Adamson's Quest, And Shamgar the Purple Dragon

This is one of those mysterious books that is obviously fiction but has a clear current of light flowing hidden just beneath the surface. There is something more going on within it than one might suspect from a magical work that just so happens to be entertaining. The fictional aspect of the story serves to put the conscious mind to ease and lets many of the critical filters come down: after all, it is “only” fiction and so it doesn’t purport to be true in the rational sense of the word. And yet, at the same time, paradoxically, this allows the unfiltered esoteric content, containing real magical truths, to sink deeper into the readers’ minds. This is an excellent work on every level, both fun to read and illuminating, and I highly recommend it.

It's a great book! You should read it!

BRILLIANTLY CRAFTED ESOTERIC INSIGHTS WRAPPED IN GOOD HUMOR AND MYSTERIOUS ADVENTURE BY THE MASTER THABIONLOTS OF PEOPLE TRY THEIR HAND AT WRITING EITHER TRUE AND/OR FICTIONALIZED ACCOUNTS OF SPIRITUAL SEEKING BUT IT TAKES A REAL MASTER TO SUCCEED AT BOTH

The book follows the adventures of "Enoch Adamson" through the imaginative symbolism of the lower spheres of the Tree of Life. It's a little hard to describe, but there's (oddly enough) parts reminiscent of Zork, Terry Gilliam, The Phantom Tollbooth, Jonathan Swift, and Robert. E. Howard. A fun combo, and definitely pulpy. Quite a bit of familiar imagery if you've done esoteric pathworking, and this is especially where the book delivers. You might not have the same adventures as Adamson or come to the same conclusions, but you'll definitely find some of the territory familiar - a real amount of astral content is involved here, and it's very clearly and beautifully displayed. Adamson moves through dark forests and moonlit oceans and desert canyons, and in these territories he experiences everything from fear to romance to bravery to absurdity, sometimes personified as people or even civiliations. The book is pulpy in the best way, with the initially trepidatious protagonist passing through a lot of absurdist situations and ideologies. Along the way he eventually gains some confidence, has a chance to romance a lady or two, and eventually learns how to issue deadpan one-liners while immersed in these outlandish situations. He even gains a bit of wisdom and insight. There is a big emphasis on the interplay of ideas, with even the various venerable spiritual authorities of the book (portrayed with respect and, refreshingly, a lot of humor) engaged in dialogue with each other. The ending is a bit open, and I hope we'll see Adamson's further adventures at some point. Also included in the book is the story of Shamgar, also thoroughly entertaining. How can I describe it? It's like Robert E. Howard guest-teaching a Sunday school class about a forgotten hero from the land of Shem, back when the line between gods and men wasn't as hard as it is now. Very fun, and the kind of thing Runyon does exceedingly well. All in all, a great read.

It’s rare in the field of esoteric literature to find a work that not only teaches magical concepts but tells an entertaining story while doing it. In Adamson’s Quest, veteran adventure author Poke Runyon weaves a rollicking tale of a nerdy hero named Enoch Adamson who meets the enigmatic mage Hermes Trismegistus in a curio shop and embarks on a journey to master the tests of the lower sephira of the Tree of Life.During the course of his quest, young Enoch runs into a very unusual Perseus and Medusa in the sphere of Yesod, escapes from prison in a hot-air balloon with the author of a forbidden book, joins a commando unit in an Orwellian technocracy and finally falls in love with his own feminine self on the path to the Great Library in the sphere of Hod. Here, he finally joins his mentor at a gathering of Adepts presided over by a Jesus that you definitely didn’t learn about in Sunday school. Even if you are an experienced student of the Western Mystery Tradition, you will love following Enoch Adamson on his road to adepthood.Also included in the same volume is another adventure tale, this time from the Old Testament Book of Judges. Shamgar is a Phoenecian pirate and smuggler called the Purple Dragon. Wielding his magical ox goad, he unleashes the awesome power of the Ark of the Covenant to vanquish the Philistines, marries the daughter of the High Judge of the Hebrews, and eventually becomes the first King of Israel. And, yes, the story really is in the Bible.Just don’t tell your Sunday School teacher.

Adamson’s Quest is an entirely unique fantasy novel about the visionary quest a magical student must take to become a magician. It is based on an essential aspect of magical training known as pathworking. Pathworking is a program of directed inner plane journeys which follow the paths and encounters in the spheres of the qabbalistic Tree of Life. This is the master mandala of the Western Esoteric Tradition and the magician’s map of the magical universe. The pathworking is a hypnotic experience in which a master magician leads his students on a magical journey, which he narrates describing scenes and introducing characters. The students are asked to question these characters in order to learn the lessons of the path or sphere. Pathworkings are actually initiatory experiences and essential teaching vehicles in any Magical Lodge. However they are for the most part secret because familiarity would diminish their effect. This is one reason why Adamson’s Quest is much more than casual reading. It is based on the pathworking system shown in “The Rites of Magick.” It will lead the reader from Malkuth to Yesod and on to Hod and the secrets of the Great Library of the Ages.The second book Shamgar the Purple Dragon, is an adventure story based on the heroic and very real character Shamgar in the bible's Book of Judges. Like Adamson's Quest, Shamgar reveals magical secrets and revelations that will be of special interest to students of the western hermetic tradition.