Christopher S. Hyatt, PhD

Table of Contents:

Rebels and Devils - Reviewed by Psyche
Aleister Crowley's Illustrated Goetia - Reviewed by Psyche
The Psychopath's Bible - Reviewed by Psyche
The Enochian World of Aleister Crowley - Reviewed by Psyche
Pacts With The Devil - Reviewed by Psyche
Sex Magic, Tantra and Tarot - Reviewed by Psyche

Title:	Rebels and Devils
Sub-title:	The Psychology of Liberation
Editor:	Christopher S. Hyatt with Dr. Jack Willis, et. al.
Publisher:	New Falcon
ISBN:	1561841536
Pages:	428 pp.
Copyright:	1996, 2000
Edition:	Second, Revised Edition
Reviewer:	Psyche
Contact Information:	psyche[at]spiralnature[dot]com
Category:	Psychology, Magick, Chaos Magick, Rebellion/Revolution, Libertarianism/Anarchy
Review:	Rebels and Devils is a collection of works from some of the most rebellious and accomplished minds of our time; including such notorious authors as William Burroughs, Phil Hine, Peter Carroll, Austin Osman Spare, Aleister Crowley, Israel Regardie, Robert Anton Wilson, Timothy Leary, Osho, and naturally Christopher S. Hyatt, as well as various others. Not only a collection of essays, it also consists of various photographs, poetry, biographies, interviews and even a comic drawn by S. Jason Black and co-written by Hyatt. Comprised of more than works psychology and magick; anything that could be deemed rebellious or individualistic; also covered are such topics as yoga, meditation, sex, drugs, guns, death, and the difference between rebellion and revolution. I've never read anything by Israel Regardie before, as his most famous works seem centred around the Golden Dawn, and I've never had much use for formal magickal orders, so I was somewhat surprised to discover while reading an interview between him and Hyatt ('The Final Words of a Western Master') that he was so funny, as I tend to see that sort of thing as being dry work. Both humourous and insightful, he made an excellent point regarding the misconceptions readers have about the authors they read, very one dimensionally, and this certainly helps expand that. In 'The Calling of the Holy Whore', Diana Rose Hartman, the only female author in the entire compendium, offers an intelligently refreshing re-interpretation of the Judeo-Christian myths surrounding Satan/Lucifer in the rebel guise, noting how 'devil' and 'divine' grew out of the same Indo-European root word devi, and 'demon' came from the Greek for genius, daemon. Hart contributes an interesting feminist perspective to rebellion, in embracing the holy whore within ourselves. Christopher Hyatt reflects on the methods of modern slavery in 'Who Owns the Planet Earth': "While most humans agree that slavery is evil - that the ownership of one human by another is immoral - few humans equate slavery with enforced education, welfare, health, and the idea of a perfect orderly universe. Slavery is usually associated with power over others and with the ability to enforce one's will on another without the fear of retaliation. Within the "right" of ownership and debt there is a hidden mystery - a metaphysics - a knowledge only available to those with the power to create and enforce their metaphysics. Whenever a new group achieves power, they also inherit the metaphysics and magickally, the ability to use it." (pg 110-111) While Osho notes in 'Rebellion is the Biggest "YES" Yet': "Rebellion is an individual action; it has nothing to do with the crowd. Rebellion has nothing to do with politics, power, violence. Rebellion has something to do with changing your consciousness, your silence, your being. It is a spiritual metamorphosis." (pg. 122) The myriad of discussions on rebellion and liberation in its various forms make this a book to be treasured for years to come. While not every essay is a shining jewel to be discovered, there is a sufficient number that makes Rebels and Devils defiantly worth reading. I recommend that they be read as they appear, even though one may not be interested in every subject discussed, they do follow a loose sequence.
Review submitted:	13 August 2003

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Title:	Aleister Crowley’s Illustrated Goetia
Sub-title:	Sexual Evocation
Authors:	Lon Milo DuQuette, Christopher S. Hyatt
Illustrator:	David P. Wilson
Publisher:	New Falcon Publications
ISBN:	1561840483
Pages:	236 pp.
Copyright:	1992, 2000
Revision/Edition:	Second Edition
Reviewer:	Psyche
Contact Information:	psyche[at]spiralnature[dot]com
Category:	General Magick, Sex Magick
Review:	‘What Goetia is – is the releasing of yourself from your won fears and illusions by direct confrontation.’ (pg 10) According to tradition, the Goetia is the first book in the Lemegaton attributed to Solomon the King, though likely compiled by a host of authors. Goetic evocation deals with the summoning of the seventy-two lesser spirits and demons. In this edition, based on Crowley’s Goetia, DuQuette and Hyatt strip away all unnecessary trappings and cut through most of the ‘fooltraps’ designed to dissuade less astute practitioners. Traditionally, Goetic evocation calls for strict observance of many details, such as the correct ritual hours, lengthy calls, and an inordinate amount of ceremonial trappings. The authors tell the reader what one can safely do away with, and what can be altered as preference dictates. However, there are some items that the authors do believe are required for the successful (and safer) evocation of the Goetic spirits, including a list of ‘must haves’ with detailed explanations and personal anecdotes as to why they are necessary. Noting 'that there is absolutely no necessity (nor particular advantage) to blindly conforming with the Conjuration scripts of the ancient texts. The Spirits are no more impressed of you say “thee” and “thine” than they are if you say “you” and “yours”.’ (pg 45) Goetic spirits ‘will work for anyone who knows how to use them. This is one of the horrors people attribute to Goetic workings. You “don’t have to be respectable” for Goetia to work for you. Unlike other magical workings there is no implication that the operator has to be “good” and “holy” to achieve results. This idea in itself violates our model of “right” and “wrong”, “just” and “unjust”. In the Goetic world like in the real world the “bad” can and do prosper. Thus our belief in the moral orders of the Universe appears violated by the simple existence of Spirits who will do the bidding of anyone.’ (pg 14) Though they will work for anyone, the authors caution that one ‘must be completely convinced that your demands are absolutely justified. (And don’t think we are invoking the great demon “morality” here. An unnecessary motive is an unworthy motive – pure and simple). When you are truly justified in your demands then you have the momentum of the entire universe behind you.’ (pg 37) Further cautioning and confirming that ‘yes, they are dangerous,’ DuQuette and Hyatt explain that ‘while they remain unmastered they can surface unbidden and wreak all havoc modern psychology blames on “things hidden in the subconscious mind”.’ (pg 24) As well as a few delightfully thrilling personal anecdotes. There are a few changes, namely the elimination of lengthy calls in preference for Thelemic invocations from Liber Samech by Crowley, Enochian calls, etc. As well, ‘for the convenience of the modern reader’ the authors have translated information regarding each of the seventy-two Goetic spirits into modern understanding and Crowleyan associations, and ‘where obvious, returned certain Spirits to their original gender.’ (pg 43) Sketches accompany each of the seventy-two spirits, illustrated by artist-clairvoyant David P. Wilson, a practicing Goetic magickian. ‘Over a period of 15 years, he has evoked each of the Spirits at least once…But it is very important for you to remember that, because no two people have the same visual-emotional “vocabulary”, the images of the Goetic universe will be unique to each of us.’ The authors caution the reader not to ‘think that these sketches are what you must see when evoking any particular Spirit,’ instead explaining that ‘they are intended to serve only as springboards to your imagination.’ (pg 72) Though with such a short section on sex magick, I don’t know that it really deserves the ‘Sexual Evocation’ subtitle as there are really only a few pages on it at the rear of the text. Aimed at those actually interested in actually practicing magick rather than simply reading about it, it gives unambiguous description of what tools are required and the methods of evocation and, briefly, of sexual invocation, cutting through the superfluous and get right to what is necessary. An excellent introduction to Goetic magick as Crowley practiced it.
Review submitted:	30 January 2004

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Title:	The Psychopath’s Bible
Sub-title:	For the Extreme Individual
Author:	Christopher S. Hyatt
Forward by:	Nicholas Tharcher
Publisher:	New Falcon
ISBN:	1561841749
Pages:	216 pp. (Incl. appendices)
Copyright:	1994, 2000, 2003
Revision/Edition:	Second New Falcon Edition, Expanded and Revised
Reviewer:	Psyche
Contact Information:	psyche[at]spiralnature.com
Category:	Psychology, Revolutionary
Review:	The Psychopath’s Bible opens with a disclaimer intended as a standard CYA cap, and the next dozen or so pages continue this theme, warning the reader about the hazards of reading the terrible and horrifying material within, which is more than a little over the top for my taste, but entertaining nonetheless. It is primarily compiled of three ‘manuals’ and three appendices. Nicholas Tharcher summed up the basic theme of the book well in the Forward when he said: ‘In some ways this is a book of social philosophy; in other was it is a book of technique. Which it is for you may depend more on your attitude than anything else’ (pg 15). The first manual is titled ‘The Toxick Magician’ in which very little is given that could be used for practical application and the little theory is a bit dodgy as it is not expounded. Thoughts are left vague and incomplete, perhaps to stimulate further thought and generated ideas on the part of the practitioner, but it looks sloppy and unfinished. However, I found the second manual, ‘Toxick Calculator’, far more entertaining. It deals with what Hyatt terms the ‘mathematics of power’ and contains more detailed theory, as well as exercises with more practical applications than the first. In it, the reader gets gems like this: ‘We are inherently irrational, although we like to fancy ourselves as rational beings......the truth is simple: we are irrational beings capable of rational thought.’ (pg 109) The third manual, ‘The No-Where University, Sometimes Called P.U.’ contains a selection of courses and literature, both printed and film, that a prospective psychopath will want to fill hirself in on in order to perfect hir transformation. Much of what is contained within one can see easily reflected all around, friends, co-workers, etc. Particularly in the games played by world leaders. Consider this extract: ‘Build tension in others and help them find a scapegoat. Do this in small and insignificant ways until you have the power and ability to move people to more gross and hideous behaviors. Help people realize how easy it is to lose things they have or want. The trick in all of this is not to become identified as the bearer of bad tidings – unless you are looking for people with a strong stomach’ (pg 87). Sound familiar? It’s entertaining, an easy read, but at the same time insightful - though not terribly new. There is little that cannot be found within the works of Sun Tzu, Niccolo Machiavelli, Ayn Rand and the like. However, the ideas have been modernized, and deliberately injected with humour, which is fun. Then again, as he says ‘I have written this book in the way I wanted to write it......not for the ease of the reader nor for the sake of favorable reviews’ (pg 105). For those who have not read much in this genre there is a lot you need to know, namely, you need to understand that ‘no matter how pathetic, everyone is looking out for their best interests. For most people, their best interest consists of not being punished. Few play to win. They play to be safe while feeling morally superior to the winner’ (pg 31), and this is an attitude that severely needs to be corrected if you really want to play the game. This book just might help.
Review submitted:	18 February 2004

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Title:	Enochian World of Aleister Crowley
Sub-title:	Enochian Sex Magick
Authors:	Aleister Crowley, Lon Milo DuQuette, Christopher S. Hyatt
Illustrator:	David P. Wilson
Publisher:	New Falcon Publications
ISBN:	1561840297
Pages:	162 pp.
Copyright:	1991, 1993, 1997, 2002
Revision/Edition:	Fourth Printing
Reviewer:	Psyche
Contact Information:	psyche[at]spiralnature[dot]com
Category:	General Magick, Sex Magick
Review:	Hyatt has ‘found the Enochian system to be the safest, cleanest and most logical system of practical magick one can perform. But it is an art and as such requires not only study and practice but also inspiration and the love-hate relationship all artists have with their craft’ (pg 59). He further advises the reader to ‘resign yourself at the outset to take responsibility for your own magical reality. When you have firmly assumed this responsibility you will realize there is no Enochian universe per se. There is only your universe which you can access by the Enochian formulae. There is no Enochian magick per se. There is only your magick, facilitated by the methods of the Enochian system’ (pg 21). It contains Liber LXXXIV vel Chanokh, with detailed notes and further explanations preceding the text itself, providing a lucid and detailed guide to the Enochian system via Crowley, spiced with anecdotes describing the authors’ personal experience with the Enochian system. To further facilitate the ease of understanding the system the authors advise using coloured diagrams, noting that while ‘all this may take a few hours to execute but it will save you months (or as in my case, years) of confusion’ (pg 46) as through colour-coding it becomes more obvious how the tablets relate. However, the section devoted to sex magick is small, only two short and somewhat vague chapters tagged on the end. Hyatt intends this ‘for the reader who is already knowledgeable on these subjects’, noting that he is merely offering ‘a few helpful hints concerning how Enochian can be used in these areas’ (pg 104). While this may be true, it also means that it doesn’t quite warrant the slightly misleading ‘Sex Magick’ subtitle given to it. Toward the rear of the book there is an Enochian dictionary; complete with several pages of Enochian words, their pronunciation and English translation. Also included is the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram, and in the appendix there are several diagrams of the tablets, the pentagrams and signs, as well as eight ‘sex magick symbols’. Lucid, concise, precise in its language, the Enochian World of Aleister Crowley is excellent as a general introduction to the study Enochian magick through Crowley, if not a practical guide to sex magick.
Review submitted:	18 March 2004

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Title:	Pacts With The Devil
Sub-title:	A Chronicle of Sex, Blasphemy & Liberation
Author:	S. Jason Black & Christopher S. Hyatt
Publisher:	New Falcon
ISBN:	1561840580
Pages:	285 pp. (Incl. appendices and post-scripts.)
Copyright:	993, 1997, 2002
Revision/Edition:	Second Edition, Third Printing
Reviewer:	Psyche
Contact Information:	psyche[at]spiralnature[dot]com
Category:	General Magick, Satanism
Review:	The authors open with a bit of demonic theory and brief overview of Satanic and demonic pacts throughout history. They explain that they ‘prefer to believe in the existence of non-human forces’, while at the same time acknowledging that there is ‘no “proof” of their existence in the scientific sense. More, [there is] no proof that these forces are good or evil – or that even our human concepts apply to them’ (pg 16). The histories they’ve collected are varied, and humourously recounted. Unfortunately a bibliography is not included, and the reader is left to seek out the source of most of these stories hirself. However the entire text is peppered with personal anecdotes, both awesome and entertaining, and the reader is easily drawn in. The authors state that the ‘paramount utility of names and sigils is as a beacon to the hidden world from which magic draws its power.’ Noting that ‘this is why traditional forms are important and still useful. Not because the standing armies of Hell literally exist…but because when certain signs are made, and certain actions performed, it is understood by “another” what you are calling and how “it” (or they) should respond’ (pg 109). The practical section includes rituals from the The Grimorium Verum, The Grand Grimoire and The Constitution of Honorius, as edited by the authors ‘in order to make them more sensible and useable by the person so inclined’ (pg 149). Ritual methods are explained clearly and simply, with alternatives suggested in place of the traditional sacrifices required, presumably for variety and freedom of choice as well as the obvious legal reason. Also included are demonic names, lengthy calls, sigils, and illustrations by S. Jason Black. Highly critical of the Christian church, the authors take every opportunity to mock it, whether or not the point made is relevant to the discussion at hand, seemingly only included simply because one of the authors have a personal grudge against the religion he was raised in. However, as they state themselves: ‘No matter what we call ourselves, “neo-pagan” or “new age” or “yogi” or “atheist” we are still puppets for the patterns and fears etched into our minds with acid as a child. Unless we directly confront those symbols and fears, “principalities and powers”, there will be no breaking free, and when that confrontation occurs, long-repressed forces will rise up that will result either in empowerment or collapse’ (pg 66). Perhaps this minor obsession with the ‘evils’ of Christianity is merely a reflection of that. While hardly a scholarly text, it is informative and entertaining; a practical approach to the more ‘sinister’ side of occultism. The authors assume the reader already has some familiarity with occult theory and practical experience. Those with a kindling interest in the ‘darker’ path will find this book a welcome addition to their library.
Review submitted:	28 May 2004

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Title:	Sex Magic, Tantra and Tarot
Sub-title:	The Way of the Secret Lover
Author:	Christopher Hyatt, Ph. D. & Lon Milo DuQuette
Publisher:	New Falcon Publications
ISBN:	1561840440
Pages:	191 pp. (Incl. appendices)
Copyright:	1991, 1996, 2004
Revision/Edition:	SSecond Expanded and Revised Edition
Reviewer:	Psyche
Contact Information:	psyche[at]spiralnature[dot]com
Category:	Sex Magick, Magick, Tarot
Review:	Through Tarot, quabbalah, and tantric practice leading towards attaining conversation with one’s Holy Guardian Angel, or as it is termed in this work, one’s ‘Secret Lover’: ‘We momentarily feel the embrace of our Secret Lover in the ecstasy of orgasm and in moments of rapture when the beauty of music or dance or visual art or nature overcome us ‘(pg 11). Further, learning the Will to surrender, as Hyatt and DuQuette note ‘[m]ost people feel unable to surrender or be in the presence of someone who is surrendering because of the pain it brings to the surface. They feel the pounding force of life pushing through their skin and they are horrified of losing what sense of autonomy they do have’ (pg 18). One method of overcoming this barrier is through Tarot: ‘One way that we in the West can understand our ability (or inability) to achieve this type of surrender is by utilizing the archetypical images of our own psyche. The images of the Tarot have, for centuries, allowed the diligent seeker an opportunity to “eaves drop” on the pictorial language of the subconscious mind’ (pg 23). This isn’t an introductory book on sex magick, nor is it about sex magick in general. Rather this work focuses on the aspects of sex magick relating more specifically to the theory and practice leading to one specific ritual, with an additional one thrown in for good measure. The principle purpose of this work leading towards the Ultimate Divination, a ritual using Tarot to invoke one’s HGA with ultimate purpose. Elemental, astrological, planetary, quabbalistic, associations for the Tarot are detailed, along with their meanings. The major arcana are accompanied by illustrations designed by Lon Milo DuQuette and penned by David P. Wilson, with inspiration clearly drawn from Crowley and his Book of Thoth, and consequently the Golden Dawn associations. Offers a very brief mythological ‘traditional’ history of the origin of the Tarot and a frank appraisal of sex magick in how it is viewed, and how it is practiced: ‘There is a commonly-held belief that those who practice sex-magic are indulging themselves in wild orgiastic rites at every opportunity. This is rarely the case. After all, if you need to go through lots of occult rigmarole just to get laid, then you’re a bit sad, aren’t you? Then again, the occult subculture is full of SAD people, desperate to finally get laid and attempting to turn to sex-magic as a last resort’ (pg 161). However, while the authors demonstrate a more or less healthy attitude towards homosexuality, their focus is primarily from a male perspective. Indeed, most of the text seems focused on the male’s role. Lesbianism gets but a brief mention as being ‘ok’ because it’s a ‘turn on’. As the authors are both men, it’s not surprising that a male bias exists, but it is still disappointing to see. It’s not a sex magick how-to book, nor Tantra, and it’s not a book on Tarot specifically. So what is it? Best I can figure, it’s an old fashioned grimoire with insight into the particular psychological and ritual trappings required to work a specific rite with a specific goal in mind. It’s a shame the title seems ill-matched to its contents.
Review submitted:	28 May 2005

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