The Goetist

About this book

If you called forth a demon, not for riches or power, but for insight-what truths might it reveal?The Goetist is a wisdom book, a manual of living the good life, in the shape of a sorcerous rite. A despairing man's devil-conjuring invocation turns into a meditative, unsentimental education in the most important subjects of all: how to build up a soul from nothing, make art without apology, and find purpose in the face of a hostile universe.Structured as a series of poetic essays, in the tradition of Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet, The Goetist moves topic-by-topic through the driving concerns of a lonely introspective aspirant: desire, necessity, joy, morality, myth, constraint, legacy, and more. The book's demonic expositor offers the makings of a magician's worldview, rooted in the self-constructed self rather than in any community or dogma, but still unsparing in its demand for truth and excellence. In these pages, you will discover: How magic is more real than any material reality-and why it is found, not in the world, but in the self The roots and the nature of desire, and how to rule your desires rather than being ruled A narrative-driven, individualist account of morality that can hold true in a world of untrustworthy moral authorities How true love can grow forth from a mind consumed by self-interest and self-obsession A vision of the soul that endures beyond flesh, time, and even death Lyrical and transformative, challenging and unexpectedly tender, The Goetist is a book to read slowly, return to often, and carry with you like a lantern in the dark. It is a companion for mystics, philosophers, and all those who yearn for truths that transcend the world around them.