if you don't have intense and psychologically disturbing experiences with the provided exercises. The book is not an authors attempt to make themselves sound incredibly powerful or mystical by luring yiu in with homely stories and tales. Wachter gets straight to the point, and keeps your nose to the grind stone the entire way through. I will admit I was hesitant to buy this book. The quality of many new books tends to scare me off spending my money, but loterslly every personal acquaintance I asked about this one said they either adored it, or they had heard nothing but rave reviews. Well, I'm raving. This book is incredible. More than any I have ever read, this book teaches you how to find yiur own way by explicitly stating that you should not take the author's methods as your own. Instead, we are explicitly told to take it and try it, then alter it, or don't use it again if it doesn't work. It's extremely refreshing, and has me biting at the bit to read more.

I wanted to review this book when I first received it, really I did. And I tend to give short shrift to gushing reviews by folks who “are only 20 pages in but just had to review.” Yet. Author Aidan Wachter invites you to work, not just skim along with the brain. And he is so disarmingly honest, so elegantly serious, so downright magical in a way that makes you believe (perhaps for the first time) that magic is really real, that his readers will fall under his spell to respond in kind. But working the work takes time, and effort. To do justice to this book means it will take me years to finish it. (And I just might be a magician by then.) I thought I’d offer a review in the meantime. If you want real, hard-won, practical information on how to live a life engaged with magic, from someone who works deeply and with a minimum of fanfare, here is pure gold. No attempts to convince you of theories, or even of the reality of the author's own experiences. At every turn you are encouraged to find your own experiences, and to rest easily with the uncertainties of exploration. I felt a sense of relief as I read this book. The man behind the curtain is for real. The book opens with a request—to articulate why you are reading it, before reading further—and gives gentle guidance to clarify your thinking. Refreshing, and immediately useful--being clear with oneself and one's desires is the first magical discipline. (Contrast with Paul Huson’s opening assignment to say the Lord’s Prayer backwards, a challenge wrapped in layers of mystique and muddy motivation, in my book, though you are of course free to disagree.) I had to stop and think and write for a good while before turning to the next page, though the effort was worthwhile. And so it’s gone, as I wend my through the book. There are exercises aplenty, and those I have worked with have been rich. Aidan covers all the bases while freely admitting his own palette of strengths and non (there’s little on card divination, for example). Like a true way-finder, he knows the terrain intimately enough to strike out off-trail; he knows his power spots and how to return to them. With winsome humility he offers a treasure trove of maps to those just setting out, or who need a signpost or two on their on-going journey. I’m grateful Aidan Wachter took the time and care to note down his distilled understanding in this finely-crafted book.

There are so many good things about Six Ways that it's difficult to succinctly say what I like about it, and thusly I choose two chapters to highlight. Firstly, Chapter 20, the last paragraph, which reads "You are what you do. So choose what you do carefully. Choose who you engage with, Choose what stories you tell yourself about why things are the way they are for you. Choose to believe that you can change what needs to be changed. Act from this position. Make it true." As someone that has been practicing for a few years, I cannot stress how important this is. Conscious choice and awareness in as many moments as we can is critical. Learning to not rush through life, through this process, through task after task until we can "do magic", is critical. Life is itself, great magic, even the "mundane", or boring, aspects of it. We have a choice how we live this moment, life is all about choices. "Little" ones are not little. There is no separation between "life" and "magic" IMO. I can weave whatever I choose and life will weave itself into a result. The more conscious I am about the potential impact of a single moment, the better off I am. The second chapter I wish to highlight is Chapter 27, on Talismanic Magic. A sentence here that really got my attention is "The talisman is a meeting point of power, will, desire, intention, and action...", and another, "A sorcerer seeks power. Not necessarily in the larger, social sense, but in the sense of seeking powerful currents that lead to where they are going." The footnoted definition of power at the bottom of page 125, "power from within and also power with others rather than with coercion and domination based power over others" is also noteworthy and salient. Lastly, the discussion of etymology of sorcery being, "one who lays out lots", and the discussion of how fate and destiny are lots, as well as the sentence "To lay out destinies or fates is to choose a direction, what it looks like, feels like, tastes like, and to manifest it." The ideas in Chapter 20 flow beautifully here into the ideas in Chapter 27. Conscious choice and conscious awareness of the moments and seconds lead us here, into that meeting point. I have, hopefully, done my homework, and am ready to manifest whatever I have decided I want to. But I'm not going to do what Hollywood wants me to do here. If we have an understanding about what magic and life really are, we strive to live in cooperation and harmony with ourselves, with the forces and with the Field, making it much more likely that we can manifest what we desire. We don't have to strive for domination and control. What we want is cooperation, harmony, and flow. Why? For a few reasons: Firstly, we can often sway the currents in our favor by seeking cooperation, harmony, and flow-rather than seeking to harness, dominate, or coerce (this of course depends on the purpose of the work you're attempting). Secondly, we may tend to find our lives reflecting the results...the work we do is casting our own lots. If we are always seeking domination and control, that will reflect itself in the currents of our lives...if we seek harmony, cooperation, balance, and flow, domination and control as an overriding goal won't get us there. These are just a few thoughts and impressions I have in my study of Six Ways. Bravo, Aidan Wachter. There are few books out there that pack so many good things in so few pages. Well done.

This work is truly phenomenal. I've been practicing magic for three decades + have an extensive library of occult titles. Six Ways stands out because Mr. Wachter has accomplished something very few do. He gets to the roots of the practice of magic. Rather than limit you to his particular methods of practice, he gets to the magical wiring under the board. He helps you to understand how things work + why we do certain things, which then makes deciding what to do a thousand times easier. This book is also saturated + I mean that in the best possible way. It's dense with information + wisdom + understanding that can only be transmitted by someone with a ton of rock solid experience in practical magic. He also speaks to things largely absent in most magical texts, thing which make a deep difference both perceptually + practically. I wish I'd had this book when I first started practicing. It would have saved me a lot of wasted time + wasted energy. The beauty of Six Ways, to me, is how it's as equally valuable to someone brand new to magic as it is to someone who's practiced for years. There are jewels here for everyone. This isn't another book of reheated stuff we've all read countless times. Six Ways has fast become one of my very favorite books on magic. Did I mention Mr. Wachter also managed to weave humor into the work? So much so that, at times, I was literally laughing out loud. That's a refreshing thing in a scene where most people, in my opinion, take themselves too seriously. That said, this is a serious work by a serious practitioner. In my mind, this is the book the magical community needs. I fully expect it to become a classic and with good reason.

There are so many books not even worth reading on magic out there these days... this is not one of them. Wachter has this wonderful writing style that at turns feels as if you are having a rich, private conversation with a comrade who is also experienced in magic, and then deftly, clearly speaks to the heart of one who is exploring and called to the path for the first time. This book I will recommend to clients, friends who want to learn magic or simply consider practices from a new angle, with no reservations... as well as keep it in my personal library for inspiration and pure enjoyment. - Chapters are clear, concise and engaging (he seriously cuts through all the noise and static) - Various teachings that usually are cloaked in endless word play, here are presented from their core truth and meaning (for newbies: get started right away without all the needless secret codes and handshakes! ;D Trusting that you know what you most need to in order to explore and practice) - Safety and humor are combined with honesty and truth -- magic is what it IS Gather round the fire and enjoy Wachter's blend of blaze and magic. Well done!

Aidan Wachter has written a true gem in this piece. There are books about magick, Magickal book and then there are Grimoires. This work qualifies as all three. If you had absolutely no experience in the realm of sorcery you could pick up this book, read it sincerely and be able to stand very stable on your first steps of Magickal workings. For those of experienced being this book offers much. It approaches magic for a perspective that few authors desire to encapsulate (but should). It contains gems that can heighten the empowerment for practitioners of almost any viewpoint, be it LHP, RHP, Theistic, shamanistic or almost any path I can think of approaching the book. It does not drown you with deep, needless psychopomp. It does provide the rational basis for all the approaches and techniques it expounds upon. It’s not a mere spellbook. If you’re looking for that, go elsewhere. It is much more than that. It is philosophy AND real application of both practical and high sorcery. Something like this has been needing to come along for a long time now. I certainly am glad it is here now. I have been a practitioner for 40 years now. I am in awe and wonder what it would be like if a treasure like this were available to me back then. I am ultimately grateful that is here now though. If you’re looking for one book on magic that can change your work and help you grow in the arte, I highly suggest this one.

i really like this book. and i have read quite some, as well as have studied and practiced many systems. this is a refreshing take on a more barebone/minimalist approach to sorcery and magic, as well as a very animist take on it. so, i would say that much of this is quite basic. so, beginner friendly. on the other hand, advanced practitioners can for sure get much out of it, too. since its all about the basics, like enery work, sigils, offerings, communicating with spirits and such. and this book offers a great intro into many different topics. apply some or all of this on a consistent basis, and your life will change for sure. by the way my favorite may well be the reclaiming power technique, which you find on aidan's website, check it out to get a taster of how he works.

This is truly a great book if you are searching for a way into magical practice or even trying to make your practice more efficient and meaningful. It seems small and simple in a way, but there is years of work on the part of the author that stands behind each word. Everything that is necessary to start out as a magical practitioner is included in this book. Also the wonderful thing about this book is that it is kept streamlined and complete so that you can add whatever makes it meaningful to you, if you have developed preferences or ways you connect with the Otherworlds. Don't look at the price, look at the value!

Study study practice !

Sorcery in general after Chaos Magic Movement in late 20c can be summarized as: Magic works. / You have everything you need to make magic within you . "Six Ways" by Aidan Wachter is a long returning beach glass, wave-polished to its hardcore. Someone had to do it and Aidan did. I've been away from Chaos Magic-ish books so long and more into folk fashioned crafts, and found Six Ways and realized that Chaote's attitude finally became like Zen garden today. It must be the last poetry of anarcho-tranquility, just before the coming bigdata-driven world.

Aidan Wachter's book Six Ways is more than a handbook of magic and sorcery. In addition to the excellent subjects that it covers, ranging from animism to ceremonial magic, this is a book that offers you an invaluable gift: It teaches you how to give yourself time. Magic operations require time, which is the reason why most manuals dealing with the practical aspect of sorcery and witchcraft focus on steps, essential principles for spell crafting, and other methods and formal discourse that you can quickly try without fearing a headache. While Wachter's book also tackles approaches and entries to magical consciousness, as announced in the subtitle, what is very clear here is that we're not just in the presence of lists and what may be a good idea to test. We're in the presence of what it may be a good idea to think about. Without giving yourself time to think about the implications of entering silence, trance, or power, it's not very likely that the magical experience will be remarkable. This book stresses the importance of giving yourself time, yet without saying so. In this sense the book achieves talismanic power, as it draws you into the space of mystery in subtle, yet most obvious ways. In other words, this is not just another 'do and don't book because it's convenient; this is a book that teaches you the underlying philosophy of what it means to actually reflect on what you're doing, and in doing so, appreciate the gift of time that you can offer yourself on the practical path of the six ways. Aidan Wachter doesn't deny his art: in words, he is as magical as he is in his silver.