About the Authors FAQ

Questions about The Gallery of Magick and our publications.

 Q: Who are the members of The Gallery of Magick?

A: We are a small group of successful writers, artists, musicians and entrepreneurs known as The Gallery of Magick (sometimes shortened to GOM online). Most of us grew up together. A few others came along later. We are not open to new members at present. We have worked to develop new technology in magick. Since 1982 only one member has left the group. If you know anything about magickal orders, you’ll know that arguments, schisms and disagreements abound, so this is quite unusual. For whatever reason, we have remained a group who – although we are not all the best of friends – continue to find magickal solutions to real-world challenges. There are seventeen members of The Gallery, and those that have written books are Damon Brand, Adam Blackthorne, Zanna Blaise and Gordon Winterfield. Anybody else claiming to be a member of The Gallery of Magick is not telling the truth (see below). Anybody who seeks to imply association through hints or rumours is being misleading. Gordon covers darker material and Zanna writes about the more emotional aspects of magick, while Damon and Adam cover many aspects of magick. The books are all based on magick used and developed by The Gallery of Magick  (gleaned from centuries of occult knowledge and decades of experience), so each book reflects the work of The Gallery as much as it reflects the individual author. Please watch out for imitators who pretend to be from The Gallery online, and on that subject, see the next question.

Q: Is it true this site is closing down and the authors are retiring?

A: This site will remain open indefinitely and all the information will remain online. The Gallery of Magick will continue to work as a magickal order in private. Everything we have written will remain on sale indefinitely so there is no rush to buy all the books at once.

Q: How do we know you’re not doing this to exploit people and make easy money? 

Please see the answer to this on the Fears and Problems FAQ.

Q: Do you run any official Facebook Groups? Do you post in any Facebook groups?

No. For the sake of absolute clarity: anybody in any online group or forum who states that they personally know us, speak for us, represent us or that they are a member of The Gallery is a fraud. If somebody says that are a ‘friend’ because they like what we do, that is fine, but people who claim to secretly know us are lying. Praise and thanks in books by other authors should not be taken to mean that we know or approve of what has been written there.

We have spoken to admins of some groups, briefly, via email, but this does not mean they represent our views or that they are in any way members or secret contacts.

We are pleased to see that thousands of people love the works of The Gallery enough to joingroups to explore and expand on our material, but we do not run or join these groups.

We have one official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/galleryofmagick/, but we have no Facebook group. On Facebook, there is a difference between pages and groups, and we only run one official page, as shown above. All other pages and all groups using our name are unofficial fan groups. 

Please note that in some groups, a small number of people occasionally claim or imply that they are members, secret contacts and even leaders of The Gallery of Magick. All such claims or implications are pure fiction and should be dismissed. No member of The Gallery posts anywhere except:

 www.galleryofmagick.com

 www.zannablaise.com

 www.facebook.com/galleryofmagick/

 www.facebook.com/zannablaise/

Please be cautious if you join a group. Some groups are fine, offering great support and information, but there is definitely mischief and cult-like behaviour in some. Anybody is free to join any group and do whatever they want, of course, but please note that all groups are run independently from us and we are never members or contributors.

Q: Can you tell us which online groups are trustworthy and which aren’t?

A: It’s impossible for us to monitor, and we are sure you can make up your own mind. Also, for legal reasons we have been advised not to recommend particular groups, so please use your own intuition. It might be a good idea to read the FAQs on this site first because they are written by Gallery of Magick authors, covering the books you want to know about. From what we hear, most of the questions asked about our books in online groups are already answered here by the authors.

Q: Do you monitor the online groups to see what they say about you?

A: None of the authors read the Gallery Facebook Page or any online forums or pages related to occultism. On rare occasions information is passed to the Admins which is then passed on to the authors, if it is perceived to be important, and in some cases the FAQs are updated as a result.

Q: Are you aware that some groups are copying your rituals, sigils, and pronunciations, with only minor changes?

A: When group moderators delete pirated or derivative works immediately we will take no further action. When groups allow derivative works to be shared, we will take action. Please note that the majority of phonetic pronunciations in the books are original to the authors and are thus protected by copyright; they may not be used in any derivative rituals that are published in any form (including ‘publication’ in online groups or forums).

Q: Are you aware that somebody claimed a demon was speaking to people in a ‘gallery of magick’ Facebook support group by supernaturally controlling a Facebook account?

A: Yes, and we do no believe it was authentic. A full answer can be found here: Demons of Magick FAQ. The group in question no longer uses The Gallery of Magick in its group name.

Q: How can I contact the authors directly?

A: We are not open to private communication due to the overwhelming number of private messages received (more on that shortly). The only way to get a magickal result is to do magick, and the books contain enough information to get results. If you have problems, read the posts and FAQs on this site. You will find answers.  Please see The Gallery of Magick FAQs and Magick Blog Posts for some of the best information. We know from the site stats that almost nobody reads the FAQs but they ask questions in forums and elsewhere, even though those very questions are answered here. If you made it to this page, bravo, you’re on the right track. If you use the site, there’s a lot here (the equivalent of four full-length magick books, all free.) You can also search for a keyword using the Search box, which appears on the right of the page, or sometimes at the bottom of the page on smaller devices. Several years ago, when our books weren’t very well known and there were only a few hundred people following this page and Facebook, we often received forty private questions a day. Now, with over 14,000 followers (here and on Facebook), there’s much more demand. We tried private questions briefly in 2017 and sometimes got over sixty questions a day. Although we like to support the magick where we can, answering that many questions would be a full-time job. (Over 10,000 questions have been answered.) We are writing and creating new material which should be more useful to readers than answering the same questions week after week. For more details see The Answers of Magick.

Q: Where can I get free copies of the ebooks?

A: We‘re sad to say that Amazon have cancelled the Kindle Matchbook program (from 31st October 2019), which for six years helped us give you free ebooks when you purchased a paperback. If you already have free ‘matchbooks’ they will not be deleted; you get to keep them. Going forward, we won’t be able to offer this free program. As always, we will keep prices fair for authors and readers.

Q: Can I order the paperback in my country?

A: If you don’t have a local Amazon store for your country, Amazon.com deliver to most countries. Please see: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201910800 for a list of eligible countries.

Q: I want to buy your books but I’m having difficult ordering a book from my country. Can you help?

A: Thanks for your interest in the books, but unfortunately, we can’t solve these problems any better than Amazon. You may want to contact them directly (to see if the books can be shipped to your address) via the Help button on their page. There are some countries that Amazon can’t deliver to, however, we do get queries from people saying they are having difficulty getting books shipped to a particular country, but at the same time many books have been delivered to the named country (see above). As such, we can only suggest that there is a problem with the particular address or credit card being used. Amazon will be able to tell you whether or not a book can be ordered and delivered to you. Other options include getting a friend to order the book for you (in the same country or another one), ordering the book but using a friend’s address for delivery (with their permission), or using a different Amazon store closer to your country. You could even try obtaining second-hand copies of the book from eBay or other sellers, which might make delivery to your country easier.

 Q: Are the works all your own?

A: Many of the ideas are drawn from ancient and texts, including private collections, and are inspired by modern methods and occultists known to us, but the workings themselves were created by The Gallery of Magick. All ancient symbols and images, regardless of origin, have been redrawn by members of The Gallery.

Q: Is your work based on the teachings of the occultist Geof Gray-Cobb?

A: No, that would be a great exaggeration as he was only an inspiration to a small number of us in the very early days, many decades ago. Although initial experiments were inspired by his work, it goes no further than that, and his methods, ideas and approaches to magick were entirely different to the ones that we have published. Gray-Cobb made the spirit Nitika popular amongst some occultists, but Nitika has been around much longer than Gray-Cobb, and is listed as one of The Genii of The Twelve Hours in the Nuctemeron (from the 1st Century AD). See The Genius of Magick. Gray-Cobb used some traditional Hebrew words of power, and we have used such words of power, but this is traditional in this style of occult work and our interpretation and pronunciation of these words is entirely different to his, as is the phrasing and terminology used in the rituals. Gray-Cobb was mentioned in a couple of early books out of historical interest and respect for the inspiration he provided, but while his work was certainly fascinating at the time, it was only a starting point that led us to primary source materials that predate his work by many centuries.

Q: How do we know you don’t pay people to write all those 5-Star reviews?

A: It’s quite easy to spot fake reviews. You click on the reviewer’s name or identity and see what else they have reviewed. Fake reviewers will tend to review several eBooks every day, and nothing but eBooks, on a mind-boggling array of subjects, and their reviews are quite general, being in the style of, ‘I really love this subject and find it interesting and well written.’ As you can see from the reviews of all The Gallery of Magick books, this is not the case; there are many long and detailed reviews. The paperback reviews are almost equal in number to the eBook reviews, proving that they are genuine – fakers only ever review digital products. A quick scan of the reviewers’ buying habits shows they also buy many physical products. These are, quite clearly, real people.

Of course, when somebody is successful, others will cry ‘fake’, and accuse you of being a fraud. This is inevitable, but misleading – you can see for yourself that the reviews are genuine. It’s also worth noting that Amazon publisher accounts can be closed down when fake reviews are spotted, so a serious publisher would not risk losing their ability to publish by dabbling in such tactics. The Gallery of Magick books have many thousands of positive reviews, gathered over years, so I think it’s safe to say there’s no fakery.

If you’re uncertain, download the free sample or read it on the Amazon page, so you can form your own opinion. The magick clearly works, but you should find out if the style and content appeals to you before buying.

Q: Can I do a Skype interview with you for my blog, or get you to appear at my convention?

A: To preserve the privacy of all members of The Gallery, I’m afraid this is not possible, but we are flattered by the many requests we receive. Also, we endeavour to keep everything we write on our own sites and pages, so that anybody falsely claiming to be us (in an occult forum, for example) can rapidly be discredited. For the record, we do not publish anywhere except in the books, on this site (www.galleryofmagick.com), on zannablaise.com and the Facebook pages of The Gallery of Magick and Zanna Blaise Music. Anything else you see out there – it’s not us.

Q: Can I hire you to perform a ritual for me?

A: The books are provided to that you can learn magick for yourself, so we do not perform work for hire. Some people out there offer to perform our rituals for you, charging hundreds of dollars. It’s your choice, but we know that at least two of these people, who claim to be experienced occultists, were asking us the most basic questions about magick just months before they started promoting their ‘rituals for hire’, so we know they are not the experienced experts they claim to be. If you do hire somebody, do your research first.

Q: Did you know that somebody in an occult magick forum said some terribly negative things about you?

A: We stopped reading the forums a long, long time ago. They were useful and informative at one time, and may still be from time to time, but helpful sharing and discussion so often turns into posturing, defending positions and beliefs, attacking others, trying to win arguments or prove points, and it’s all very dull. If you believe what you read there and decide you don’t like our books because of it, that’s OK. Some forums are positive and helpful, but use your discretion.

Q: I want printed copies of the sigils but can’t print from the ebook. What do I do?

A: Most of the images are not available online although some can be found here. You can use the images on a device such as a Kindle or iPad, and this works just as well as having a physical copy. Alternatively you can photograph the images on your device, or take a screenshot and print out from that. It is quite easy if you use the free Kindle App on a Desktop or Laptop computer. Physical copies are not required, but if you really want them you can buy the paperback. Also, the book Sigils and Talismans From The Gallery of Magick contains sigils from many books.

Q: Can I get the books in PDF format instead?

A: We aren’t able to provide PDFs of the books without breaking our contract with Amazon.

Q: I read that you share your knowledge because of certain ‘pacts’. What pacts were these, and are they dangerous?

A: When information is shared, there is often an obligation to continue the sharing process, and that’s the extent of the pact. We are passing on what we know. There was certainly no ‘deal with the devil’, even though the word ‘pact’ may conjure up that image for some people. It was more like a polite agreement made over dinner.

Q: Why are the images in my ebook really small?

A: Make sure you bought a genuine copy of the ebook directly through Amazon. There are unauthorized versions of the ebooks available elsewhere online that contain small images, missing images and incorrect images. Needless to say, you will not get good results from such books. Some of these fake books also contain a link to this site, suggesting the images can be downloaded here, which is not true. The images should display correctly on Kindle devices, and any device running the Kindle app (such as an iPad or desktop PC or Mac). If you have a genuine copy, then on most devices, tapping (or double clicking) on the image will make the image expand to full size.

Q: Have you cursed illegal downloads and pirated books?

A: We have cursed those who share the books illegally, and all who download illegally. This curse limits your ability to perform magick. Petty theft is the ultimate self-curse. If you steal books that cost a few dollars and then do magick, guess what happens? The magick amplifies the feeling of being a thief. You remain poor! People who steal cannot get magick to work the way it should. That curse on the self is stronger than any curse we could put in place. If you buy the books legally you will rectify this situation.

Q: If I buy the books legally can I still use pirated copies that I own?

A: Legally, we have to say no because of our publishing contracts. Also, Damon strongly opposes sites that promote piracy due the the significant damage they have caused to publishing; many mid-list authors have been forced to end their careers. Piracy is not about carefree sharing but is about advertising profits for pirates at the expense of creators. As such, he is against that. But the curse spoken of above will no longer apply if you have bought the books legally. Damon has asked that people delete pirated copies but it is not essential in magickal terms.

Q: What about pre-used or secondhand copies?

A: That’s perfectly legal and fine with us, so long as they are physical copies. Anybody selling the books as PDFs or epubs is breaking the law.

Q: But shouldn’t this information be shared freely?

A: If you think that, you’ve never written a book. It takes years, it’s hard work, it costs money, and over the years we freely answered over 11,000 questions. Publishing is now considered an unstable and minor industry. In short, there are no big profits here. We do this for the love, but we don’t love it so much that we’ll put in years of effort without reward. In all seriousness, we have considered giving the books away, but it would mean publishing one book every few years. We’d all be dead before the work was complete. We’d rather stay and share, for now, so we hope you can support that.

Q: Isn’t this curse just a myth? It sounds like a scare tactic.

The aim of the curse is not to ruin your life, but to make your magick less effective. It may work, it may not, but we are certain that pirates enter magick with a timid fear of money, which means they cannot thrive. We hardly need to curse them! There are some pirate copies out there that contain wrong images and misspelled words. The only way to know you’ve got the right magick is to buy it through Amazon. (Paperbacks can be bought used or through some bookshops and resellers,  and that’s perfectly legal, but the ebooks are only ever available legally from Amazon.) Does this make us greedy? No. It is common sense if we are to publish books. We keep the cost down to make the books affordable. If you can afford a device to read the books on (such as a phone, iPad or laptop), you can afford at least one book. If you want to judge the quality of the books first, Amazon provide free samples. If you don’t like what you see, don’t buy. Many professional writers move to working part-time, due to piracy, thus ruining the quality of work available to readers and robbing writers of careers they have worked hard for. Piracy is far from harmless. As such, we will fight piracy in whatever ways we can – legally and otherwise. We know that money is very tight for many people, but that doesn’t make theft of books acceptable. Just because it’s easier than shoplifting doesn’t make it OK. You are, of course, free to share a book within your home, with partners and close friends, or even give a book away. People sometimes ask how they can reverse the curse if they change their minds. It’s as easy as buying the books you stole.

Q: Why are you so bothered about people pirating books when you are so rich?

This reply was written by Damon Brand, in response to a question on Patreon. It has been edited for brevity:

“In summary, I worked in publishing, and I know many hard-working writers, who dedicated their lives to this craft, and they went from earning a decent income to being impoverished. And the irony is that this happens because people like their work enough to steal it. So all the arguments about the benefits of piracy go over my head. Most publishers have found through audits and projections that they are losing up to 90% of sales for some authors. Everybody hates taxes, but imagine if somebody taxed your wage at 90% and left you with just 10%, which would then be taxed again. This is what most writers face. Yes, the big names still make a fortune, but most writers aren’t the big names. Most writers now have to teach writing (and god knows why anybody wants to learn because if you’re any good, you’ll just be stolen from). It is not a minor theft that’s a bit of fun. It’s destroyed an industry and I have always sworn to do what I can to tame it through mundane and magickal means.

Q: I am desperately poor and need a copy of your books. You are wealthy, so can you give me a free copy of Magickal Cashbook or The Magickal Job Seeker to get me started?

A: We can certainly afford to, but it would be a breach of our publishing contract. More importantly, it’s not in your best interest. If you are genuinely so poor that you can’t even afford one book (which costs less than a basic lunch, or a pint of beer), then the level of desperation you’re feeling means that magick is unlikely to work as well as you want it to. It would be more effective to work on your immediate real-world problems, before turning to magick. Although magick can help you out of desperate situations, this ability usually comes later, when you have learned to be at ease with magick. Your first forays into magick should be done with a relaxed and, curious and confident open mind, rather than the desperate need for a result. Financial desperation can freeze your financial reality, and make change less likely. Although magick sometimes performs miracles for desperate people, it is rare when it comes to money. Please see: The Secrets of Money Magick.

Also, there is absolutely no doubt that if you take the time to scrape together the few dollars required to buy the book, the sense of achievement and commitment will be more effective for you than if you just get a freebie. Freebies are easy to dismiss, and that would be a shame. The secrets in these books are priceless to those who learn to use them. For just a few dollars, you can change your life. I am not suggesting that you go without a meal in order to buy my book and make me a little wealthier. For the record, I abhor poverty and much of my time in the real world is spent trying to improve wages for the poor and find jobs for those who need them. So I don’t need your money. But I have heard many stories of people who found a way to scrape together the small price of this book, and never looked back. I hope this can work for you.

Q: There are books out there with identical titles to yours, and sometimes very similar author names. Are they related to The Gallery of Magick?

A: Not at all. We are aware of another Wealth Magick and a Magickal Seduction that appeared shortly after ours. There is also another Magickal Protection and a Words of Power. There’s no copyright on titles, but so there’s no confusion, The Gallery versions of these books are Wealth Magick by Damon Brand, Magickal Seduction by Damon Brand, Words of Power by Damon Brand and Magickal Protection by Damon Brand.

Q: Can I create a course based on your materials?

A: Anybody can teach magickal methods they understand well, but you are not allowed to claim authorship of the material or include any materials from the books in any course materials, whether they are presented free of charge or commercially. It is fine to buy copies of the books to sell on to your students, but no other distribution of text or images is permitted. We do not endorse any courses or groups, so please do not claim that we have done so.

Q: Who writes the FAQs?

A: The FAQs were originally written by Damon Brand, and from late 2016 they were updated and written by Adam Blackthorne. Individual book FAQs are updated by Adam Blackthorne with occasional input from the other authors.

Don’t forget to check out the information in our Magick Blog Posts.

Comments are no longer open. Please enjoy the answers that we have already – just about everything you could want to know is here. If you need to know why, please see The Answers of Magick.