cover image D.I.Y. Magic: A Strange and Whimsical Guide to Creativity

D.I.Y. Magic: A Strange and Whimsical Guide to Creativity

Anthony Alvarado. Perigee, $15 trade paper (288p) ISBN 978-0-399-17179-6

Reprinted from a now-out-of-print small-press edition, Alvarado’s creativity manual offers 36 different exercises in what he describes as “the fine art of driving yourself insane!” Ranging from surrealist parlor games to divination techniques, each exercise is presented in relaxed language and usually requires little to no equipment. The different practices can be performed in any order, allowing readers to construct their own course of exploration and development. The varied techniques are presented apart from any particular mystical tradition, so that readers following different spiritual paths can use them. Though some sections address methods (such as the tarot and yoga) that are too complex to be squeezed into a short presentation, others offer suitable introductions to ideas outside traditional magic, such as the field of psychogeography. Alvarado seeks to create altered awareness in a way that is accessible, and the exercises he provides can be done alone or by small groups. (Apr.)