My actual rating is 3.5. I found this book intriguing and inspirational, but it was definitely an "outer court" book: referring to secret teachings and spiritual practices which are never described. I'm not sure if Tau Malachi covers them in some of his other books, or if you have to join his organization to receive them directly. I'm not sure if his material here is all that different than what one could find in many of the original gnostic texts, but the packaging and framing is very appealing.

One of the things I like most is that Tau Malachi doesn't claim to be presenting an unbroken, unchanged tradition. He acknowledges the fluid nature of oral tradition and personal revelation. There's an honesty and humility to that which is often lacking in books like this one.

I'm intrigued enough to want to read some of the author's other books. ( )