Rebels and Devils: The Psychology of Liberation by Christopher S. Hyatt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It is easy to assume from the outside that Satanism is merely ceremonial anti-Christian devil worship, and drug use and homosexuality are something between personal choice recreations and tolerable societal ills. Hyatt combines over 400 pages of articles from William S. Burroughs, Austin Osman Spare, Timothy Leary and more to intellectualize such activities as some of the manifold paths to realizing full human potential. It is in the analysis of the life and motivations of Aleister Crowley and the candid, in-depth interview with Israel Regardie that the savage breaking of taboos is seen as a tool. The interview by Hyatt with Regardie and the following Crowley analysis by psychologist Richard Kaczynski are the core of the book, literally and figuratively. This strips the mystique off occult activity and rebellious behavior and describes them within the confines of a methodology. To quote Kaczynski in "Taboo & Transformation": "The ceremonial magick championed by Crowley...is, in a nutshell, alchemy: The transformation of one's base character into gold. ...If psychological triggers can precipitate spiritual change, then the taboos socially programmed into us can act as triggers for major spiritual transformation."
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