This short book is not focused on the trappings of wizardry, fun though these may be, nor is it a guide to gaining power over anyone but oneself. It is not about 'pointy hats', though Gandalf's looks very good on him.
Instead, it outlines the foundational thoughts of the True West (as I see it), and in the 'Emerald Tablet' section lists the 'Wizard's Desiderata' - the kind of life which is truly powerful, truly magical, mythical, and truly possible. It always has been possible to be a 'wizard' of one's life, though never perhaps with as little danger of being burned at the stake.
'How to be a Wizard' is the fruit of a very long journey by one misfit christian turned process philosopher turned 'wizard' and fantasy epic writer, who ended up building a magical or at least idealistic and romantic place called Cafe Eutopia (a 'temple' to Love, Beauty, Truth and Freedom) in a little town in New Zealand, besides many other adventures of the mind and spirit. I offer it in the hope that it will spark a burning desire to truly be the wizard of your own life, and then of your community, and ultimately, no matter how imperceptibly perhaps, to help the whole world.
I value the true tradition of the West, to which I belong. Yes, I know it has gone horribly wrong in so many ways that many think it (and/or the planet) is doomed. But I believe that its problems can all be solved by a return to the 'True' West - the ideals of Love, Beauty, Truth and Freedom which have inspired its best, and kept some check on its worst. Also a return to seeing the world as organism, not a soulless machine, as has been the dominant model since Descartes.
My vision is that more and more 'Wizards of the True West' will arise in answer to the challenge of the times, and like Gandalf will help to turn the tide. But we desperately need not only the goodwill, the desire to see good things happen, but also the philosophical foundations on which to build. These have been undermined by many enemies, most of them the very ones we look to to hold them fast and keep them strong - our philosophers, in particular, and academics in general. Relativism, 'postmodernism' and nihilism, not to mention PC nonsense of many shades, have been actively promoted by many of them, so that now these ideas have become the norm, and what I write in this book may seem incredible to you at first. So, read it as an interesting fantasy, and if it seems like a pleasant alternative to the 'real' world of our postmodern, materialistic madness, try some of it out. You may be surprised to find that it actually works, actually rings true. Then - spread the word!
Instead, it outlines the foundational thoughts of the True West (as I see it), and in the 'Emerald Tablet' section lists the 'Wizard's Desiderata' - the kind of life which is truly powerful, truly magical, mythical, and truly possible. It always has been possible to be a 'wizard' of one's life, though never perhaps with as little danger of being burned at the stake.
'How to be a Wizard' is the fruit of a very long journey by one misfit christian turned process philosopher turned 'wizard' and fantasy epic writer, who ended up building a magical or at least idealistic and romantic place called Cafe Eutopia (a 'temple' to Love, Beauty, Truth and Freedom) in a little town in New Zealand, besides many other adventures of the mind and spirit. I offer it in the hope that it will spark a burning desire to truly be the wizard of your own life, and then of your community, and ultimately, no matter how imperceptibly perhaps, to help the whole world.
I value the true tradition of the West, to which I belong. Yes, I know it has gone horribly wrong in so many ways that many think it (and/or the planet) is doomed. But I believe that its problems can all be solved by a return to the 'True' West - the ideals of Love, Beauty, Truth and Freedom which have inspired its best, and kept some check on its worst. Also a return to seeing the world as organism, not a soulless machine, as has been the dominant model since Descartes.
My vision is that more and more 'Wizards of the True West' will arise in answer to the challenge of the times, and like Gandalf will help to turn the tide. But we desperately need not only the goodwill, the desire to see good things happen, but also the philosophical foundations on which to build. These have been undermined by many enemies, most of them the very ones we look to to hold them fast and keep them strong - our philosophers, in particular, and academics in general. Relativism, 'postmodernism' and nihilism, not to mention PC nonsense of many shades, have been actively promoted by many of them, so that now these ideas have become the norm, and what I write in this book may seem incredible to you at first. So, read it as an interesting fantasy, and if it seems like a pleasant alternative to the 'real' world of our postmodern, materialistic madness, try some of it out. You may be surprised to find that it actually works, actually rings true. Then - spread the word!
