Corporate Magick: Mystical Tools for Business Success

Rating:
Summary: Completely Practical & User Friendly
Review: Dare I say this is a practical book on Magic that *gasps* that does not devote a section to Karma??? I can hear the fluffy bunnies exploding all over the place. Be that as it may, Bob Johnson offers some fine advice in this work.

While a couple of parts are hokey, such as the "Corporate Magick Cabal - a group of magicians, psychics, and experts who will be telepathically connected to the readers of this book twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, to bolster spells and help with all types of magick." That is mere hyperbole and a confidence booster.

That aside, the book is well done in its own right. He offers you practical spells from various traditions such as Wicca, Santeria, Voodou, as well as Magically oriented advice using Astrology and Qabala. Frankly I don't think the author has practiced the religions of Santeria or Voodou, rather he offers cases of people from those religious beliefs and how they chose to conquer a challenge using what they knew from their faith.

For those of you who're Magically challenged, there's a primer in chapter 2. Chapter 4 discusses talismans and the use of your everyday tools at work for Magical results. Some of his herbal knowledge in chapter 9 seems to have come from a variety of sources. Where he got Lovage to use in Sales is beyond me. Possibly the idea is to induce an agreeable personality to the prospect and thus gaining stronger rapport? However his use of Devil's Shoestring Root for employment is spot on as this is a southern Rootworker remedy.

My favorite chapter is number 8 about the practical use of the Qabala (or "Kabbalah" as the author spells it). Typically in books dealing with this deeply mystical subject, far too often the practical aspect of it is overlooked in favor of reserving it solely for the use of Spiritual aims. That's all well and good if you're a heir to a throne or receiver of some large endowment being given to you or a trust fund baby. However for the rest of us, we gotta work and eke out a living and it's no one's business to tell us if we can make use of a Spiritual discipline for our own personal needs and wants.

Johnson does not go into great depth in any chapter of the book. Frankly I feel he offers the right amount of theory which is just enough for a basic understanding. Then he gives you scenarios to consider and even offers up "case studies" for you to read and digest. Then of course, there's the spells and rites that make up the rest of the book. The meat of it that offers you some ideas on how to deal with difficult situations at work and out in the field.

Nothing is really underhanded or manipulative in here so don't presume it's all about climbing the corporate ladder while stomping on toes and fingers of other climbers. Rather Johnson seems to allow the mature reader the opportunity to judge what to use and when to use it rather than giving tired old platitudes of "thou shouldn't..."

The book includes a nice bibliography of the typical new age authors out there - ho hum. And it also offers a pretty decent index to help you find those passages that caught your eye earlier when you couldn't find your highlighter. My copy was obtained at a rate of fourteen dollars and ninety-five cents and I rate it a full 5 stars due to its overall completeness. Again it is mainly targeted for those in the world of business but you could adapt some of the spells and ideas into your own personal practice without much difficulty.

Rating:
Summary: Not for the purist
Review: If you're a purist who doesn't like to use a magick practice without first knowing all the nuts and bolts, don't buy this book. However, if you're looking for a nice overview of a variety of paths with practiceable magick, this is a great little book.
Johnson covers traditional herb and candle magick, as well as astrology, Santeria, voodoo and Kabbalah. What's more, if you've ever read a book about buisness practice or management, you'll see that he's structured this book like that, with theory, instruction and case studies.
As far as its effectiveness in the workplace, I can only guess. I'm self-employed and I am the wizard in my office.