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The Three Dangerous Magi: Osho, Gurdjieff, Crowley
by
P.T. Mistlberger
4.18 · Rating details · 76 ratings · 10 reviews
The Most Dangerous man since Jesus Christ, the Sex Guru, the Ambassador from Hell, the Black Devil of Ashkhabad, The King of Depravity, and the Wickedest Man in the World. These were some of the labels given to three of the most notorious figures of 20th century spirituality: Osho (formerly known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh), G.I. Gurdjieff, and Aleister Crowley. Beneath the controversies and scandals that swirled around all three the author argues that these men, egocentric tendencies notwithstanding, were brilliant thinkers and extraordinary masters of their craft, that of the science of inner transformation, and in particular the art of balancing the so called Left and Right Hand spiritual paths. These men were not humble sages. They were bona fide crazy wisdom masters and consistently went where angels fear to tread. They did not teach with the faint praise of new age fluff or the stuffy platitudes of religious sermons, but rather with a flaming sword, and were a genuine menace to all seekers who fear to face the abyss of their own egos. (less)
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Paperback, 713 pages
Published November 16th 2010 by Obooks (first published October 2010)
Original Title
The Three Dangerous Magi: Osho, Gurdjieff, Crowley
ISBN
184694435X (ISBN13: 9781846944352)
Edition Language
English
Other Editions (3)
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November 17, 2020 – Shelved as: to-read
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May 12, 2012Jim rated it liked it
A comprehensive, sympathetic yet often skeptical recounting of the lives and ideas of Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh), Gurdjieff, and Crowley by a very well-read practitioner. I'd give it another star except that I think the author gives too much credence to unsubstantiated metaphysical claims and it is sometimes a bit repetitive. Still, the amount of material in this book, including background on philosophers and traditions that influenced each of these "dangerous magi" is impressive. (less)
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Dec 20, 2014Ludo rated it really liked it
Before reading this book I was already somewhat familiar with Gurdjieff's teachings, and wondered why anyone would write a book on him with the names Crowley and Osho also mentioned in the title.
Osho didn't interest me because through the media my perceived idea was that this wasn't a genuine teacher.
Crowley was a name I would avoid because of the reputation generally being connected to black magic and weird stuff.
The author has thoroughly changed my vision on Crowley - a very interesting personality was portrayed, totally different from what I believed at first about the man sometimes referred to as The Beast 666.
Osho's life story was also described in a fascinating way; I'm still not interested in his methods of teaching, but understand better what the Bhagwan-commotion was all about in the 1980's.
Most interesting was that the author actually delved into all three characters teachings personally for years, thus having a good idea what points of comparison to bring up.
The book is bulky, but the writing is casual enough (meaning not full of academic jargon) to make it a very pleasant read.
(less)
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Jan 23, 2012Lainie Petersen rated it really liked it
Shelves: gurdjieff-fourth-way, newreligiousmovements, spirituality
Engaging book in need of an editor. The author conducted painstaking research, well-synthesized with his own considerable experience in esoteric practice. The trouble is that sometimes the text wanders into trivia that would have best been relegated to an appendix. Still, this book was crafted with great wisdom. Recommended.
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Nov 12, 2016Lina Slavova rated it really liked it
Review to follow.
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May 28, 2018გიორგი გურჯიევი rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This is a must read book if you are familiar with Gurdjieff or Crowley, important notes about mages.
For my example as a fan and constant reader of Gurdjieff and Crowley this book was more than 5 star. All the information is real and comes from a various sources, i knew many facts about Gurdjieff before this book and now i know much much more, also this book was a prior way for me to discover Crowley, which i am happy that i discovered and now i am more stronger to go on my spiritual awakening or satori.
Must Read 10/10 (less)
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May 26, 2020Carlos G rated it really liked it
very clear , interesting and important information about the three gurus.
particularly the appendix where he traces 10 parallels between Osho and Crowley.
I never had the idea to compare both, but it was very insightful to do that.
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Sep 06, 2015Andy rated it really liked it
Recommends it for: Anyone interested in self developement and personal growth
Shelves: biography, consciousness, magick-occult, spiritual-masters
Initially I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this book as over the years I've read so much about the subjects. I'm glad I did though, this man brings experience to the table and his insights are pretty sharp so there was much food for thought. This book is so well written and researched it must be a work of love. It will be useful to anyone looking to explore Crowley, Gurdjieff or Osho. He offers a fine analysis of their position on the world stage and gives due respect to these men who are often vilified by lesser minds. Covering their historical influences, achievements and showing why such people are important to the well being of humanity .All in all a great book that has been an informative pleasure. (less)
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Jan 09, 2017Jönathan rated it it was amazing
An excellent overview and analysis of the lives and the systems of three controversial modern spiritual teachers. Honest about their all-too-human faults but not critical of the value of their systems for the spirituals seeker. This is an excellent book if you are interested in these guys.
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Jun 24, 2011Hock Chye rated it it was ok · review of another edition
Thick book needing time to read.At times I think it is hard to read even.
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Jul 18, 2019Antonio Vargas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
My 3 most favorite Magis! Great coverage and insights here.
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