Book review: The Little Key

In my initial article about Guardian Angel I mentioned one's magical abilities leveling up after they encounter their own spirit. This usually takes place gradually rather than overnight, but soon enough the person will notice their magical skills have increased considerably. Not only will they make use of their system of choice with ease, but will also be able to come up with a new well structured system (even if it may be frowned upon by various purists and whatnots). 

One such person is Rob Rider Hill, a man who encountered his angel via an ordeal dating back to medieval times, but is likely older. At some point after successfully completing the ordeal, Mr Hill came up with an innovative, simple yet effective system for working with sublunar spirits, aka demons. I imagine he's played with various systems and found ways of making up new ones.

The potential for creating one such system is found in The Little Key, a book Mr Hill wrote this year. It is a small book, albeit not the ten page leaflets wannabe magicianists brag about writing over more than five years or their parents promote online to justify their offspring are serious occultists. Within its pages the author covers the bare bones a beginner occultist ought to know to get their practice started. 

Being structured in two parts makes it simple to work with. The first part covers theory, the second practice. Additionally, the appendices consist of cheat sheets for every important theoretical and practical stage covered in the main chapters. These cheat sheets make it easier for lazy and/or slow people (like me) to get things done and the author's generosity to add them deserves gratitude.

The goal of this book is not only to introduce people to actual occult practices by offering the blueprint to a simple method that works, but also to push them towards expanding their craft by incorporating various elements from different sources. Readers find themselves challenged to do the work through research using the free sources mentioned inside the book and others, as well as to compile their findings into the ritual framework detailed within its pages. This includes both intellectual and physical labor, since the author also describes the bare necessities in regards to tools and regalia, etc.

Mr Hill has thus made the book quite demanding, as readers are not handed out everything on a silver platter. Although people are free to select and use ritual components to their liking, such as procedures, invocations and so on, the lack of an actual example of a complete ritual working can have the effect of double edged sword, either making them take on occultism and experiencing it passionately, or walk away from it at least for a while (perhaps until such time they have the right amount of willpower to see it through). I find it likely some people will quit after a short while feeling overwhelmed by what they would consider a sheer amount of work the book subjects them to, without an easy to parot step by step tutorial.

All in all, I find this to be a potent manual for magical work if used with dedication and perseverance. Besides being guided into constructing a solid ritual, readers are also given useful tips and information that will help them along the way. I personally like that the author has gone over basic astrological data every occultist should consider, going as far as to present the five Ptolemaic aspects. I also appreciate his mentioning of energy work, as many wannabes consider it unnecessary (probably because they consider their method of screaming at toasters to be the only way).

This book can be used by anyone who deem themselves ready to seriously allocate time and energy for doing the work, or as a helping hand for people who have already began walking their occult path using a certain system. It can be used alongside The Black Chapbook, another title of Mr Hill's.